LANGUAGE ARTS

This First Grade Language Arts course will teach students to identify and write all letters, produce letter sounds and frequently used phonograms. Students will also master weekly sight words and reading and comprehension strategies to grow as readers. All Common Core 1 LA standards are met in this course.

MATH

During the first semester students will build fluency with basic math facts. They will learn to count to 100, basic addition and subtraction facts, and how to add double-digit numbers. Students will be introduced to such new concepts as word problems, Venn diagrams, and basic geometric concepts.

During the second semester students will begin counting by twos, fives, and tens. They will learn both vertical addition and subtraction. Students are introduced to multiplication and division and the signs used in those operations. They will also study even and odd numbers.

SCIENCE

Students in this course will complete projects that are designed to allow for exploration and discovery. Students observe their surroundings and through observations of the natural world conduct inquiries into topics related to their healthy development.

SOCIAL STUDIES

In this semester, students begin to explore the fundamentals of social studies including map skills, cardinal directions, and will begin to examine maps of the U.S. and the globe. Students will also be introduced to important figures from American history such as Pocahontas, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Clara Barton.

The second semester has a focus on introductory economics. They will study bartering, goods and services, jobs in the community, and how the marketplace works.

LANGUAGE ARTS

The 2nd Grade Language Arts course will teach students to spell and write vocabulary, read more fluently, apply grammar concepts, and participate in handwriting and writing activities through thematic units. Students will also continue to master weekly sight words and reading and comprehension strategies to grow as readers. All Common Core 2 LA standards are met in this course.

MATH

During the first semester students will build fluency with basic math facts and add and subtract within 100 to solve word problems using strategic methods. Students will also manipulate numbers to 1000 using knowledge of hundreds, tens, and ones. Lastly, students with demonstrate arrays with repeated addition.

During the second semester students will use place value to add and subtract within 1000. They will use place value to estimate and solve word problems to demonstrate skills. Students will measure and compare length and represent it on a number line. They will work with money and time to compare value. Students will collect data and represented on graphs to discuss it. Lastly, they will recognize common 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional shapes by specific characteristics.

SCIENCE

Second Grade Science introduces students to the process of observation and how important it is to the study of science. Learners will identify their five senses and why they are critical to observation. Students will use these observation skills throughout the course as they examine many different types of animals and their environments. Students begin by observing ants in their own environments and continue onto learning the different types of birds. Students will come to understand plant and animal rhythms and will perform small experiments with plants. Stories will be used to teach the students about nature and interactions that humans have with nature. They will continue to learn about animals and their characteristics, habitats, and needs.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Students in this course will begin to explore the basic fundamentals of social studies including culture, geography, and economics. Students will explore the Ancient Cultures of China, Africa, and the Celts. Students will explore these cultures through ancient folk tales and fables. Learners will create a photo book that describes the significant events in their own life. They will also examine the importance of geography and direction. Students will learn how to locate boundaries while using a world map. Students will identify the places that were discussed in the previous lessons including Africa, China, and the British Isles.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This Third Grade Language Arts course will teach students reading comprehension skills and strategies to help them become stronger readers. Students will also master weekly spelling and vocabulary words and grammar concepts that will help them become stronger writers. All Common Core Third Grade LA standards are met in this course.

MATH

During the first semester, students will build flexibility with numbers as they master addition and subtraction facts as well as multiplication and division facts. Students will understand relationships between addition and subtraction, multiplication and addition and multiplication and division as they learn to borrow, carry, and regroup in order to find sums and differences of two whole numbers up to 10,000. Students will also comprehend the place value of base ten numbers up to 1,000,000 in order to find patterns and make estimations. Lastly, they will implement a 4-step approach to solving problems and express numbers differently including translating them into Roman Numerals or expressing them as ordinal numbers.

During the second semester, students will explore concepts of measurement including linear measurement, weight, volume, temperature, and time. They will also recognize, compare, and convert fractions. Students will write amounts of money and make change using as few coins as possible. Lastly, students will examine lines, polygons, and solid figures as they are introduced to basic concepts of geometry.

SCIENCE

Third grade science introduces students to experimentation as they journey through the earth and its many miracles. They will begin by learning about the earth, the sun, and the moon. By participating in simple experiments students will explore the water cycle, gravity, the weather and its patterns, various types of terrain, and the role of plants in the production of oxygen and their importance to human survival. Learners will expand their knowledge through video, pictures, short readings, projects, and hands on experiments.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Students will begin to explore the fundamentals of social studies including geography, civics, and economics. Learners will begin by looking at the beginning of civilization and examining the ancient Hebrew civilization, the Phoenicians, and the Kush tribe of ancient Africa. They will then move on to examining the Native American tribes of the Cherokee, Sioux, and Hopi. Students will also look at the first explorers of the Americas and learn about the beginning of the United States. In the first semester students will learn important geographical factors in the ancient civilizations, Native American tribes and in the developing United States. Students will increase their skills by creating maps and looking at the landscapes. They will take a close look at their own personal heritage by mapping their ancestry.

LANGUAGE ARTS

4th grade Language Arts integrates reading, writing, speaking, listening, and the study of vocabulary and grammar in a way that engages today’s learners and supports them in building a broad and diverse set of literacy skills. Students study classic literature as well as more contemporary forms, including media and multimedia products. Writing assignments in semester A focus on narrative and persuasive modes and emphasize the use of reasoning and details to support opinions. Each writing assignment spans several lessons and guides students through a writing process that begins with prewriting and ends by emphasizing one or more aspects of conventions of standard written English. Students also learn how to participate in collaborative discussion and peer review sessions. In each lesson, engaging and relevant models and step-by-step instruction guide students toward mastery and appreciation of 21st century communication in all its forms and functions.

