Primary Grades (Pre-Grammar)
The typical grade-level of our Primary School is 1st - 3rd. We do not offer, at this time, preschool, kindergarten, or any form of daycare services. In order to be admitted into the Primary Program at Sancta Familia Academy, children must be able to be attentive for periods of fifteen or more minutes at a time, be respectful of adults and other children, and be joyfully obedient to parents and teachers. Young children can easily learn pre-school skills in the home, which is in fact the ideal environment for such training.
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"... it would be contrary to natural justice if the child, before the use of reason, were removed from the care of its parents..." ~Pius XI |
There is an overlap at the transitional grades, such as 3rd, because children develop at different rates, and age and maturity play an important role in the educational environment. For example, some third grade students are nine years old while others won't turn nine until the third grade school year is over. Learning styles and personalities also affect student development. No two indivuals grow at the exact same pace. Children learn and grow in cycles of both spurts and plateaus. When an individual student is ready for the demands of the next level (i.e. grammar or logic) they will move on to that level. Therefore, there will be third grade students in the primary program and possibly third grade students in the grammar program. Enrollment also influences where a student is placed. For example, when there are no fifth grade students, we would more likely place the sixth grade with seventh rather than fourth.
First to Third Grade
Reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic are the foundation upon which the tower of learning is built and are given the highest priority in the primary school (schola prima). The basic skills, work habits, and attitudes formed in the primary years are of crucial importance. Patience and perseverance are required, but it will be worth the extra effort to do things right from the beginning. It is much easier to form good habits than to break bad ones!
Phonics and Reading
Phonics is the system of letter-sound association taught to children for the purposes of learning to read and spell. Phonics is most effective when taught systematically, thoroughly, and in a logical and time-tested sequence. Our primary resource for phonics instruction in kindergarten is Memoria Press's First Start Reading which teaches correct manuscript form, consonant and short vowel sounds, three-letter word formation, consonant blends and long vowels with silent e. Common words (i.e. sight words) are introduced after students learn to blend three letter words. First Start Reading teaches students to read in kindergarten or first grade, using stories with ninety percent phonetic words.
Phonics and spelling continue in the 2nd and 3rd years. Students continue to develop reading comprehension with whole books which captivate and motivate children and are preferred over basal readers. Teachers monitor student reading skills through daily oral reading. Children read classics such as Little Bear, Caps For Sale, The Story About Ping, Billy and Blaze, etc. using Memoria Press' StoryTime Treasures and More StoryTime Treasures study guides. Third graders (and some second graders) will read The Courage of Sarah Noble, Little House in the Big Woods, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and four Beatrix Potter stories (Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten, and Johnny Town-Mouse). Spelling, penmanship, composition, and vocabulary lessons for each book are provided by Memoria Press Study Guides.
A rich language experience, provided both at home and in school, is an important factor in reading success. Students memorize poems and Scripture. Literature for teacher read-aloud includes Fairy Tales, Aesop's Fables, Uncle Remus, Bible Stories, and other children's favorites.
Spelling and Printing
Students develop the visual memory for accurate spelling by a systematic study of phonics, word families, spelling rules, and by a lifetime of seeing, reading, and writing words correctly. It is extremely important to reduce opportunities for children to write or see misspelled words. Young students who are allowed to guess at words or spell creatively have a confused visual memory that is very difficult to overcome, especially if they have any dyslexic tendencies. Already challenged with labeling and sequencing, teaching these children to read whole words before they learn to blend sounds into words, adds a crippling challenge to both the tasks of spelling and reading, which requires segmenting words into sounds.
Reading, writing, spelling, and arithmetic are the foundation upon which the tower of learning is built and are given the highest priority in the primary school (schola prima). The basic skills, work habits, and attitudes formed in the primary years are of crucial importance. Patience and perseverance are required, but it will be worth the extra effort to do things right from the beginning. It is much easier to form good habits than to break bad ones!
