Scope & Sequence

Grades 1 through 8: Scope & Sequence

Grade Level Scope and Sequence
(For History Scope and Sequence, click here)

Red Level One (Grade One)

Reading & Literature
First Grade is devoted largely to learning to read, or to read more fluently. The goal is to be able to read (aloud and silently) texts written for first, second, or third grade. Phonics work is critical here, as is immersing children in a literature-rich environment. A large amount of time is spent with a strong phonics program. “The Writing Road to Reading and Thinking” from the Riggs Institute is excellent. This program is an intensive phonics program that focuses on sounds and coding. Saxon Phonics is also a good program and is easy for parents to use.

In the curriculum, children continue hearing stories read aloud by the parent (as they will for the next few years). They should spend much time to asking and answering questions about readings and they demonstrate comprehension by completing comprehension questions at the back of their Reading Booklets. Literature is curriculum integrated, using the Reading Selections in the Learning Journal. Students also read beginning chapter books from the Level One reading list of classic literature.

More specifically they will:

1. continue phonics work: count the syllables in a word, identify letter sounds in words, identify coding; blend letter sounds to make words, etc.

2. sound out short words (e.g., mop, boat, cake, feet, chin, boot, kite)

3. sound out unfamiliar words when reading

4. recognize some common "sight words": (e.g., have, says, one, where)

5. read simple stories and beginning reader books (silently and aloud), as well as passages in the large edition of the scriptures and Scripture Readers.

6. predict what will happen in stories and later discuss whether prediction was right

7. discuss what, when, where, how, why, and what-if questions about readings

8. read and understand simple instructions

9. read aloud with someone at home at least twenty minutes daily

Students will also study poetry by reading, analyzing poems, and writing their own poems. Many poems will be committed to memory. Curriculum integrated literature will include:

1. poems such as “The Wind”

2. short stories and fables which teach morals and decision making.

3. some folk tales from around the world

4. some basic literary terms (e.g., character, hero, heroine)

5. nonfiction prose (e.g., history books, books about art)

6. plays and drama

7. Conventions and terms of drama (e.g., actors, scenery, props, stage)

8. telling and writing their own stories

Language Arts, Grammar, and Creative Writing
Students practice using basic grammar correctly when they speak. Beginning Language Arts and Grammar concepts are introduced and include sentence structure; sentence fragments; declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences; nouns; verbs; plurals; pronouns; past tense; contractions; adjectives; capitalization and punctuation; and commas. Nouns, verbs, and adjectives are diagramed. Writing skills are introduced using reading for the main idea; paragraph structure; personal narrative; the writing process (first draft, edit, share, rewrite, etc.); describing what you see; writing a friendly letter; and more. Students also write basic compositions based on concepts learned and skills mastered. Journal entries relating to history and religion events are completed daily.

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Reference Skills
Utilizing the weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Word Lists, children will

1. spell words dictated by the parent

2. correctly spell short words (e.g., cat, pig, tent)

3. learn simple spelling rules reflected in phonics (e.g., a makes the long a sound, as in "gate")

4. Use words correctly in context

Students will also learn how to: use a dictionary; find word meanings; use a table of contents; classify ideas; draw a conclusion; summarize; etc.

Handwriting
Students continue learning manuscript and work to improve neatness.

Science & Technology
Volume One of the curriculum focuses on the study of Astronomy and Earth Science. This study coincides with the study of the creation of the earth. Students will first be re-introduced to the Scientific Method. After committing the process to memory, the concepts will be applied to the study of the basic of learning about the planet we call home. Students begin the year learning the names of the planets in our solar system, and the nature of each one. They also learn about other space bodies and their life cycle. The Sun and its role in the universe is also investigated.

The second half of the course will cover Earth Science. Students will create an Earth timeline and will divide the different aspects of Earth study into categories. Each of these categories will be studied as a unit and will include geology, oceanography, and meteorology.

Students will spend much time observing and recording observations in their Science Journals.

Geography
First level students will become familiar with the seven continents and four oceans. They will learn mapping skills (compass rose, legend, map symbols, scale); following a map’s direction; cardinal direction; magnetic north; the world’s poles; hemispheres; the equator; land forms; relief maps; road maps; product maps; weather maps; and population maps. They will also identify cities and countries studied in the history time line.

Music and Art
Throughout the curriculum students are exposed to art as it relates to the people and times studied. Students will learn about artists and art styles across the time line, especially early art forms. Opportunities are provided for “hands-on,” using different types of medium.

In music, students will learn notation; basic key signatures; rhythms; melody; music history from the time line, as well as a study of some contemporary folk songs and Primary songs.

Achievement Days, Faith In God, Cub Scouts
Throughout the program, activities that fulfill requirements in these areas are identified to the parent. This enables focused family study and integration of gospel values and good citizenship as presented in the scouting program.

Bandalo Achievement Program
The color coded bandalo serves as a progress report to the student. As skills are acquired, children track progress by placing jewels and emblems on the bandalo. These are worn proudly and are a memento of a successful year.

Orange Level Two (Grade Two)

Reading & Literature
Second Grade students continue learning how to read. They should do more explicit phonics work, reviewing what they learned in level one and practicing with new letter-sound patterns. By the end of this year, decoding (i.e., turning letters into speech sounds) should be almost automatic for most children, allowing them to focus on meaning.

In the curriculum, children continue hearing stories read aloud by the parent (as they will for the next few years). They should spend much time asking and answering questions about readings. They demonstrate comprehension by completing comprehension questions at the back of their Reading Booklets. Literature is curriculum integrated, using the Reading Booklets. Students also read beginning chapter books from the Level Two reading list of classic literature.

