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Elementary Course Descriptions
Language Arts
Children grow tremendously during these years as God’s gifts of language, thought, and imagination are put to work in listening, speaking, writing, and reading. They are challenged to think deeply, read widely, and write purposefully in all subjects. They develop extensive vocabularies and understand how language carries beliefs and ideas that shape the world. They read a variety of books and recognize quality literature. They write clearly in various forms as they share their thinking with others. They ask questions to move their learning forward. They use language skills to know God, to understand themselves and others, and to make sense of the world in which they live.
K-4 – Listen to follow directions, understand information, and learn with others. Participate in shared reading: rhymes, stories, books, songs. Speak clearly, using a growing vocabulary and taking turns. Distinguish similar and different sounds, along with letters and numbers. Retell and dictate stories in sequence. Identify letters, by name and shape, and recognize a few sight words. Listen to books and recognize characters, events, and settings, asking questions to increase understanding. Write name, some letters, lists, messages and stories with increasing fine-motor skills.
Kindergarten – Listen to learn sounds of letters, rhymes, stories, directions, and the ideas of others. Ask questions, use complete sentences, recite Bible verses and poems, retell and discuss stories, participate in shared reading and dramatizations, and read aloud. Identify all letters by sight and sound and write them correctly, participate in daily shared writing and journal writing, and write simple complete sentences using some capital letters and punctuation. Listen to many stories: predict, make connections, question, summarize, and sequence story content. Read many books together and independently. Know common sight words and use phonetic skills to read and write words at grade level.
First Grade - Discuss information clearly and audibly, give reasons for answers, and take turns. Write daily in Writer’s Workshop with sequence, details, precise and growing vocabulary in a variety of forms: retellings, descriptions, letters, couplets, captions. Read and write basic sight words fluently. Use phonetic skills to read and write grade level materials. Write complete sentences using capital letters and periods with legible, and correctly-formed, block letters. Read with understanding, using schema, connections, mental images, questions, predictions and conclusions. Identify story elements, fiction and nonfiction, fantasy, plays, poems. Read daily with increasing vocabulary and fluency at grade level.
Second Grade – Follow directions, speak to an audience, and listen to answer questions. Use phonetic skills to read and write words at grade level. Write complete sentences with correct end punctuation, using legible manuscript writing. Capitalize sentences and proper nouns, and use commas in dates and addresses. Write paragraphs with organization: sequence, main idea, details, cause and effect. Write, revise, and edit stories, letters, retellings, and poetry. Identify nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Use abbreviations, antonyms, synonyms, homonyms, and contractions. Reading strategies: story elements, questions, mental images, predictions, summaries, context clues, expository text features. Read fluently at grade level, including fairy tales, folk tales, and nonfiction. Use dictionary, charts and graphs, graphic organizers, and glossary.
Third Grade – Listen to summarize, clarify and explain ideas. Read and write multi-syllable words and sight words. Write simple and compound sentences, eliminate fragments, and use correctly possessives, verb tenses, capitalization, end marks, apostrophes, commas in a series, homographs, and homonyms. Write multiple paragraphs, using transition words, details to support main idea, and precise vocabulary. Write, revise, and edit descriptions, fables, tall tales, and poetry, with legible cursive writing. Identify subjects and predicates, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns and prepositions. Read fluently at grade level and identify story elements. Read purposefully: question, visualize, summarize, infer. Read and paraphrase expository text; read maps, charts, and graphs. Use information sources: dictionary, index, encyclopedia, online references.
Fourth Grade – Participate actively in discussions, present reports, listen and infer messages. Read and write multi-syllable words with affixes. Write compound and complex sentences, and eliminate run-ons. Use commas within sentences, write plural possessives, and maintain verb tense. Write dialogue correctly. Write, revise, and edit multiple paragraphs on same topic, using precise vocabulary, punctuation, and capitalization. Write summaries, reports, mysteries, poems, brochures. Identify parts of speech, including conjunctions and interjections, and use irregular and linking verbs. Read actively: infer, visualize, question, and generalize. Read widely and fluently at grade level from many genres, including mystery, nonfiction, and poetry, adjusting reading rate to text difficulty. Information sources: use guide words, internet resources, notes.
Fifth Grade – Listen to evaluate message and participate in various presentations. Read and write words fluently, including sight words and content words, at grade level. Combine sentences and vary sentence order in written work, using correct capitalization and punctuation. Identify parts of speech and use correctly in writing. Use idioms, similes, and metaphors. Summarize and paraphrase information, and write unified paragraphs fluently in all subject areas. Write, revise, and edit various forms of writing, including poetry and research reports. Use reading strategies effectively, analyze literary elements, distinguish fact and opinion in text, and evaluate character and issues using cause and effect. Determine essential information using text features and structures. Read grade level text fluently: fiction and nonfiction, including poetry and biography. Locate information from print and electronic resources; develop notes and outline, and present research using available technology.
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