Sensory, motor, perceptual, and language skills are introduced through materials and activities that are both child-centered and teacher directed. Work is planned so that the process rather than the product fosters a sense of accomplishment and pride. Based on the theory that children learn best through activity and application, classroom routines encourage active involvement, meaningful experimentation, and reinforcement through repetition. We have designed schedules that balance structure and free choice with active and quiet times.

Kindergarten
Overview of Academics

Phonics, Reading, Numbers

K5 children learn to read through the use of phonics. As soon as the short sounds of the vowels and the sounds for only three consonants are introduced, they are able to sound out their first words. Later, they learn to read many more words, including words with two vowels and words that contain special sounds. (Special sounds are letter combinations like sh and ar.) Their reading vocabulary naturally grows with each new sound learned.

In numbers, the students learn to count and recognize numbers 1 through 100. Addition concepts are taught up through the sum of 10, and beginning subtraction concepts are introduced. Students also learn to work with telling time and money.

Writing

Students learn manuscript writing in a program that is correlated with their phonics. As they learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet and learn what sound they say, they also write them. Later they learn to write blends, words, and sentences.

Skills Development, Activity Time, Language Enrichment

During Skills Development, students learn visual perception skills, motor coordination, and listening/thinking skills. During Activity Time, they enjoy music, art, a unit on Community Helpers, and introduction to American history and geography in America: Our Great Country, and a chance to meet people living in other countries in Children of the World. Second semester, they enjoy learning about the world around them in God's World. During Language Enrichment, they learn about positional words and opposites, rhyming words and analogies, drama, and poetry. They will also get a chance to share their experiences and ideas during "Telling Time".

General Information
1st Grade

Reading, Phonics, Arithmetic

Reading, phonics, and arithmetic are subjects of greatest emphasis in this curriculum. Separate daily plans and explanations are included for each of these areas.

Penmanship

Cursive writing is taught during Penmanship Class in lessons 1-80. Lessons 81-170 focus on writing skills review and development of creative writing. Detailed plans for teaching the formation of cursive vowels, consonants, and numbers are included in Penmanship Curriculum. Writing with Phonics 1 provides practice of each day's writing lesson, and students get additional practice during seatwork in the Cursive Writing Tablet.

Language

Beginning language concepts are introduced in the Phonics/Language/Spelling Curriculum. Creative writing instruction is included in the Penmanship Curriculum after lesson 80. One page of the Language 1 text, which includes creative writing and silent reading comprehension activities, is used as seatwork each day. Explain the work briefly during Seatwork Explanation time. As time permits, check their work for errors and have them make corrections. Students are not graded in language.

Spelling

Students learn one spelling lesson per week from Spelling and Poetry 1. Practice the spelling words for 4-5 minutes each day during Phonics Class. Have the students write the spelling words each day for seatwork and assign the activity pages in the spelling book on the third and fifth days of the spelling list. During Seatwork Check time, check to be sure they are copying the words correctly and doing the assigned activities accurately. The students will also write the words for homework once a week. A spelling test is given each week in conjunction with the phonics test as listed in the curriculum.

Activity Time

Activity Time is a 25 -minute segment of time reserved for class reading, art, and class singing. One day a week is suggested for art and one day for music. The other three days the class reads together from story books, the Primary Bible Reader, and the health, history, and science texts. There is no grading in any of these areas.

This time is intended to increase the students' love for reading, art and music. The Activity Time Curriculum contains the details of scheduling and planning. Daily lesson procedures for health, history, and science are given in the Teacher Editions of the texts. Songs We Enjoy 1 and Art Projects1 provide the music and art projects for each week.

History, Science, Health

The history, science, health texts are designed for oral reading. They are used in class reading during Activity Time three days a week for 25 minutes each day according to the following schedule:

America: Our Great Country-Lessons 26-44
Community Helpers - Lessons 46-69
Discovering God's World - Lessons 71-104
My America and My World - Lessons 106-139
Health, Safety, and Manners 1 - Lessons 141-169

To follow the pacing given in the Activity Time curriculum for Discovering God's World, My America and My World, and Health, Safety and Manners 1, combine the lessons provided in each Teacher Edition as needed.

Poetry

Spelling and Poetry 1 acquaints the students with a variety of good poetry through classroom recitation and memorization. The poems have been selected because of their beauty of language, aesthetic appeal, literary greatness, or character-building qualities.

Five minutes per day is scheduled for poetry. At the beginning of each month, read the poem to the class several times, and then have the class join in. Always read the poem with feeling and expression. (Avoid sing-song rhythm.) Make Poetry time fun and enjoyable.

Follow this schedule for teaching the poems:

September -"The Elephant", "The Secret"
October - "Boats Sail on the Rivers"
November -"Indian Children"
December/January - "In the Heart of a Seed"
January/February - "God Gave Me Eyes"
March/April - "The Wonderful World"
April/May - "The Brown Thrush"
May - Review

Help Class

Help Class is designed to help students who are doing below average work in arithmetic or phonics (including reading). The class meets 15 minutes per day before the afternoon reading groups. A separate Help Class Curriculum gives daily plans to guide your review with your students.

Classroom Habits

Appropriate classroom habits and procedures produce and orderly classroom conducive to effective learning. During the first five lessons, the arithmetic and reading plans allow time for the practice and reinforcement of these habits.

Some habits and procedures you may wish to teach and reinforce are as follows:

1. Teach students when and how to raise their hands.
2. Teach students how to line up to go to lunch and to the playground.
3. Teach students how to properly put materials away.
4. Teach students how to respond by tables, rows, etc.
5. Teach students how to pass in and distribute papers or supplies.
6. Teach students how to prepare for seatwork.

Schools may wish to order a videocassette describing how classroom habits and procedures may be taught effectively. Order "Establishing Basic Classroom Habits and Procedures," number 12874, from A Beka Book Teacher Training Videocassette Library.