More specifically they will:
1 continue to sound out words (e.g., rabbit, caterpillar, motorcycle)

2. accurately read and divide single-syllable and most two-syllable words (e.g., boy, tough, night, apple, riddle, basket)

3. recall incidents, characters, facts, and details of texts

4. answer what, how, why, and what-if questions about readings

5. discuss similarities in characters and events from different stories

6. retell stories and explain information learned from a text in their own words

7. read independently at least thirty minutes daily

Students will continue to study poetry by reading, analyzing poems, and writing their own poems. Many poems will be committed to memory. Curriculum integrated literature will include:

1. reading and listening to poems such as “My Friend” by Lela Birky

2. short stories and fables which teach morals and decision making.

3. more folk tales from around the world

4. reading and listening ti stories such as “Snipp, Snapp, Snurr, and the Little Red Shoes” by Marjorie Lindman

5. new literary terms (e.g., myth, limerick)

6. nonfiction prose (e.g., history books, books about art)

7. plays and drama

8. more conventions and terms of drama (e.g., actors, scenery, props, stage)

9. telling and writing their own stories

10. completing a brief book report to increase writing skills and reinforce comprehension

Language Arts, Grammar, and Creative Writing
Students continue to practice using basic grammar correctly when they speak. More in depth Language Arts and Grammar concepts are reviewed and introduced and include sentence structure; sentence fragments; the subject and predicate of a sentence; correcting run-on sentences; combining sentences; declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences; nouns; verbs; plurals; pronouns; present and past tense verbs; contractions; adjectives; capitalization and punctuation; and commas; common nouns and proper nouns; singular and plural nouns; singular possessive nouns; plural possessive nouns; verbs in the present tense; verbs in the past tense; helping verbs; irregular verbs; contractions; adjectives; adverbs; diagraming nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Writing skills are increased using reading for the main idea; paragraph structure; personal narrative; the writing process (first draft, edit, share, rewrite, etc.); describing what you see; proofreading; research reports; writing a friendly letter; and more. Students also write basic compositions with a beginning, middle and an end, based on concepts learned and skills mastered. They will explore writing ideas using clustering to create topic ideas and content. he Journal entries relating to history and religion events are completed daily.

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Reference Skills
Utilizing the weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Word Lists, children will

1. spell words dictated by the parent

2. correctly spell short words (e.g., cat, pig, tent)

3. learn more advanced spelling rules reflected in phonics (e.g., the f sound is sometimes spelled ph, as in "phone")

4. use words correctly in context

5. Grow an expanding vocabulary

Students will also learn how to: use a dictionary; find word meanings; alphabetize words; identify entry words and guide words; choose the correct definition; use a table of contents, and index, a glossary, and an encyclopedia; classify ideas; draw a conclusion; summarize; etc.

Handwriting
Students begin Palmer Cursive Handwriting course for upper and lower case letters. Students also practice connecting letter combinations by writing quotes and inspirational phrases.

Students will spend much time observing and recording observations in their Science Journals.

Geography
Second level students will review the seven continents and four oceans. They will review mapping skills (compass rose, legend, map symbols, scale); following a map’s direction; cardinal direction; magnetic north; the world’s poles; hemispheres; the equator; land forms; relief maps; road maps; product maps; weather maps; population maps; grid maps; general cartography; parallel of latitude; and Prime Meridian. They will also identify cities and countries studied in the history time line.

Music and Art
Throughout the curriculum students are exposed to art as it relates to the people and times studied. Students will learn about artists and art styles across the time line, especially early forms of music. Opportunities are provided for “hands-on,” using different types of medium.

In music, students will learn notation; basic key signatures; rhythms; melody; music history from the time line, as well as a study of some contemporary folk songs and Primary songs.

Yellow Level Three (Grade Three)

Reading & Literature
Third Grade students should be competent at decoding (i.e., turning letters into speech sounds) most one- and two-syllable words, and increasingly able to decode multi-syllable words.

In the curriculum, children continue hearing stories read aloud by the parent (as they will for the next few years). Parent and child will spend time discussing theme, plot, character, symbolism when reading together. They demonstrate comprehension by completing comprehension questions at the back of their Reading Booklets. Literature is curriculum integrated, using the Reading Booklets. Students also read chapter books from the Level Three reading list of classic literature.

More specifically they will:

1. independently read longer works of fiction (chapter books) and nonfiction

2. orally summarize main points from readings

3. ask and answer what, how, why, and what-if questions about texts

4. use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words

5. Consistently use a table of contents and index

6. read independently for at least forty-five minutes daily

Students will continue to study poetry by reading, analyzing poems, and writing their own poems. Many poems will be committed to memory. Curriculum integrated literature will include:

1. read, listen to, and memorize more prose, quotes, and scriptures

2. more folk tales and short novels from around the world

3. reading and listening to stories such as “The Little Lame Prince” by Dinah Mullock Craik

4. orally summarize main points from readings

5. ask and answer what, how, why, and what-if questions about texts

6. learn more literary terms (e.g., biography, autobiography, fiction, nonfiction)

7. tell and write their own stories

8. listening to a local poet at a library or bookstore explain about how she writes poems

9. completing a more extensive book report to increase writing skills and reinforce comprehension

Writing skills are increased using reading for the main idea; paragraph structure; personal narrative; the writing process (first draft, edit, share, rewrite, etc.); describing what you see; proofreading; research reports; learn letter-writing conventions (e.g., heading, salutation, closing, signature); comparison and contrast; writing descriptions; writing a persuasive letter; writing a research report; and more. Students also practice writing paragraphs with topic sentence, central idea, supporting details; and practice clustering, organizing, drafting, revising, and proofreading their writings. They will continue to write ideas using clustering to create topic ideas and content. The Journal entries relating to history and religion events are completed daily.

