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Elementary Program Overview

History-Explorers-1812
                We will study this time period in a series of units highlighting key events, ideas, principles and individuals.  Our focus during the elementary years is on learning important facts and enjoying our history through various narratives, unit studies, and hands-on projects. This course includes reading, writing, copywork, art/craft projects, oral presentations, and group projects.  This class is organized around important events leading up to the founding of America and its early history, and to better remember and understand these important events in their greater context, we also study the culture and surrounding countries.   

Main text-Veritas History Cards + John Smith’s and George Washington’s World (for the older elementary). 

Additional reading:
Group 1
Columbus, by Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire
George Washington, by Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire
Pocahontas, by Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire
Ben Franklin, by Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire
The Matchlock Gun, by Walter D. Edmonds
Group 2
Yankee Doodle Boy, by Joseph Plumb Martin
Poor Richard, by James Daugherty
Amos Fortune, Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates
Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution, by Jean Fritz
The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare

Latin Grammar, Vocabulary, Reading, Derivatives

                An introduction to Latin and its grammar.  We believe that there is great value in the study of a foreign language from a young age.  Latin is a very organized, logical language and is the foundation of many modern languages.  Studying Latin requires great attention to detail, memorization, and regular practice, and in many ways it is for the brain’s development in language ability what consistent arithmetic is for the mathematical development.  There are many side benefits to Latin as well- increased understanding of English grammar and vocabulary, and a solid foundation for other language studies.  It is also a great tool in teaching logical and in-depth thinking.   Main Text- Prima Latina for the lower elementary and our own introduction to French course, Ecce Romani and a Latina Christiana for the older students

Group 1 Overview

                Intro to Latin, Prima Latina Text
This is a fun class designed to introduce the younger student to the Latin language and to prepare them for more advanced Latin studies. Students will learn simple Latin words and English derivatives. They will also study the parts of speech, Latin prayers, and some practical phrases. They will be taught these things through playing games, singing songs and reciting prayers with the class. They will also have an opportunity to create some fun art projects using their vocabulary.

Group 2 Overview

                Beginning Latin, Latina Christiana Text
Beginning Latin class for elementary school aged students covering close to 300 vocabulary words, English derivatives, the basic grammatical patterns of nouns and verbs and simple sentence translations.  Prayers and songs are memorized.

                Intermediate Latin, Ecce Romani Text
The Ecce Romani I text is an intensive reading approach to Latin learning that begins with the translation of full paragraphs and adds vocabulary and grammar in context for the students to “discover” on their own.  This high school level text can be a wonderful way for younger students to use the tools learned in the beginning Latin classes and bring the Latin language to life.

English-writing, grammar, and literature

                Writing-We place a heavy emphasis on basic writing skills and the development of a clear, effective writing style.  Students at various ages will learn and practice: sentence structure, paragraph writing, outlining, report writing, summaries, narratives, researching and eventually essay writing.  Imitation in writing is a classical method of instruction which incorporates the study of worthy writing examples, the imitation of great writing, and the practice of these elements of great writing.  We use a combination of tools that work from this foundation- the Institute for Excellence in Writing curriculum, Classical Composition, and the Lost Tools of Writing.   We will also have a variety of creative writing assignments integrated with our history and literature studies throughout the year.

                The Group 1 class will focus on sentence writing, both cementing the basic rules of sentences and learning to expand their sentence style, detail and creativity.  Older students in this group will also learn basic paragraph writing.  All students will enjoy various creative story and poetry writing throughout the year.  Many of the student writing projects will be used for oral presentations.

                The Group 2 course is a beginning level of Classical Writing and will span the frameworks of poetry, prose, and the basics of outlining, sentence structure, thesis formulation, paragraph construction, and paraphrasing.    The students will write various essays, including expository and descriptive. This course will introduce the three pillars of writing-invention (coming up with what to say), arrangement (knowing how to order your words properly), and elocution (writing with style and grace). 

                Grammar –

                                Group 1 –This class focuses on the foundational elements of the English language.  Skills and concepts covered in this class include basic writing mechanics, spelling rules and copy work.  One of the benefits of Latin study is the solid integration of learning, so many English grammar concepts are covered primarily in Latin class.

                                Group 2–This class continues to build on the foundation of the Grammar I class, with a heavy emphasis on the parts of speech.  Students learn to classify and diagram various sentence patterns and these ideas are reinforced in their writing and Latin.

