What is the goal?

Our goal is not to make school needlessly difficult or to recreate a classroom from the distant past. Our goal is:

• To provide an orderly, engaging education that helps each child grow in knowledge, wisdom, eloquence, and Christian character.
• To shape the whole child for a lifetime of learning, service, and faithful citizenship– not just preparing them for the next test.
• To prepare the scholar to be able to enter any vocation with wisdom, excellence, and the ability to think and learn.

What Will Be Different?

Literature:

• Instead of using a literature textbook that only contains short excerpts of full works, we will be teaching literature by reading novels in their entirety with the class.
•  Novels are read aloud as scholars follow along in their books (even in the upper grades), so the scholars hear proper vocal inflection and pacing. They will strive to mirror this model as they work on building their own reading fluency.
• They will learn literary elements and discuss important concepts presented within the context of the novels, gradually building their analytical skills in pursuit of truth and beauty.
• The novels selected for this curriculum are regarded highly as great works of literature in the way they address consistent truths of humanity in any era. They also contain rich depth of history and setting, which builds background knowledge for the scholars reading them.
• Literature curriculum will also include poetry. Scholars will be introduced to many classic poems throughout all grade levels, working to memorize and recite them as an exercise in the training of the mind. Memorization is a critical skill for the developing brain, and young minds are uniquely designed for it!

Grammar & Writing

• The mastery of English grammar is essential for a scholar to become a proficient reader and writer– ultimately, to become an excellent communicator.
• We will use direct instruction and memorization of English grammar rules from an early age, which will be reviewed year by year for optimal retention.
• We will be using exercises like sentence diagramming (a visual organizational tool) to help scholars understand each word’s place and purpose in a sentence.
• Excellent writing will be modeled repeatedly before scholars will be expected to compose their own pieces of writing. Scholars will then strive to use their knowledge of grammar to construct clear, well-written sentences of their own.
• In the upper grades, scholars will use these skills to compose meaningful paragraphs and essays for the purpose of arguing a point, persuading, informing, and entertaining.
• The goal of the grammar and writing curriculum is to develop young people who can clearly express their thoughts and knowledge for the good of others.

Spelling

• Scholars will begin in Kindergarten with direct instruction of phonics–the learning of letters, their sounds, and how they work together to create language.
• They will then focus on learning spelling rules that will help them recognize letter teams and blends, increasing their reading fluency.
• As they advance in grade level, they will continue to review these rules and sharpen their ability to read and write words of increasing complexity. This goes beyond memorizing lists of words, but instead strives to reach a deeper understanding of how our words are constructed.
• Knowledge of Latin and Greek roots will help them to expand their vocabularies more rapidly, since so many English base words, prefixes, and suffixes are derived from Latin and Greek.

Penmanship

• Parents may notice increased attention to neatness and quality of written work. This is done to train the scholars that producing neat, high quality work is important throughout all grade levels and as a lifelong principle.
• Beginning in 1st and 2nd grade, scholars will be trained to use New American Cursive. Scholars in 3rd-8th grade will be expected to use this style of cursive for most or all assignments.
• Cognitive educational research strongly supports the use of cursive handwriting in the classroom to enhance learning. Cursive handwriting activates neuronal activity in the brain regions where learning and memory take place (far superior to that of typing). Cursive increases cognitive processing, sensorimotor integration, memory, and fine motor development. You can read more about these studies published through the National Institute of Health here: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7399101/#S5

How Families Can Help

Parents can strengthen this work in simple ways:

• Read aloud regularly, including after children become independent readers.
• Ask about ideas, not only grades: "What did the character want?" "Was that choice wise?" "What evidence supports your answer?"
• Practice assigned material briefly and consistently, especially phonics, spelling, vocabulary, and memory work.
• Insist on neat handwriting and correct as necessary to achieve this.
• Encourage complete sentences and attentive listening in everyday conversation.
• Discuss difficult texts calmly, helping children examine them rather than dismissing or accepting them uncritically.