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Reference Skills
Utilizing the weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Word Lists, children will

1. get regular practice at spelling and vocabulary enrichment

2. spell most words correctly when writing; use dictionary to check spellings

3. study use of prefixes (e.g., re, un, dis) and suffixes (e.g., er, less, ly)

4. practice using homophones correctly (e.g., by, buy; to, too, two)

5. recognize common abbreviations (e.g" St., U.S.A., ft.)

Students will continue learning to use a dictionary; find word meanings; alphabetize words; identify entry words and guide words; choose the correct definition; use a table of contents, and index, a glossary, and an encyclopedia; card catalogue; parts of a book; reading a graph; classify ideas; draw a conclusion; summarize; how to listen for purpose, main idea, and details; identify causes and effect; prefixes, suffixes; homophones; antonyms; idioms; etc.

Handwriting
Students continue practicing Palmer Cursive Handwriting for neatness. Students continue to practice connecting letter combinations by writing quotes and inspirational phrases.

Students will spend much time observing and recording observations in their Science Journals.

Geography
Third level students will review the seven continents and four oceans. They will review mapping skills (compass rose, legend, map symbols, scale); following a map’s direction; cardinal direction; magnetic north; the world’s poles; hemispheres; the equator; land forms; relief maps; road maps; product maps; weather maps; population maps; grid maps; general cartography; parallel of latitude; latitude and longitude; meridians of longitude; physical maps; political map; and thematic maps They will also identify cities and countries studied in the history time line.

Social Studies
This study area provides students with a broad overview of the people around them. The study begins with the focus on the importance of the family unit. It also addresses community elements; laws (as stated in the 12^th Article of Faith); patriotism; production of goods and services; leadership; citizenship; government; natural resources; transportation; community comparisons; customs from other cultures; manufacturing; urban and rural; farms; opinions; immigration; city capitals; historians; and more.

In music, students will learn notation; basic key signatures; rhythms; melody; music history from the time line, as well as a study of some contemporary folk songs and Primary songs.

Green Level Four (Grade Four)

Reading & Literature
Fourth grade students are skilled in applying phonic coding and should be fluent, competent readers. They are able to focus on the meaning and details of texts. They read selections from children’s classics and contemporary works, both fiction and nonfiction. Parent and child explore theme, plot, setting, character, and symbolism when reading together. Students demonstrate comprehension by completing comprehension questions at the back of their Reading Booklets. Literature is curriculum integrated, using the Reading Booklets and reading from the Level Four reading list of classic Literature. Students also read and memorize a variety of poetry.

More specifically they will:

1. independently read longer works of fiction (chapter books) and nonfiction.

2. orally and in writing, summarize main points and themes from readings.

3. ask and answer what, how, why, and what-if questions about texts.

4. use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words; and use the phonetic spelling to sound out new words.

5. Consistently use a table of contents, index, and glossary.

6. read independently for at least one hour daily

Students will continue to study poetry by reading, analyzing poems, and writing their own poems. Many poems will be committed to memory. Curriculum integrated literature will include:

1. reading, listening to, and memorizing more prose, quotes, and scriptures.

2. more folk tales and short novels from around the world.

3. reading stories such as “Little Lord Fauntleroy” by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

4. learning additional literary terms (e.g., autobiography, setting, character, plot, theme, symbolism).

5. read nonfiction prose (e.g., magazine articles, books about nature)

6. read famous passages from speeches (e.g., Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death"

7. take part in dramatic activities

8. telling and writing their own stories, using writing, proofreading, and revising skills previously learned.

9. listening to a local poet at a library or bookstore explain about how she writes poems and composing their own prose for submission and publication.

10. using additional resources such as encyclopedias, magazines, interviews, to write more detailed reports.

11. continuing to complete more extensive book reports to increase writing skills and reinforce comprehension.

12. learning to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography.

Language Arts, Grammar, and Creative Writing
Students continue to practice using basic grammar correctly when they speak. More in depth Language Arts and Grammar concepts are reviewed and introduced and include sentence structure; sentence fragments; the complete subject and predicate of a sentence; correcting run-on sentences; combining sentences with the compound subject and compound predicate; subjects in imperative sentences; declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences; nouns; more plural nouns; common nouns and proper nouns; singular and plural nouns; singular possessive nouns; plural possessive nouns; pronouns; subject pronouns; object pronouns; possessive pronouns; contractions with pronouns; pronouns and homophones; using I and me; contractions with pronouns; double subjects; using we and us; past, present, and future tense verbs; action verbs; main verbs and helping verbs; the past with helping verbs; regular and irregular verbs; subject-verb agreement; agreement with be and have; verb phrases with have; using sit, set, can and may correctly; direct objects; contractions with not; adjectives with a, an, and the; making comparisons with more and most; good and bad; combining sentences with adjectives; proper adjectives; articles and demonstrative adjectives; adverbs; comparing with adverbs; negatives; prepositions; object pronouns on prepositional phrases; placement of prepositional phrases; more capitalization and punctuation; correct sentences; abbreviations; commas in a series; interjections; quotation marks; quotations; titles; adjectives; adverbs; diagramming nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, conjunctions, pronouns, interjections, compound subjects, compound predicates.

Writing skills are increased using reading for the main idea; paragraph structure; personal narrative; the writing process (first draft, edit, share, rewrite, etc.); describing what you see; proofreading; research reports; learn letter-writing conventions (e.g., heading, salutation, closing, signature); comparison and contrast; writing descriptions; writing a persuasive letter; use different resources (e.g., encyclopedias, magazines, interviews) to write reports; learn to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography; practice identifying the purpose and audience of the writing; defining a main.

