In keeping with our understanding and practice of the Grammar stage methodology (see School Goals) and its approximate correlation to the elementary years, we have divided each area below into Goals and Memory sections. The Goals are those basic principles we seek to achieve throughout the seven years of elementary school, K - 5. The Memory section contains an abbreviated list of material (the Grammar) we seek to have the students commit to memory through repetition within that subject area.

I. BIBLE:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Have the students read the actual text for themselves vs. only prescribed verses.
2. Have the students read at least one Gospel account, one Epistle, and one Old Testament book each year.
3. Encourage the students to understand the verses in context, along with other good interpretation principles.
4. Let the scriptures speak for themselves with clarifications and illustrations by the teacher.
5. Show the students the richness and requirements of the Bible.
6. Teach the biblical pattern of salvation; Law before Grace.
7. Encourage each student to come to the Father, through the Son, and grow in their knowledge and love of Him.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The entire list of books of the Bible in correct order.
2. The major attributes of God, i.e. Loving, Just, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Creator, etc.
3. The names and significance of Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Paul, Peter, etc.
4. The major acts and themes of the Gospels: Jesus’ birth, miracles, crucifixion, resurrection.
5. The Ten Commandments

II. ENGLISH:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Equip every student with the skills necessary for good writing, including correct spelling and grammar, pleasing style, clarity of focus, proof-reading, and self-correcting.
2. Put a major emphasis on good writing by requiring the students to write often and correctly in each subject area.
3. Encourage clear thinking by the students through requiring clear, focused writing.
4. Introduce the students to many styles of writing using the Bible and other high quality literature.
5. Build and maintain a Cumulative Elementary Spelling List that includes the most critical words used by each (1st-5th) grade’s teacher for review and spelling tests.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The names and functions of a noun, verb, adverb, adjective, preposition, etc.
2. Basic spelling rules.
3. Correct punctuation marking and capitalization rules.

III. READING:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Use phonics (the Grammar of reading) as the primary building blocks for teaching students to read.
2. Encourage the students to read correctly as soon as possible (normally in Kindergarten or first grade).
3. Introduce the students to high-quality children's' literature as soon as possible through our Literature program.
4. Carefully monitor the student's reading abilities to ensure he is at a reasonable level, is comprehending adequately (the Logic of reading), and is reading fluently, both orally and silently. This includes the proper use of word-attack skills.
5. Integrate, wherever possible, other subjects into reading, such as history and science.
6. Foster a life-long love of reading and high quality literature, especially the Scriptures, after being taught to recognize the characteristics of such literature (the Rhetoric of reading).
7. Build and maintain clear, specific, but broad criteria for the selection of a good number of varied, high-quality titles to include in our reading lists for each grade. The classes also should maintain titles with a range of difficulty from grade-level to above grade-level. These titles are to be logically sequenced in difficulty from first through the fifth grade.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The vowels and their sounds.
2. The consonants and their sounds.
3. The definitions of plot, character, fiction, non-fiction, biography, etc.
4. Oral reading skills.
5. Their favorite authors.

IV. LATIN

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Instruct the students in the fundamental vocabulary and grammar of Latin to better their fundamental understanding of English, the history and writings of Western Civilization, and the understanding of Romance languages.
2. Reinforce the students’ understanding of the reasons for, and the use of, the parts of speech being taught in our traditional English grammar class work, e.g. plurals, nouns, verbs, prepositions, direct objects, tenses, etc.
3. Cultivate study and logical thinking which are inherent in the study of Latin.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. 70% of vocabulary introduced and used.
2. All of the five declensions of nouns.
3. All four conjugations for active verbs.
4. Other chants, including verb examples and pronouns.
5. Subject-noun agreement.
6. Noun-adjective agreement
7. Forming questions and commands.

Third Grade (1st Year): Vocabulary acquisition, declensions, and chants of endings.

