Elementary Grades
The elementary grades teaching strives to foster individuality and freedom, balanced with cooperation and collaboration. Academic subjects such as math, reading, and writing are introduced in ways that spark students’ natural curiosity and imagination. Lessons are brought to life through multicultural and history-based stories. Drama, painting, drawing, and movement engage students in learning that goes far beyond memorization. Even the most abstract concepts are grounded in concrete, real-world experiences.
Grades 1-3
In the early grades, children’s natural forces of imitation and joy in learning are engaged to their fullest. A rich language environment draws them toward reading and writing, with playful verses and masterful poetry preserving the vitality of language. Writing down beloved stories gives children an active role in learning, and reading arises naturally from material that already holds deep meaning for them. In this way, literacy develops with ease and joy at every level.
Mathematics is experienced through movement as students step and clap rhythmically through the times tables. Numbers are introduced through concrete experiences—counting beans, shells, or other tangible objects. Handwork such as knitting and flute playing builds dexterity and coordination, while early exposure to Spanish fosters flexibility and appreciation for other cultures.
By third grade, children begin to see themselves more distinctly from their surroundings, and their lessons shift to meet this developmental stage. Practical skills such as farming, house building, and measurement are studied, alongside carefully chosen stories that provide both grounding and reassurance during this time of growth.
FIRST GRADE
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Worlds of Enchantment: Fairy Tales & Legends
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Living Letters: Writing & Reading
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The Magic of Numbers: Roman & Arabic Numerals, Four Processes, Times Tables, Mental Math
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Nature Near & Far: Stories & Nature Immersion
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Drama & Speech: Class Play, Poetry Recitation
SECOND GRADE
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Tales to Remember: Fables, Legends, Saints & Heroes
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Leaps in Literacy: Reading, Writing, Spelling
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Number Patterns: Place Value, Mental Math, Times Tables
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Home Surroundings
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Drama & Speech: Class Play, Poetry Recitation
THIRD GRADE
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Word Power: Reading, Writing, Grammar, Spelling
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Working with Numbers: Measurement & Applications
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Living on the Earth: Food, Shelter, Clothing
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Meeting the World as Individuals: Hebrew Legends
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Drama & Speech: Class Play, Poetry Recitation
Grades 4 & 5
By fourth grade, children meet the world with new capacities of thinking and feeling. They begin to seek experiences of self beyond the family, and the curriculum supports this by fostering curiosity and a deepening sense of connection with the wider world. Early science lessons, for example, explore the animal kingdom in relation to the human being, cultivating both wonder and empathy.
Geography begins close to home with maps of the classroom and school grounds, then expands to the local community, the surrounding countryside, and eventually the whole of the United States. Students are invited to ask, “What is it about the natural resources of this place that drew people to settle here?”
In fifth grade, the study of botany develops careful observation of plants and the conditions in which they thrive. Students draw, paint, and describe the unfolding of plant life from root to leaf to flower. The language arts curriculum is rooted in the myths and heroic tales of ancient cultures—India, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Scandinavia—bringing students into contact with the foundations of world civilizations.
FOURTH GRADE
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Gods & Heroes: Norse Myths & Sagas
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The Creative Word: Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar
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New Number Worlds: Fractions
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Nature Study: Wonders of the Animal Kingdom
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It Happened Here: Local History & Geography
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Drama & Speech: Class Play, Poetry Recitation
FIFTH GRADE
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Myths of the Ancient World: India, Persia, Babylonia & Egypt
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Our Classical Roots: Greek Myths, History & the Pentathlon
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The Art of Language: Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar
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Adventures in Arithmetic: Decimals & the Metric System
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Geographical Explorations: North America
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Nature Study: Wonders of the Plant Kingdom
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Drama & Speech: Class Play, Poetry Recitation
