Language Arts

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Reading: Transitional Kindergarten students begin the year with foundational letter sounds and then build upon that skill with the introduction of CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant).
• Handwriting: We focus on the path of motion which begins with straight and diagonal lines. We then introduce two letters per week and by the middle of the school year, our students begin writing and copying CVC and sight words.
• Phonics: Students will engage in Zoo Phonics and move into rhyming words and word families by the end of the year.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Basic Shapes
• Numbers 1-20 (identification, writing, order, position)
• Sorting/Grouping
• Graphing
• Patterns
• Measurement

Our students have many opportunities each day to work with hands-on activities that help build the foundational concepts of math in both whole group and small group settings.

We alternate our focus between Science and Social Studies during the year. Concepts are taught through hands-on activities, core literature, and arts and crafts.

Science

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Four Seasons, Apples, Farm
• Arctic Animals
• Weather
• Plant Life

Social Studies

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• The First Thanksgiving
• Black History/Martin Luther King, Jr.
• The First President of the United States
• Community Helpers

Teacher Created Curriculum

Each month, our teachers focus on a different aspect of faith and the foundation for Christian living. Units include: Days of Creation, Sin, God’s Promises, God’s Gift, Following God, the Easter Story, God is With You, and Trusting in God. In addition, students attend Chapel once a week.

Each week, students attend our enrichment classes which include physical and art education. These classes are taught by our enrichment teachers who focus on developing skills in teamwork, movement, creative arts, and various art forms. All classes include hands-on, age-appropriate units and lessons.

Dramatic play and imaginative learning are extremely important in TK and a foundation for our program. Every month, our students are introduced to a themed dramatic play area in their classroom. Themes include: library, post office, grocery store, farmer’s market, bakery, auto shop, coffee shop, veterinary clinic, pizza shop, taco truck, and beach party.

Our Transitional Kindergarten students participate in many events and activities throughout the year including: Apple Day, the 50^th Day of School, Pumpkin Day, a Christmas Program, and a Gingerbread Party

Secret Stories – Science of Reading: A brain-based approach to phonics instruction

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Reading: Kindergarteners begin the year with letter and sound recognition. By the first trimester students will have begun reading short vowel CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant).
• Language: We focus on “3 part” sentence structure; capitalization of the first letter, space between the words, and punctuation at the end.
• Spelling: Students will practice spelling short and long vowel words through decoding.
• Handwriting: We believe handwriting is a developmental process that occurs over time. We teach the Zaner-Bloser style of penmanship; however, no letter grade is assigned to this concept until 1^st

McGraw-Hill: Reveal Math

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Counting and Cardinality: Students will know number names and the count sequence, count to tell the number of objects, and compare numbers
• Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Students will understand addition.
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Students will work with numbers 11-19 to gain foundations for place value
• Measurement: Students will describe and compare measurable attributes of length and weight.
• Data: Students will classify objects and count the number of objects in categories
• Geometry: Students will identify, analyze, describe, and compare shapes

Use of this curriculum as well as hands-on learning centers developed by our teachers creates a “math rich” environment. Our students have many opportunities each day to work with hands-on activities that help build the foundational concepts of math.

We alternate our focus between Science and Social Studies during the year. Concepts are taught through hands-on activities, core literature, and arts and crafts.

Science

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• All About Me
• Fall/Farm
• Woodland Animals
• Weather
• Insects

Social Studies

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Community Helpers and Jobs
• Thanksgiving
• Jesus’s Birth/Christmas
• Black History

Our Bible curriculum is presented in four units: Creation, Faith, Hope, and Love. Each week is filled with inviting stories and fun activities that teach our students God’s Word and Biblical truths. In addition, students attend Chapel once a week.

Each week, students attend our enrichment classes which include physical and art education. These classes are taught by our enrichment teachers who focus on developing skills in teamwork, movement, creative arts, and various art forms. All classes include hands-on, age-appropriate units and lessons.

Our Kindergarten students have the opportunity to attend a field trip that focuses on their Fall/Farm unit in Science. They travel to Fog Willow Farms and turn their education into practice through feeding farm animals and learning how pumpkins grow.