Students also practice writing paragraphs with topic sentence, central idea, supporting details; and practice clustering, organizing, drafting, revising, and proofreading their writings. They will continue to write ideas using clustering to create topic ideas and content. The Journal entries relating to history and religion events are completed daily.

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Reference Skills
Utilizing the weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Word Lists, children will

1. get regular practice at spelling and vocabulary enrichment

2. spell most words correctly when writing; use dictionary to check spellings

3. study use of prefixes (e.g., re, un, dis) and suffixes (e.g., er, less, ly)

4. practice using homophones correctly (e.g., by, buy; to, too, two)

5. Spell body parts, units of measure, compound words, silent letters, unstressed vowels, singular and plural possessive nouns, consonant blends.

6. recognize common abbreviations (e.g" St., U.S.A., ft.)

Students will continue learning to use a dictionary; find word meanings; alphabetize words; identify entry words and guide words; choose the correct definition; use a table of contents, an index, a glossary, and an encyclopedia; card catalogue; parts of a book; read a graph; read a diagram; classify ideas; draw a conclusion; summarize; how to listen for purpose, main idea, and details; identify causes and effect; prefixes, suffixes; homophones; antonyms; idioms; word roots; etc.

Handwriting
Students continue practicing Palmer Cursive Handwriting for neatness. Students continue to practice connecting letter combinations by writing quotes and inspirational phrases.

Students will spend much time observing and recording observations in their Science Journals.

Geography
Fourth level students will review the seven continents and four oceans. They will review mapping skills (compass rose, legend, map symbols, scale); scale; calculating distance; following a map’s direction; cardinal direction; magnetic north; the world’s poles; hemispheres; the equator; land forms; relief maps; road maps; product maps; weather maps and climate zones; time zones; population maps; grid maps; general cartography; parallel of latitude; latitude and longitude; meridians of longitude; physical maps; political map; and thematic maps. They will also identify cities and countries studied in the history time line.

Music and Art
Throughout the curriculum students are exposed to art as it relates to the people and times studied. Students will learn about artists and art styles across the time line, especially those of ancient times. Opportunities are provided for “hands-on,” using different types of medium.

In music, students will learn notation; basic key signatures; rhythms; melody; music history from the time line, as well as a study of some contemporary folk songs and Primary songs.

Blue Level Five (Grade Five)

Reading & Literature
Fifth grade students should be advancing readers, on their way to building their own library of great books in classic literature, as well as some of their own contemporary favorites. Children will sample all sorts of genres: short novels and stories, poetry, plays, essays, biographies, great speeches, and documents from history. They will discuss how the details of a text and the writer's use of language affect meaning. The child explores theme, plot, setting, character, symbolism and many more literary terms when reading. Students demonstrate comprehension by completing comprehension questions at the back of their Reading Booklets. Literature is curriculum integrated, using the Reading Booklets and reading from the Level Five reading list of classic literature. Students also read and memorize a variety of poetry.

They spend considerable time writing, both imaginative and expository, with an increased emphasis on the latter including summaries, book reports, and descriptive essays. Children are responsible for organizing, editing, and proofreading their work. Among other things, fifth graders do the following: Students continue imaginative writing, expository writing (book reports, essays that explain a process, descriptive essays), but they also refine their research writing skills. They will be able to revise and edit to produce a finished product that is thoughtful, well organized, and generally correct in grammar, mechanics, and spelling. Among other things, fifth graders do the following:

More Specifically they will:

1. independently read classic fiction novels and nonfiction.

2. orally and in writing, summarize main points and themes from readings.

3. independently analyze theme, plot, setting, symbolism, and other terms in literature, as they read.

4. Continue to use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words; and use the phonetic spelling to sound out new words.

5. Consistently use a table of contents, index, and glossary.

6. read independently for at least one and one half hours daily

Students will continue to study poetry by reading, analyzing poems, and writing their own poems. Many poems will be committed to memory. Curriculum integrated literature will include:

1. reading and memorizing more prose, quotes, and scriptures.

2. read poems such as Emily Dickinson's "I Never Saw A Moor."

3. study literary terms and devices (e.g., alliteration, onomatopoeia, metaphor, simile)

4. read novels such as The Odyssey of Homer.

5. read plays such as Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (adapted for young readers)

6. learn dramatic terms and characteristics (e.g., tragedy, comedy, act, scene)

7. read myths and legends from Ancient Rome and Greece.

8. read nonfiction prose (e.g., articles about history and geography)

9. read great historical writings such as Psalms from the Old Testament

10. review and analyze literary terms (e.g., autobiography, setting, character, plot, theme, symbolism).

11. continue to take part in dramatic activities

12. use additional resources such as atlases, glossaries, the internet, encyclopedias, magazines, personal interviews, to write more detailed reports.

13. continue to complete more extensive book reports to increase writing skills and reinforce comprehension.

14. continue to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography.