Phonics and Reading
Phonics is the system of letter-sound association taught to children for the purposes of learning to read and spell. Phonics is most effective when taught systematically, thoroughly, and in a logical and time-tested sequence. Our primary resource for phonics instruction in kindergarten is Memoria Press's First Start Reading which teaches correct manuscript form, consonant and short vowel sounds, three-letter word formation, consonant blends and long vowels with silent e. Common words (i.e. sight words) are introduced after students learn to blend three letter words. First Start Reading teaches students to read in kindergarten or first grade, using stories with ninety percent phonetic words.
Phonics and spelling continue in the 2nd and 3rd years. Students continue to develop reading comprehension with whole books which captivate and motivate children and are preferred over basal readers. Teachers monitor student reading skills through daily oral reading. Children read classics such as Little Bear, Caps For Sale, The Story About Ping, Billy and Blaze, etc. using Memoria Press' StoryTime Treasures and More StoryTime Treasures study guides. Third graders (and some second graders) will read The Courage of Sarah Noble, Little House in the Big Woods, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and four Beatrix Potter stories (Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten, and Johnny Town-Mouse). Spelling, penmanship, composition, and vocabulary lessons for each book are provided by Memoria Press Study Guides.
A rich language experience, provided both at home and in school, is an important factor in reading success. Students memorize poems and Scripture. Literature for teacher read-aloud includes Fairy Tales, Aesop's Fables, Uncle Remus, Bible Stories, and other children's favorites.
Spelling and Printing
Students develop the visual memory for accurate spelling by a systematic study of phonics, word families, spelling rules, and by a lifetime of seeing, reading, and writing words correctly. It is extremely important to reduce opportunities for children to write or see misspelled words. Young students who are allowed to guess at words or spell creatively have a confused visual memory that is very difficult to overcome, especially if they have any dyslexic tendencies. Already challenged with labeling and sequencing, teaching these children to read whole words before they learn to blend sounds into words, adds a crippling challenge to both the tasks of spelling and reading, which requires segmenting words into sounds.
After many years, decades actually, of searching, purchasing, and even writing our own materials, we have found what we think is the best spelling program on the market. All About Spelling is the first
program we have found that actually treats spelling in a sound-to-symbol sequence, while addressing phonograms-to-sounds for reading. All About Spelling is the program we would put together if we had the time, providing scripted lessons and all the materials necessary to teach students of all learning styles. Copy Work Copy work is an exercise consisting of copying sayings, maxims, Scripture, and poetry in the student's best handwriting. Copy work is an important step in developing good penmanship, punctuation, and spelling. Habits of good penmanship are instilled early and required at every grade level by every teacher. The discipline of neat and legible handwriting is an aid to spelling and instills the value of accurate, careful work - an important academic skill that carries over into every aspect of learning. In the 1st grade, students continue to practice manuscript printing while also beginning cursive script Students begin 2nd grade writing strictly in cursive, reinforcing their penmanship. Fluency in cursive writing, as well as in reading, is a pre-requisite to entering the Grammar School at Sancta Familia. Students who need practice in reading, review in phonics, and practice in cursive writing, will remain in the Primary Program for 3rd grade. Please note: These students are in 3rd grade and are learning at a level comparable to public school and most other private schools. Most students are not developmentally prepared for the demands of our grammar program until they are at least nine years old. Therefore, it is the exception, rather than the rule, that a student moves into the grammar program before fourth grade. Arithmetic Number formation, counting, time, calendar, measurement, and money are the skills primary students are expected to master, along with addition and subtraction facts in first grade, and multiplication facts in second grade. Students learn number sense by skip counting, games, and drills, all of which make math time enjoyable and help students achieve immediate recall of math facts - the primary goal in the lower school grades. |
As with the Language Arts subjects, students will progress from the Primary Program to the Grammar Program when they are developmentally ready. Students must know all of their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts by heart before they will be promoted to the fourth-sixth grade math curriculum at SFA. First grade students will learn all of the operations concretely through the manipulation of objects and through repetition and recitation. During second grade, and third grade as necessary, students will focus more on memorization of the facts than on counting objects or fingers. The goal is instant recall. Speed and accuracy with smaller numbers is essential to the student who will be learning various algorithms of arithmetic and eventually mathematics. Students who must count (even if in their head) in order to add or subtract will be hindered in learning
to borrow, carry, work with longer columns of numbers, and perform multiplication and division of larger numbers. Not knowing
multiplication and division facts cripples the student studying fractions and decimals. The math of the grammar grades consists primarily of mastering these skills in preparation for the analytical math of Algebra and Geometry of the logic stage.
