Elementary Classical Day Program Overview

History-Ancient Greece, Rome, New Testament and the Early Church
     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 the facts and enjoying our history. This class has a backbone of historical events and people that are accented each week, and we want to keep looking beyond these details so we make connections between ancient history and our world today. Main texts-Story of the World, vol. 1, Famous Men of Greece, Famous Men of Rome

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

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.
     Grammar-
        Lower Elementary - 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.
        Upper Elementary - 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.
Sample of book selections:

Group I- Bible Stories Aesop’s Fables Fifty Famous People

Group II- The Bible The Children’s Homer Pinocchio The Aeneid for Boys and Girls

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

     Afternoon Short Courses (8 week courses)-
        This year our 1:30-2:30 class time will include the following short courses:

Hands-on 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/Creationist 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.

Chime Choir: each student will be part of a chime choir, learning to read music and perform music as a group. This is not an 8 week course, but will meet most Thursdays.

CA History: special projects, presentations and field trips. This course is not necessarily a full year of California history, but will cover the main events of CA history. You could easily expand these units into a full course with some extra reading and writing. Topics will include: missions, CA Indians, geography, the Gold Rush, CA landmarks

Introduction to Greek: to build upon our studies on Ancient Greece, we will have an 8 week introduction to the Greek language and its influence on English. Students will learn to read and pronounce the Greek alphabet. They will also learn many root words, prefixes and suffixes.

Fine Arts: This course will include several art and music units relating to our Ancient History studies.