15. write reports that address a specific audience; define a main idea; provide an introduction and conclusion; use organized paragraphs; illustrate points with good examples; document sources in a simple bibliography

16. listen to recorded great speeches to organize thoughts and improve note-taking skills

Language Arts, Grammar, and Creative Writing
Students continue to practice using basic grammar correctly when they speak. More in depth Language Arts and Grammar concepts are reviewed and include sentence structure; sentence fragments; the complete subject and predicate of a sentence; correcting run-on sentences; combining sentences with the compound subject and compound predicate; subjects in imperative sentences; declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences; nouns; more plural nouns; common nouns and proper nouns; singular and plural nouns; singular possessive nouns; plural possessive nouns; pronouns; subject pronouns; object pronouns; possessive pronouns; contractions with pronouns; pronouns and homophones; using I and me; contractions with pronouns; double subjects; regular and irregular verbs; subject-verb agreement; verb phrases with have; using sit, set, lie , lay, rise, and raise correctly; direct objects; contractions with not; adjectives with a, an, and the; making comparisons; combining sentences with adjectives; proper adjectives; articles and demonstrative adjectives; adverbs; comparing with adverbs; negatives; prepositions; object pronouns on prepositional phrases; placement of prepositional phrases; more capitalization and punctuation; correct sentences; abbreviations; commas in a series; interjections; quotation marks; quotations; titles; adjectives; adverbs; diagraming nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, conjunctions, pronouns, interjections, compound subjects, compound predicates, and prepositional phrases.

New grammar concepts include combining sentences: complex sentences, appositives, and expanding with modifiers; combining sentences with possessive nouns; being verbs and linking verbs; more verb tenses; principal parts of verbs; more subject-verb agreement; adverbs that modify adjectives and adverbs; proper adjectives; commas in a series; punctuating dialogue; pronouns and antecedents; pronouns after linking verbs; pronouns as subjects and objects; using who, whom, whose; indefinite pronouns; prepositional phrases as adjectives and adverbs; expanding sentences with prepositional phrases.

Writing skills are increased using prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Students refine skills in paragraph structure, personal narrative, comparison and contrast, story writing, persuasive writing, descriptive writing, and research reports. They also refine skills in using different resources (e.g., encyclopedias, magazines, interviews) to write reports and learn to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography. Students also refine test-taking skills.

Students continue to practice writing paragraphs with topic sentence, central idea, supporting details; and practice clustering, organizing, drafting, revising, and proofreading their writings. They will continue to write ideas using clustering to create topic ideas and content. The Journal entries relating to history and religion events are completed daily.

Elocution (Speaking) Skills
Students will:

1. participate civilly and productively in group discussions

2. give a short speech or talk to a group or congregation

3. use standard English when presenting in class

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Reference Skills
Utilizing the weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Word Lists, children will

1. get regular practice at spelling and vocabulary enrichment of more difficult words, including frequently misspelled words

2. spell most words correctly when writing; use dictionary to check spellings

3. study use of prefixes (e.g., anti, co, inter, semi) and suffixes (e.g., ist, ish, ness, tion)

4. practice using homophones, synonyms, antonyms correctly

5. recognize less-common abbreviations

6. study Latin and Greek words that form common roots (e.g., ante, bios, magnus)

Students will continue learning to use a dictionary; find word meanings; alphabetize words; identify entry words and guide words; choose the correct definition; use a table of contents, an index, a glossary, and an encyclopedia; card catalogue; parts of a book; read a graph; read a diagram; classify ideas; draw a conclusion; summarize; how to listen for purpose, main idea, and details; identify causes and effect; prefixes, suffixes; homophones; antonyms; idioms; word roots; etc.

Paleography
Paleography is the study of ancient writings and manuscripts. This includes our alphabet. Students will learn the history and origin of each of the letters in our alphabet in order to gain a better understanding of the English language, and languages in general.

Handwriting
continue to improve legibility, develop own style, participate in handwriting competition

Students will spend much time observing and recording observations in their Science Journals.

Geography
Fifth level students will review major continents, oceans, seas, and countries. They will spend considerable time memorizing key places such as countries and capital cities, as well and rivers, mountains, and famous landmarks from each continent. They will review mapping skills (compass rose, legend, map symbols, scale); scale; calculating distance; following a map’s direction; cardinal direction; magnetic north; the world’s poles; hemispheres; the equator; land forms; relief maps; road maps; product maps; weather maps and climate zones; time zones; population maps; grid maps; general cartography; parallel of latitude; latitude and longitude; meridians of longitude; physical maps; political map; and thematic maps. They will study the life of the people in lands associated with the history time-line, investigating climate, population, national products, and natural resources. They will analyze data relating to the region and draw conclusions based on the data. They will also commit to memory, many of the places studied in the history time line.

Paleography
Paleography is the study of ancient writings and manuscripts. This includes our alphabet. Students will review the history and origin of each of the letters in our alphabet in order to gain a better understanding of the English language, and languages in general. Students will also begin to analyze handwritten documents from the history time-line.

Music and Art
Throughout the curriculum students are exposed to art as it relates to the people and times studied. Students will learn about artists and art styles across the time line, especially those of ancient times. Opportunities are provided for “hands-on,” using different types of medium.

In music, students will practice notation; key signatures; rhythms; melody; music history from the time line, as well as a study of some contemporary folk songs and Primary songs.

Purple Level Six (Grade Six)

Reading & Literature
Sixth grade is a year for developing deeper reading skills and a more sophisticated understanding of literature. Students are exposed to broader and more complex material. They explore, for example, how imagery and style affect the reader. Children get many opportunities for imaginative writing of stories and poems but also hone the necessary skills for producing polished reports and essays. They will be able to express themselves with increasing confidence, technical correctness, and fluidity.

They will continue to spend considerable time writing, both imaginative and expository, with an increased emphasis on the latter including summaries, book reports, and descriptive essays. Children are responsible for organizing, editing, and proofreading their work. Among other things, fifth graders do the following: Students continue imaginative writing, expository writing (book reports, essays that explain a process, descriptive essays), but they also refine their research writing skills. They will be able to revise and edit to produce a finished product that is thoughtful, well organized, and generally correct in grammar, mechanics, and spelling. Among other things, sixth graders do the following:

More specifically they will:

1. independently read classic fiction novels and nonfiction.