Kindergarten also hosts a Christmas Program, 100^th Day activities, Dr. Seuss Week, International Week, and Morning with Mommy.

Pearson Reading Street and varied chapter books

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Reading: Reading readiness is determined at the beginning of the year and is assessed throughout the year. Differentiated groups will meet the needs of the emerging reader. Reading books are then selected to meet the student where they are, but also challenge them to grow into confident readers.
• Grammar & Writing: Students are learning the foundation for writing paragraphs in its proper structure including: opening, supporting, and concluding sentences. They will also learn nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs and how to identify them in sentences.
• Spelling: Students will practice spelling short and long vowel words through decoding.
• Handwriting: We believe handwriting is a developmental process that occurs over time. We teach the Zaner-Bloser style of penmanship.
• Victory Drill: These are daily times readings that improve speed and accuracy, which leads to greater fluency. Victory Drill is part of your child’s oral reading grade each trimester. Victory Drill also provides one of the best opportunities for parent involvement. Parent involvement is key for successful implementation.

McGraw-Hill: Reveal Math

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Students will represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction as well as fluently add and subtract using equations.
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Students will extend the counting sequence up to 120 and compare two-digit numbers as well as use place value to understand digits.
• Measurement: Students will measure and estimate lengths and work with time and money
• Data: Students will organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories
• Geometry: Students will build and draw shapes with defining attributes and partition shapes into equal parts.

Use of this curriculum as well as hands-on learning centers developed by our teachers creates a “math rich” environment. Our students have many opportunities each day to work with hands-on activities that help build the foundational concepts of math.

A Beka: Discovering God’s World

Students engage in the in-depth study of God’s creation, building knowledge and understanding of His perfect structure and intricacies of the world. Teachers expose students to the scientific method in their studies. The goal of scientific knowledge is to increase the students’ appreciation and comprehension of the vastness and intelligence of our Creator.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Discovering Animals
• Discovering Plants
• Discovering Weather
• Discovering Matter

A Beka: My America, My World

Students will learn that America is a great place to live. We encourage a sense of patriotism and pride as students learn more about their country, its flag, its freedoms, its symbols, its people, its history, and its place.

The Social Studies program will expand in focus from the classroom, to students’ country, and then to their world.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• American Symbols
• Pilgrims
• Great Americans
• Geography & Map Skills

ACSI: Purposeful Design Publications

Our Bible curriculum teaches first grade students about familiar Bible characters and events that tell them more about God’s gifts, such as family, leaders, helpers, His Word, His Son, and the church. Bible is part of every day instruction. There will be Bible-centered stories, workbook activities, and a bi-weekly memory verse. In addition, students attend Chapel once a week.

Each week, students attend our enrichment classes which include physical and art education. These classes are taught by our enrichment teachers who focus on developing skills in teamwork, movement, creative arts, and various art forms. All classes include hands-on, age-appropriate units and lessons.

Our first grade students have the opportunity to attend field trips that focus on and support their academics throughout the school year. In the first trimester, they visit a working farm to further support their plant life science unit. In the second trimester, our students will visit a theater to see a fine arts performance, and at the end of the year, they visit the Sacramento Zoo. Each field trip turns their education into real-life experiences right before their eyes.

First grade also hosts Storybook Day, Pilgrim Day, a Christmas Program, Dr. Seuss Week, and International Week

Language Arts

Pearson Reading Street and varied chapter books

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Reading: Reading readiness is determined at the beginning of the year and is assessed throughout the year. Differentiated groups will meet the needs of the emerging reader. Reading books are then selected to meet the student where they are, but also challenge them to grow into confident readers.
• Grammar & Writing: Students are learning the foundation for writing paragraphs in its proper structure including: opening, supporting, and concluding sentences. They will also learn nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs and how to identify them in sentences.
• Spelling: Students will practice spelling short and long vowel words through decoding.
• Handwriting: We believe handwriting is a developmental process that occurs over time. We teach the Zaner-Bloser style of penmanship.