Fourth Grade (2nd Year): More vocabulary, beginning grammar work, basic verbs, simple sentences

Fifth Grade (3rd Year): More sentences, vocabulary, basic translation work, phrases, grammar

V. MATHEMATICS:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Ensure that the students have a thorough mastery of basic mathematical functions and tables.
2. Put an emphasis on conceptual, as well as practical, understanding of math through the frequent use of story problems.
3. Illustrate God's unchanging character through the timeless, logical mathematical systems He gave to man through His gift of Reason.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The four basic mathematics properties; i.e. addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and their uses.
2. Multiplication facts to 12.
3. Addition and subtraction facts to 20.
4. All aspects of telling time, reading thermometers, and identifying dates.
5. All cardinal directions and basic geometric shapes.

VI. HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Teach the students that God is in control of History and He will determine its ultimate outcome.
2. Enable the students to see God's hand in the history of the world and the United States, specifically by illustrating the effect His people have had on history.
3. Broaden the students' understanding of history and geography as the students mature, specifically by deepening the level of exposure and research into various topics (e.g. U.S. History, or geography) from kindergarten through fifth grade.
4. Make history and geography "come alive" for the students through the use of a unit approach to history and its related areas and by using many forms of information and research, e.g. biographies, illustrations, field trips, guest speakers, music, art, foods, architecture, etc.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The names and capitals of all fifty United States.
2. The names of most major countries of the world.
3. Key figures in history; e.g. Homer, Martin Luther, George Washington, etc.
4. Key dates and their significance in history; e.g. Fall of Rome, 1492, 1620, 1776, etc.
5. Preambles to the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.

VII. SCIENCE:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Teach that the biblical creation account is true and that the theory of evolution is false.
2. Teach the students the basic elements of both accounts and that both systems are based on either sound or unsound faith.
3. Show the students that, because God made the universe, it has inherent order which in turn makes it possible to hypothesize and experiment (scientific method),as well as to identify, classify, and categorize elements of Creation. This is particularly practiced with local plant and animal life.
4. Treat the study of science as a part of the study of history. That is, show the students the natural integration between the advances, individuals, and applications of science, with the development of historical events within the cultures studied
5. Ensure that by the time the students enter secondary-level science, they are able to recall the steps of the scientific method, as well as other critical, grammatical elements of science.
6. Use many forms of instruction to teach science, particularly identifying, classifying, categorizing, integrating with history and math, as well as some experiments, demonstrations, collecting, illustrating, field trips, and guest speakers.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The basic steps to the Scientific Method.
2. The work of each of the six days of Creation.
3. The three Laws of Motion.
4. The major classifications and fields of science.

VIII. ART:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Teach all our students the basic fundamentals of drawing to enable them to create adequate renderings.
2. Encourage the students to appreciate and imitate the beauty of the creation in their own works.
3. Introduce the students to masters' works of the Western culture.
4. Equip the students to knowledgeably use a variety of art media.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The primary and secondary colors.
2. The use of perspective in drawing.
3. At least four famous artists.

IX. MUSIC:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Train the students to sing knowledgeably, joyfully, and skillfully to the Lord on a regular basis.
2. Systematically instruct the students in the fundamentals of vocal and instrumental music.
3. Enrich the teaching of scripture through the teaching of many classic, meaningful hymns.
4. Encourage (through a variety of options) the students to select some area of music, vocal or instrumental, to pursue on their own.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The timing of whole, half, and quarter notes.
2. The difference between the base and treble clefs.
3. The major instrument groups in a band and orchestra.

X. PHYSICAL EDUCATION:

A. GOALS: We seek to:

1. Systematically work with the students to teach them basic exercises and game skills
(e.g. throwing, hitting, kicking, catching, etc.)
2. In cooperation with the families, encourage the students to knowledgeably establish and maintain good health and nutritional habits.
3. To enhance biblical patterns of behavior through activities requiring cooperation, team work, and general good sportsmanship.

B. MEMORY: The students will recall:

1. The benefit specific exercises provide for various body parts.
2. The function of different muscles and how to strengthen them.