2. orally and in writing, summarize main points and themes from readings.

3. independently analyze theme, plot, setting, symbolism, and other terms in literature, as they read.

4. Continue to use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words; and use the phonetic spelling to sound out new words.

5. Consistently use a table of contents, index, and glossary.

6. read independently for at least one and one half to two hours daily

Students will continue to study poetry by reading, analyzing poems, and writing their own poems. Many poems will be committed to memory. Curriculum integrated literature will include:

1. reading and memorizing more prose, quotes, and scriptures.

2. reading poems such as Rudyard Kipling's "If," Paul Laurence Dunbar's "Sympathy," Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"

3. studying poetry terms and characteristics (e.g., meter, couplet, rhyme scheme)

4. reading stories such as The Odyssey of Homer

5. reading plays such as Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

6. reading classical mythology such as the stories of Apollo and Daphne, Narcissus and Echo, Pygmalion and (as they pertain to History rotation)

7. studying literary terms and devices (e.g., epic, imagery, symbol, personification)

8. reading great historical speeches as they coincide with History rotation

9. reviewing and analyze literary terms (e.g., autobiography, setting, character, plot, theme, symbolism).

10. Continue to take part in dramatic activities

11. using additional resources such as atlases, glossaries, the internet, encyclopedias, magazines, personal interviews, to write more detailed reports.

12. continuing to complete more extensive book reports to increase writing skills and reinforce comprehension.

13. continuing to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography.

14. writing reports that address a specific audience; define a main idea; provide an introduction and conclusion; use organized paragraphs; illustrate points with good examples; document sources in a simple bibliography

15. Continue listening to recorded great speeches to organize thoughts and improve note-taking skills

Language Arts, Grammar, and Creative Writing
More in depth Language Arts and Grammar concepts are reviewed and include sentence structure; sentence fragments; the complete subject and predicate of a sentence; correcting run-on sentences; combining sentences with the compound subject and compound predicate; subjects in imperative sentences; declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences; nouns; more plural nouns; common nouns and proper nouns; singular and plural nouns; singular possessive nouns; plural possessive nouns; pronouns; subject pronouns; object pronouns; possessive pronouns; contractions with pronouns; pronouns and homophones; contractions with pronouns; double subjects; regular and irregular verbs; subject-verb agreement; verb phrases with have; direct objects; contractions with not; adjectives with a, an, and the; making comparisons; combining sentences with adjectives; proper adjectives; articles and demonstrative adjectives; adverbs; comparing with adverbs; negatives; prepositions; object pronouns on prepositional phrases; placement of prepositional phrases; more capitalization and punctuation; correct sentences; abbreviations; commas in a series; interjections; quotation marks; quotations; titles; adjectives; adverbs; diagramming nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, conjunctions, pronouns, interjections, compound subjects, compound predicates, and prepositional phrases.

Writing skills are increased using prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Students refine skills in paragraph structure, personal narrative, comparison and contrast, story writing, persuasive writing, descriptive writing, expository writing, and research reports. They also refine skills in using different resources (e.g., encyclopedias, magazines, interviews) to write reports and learn to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography. Students also refine test-taking skills.

Elocution (Speaking) Skills
Students will:

1. participate civilly and productively in group discussions

2. give a short speech or talk to a group or congregation

3. use standard English when presenting in class

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Reference Skills
Utilizing the weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Word Lists, children will

1. continue regular spelling practice and vocabulary enrichment of more difficult words, including frequently misspelled words

2. spell most words correctly when writing; use dictionary to check spellings

3. study use of prefixes (e.g., anti, co, inter, semi) and suffixes (e.g., ist, ish, ness, tion)

4. practice using homophones, synonyms, antonyms correctly

5. recognize less-common abbreviations

6. study Latin and Greek words that form common roots (e.g., ante, bios, magnus)

Students will continue using a dictionary; find word meanings; choose the correct definition; use a table of contents, an index, a glossary, and an encyclopedia; card catalogue; parts of a book; read a graph; read a diagram; classify ideas; draw a conclusion; summarize; how to listen for purpose, main idea, and details; identify causes and effect; prefixes, suffixes; homophones; antonyms; idioms; word roots; etc.

Students will spend much time observing and recording observations in their Science Journals.

Geography
Sixth level students will review major continents, oceans, seas, and countries. They will also memorize major countries and capital, as well as mountains, rivers, natural and man-made landmarks, and more. They will review mapping skills (compass rose, legend, map symbols, scale); scale; calculating distance; following a map’s direction; cardinal direction; magnetic north; the world’s poles; hemispheres; the equator; land forms; relief maps; road maps; product maps; weather maps and climate zones; time zones; population maps; grid maps; general cartography; parallel of latitude; latitude and longitude; meridians of longitude; physical maps; political map; and thematic maps. They will study the life of the people in lands associated with the history time-line, investigating climate, population, national products, and natural resources. They will analyze data relating to the region and draw conclusions based on the data. They will also commit to memory, key facts of many of the places studied in the history time line.

Music and Art
Throughout the curriculum students are exposed to art as it relates to the people and times studied. Students will learn about artists and art styles across the time line, especially those of ancient times. Opportunities are provided for “hands-on,” using different types of medium. Students will explore different mediums and choose one or two in which he would like to improve or excel.

In music, students will practice notation; key signatures; rhythms; melody; music history from the time line, as well as a study of some contemporary folk songs and Primary songs.

Achievement Days, Faith In God, Boy Scouts
Throughout the program, activities that fulfill requirements in these areas are identified to the parent. This enables focused family study and integration of gospel values and good citizenship as presented in the scouting program.