McGraw-Hill: Reveal Math

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Students will fluently add and subtract within 20, solve problems within 100, and work with equal groups to gain foundations for multiplication.
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Students will understand place value, compare numbers up to three digits, and will use place value to perform multi-digit operations
• Measurement: Students will measure and estimate lengths and relate addition/subtraction to length as well as work with time and money.
• Data: Students will represent and interpret data using a line plot and graphs.
• Geometry: Students will identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes and partition shapes into equal parts.

Use of this curriculum as well as hands-on learning centers developed by our teachers creates a “math rich” environment. Our students have many opportunities each day to work with hands-on activities that help build the foundational concepts of math.

A Beka: Enjoying God’s World

Students will increase their understanding of scientific concepts while learning about plants, animals, energy, and the solar system from God’s viewpoint. Students will gain knowledge about the world around them while developing their in-depth thinking skills. Teachers will expose students to the scientific method with the goal of increasing students’ appreciation and comprehension of the vastness and intelligence of our Creator.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Our Solar System
• Energy & Motion
• Plant & Animal Life Cycles

A Beka: Our America

Students will learn what life was like in our country’s early days. They will embark on an adventure learning about the Pilgrims, Native Americans, early colonists, pioneers, and cowboys.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Early America
• A Growing America
• Geography & Map Skills

ACSI: Purposeful Design Publications

Our Bible curriculum teaches second grade students about Bible heroes with a deep focus on their character traits. Heroes include: Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Ruth, David, Elijah, Esther, Job, and Daniel. Bible is part of everyday instruction. There will be Bible-centered stories, workbook activities, and a bi-weekly memory verse. In addition, students attend Chapel once a week.

Each week, students attend our enrichment classes which include physical and art education. These classes are taught by our enrichment teachers who focus on developing skills in teamwork, movement, creative arts, and various art forms. All classes include hands-on, age-appropriate units and lessons.

Our second grade students have the opportunity to attend field trips that focus on and support their academics throughout the school year. In the first trimester, they visit the Planetarium at Sacramento State to bring to life their science unit on the Solar System. In the second trimester, our students take a trip to the World of Wonder Museum to explore and experience hands-on science demonstrations. Each field trip turns their education into real-life experiences right before their eyes.

Second grade also hosts Career Day, a Native American Pow Wow, a Christmas Program, and International Week.

Pearson Reading Street and varied novel studies

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Reading: Our third grade students are transitioning from learning how to read into reading in order to learn. The year begins with short story studies that focus on comprehension skills and as the year progresses, the students begin novel studies that encompass fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary development.
• Grammar & Writing: Students are continuing their mastery of writing paragraphs and developing skills to write essays in their proper structure and form. They will also learn nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs and how to identify them fluently in sentences.
• Spelling: Students will practice spelling patterns that build upon the decoding skills developed in 2^nd
• Handwriting: The foundation of handwriting and proper letter formation has been set in our lower elementary classes. Students will be introduced to cursive with expected proficiency by the end of the school year.

McGraw-Hill: Reveal Math

Differentiated math groups will meet the needs of the students throughout the year. Areas that are of focus include:

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Students will begin their understanding of multiplication through fact memorization and practice, fluently multiply and divide within 100, and solve two-step problems.
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Students will round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100, fluently add and subtract within 1,000, and multiply 1-digit numbers by multiples of 10.
• Number and Operations – Fractions: Students will understand what a fraction is and generate equivalent fractions.
• Measurement: Students will tell and write time to the nearest minute, understand area and perimeter, and measure liquid volume
• Data: Students will draw scaled picture and bar graphs as well as solve one- and two-step problems using information from the graphs.
• Geometry: Students will recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals

Use of this curriculum as well as hands-on learning activities developed by our teachers creates a “math rich” environment. Our students have many opportunities each day to work with hands-on activities that help build the foundational concepts of math.