MATH

Grade 4 math uses a varied amount of instructional material to reinforce and teach new math skills to the 4th grade learners. Instruction includes creative videos, mathematical storytelling, practical math applications and repetition to reinforce skills throughout the course. Three areas are focused on and students will finish the course with a strong knowledge in these content areas. The first is developing an understanding and fluency with multi-digit multiplication and developing an understanding of dividing to find quotients involving multi-digit dividends. The second is developing an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition, and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and multiplication of fractions with whole numbers. The third will be addressed in semester B.

SCIENCE

Grade 4 Science includes the three main domains of science which are physical, life, and earth and space science. Learners will use various kinds of experimenting, including field studies, systematic observations, models, and controlled experiences. The course begins with an explanation of the scientific method which the students continue to use and build upon throughout the course. The big picture of the earth is examined as students review the life on planet earth, salt and freshwater, and fast and slow changes that occur on the planet. Students go beyond planet earth, though, as they study galaxies, the solar system and other planets. Students examine the ways that forces and motion can be measured and the concept that a single kind of matter can exist as a solid, liquid or gas. Grade 4 science uses many modes of instruction including video presentations, enrichment activities, and hands-on experimentation.

SOCIAL STUDIES

learners will use their understanding of social studies skills to explore their local states and communities. They will begin the course by learning the topography of their area. Students will do this by creating a detailed landscape model. This project will be hands-on and require students to do research on their communities. Learners will also research local animals and gain an understanding of local Native American ground in their part of the country. This course walks students through the research and report writing steps that will be vital to their continuation of social studies. They will continue to focus on their individual states as they do projects based on local geography, state capitals, as well as nearby natural wonders and landforms. The semester concludes with an introduction to colonial history.

Semester B of grade 4 Social Studies picks up where semester A left off by looking further into frontier life of the early American settlers. Students examine the difficulties that early settlers faced when reaching America. They apply knowledge of historical thinking, chronology, turning points, individuals, and themes of local and Unites States history in order to understand how history has shaped the present and will shape the future. They will continue the focus of local history by doing research projects on settlers from their particular states and on how their state became a part of the Union.

LANGUAGE ARTS

5th grade Language Arts integrates reading, writing, speaking, listening, and the study of vocabulary and grammar in a way that engages today’s learners and supports them in building a broad and diverse set of literacy skills. Students study classic literature as well as more contemporary forms, including media and multimedia products. Writing assignments in semester A focus on narrative and persuasive modes and emphasize the use of reasoning and details to support opinions. Each writing assignment spans several lessons and guides students through a writing process that begins with prewriting and ends by emphasizing one or more aspects of conventions of standard written English. Students also learn how to participate in collaborative discussion and peer review sessions. In each lesson, engaging and relevant models and step-by-step instruction guide students toward mastery and appreciation of 21st century communication in all its forms and functions.

MATH

Students will learn math topics outlined in this course drawing from a variety of sources, including hands-on activities, interactive lessons, and practical math applications. Students will focus on several critical areas including but not limited to developing fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions. They will also learn to extend division to 2-digit divisors, integrate decimal fractions into the place value system, and increase an understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths. They will develop fluency with whole numbers and decimal operations. The semester begins with operations and expressions, moves into decimals and money, and ends with more work on fractions. Learners will gain valuable skills as they carry out activities that model real life situations like grocery shopping throughout the semester.

Semester B begins with students continuing to work with fractions. The first lesson focuses on ratios and challenges students to solve word problems using fractions and ratios in practical life situations. Learners continue to strengthen their math skills by studying mixed and fraction products, and fraction application, models, and division. The third critical area that students will focus on in Grade 5 Math is volume.

SCIENCE

Grade 5 Science continues to build on the science skills that have been obtained in years previous. There will be an emphasis on earth and space science, life science, and physical science. Students will begin the course by focusing on earth and space science by looking at the solar system and planets. Students will come to an understanding of the concept of the earth as a sphere and the earth’s place in the solar system. The course continues with a focus on physical science and the different tools that can measure force, time, and distance. They will also grow in their understanding of how light and sound travel and interact with each other as well as the different types of energy. The semester concludes with a look into life science and the ways that organisms are interconnected. Instruction will include real life application, hands-on projects and assessments, and video and short research projects.

Semester B puts great emphasis on life science and begins by focusing on the many ecosystems of the earth and the way that all parts of ecosystems depend on each other. Students will learn the different types of ecosystems that exist. They will learn that ecosystems change and how the changes affect their ability to support their populations. Learners will examine plants; that they have different structures and how those structures allow them to respond to different needs. Students will also grow in their understanding of the importance of good nutrition to all living organisms. The course concludes with a look into the scientific process and the importance of investigations and conclusions in the study of science.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Grade 5 Social Studies combines the study of United States History through the Civil War with a geographical exploration of the United States and what it has to offer. Students will use their understanding of social studies skills and concepts as they study the development of the United States. The first semester begins with early settlements of North America and allows learners to take an in-depth look into what life was like for colonists and Native Americans. Students will come to understand the causes of the Revolutionary War and the people that played a significant role in it. The semester ends with students examining the new nation and what life was like for European immigrants and those on the frontier.

Semester B begins with an exploration of the west and what life was like for those looking to find gold. Learners will then look at slavery and what lead to the Civil War. The course then takes a departure from American history and takes a more in-depth look into cultures, people, and the geography of the United States from past to present. Learners will have the opportunity to explore the country region by region and come to appreciate all that it has to offer. Students will conclude the course by planning and describing a trip they would like to take to a particular place within the 50 United States. Students will take a hands-on approach as they get to know the geography, climate, and culture of their country.