Turquois Level Seven (Grade Seven)

Reading & Literature
Buy this time in a child’s education he should have mastered the fundamentals of English, grammar, and the writing process. The Middle school student should now be a capable reader, writer, and speaker. With those basics in place, He is ready to develop more advanced skills that will assist him in the pursuit of higher learning.

Junior high students should be continually reading a novel, preferably one of classic literature, which will improve context understanding, language skills, and creative thinking. Students should also make a daily habit of reading news periodicals. Students will quickly analyze theme, plot, and moral. Assignments will require more independent student directed research.

More specifically they will:
1. independently read classic fiction novels and nonfiction.

2. orally and in writing, summarize main points and themes from readings.

3. independently analyze theme, plot, setting, symbolism, and other terms in literature, as they read.

4. Continue to use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words; and use the phonetic spelling to sound out new words.

5. Consistently use a table of contents, index, and glossary.

6. read independently for at least two hours daily

Students will continue to study poetry by reading, analyzing poems, and writing their own poems. Many poems will be committed to memory. Curriculum integrated literature will include:

1. reading and memorizing more prose, quotes, and scriptures.

2. reading poems such as Rudyard Kipling's "If," Paul Laurence Dunbar's "Sympathy," Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"

3. studying poetry terms and characteristics (e.g., meter, couplet, rhyme scheme)

4. reading stories such as The Odyssey of Homer and similar works from the history timeline. This will include reading the entire Old Testament.

5. reading plays such as Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

6. reading classical mythology such as the stories of Apollo and Daphne, Narcissus and Echo, Pygmalion and (as they pertain to History rotation)

7. studying literary terms and devices (e.g., epic, imagery, symbol, personification)

8. reading great historical speeches as they coincide with History rotation

9. reviewing and analyze literary terms (e.g., autobiography, setting, character, plot, theme, symbolism).

10. Continue to take part in dramatic activities

11. using additional resources such as atlases, glossaries, the internet, encyclopedias, magazines, personal interviews, to write more detailed reports.

12. continuing to complete more extensive book reports to increase writing skills and reinforce comprehension.

13. continuing to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography.

15. Continue listening to recorded great speeches to organize thoughts and improve note-taking skills

New grammar and writing concepts include distinguishing plurals, possessives, and contractions, collective nouns, appositives, transitive and intransitive verbs, verbs with indirect objects, progressive forms, perfect tenses, pronouns and antecedents, indefinite pronouns, reflexive and intensive pronouns, interrogative pronouns, articles and proper adjectives, comparative and superlative adjectives, demonstratives, intensifiers, proper adjectives, comparative and superlative adjectives, demonstratives, comparative and superlative adverbs, clauses, participles and participle phrases, gerunds and gerund phrases, infinitive phrases, collective nouns and phrases, and more.

Writing skills are increased using prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Students refine skills in paragraph structure, personal narrative, comparison and contrast, story writing, persuasive writing, descriptive writing, expository writing, and research reports. They also refine skills in using different resources (e.g., encyclopedias, magazines, interviews) to write reports and learn to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography. Students also refine test-taking skills.

In addition, writing and research skills will be improved by:

1. completing frequent, varied writing assignments: book reports, summaries, descriptive essays, stories, poems, etc.

2. writing nonfiction essays that describe, narrate, persuade, compare and contrast .

3. writing clear, organized, documented research essays.

4. practicing organizing, drafting, revising, and proofreading all writings

Elocution (Speaking) Skills
All students should develop into courteous, confident, and effective speakers. This is an age when some children seem to forget all the manners they've ever been taught about acceptable modes of conversation. The home should serve as a safe place of correction in regards to proper grammar usage. Children should practice speaking well. They will take part in orderly, respectful discussions in which students ask questions that are to the point, make thoughtful comments, give persuasive arguments, and show respect for their parents and family. They will have regular opportunities to stand and deliver interesting oral presentations. Speaking opportunities in Church should be encouraged.

Students will:

1. participate civilly and productively in group discussions

2. give a short speech or talk to a group or congregation

3. use standard English when presenting in class

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Reference Skills
Utilizing the weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Word Lists, children will

1. continue regular spelling practice and vocabulary enrichment of more difficult words, focusing on the most commonly misspelled words of the English Language.

2. spell most words correctly when writing; use dictionary to check spellings

3. study use of prefixes (e.g., anti, co, inter, semi) and suffixes (e.g., ist, ish, ness, tion)

4. practice using homophones, synonyms, antonyms correctly

5. recognize less-common abbreviations

6. study Latin and Greek words that form common roots (e.g., ante, bios, magnus)

Students will explore archaeology as it pertains to learning more about the history of our planet and the people who have lived on it. Careers in archaeology will also be discussed.

Geography
Seventh level students will review major continents, oceans, seas, and countries. They will also memorize major countries and capital, as well as mountains, rivers, natural and man-made landmarks, and more. They will review mapping skills (compass rose, legend, map symbols, scale); scale; calculating distance; following a map’s direction; cardinal direction; magnetic north; the world’s poles; hemispheres; the equator; land forms; relief maps; road maps; product maps; weather maps and climate zones; time zones; population maps; grid maps; general cartography; parallel of latitude; latitude and longitude; meridians of longitude; physical maps; political map; and thematic maps. They will study the life of the people in lands associated with the history time-line, investigating climate, population, national products, and natural resources. They will analyze data relating to the region and draw conclusions based on the data. They will also commit to memory, key facts of many of the places studied in the history time line.

Students will also be given topics of social challenge and asked to research, ponder, and solve solutions to some of the problems facing society today. They will research what the leaders of the Church have to say about each issue, and will apply scripture solutions as well as their own thoughts.