                Literature –Our goal in the study of literature is to introduce students to enduring, meaningful stories.  We believe that the narrative is a powerful tool to communicate that which is true, wise and virtuous.  We hope that the books we read will become life-long memories for each student.  With this in mind, we aim to study books which demand careful thought and consideration.  There are many, many wonderful tales that each child should read and treasure, but they are not necessarily “study” books.  For this reason, we try to limit our book list to allow time for discussion, contemplation and thoughtful responses in writing or projects. 

This class will focus on reading and listening to good literature.  There will be many discussions about the books read.  The class will include learning to talk about literature, oral narration, creative narration through acting and art, some writing, along with some time spent on grammar, vocabulary words and poetry. 

 

Sample of book selections: (final list TBD)

Group I-
Matchlock Gun
The Courage of Sarah Noble, by Alice Dagliesh
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin, by Marguerite Henry
George Washington’s Breakfast, by Jean Fritz
The 4th of July Story, by Alice Dagliesh

Group II-
Amos Fortune: Free Man
Poor Richard
Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
Abigail Adams: First Lady of Faith and Courage, by Evelyn Witter
The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien
Tales from Shakespeare, by Charles and Mary Lamb
Carry on, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham
Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann Wyss

Memory Work and Recitation- each class will have several poems and Bible selections to be memorized, practiced in group recitation and performed for parents.

Science-Physical and Life Science

                The objective for this course is to sharpen the student’s ability to observe, discriminate and describe using the process skills of scientific inquiry.  Realizing that all science, in fact all of life, must be approached from some worldview, our foundational framework is a Christian worldview. 

                We will often break up into smaller groups and investigate the ins and outs of many concepts-plants, electricity, magnets, habitats, mixtures and solutions and hopefully much more.

                This is an 8 week course.

Chime Choir-each student will be part of a chime choir, learning to read music and perform music as a group.  This class will not meet each week, but will rotate with art, science and math club. 

Math Club-

                This class will allow the students to practice basic math skills in a fun and educational manner.  We hope that students will gain more both appreciation for and confidence in math as they read stories about math, work on group projects, play math games and learn to solve problems together. 

                This is an 8 week course.

Art-

Group I will combine Art history, artistic technique with art activities. The students will be introduced to the lives of famous artist and study their techniques. From this they will create their own art work implementing these new techniques.

Group II will develop their drawing skills by Nature Journaling. Students will regularly record observations, perceptions and feelings about the beauty in the natural world God has created. Students will also be introduced to the works of several famous artists and begin the process of art critique from a Christian worldview.

Both Art classes are 10 week courses.

Jr/Sr High- http://www.covenantfamilytutorial.org/services_jrsr_overview.html

Humane Letters

                One of the most important parts of CFT’s educational offerings is our Humane Letters course.  This is a weekly, 2 to 2.5 hour class integrating history, English, and art history.  This integration allows students to study each of these subjects in relationship to the others and this deepens their understanding and appreciation in a way that studying any one of them in isolation just cannot accomplish.  CFT places great importance of the value of learning in community: meaningful conversation, friendship in learning, and the power of asking questions.  This Humane Letters course is often a lively discussion of our reading, with the teacher guiding the students to think deeply as thoughtful Christians, eager to know God’s world and our role and responsibilities in it.  Students will also work on individual research, group projects, and art/crafts to demonstrate their studies. 

                Skills taught and emphasized in this course include the following: note-taking, outlining, summarizing, reporting, researching, oral presentation, thesis writing, essays of various forms, deliberate reading, proper research citation, and much more!

The Humane Letter Course Components:

                History-The Enlightenment and the Foundation of America

                In this course we will move beyond the facts of the people and events and dig into the principles and underlying foundations of our nation.  Based on the understanding that these students are in the Logic or Rhetoric stages, we will study and learn from the leading ideas during this period of history.  We will be studying events and individuals from the premise that God sovereignly directs the acts of mankind and has a purpose for what has happened before us. 

                Topics will include-the history of the English Bible, American background in England (review of Magna Charta, Petition of Right, English Bill of Rights, and John Locke, Montesquieu, and Blackstone), American Self-Government (Virginia, New England Colonies, the Pilgrims and William Bradford, Education in early America, Fundamental principles: life, liberty, property and reputation, Early American government (Colonial organization), the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence and the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the French Revolution, Westward Expansion of the USA, the War of 1812, the Industrial Revolution

Main Text-The Christian History of the Constitution of the United States of America (Foundation for American Christian Government), Of Plymouth Plantation, the Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist Papers

                Writing-We will use the Lost Tools of Writing curriculum, Levels 1 and 2.