ACSI: Purposeful Design Publications

Students will increase their understanding of scientific concepts while learning about ecosystems, rocks and minerals, and weather patterns from God’s viewpoint. Students will gain knowledge about the world around them while developing their in-depth thinking skills. Teachers will expose students to the scientific method with the goal of increasing students’ appreciation and comprehension of the vastness and intelligence of our Creator.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Ecosystems
• Rocks & Minerals
• Weather Patterns & Natural Disasters

Students will learn about the Sacramento-area Native Americans and what life was like for them in this area. They will also learn about the structure of our government both local and federal as well as learn about economics and how it is a vital component to the way our country operates.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Local Native Americans – The Miwok
• Government
• Economics
• Geography & Map Skills

ACSI: Purposeful Design Publications

Our Bible curriculum teaches third grade students about the life of Christ and the early church. Lessons include: Jesus’ Birth and Childhood, the Disciples, Jesus’ Miracles, The Holy Spirit, Saul Becomes Paul, and The Lord’s Prayer. There will be Bible-centered stories, workbook activities, and a bi-weekly memory verse. In addition, students attend Chapel once a week.

Each week, students attend our enrichment classes which include physical and art education. These classes are taught by our enrichment teachers who focus on developing skills in teamwork, movement, creative arts, and various art forms. All classes include hands-on, age-appropriate units and lessons.

Our third grade students have the opportunity to attend field trips that focus on and support their academics throughout the school year. In the first trimester, the Effie Yeaw Nature Center visits our classrooms and allows the students see animals that have been rescued from their natural habitats. In the second trimester, our students take a trip to Indian Grinding Rock to experience what life was like for the local Native Americans and neighboring Black Chasm Caverns to see rocks and minerals inside the caves. Each field trip turns their education into real-life experiences right before their eyes.

Third grade also hosts Box City, Pumpkin Book Reports, and International Week.

Pearson Reading Street and novel studies

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Reading: Our fourth grade students are reading to learn as they embark on three novel-study adventures which align with their social studies curriculum. At the beginning of the year, students read Island of the Blue Dolphins followed by Patty Reed’s Doll and By the Great Horn Spoon. Each novel study incorporates fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary development.
• Grammar & Writing: Students are further developing their writing skills by putting together 5-paragraph essays and writing projects. They will also learn more in-depth information about nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs and how to identify them fluently in sentences.
• Spelling: Students will further their study and practice of spelling patterns.
• Handwriting: Students will continue to practice their cursive skills and use it regularly on their assignments.

McGraw-Hill: Reveal Math

Differentiated math groups will meet the needs of the students throughout the year. Areas that are of focus include:

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Students will gain familiarity of factors and multiples, identify and explain number patterns, and solve problems that include the four operations
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Students will understand the structure of place value, compare and round multi-digit whole numbers, and multiply and divide multi-digit numbers
• Number and Operations – Fractions: Students will gain a better understanding of fraction equivalence and begin completing operations with fractions, including multiplication
• Measurement: Students will begin converting measurements and understand angle measurement.
• Data: Students will represent and interpret data using line plots
• Geometry: Students will draw and identify lines and angles and classify shapes by properties of their line angles.

Use of this curriculum as well as hands-on learning activities developed by our teachers creates a “math rich” environment. Our students have many opportunities each day to work with hands-on activities that help build the foundational concepts of math.

ACSI: Purposeful Design Publications

Students will increase their understanding of scientific concepts while learning about living things and how they were divinely designed by God, Earth’s layers, and matter from God’s viewpoint. Students will gain knowledge about the world around them while developing their in-depth thinking skills. Teachers will expose students to the scientific method with the goal of increasing students’ appreciation and comprehension of the vastness and intelligence of our Creator.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Living Things (How they adapt, react, and defend)
• Earth’s Layers
• Matter and Its Uses

Houghton Mifflin: Oh! California

Students will learn all about the history and development of California. From the very beginning when Native Americans claimed the land to the explorers who wanted to call this state their own to California Missions and how they shaped the history of our state and ending with the Gold Rush in 1849, our fourth grade students will leave fourth grade knowing a deep, rich history of the state they live in.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• California Native Americans
• Spanish Explorers
• The California Missions
• The Gold Rush

ACSI: Purposeful Design Publications

Our Bible curriculum teaches fourth grade students about the basic doctrines of Christianity, such as the Trinity, salvation, sin nature, and eternity. Lessons include: The Truth of the Bible, Omnipotence, Salvation Through Faith, Evangelism and The Holy Spirit. There will be Bible-centered stories, workbook activities, and a bi-weekly memory verse. In addition, students attend Chapel once a week

Each week, students attend our enrichment classes which include physical and art education. These classes are taught by our enrichment teachers who focus on developing skills in teamwork, movement, creative arts, and various art forms. All classes include hands-on, age-appropriate units and lessons.