Music and Art
Throughout the curriculum students are exposed to art as it relates to the people and times studied. Students will learn about artists and art styles across the time line, especially those of ancient times. Opportunities are provided for “hands-on,” using different types of medium. Students will explore different mediums and choose one or two in which he would like to improve or excel.

In music, students will practice notation; key signatures; rhythms; melody; music history from the time line, as well as a study of some contemporary folk songs and Hymns. Students will work to develop songwriting skills and personal art skills.

Young Men, Young Women Personal Progress
Although not formally integrated, many lessons and activities correspond with those in the Church programs. Students are encouraged to research and apply experiences wherever possible. Students are also strongly encouraged to develop the following as a lifelong personal mission statement “Enter to learn. Go firth to serve.” Opportunities to give back to, and share acquired talents with the immediate family and extended community is part of a complete education.

Gold Level Eight (Grade Eight)

More specifically they will:
1. independently read classic fiction novels and nonfiction.

2. orally and in writing, summarize main points and themes from readings.

3. independently analyze theme, plot, setting, symbolism, and other terms in literature, as they read.

4. Continue to use a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words; and use the phonetic spelling to sound out new words.

5. Consistently use a table of contents, index, and glossary.

6. read independently for at least two hours daily

Students will continue to study poetry by reading, analyzing poems, and writing their own poems. Many poems will be committed to memory. Curriculum integrated literature will include:

1. reading and memorizing more prose, quotes, and scriptures.

2. reading poems such as Rudyard Kipling's "If," Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"

3. studying poetry terms and characteristics (e.g., meter, couplet, rhyme scheme)

4. reading stories such as The Odyssey of Homer and similar works from the history timeline. This will include reading the entire Old Testament.

5. reading plays such as Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

6. reading classical mythology such as the stories of Apollo and Daphne, Narcissus and Echo, Pygmalion and (as they pertain to History rotation)

7. studying literary terms and devices (e.g., epic, imagery, symbol, personification)

8. reading great historical speeches as they coincide with History rotation

9. reviewing and analyze literary terms (e.g., autobiography, setting, character, plot, theme, symbolism).

10. Continue to take part in dramatic activities

11. using additional resources such as atlases, glossaries, the internet, encyclopedias, magazines, personal interviews, to write more detailed reports.

12. continuing to complete more extensive book reports to increase writing skills and reinforce comprehension.

13. continuing to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography.

15. Continue listening to recorded great speeches to organize thoughts and improve note-taking skills

Additional review concepts include combining sentences: complex sentences, appositives, and expanding with modifiers; combining sentences with possessive nouns; being verbs and linking verbs; more verb tenses; principal parts of verbs; more subject-verb agreement; adverbs that modify adjectives and adverbs; proper adjectives; commas in a series; punctuating dialogue; pronouns and antecedents; pronouns after linking verbs; pronouns as subjects and objects; using troublesome words; indefinite pronouns; prepositional phrases as adjectives and adverbs; expanding sentences with prepositional phrases; distinguishing plurals, possessives, and contractions, collective nouns, appositives, transitive and intransitive verbs, verbs with indirect objects, progressive forms, perfect tenses, pronouns and antecedents, indefinite pronouns, reflexive and intensive pronouns, interrogative pronouns, articles and proper adjectives, comparative and superlative adjectives, demonstratives, intensifiers, proper adjectives, comparative and superlative adjectives, demonstratives, comparative and superlative adverbs, clauses, participles and participle phrases, gerunds and gerund phrases, infinitive phrases, collective nouns and phrases.

New grammar and writing concepts include progressive and emphatic form, compatibility of tenses, voice of verbs, intervening prepositional phrases, intervening expressions, case of personal pronouns, pronoun antecedent agreement, comparison; irregular, incomplete, and double comparison; misplaced and dangling modifiers.

Writing skills are increased using prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. Students refine skills in paragraph structure, personal narrative, comparison and contrast, story writing, persuasive writing, descriptive writing, expository writing, and research reports. They also refine skills in using different resources (e.g., encyclopedias, magazines, interviews) to write reports and learn to document sources in a rudimentary bibliography. Students also refine test-taking skills.

In addition, writing and research skills will be improved by:
1. completing frequent, varied writing assignments: book reports, summaries, descriptive essays, stories, poems, etc.

2. writing nonfiction essays that describe, narrate, persuade, compare and contrast .

3. writing clear, organized, documented research essays.

4. practicing organizing, drafting, revising, and proofreading all writings

Students will:

1. participate civilly and productively in group discussions

2. give a short speech or talk to a group or congregation

3. use standard English when presenting in class

Spelling, Vocabulary, and Reference Skills
Utilizing the weekly Spelling and Vocabulary Word Lists, children will

1. continue regular spelling practice and vocabulary enrichment of more difficult words, focusing on the most commonly misspelled words of the English Language.

2. spell most words correctly when writing; use dictionary to check spellings

3. study use of prefixes (e.g., anti, co, inter, semi) and suffixes (e.g., ist, ish, ness, tion)

4. practice using homophones, synonyms, antonyms correctly

5. recognize less-common abbreviations

6. study Latin and Greek words that form common roots (e.g., ante, bios, magnus)

Students will explore archaeology as it pertains to learning more about the history of our planet and the people who have lived on it. Careers in archaeology will also be discussed.

Music and Art
Throughout the curriculum students are exposed to art as it relates to the people and times studied. Students will learn about artists and art styles across the time line, especially those of ancient times. Opportunities are provided for “hands-on,” using different types of medium. Students will explore different mediums and choose one or two in which he would like to improve or excel.