As the second level of our CFT writing sequence (built upon our Thursday program), this class will focus primarily on essay writing, with some narrative writing included for fun!  Students will start by learning or reviewing the basic elements of the five paragraph essay and progress step by step to a complete persuasive essay.  This class will cover the three pillars of writing-invention (coming up with what to say), arrangement (knowing how to order your words properly), and elocution (writing with style and grace).  Specifically, this class will cover these elements from the Lost Tools of Writing-definition, comparison, and circumstance, relation and authority (invention); the persuasive essay with the exordium, amplification, division, refutation, and narrative, the ceremonial essay, the definition essay, and the comparison essay (arrangement); various editing skills, schemes and tropes: parallelism, similes, metaphors, alliteration, assonance, and personification, and additional advanced schemes and tropes (elocution).

 

                Literature – Our goal in the study of literature is to introduce students to enduring, meaningful stories.  We believe that the narrative is a powerful tool to communicate that which is true, wise, and virtuous.  We hope that the books we read will become life-long memories for each student.  With this in mind, we aim to study books which demand careful thought and consideration.  There are many, many wonderful tales that each child should read and treasure, but they are not necessarily “study” books.  For this reason, we try to limit our book list to allow time for discussion, contemplation and thoughtful responses in writing or projects.  You will notice that some of the literature selections will be easy for your student and some will be quite challenging.  We hope to provide a selections of books that both delight your student and push them to more thoughtful, slow, contemplative reading. 

Most of the reading will be done at home and class time will include discussion of the book’s characters, themes, plot, setting, and the literary devices used.  The amount of weekly reading will be heavy, but it should be very interesting as we trace the progression of history and literature together.  The goal is that each student will personally keep up on their reading, but at the parent’s discretion some books can be completed via books-on-tape or parent-child read aloud time.

 

Sample of book selections:
                Robinson Crusoe
                Treasure Island
                Shakespeare
                Pilgrim’s Progress
                A Tale of Two Cities
                Gulliver’s Travels
                Pride and Prejudice
                Frankenstein

Art History for Group III will introduce students to several masterpieces of Art in the flow of history. Through this study students will see the shifts in style from period to period to strengthen their understanding and effects of the worldviews of that shape the Western world. Whenever possible, music will be used as a parallel to express these shifts in style. Students will be responsible for memorizing 25 works of art.

Overview of Philosophy/Christian Worldview-

All other Tuesday Classes

Advanced Latin-

                Students with an introduction to Latin will continue their studies.  (If your child has not had Latin, you may pursue a course of study over the summer to prepare for this class.)  Students will study  the basics of the Latin language, and the cultural contexts in which it flourished. The textbook, Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata by Hans H. Ørberg introduces the language through a narrative of the life of a Roman family during the second century AD. Through this book, students will learn to read and understand Latin as Latin. In addition, students will learn to use Latin as a means of communication, which complements reading ability. Students will also learn to recognize Latin roots in the English words they use every day.  The impact of Latin on a student’s English vocabulary and understanding of English grammar is profound!  Expect this course to go far beyond the learning of Latin vocabulary.  This will impact your student’s grammar, vocabulary, study skills, perseverance, and general foreign language acquisition. 

Learning Goals

By the end of the school year, students will:

  • be able to read and write simple Latin with confidence
  • recognize and produce most Latin noun and verb endings in context
  • acquire a vocabulary of the most important Latin words
  • improve their English vocabulary through an awareness of Latin roots.

Logic-the Logic classes will meet for one semester

               Introduction to Logic -Logical fallacies, the Christian idea of the inquiring mind, introduction to symbolic logic, evaluating evidence, propaganda techniques, evaluating arguments

Texts-The Fallacy Detective and Thinking Toolbox

               Intermediate Logic-This advanced logic course uses the tools learned in Traditional Logic I to examine arguments of the Bible, Lewis Carroll, Plato, Isaac Watts, St. Augustine and Tertullian and many more. It covers the four figures of the traditional syllogism, the three forms of rhetorical arguments (called enthymemes), the three kinds of hypothetical syllogisms, the four kinds of complex syllogisms, as well as relational arguments.  Students are expected to complete exercises at home to share in the group discussion and teaching time. 

 Text-Traditional Logic 2, Memoria Press

Speech–the speech class will meet for one semester

Communicating Effectively with a Purpose

1.       The Importance of Effective Communication
2.       The history of Communication and Rhetoric
3.       Recitation and Interpretation
          Dramatic, Humorous, Poetry, Duo
4.       Oratory
      a.      To Inform (demonstration, biographical, historical event)
      b.      To Persuade
      c.       Impromptu
      d.      Extemporaneous
      e.      Debate
5.       Communication (interviewing, listening)
6.       Drama-hopefully!! :)

Class Overview
Class Time/Location