Geography, History, and Science
Students work with maps and globes to learn continents, oceans, and major countries. They read about great Americans in the D'Aulaires' books and Eggleston readers. In science, students learn about the planets and seasons and are encouraged to take nature walks to collect leaves, flowers, acorns, bugs, and more! Students read and study about the many interesting creatures in the Plant and Animal Kingdoms in their Nature Readers. One day each week, students will have a hands-on science class.
Christian Studies, Music and Art
In Christian Studies students read or listen to Bible stories and memorize and copy Bible verses and prayers, read or listen to
stories of the Saints, and begin to memorize the Baltimore Catechism in preparation for the reception of the Sacraments in 2nd or 3rd grade. Our primary music instructor will visit each classroom weekly for lessons in the basic elements of music, including ear training, note reading, and choral performance. Students draw and color everyday in their composition books where they illustrate copybook verses, poems, and composition lessons. In art appreciation, students learn about an artist and study an art masterwork every month.
Latin
Students begin a formal study of Latin in the Grammar School, but students in 1st - 3rd grade begin to learn Latin prayers and hymns, and finish the Lower School with an introductory course, using Prima Latina.
Physical Education
Students have recess every day and Physical Education weekly. P.E. provides 30 minutes of rigorous exercise as well as opportunities to play childhood games. Our P.E. instructor works to develop basic motor and motion skills, such as running, skipping, running backwards, flexibility, as well as sportsmanship and team play.
to borrow, carry, work with longer columns of numbers, and perform multiplication and division of larger numbers. Not knowing
multiplication and division facts cripples the student studying fractions and decimals. The math of the grammar grades consists primarily of mastering these skills in preparation for the analytical math of Algebra and Geometry of the logic stage.
Geography, History, and Science
Students work with maps and globes to learn continents, oceans, and major countries. They read about great Americans in the D'Aulaires' books and Eggleston readers. In science, students learn about the planets and seasons and are encouraged to take nature walks to collect leaves, flowers, acorns, bugs, and more! Students read and study about the many interesting creatures in the Plant and Animal Kingdoms in their Nature Readers. One day each week, students will have a hands-on science class.
Christian Studies, Music and Art
In Christian Studies students read or listen to Bible stories and memorize and copy Bible verses and prayers, read or listen to
stories of the Saints, and begin to memorize the Baltimore Catechism in preparation for the reception of the Sacraments in 2nd or 3rd grade. Our primary music instructor will visit each classroom weekly for lessons in the basic elements of music, including ear training, note reading, and choral performance. Students draw and color everyday in their composition books where they illustrate copybook verses, poems, and composition lessons. In art appreciation, students learn about an artist and study an art masterwork every month.
Latin
Students begin a formal study of Latin in the Grammar School, but students in 1st - 3rd grade begin to learn Latin prayers and hymns, and finish the Lower School with an introductory course, using Prima Latina.
Physical Education
Students have recess every day and Physical Education weekly. P.E. provides 30 minutes of rigorous exercise as well as opportunities to play childhood games. Our P.E. instructor works to develop basic motor and motion skills, such as running, skipping, running backwards, flexibility, as well as sportsmanship and team play.
Next - The Grammar School