Our fourth grade students have the opportunity to attend field trips that focus on and support their academics throughout the school year. In the first trimester, the students visit the Folsom Zoo to explore living things and put into practice what they learned in science. In the second trimester, our students take a trip to the Sacramento History Museum to learn more about the Gold Rush and how it affected Sacramento. Finally, our fourth grade students visit 49er Fun Camp in Coloma where they fill an entire school day with hands-on experiences related to Westward Expansion and what led to the Gold Rush in California.

Fourth grade also integrates Mission Projects, Cereal Box Book Reports, and International Week into the school year.

Language Arts

Pearson Reading Street and novel studies

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Reading: Our fifth grade students are reading to learn as they embark on three novel-study adventures which align with their social studies curriculum. At the beginning of the year, students read Sign of the Beaver followed by Indian in the Cupboard and Esperanza Rising. Each novel study incorporates fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary development.
• Grammar & Writing: Students are further developing their writing skills by perfecting 5-paragraph essays and detailed writing projects. They will also learn more in-depth information about nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs and how to identify them fluently in sentences.
• Spelling: Students will further their study and practice of spelling patterns.
• Handwriting: Students will continue to practice their cursive skills and use it regularly on their assignments.

McGraw-Hill: Reveal Math

Differentiated math groups will meet the needs of the students throughout the year. Areas that are of focus include:

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Students will write and interpret numerical expressions and analyze patterns and their relationships.
• Number and Operations in Base Ten: Students will understand decimals in relation to place value, rounding, reading, writing, and performing operations to the hundredths.
• Number and Operations – Fractions: Students will master concepts related to adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions with like and unlike denominators
• Measurement: Students will convert measurements and understand concepts of volume.
• Data: Students will represent and interpret data using line plots with fractional value
• Geometry: Students will understand the coordinate system.

Use of this curriculum as well as hands-on learning activities developed by our teachers creates a “math rich” environment. Our students have many opportunities each day to work with hands-on activities that help build the foundational concepts of math.

Students will increase their understanding of scientific concepts while learning about marine science, body systems (digestive, nervous, skeletal, muscular, circulatory, and respiratory), the periodic table, and magnetism and electricity from God’s viewpoint. Students will gain knowledge about the world around them while developing their in-depth thinking skills. Teachers will expose students to the scientific method with the goal of increasing students’ appreciation and comprehension of the vastness and intelligence of our Creator.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Marine Science
• Body Systems (see above)
• The Periodic Table
• Magnetism & Electricity

A Beka: History of our United States

Students will learn all about the history and development of the United States. Beginning with the settlement of the thirteen colonies, students explore how the United States became a free nation, formed a government, and grew to be a powerful world leader.

Areas that are of focus throughout the year include:

• Exploration and Discovery
• Native Americans
• American War for Independence
• Memorization of States & Capitals
• Westward Expansion

Our Bible curriculum teaches fifth grade students about the Old Testament. Lessons include character studies on Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and many others. There will be Bible-centered stories, workbook activities, and a bi-weekly memory verse. In addition, students attend Chapel once a week.

Each week, students attend our enrichment classes which include physical and art education. These classes are taught by our enrichment teachers who focus on developing skills in teamwork, movement, creative arts, and various art forms. All classes include hands-on, age-appropriate units and lessons.

Our fifth grade students have the opportunity to attend field trips that focus on and support their academics throughout the school year. Students go on an adventure of a lifetime at Mission Springs near Santa Cruz where they spend four days putting into practice everything they have learned in regards to Marine Science. From joining the Banana Slug Club to fishing for plankton at the Santa Cruz Wharf, our students are immersed in ocean and forest life and how unique God created those areas to be. In addition to Mission Springs, our fifth grade students visit a nature center in Davis and the Folsom Powerhouse during the school year.

Fifth grade also integrates many at-home projects, a Passover event, animal dissections, International Week and promotion at the end of the year.