Curriculum

Pre-School

The themes approach works best with this age group since it encompasses the whole child. Children will process learning experiences related to all aspects of being. Critical thinking rather than mere recitation is a goal to foster children’s competence to deal with life, both now and in the future. Enrichment classes, including instruction in Modern Greek, Music, Orthodox Way and Hymnology occur 75 minutes a week. The themes during the year will include learning goals in aesthetics, affective skills, cognition, language, physical skills, construction skills, pretend play skills, and spirituality.

Pre-Kindergarten

Academic goals are introduced in this class. Emphasis on story appreciation, listening for meaning, sharing ideas verbally and increasing vocabulary, learning to use context clues, asking important questions, and word recognition for basics such as their first and last name set the foundation for Kindergarten. Fine motor skills continue to be honed with help in developing an acceptable pencil grip. Pre-reading skills such as identification of letters and sounds and simple decoding skills are introduced. Exposure to numbers, number patterns, geometric figures, and other useful math concepts for their every day world are taught as another part of preparation for Kindergarten. Early science lessons based on exploration of the world around the children and an awareness of the awesomeness of God’s creation are part of this third pre-academic component. Social studies lessons, health and Modern Greek complete this curriculum. Enrichment classes, including instruction in Modern Greek, Music, Orthodox Way and Hymnology occur 80 minutes a week.

Kindergarten

This important year includes lessons in Language Arts, writing, math, social studies, science, health, computer application, library, Physical Education, Music, and daily lessons in Modern Greek. The year end goal for Language Arts has children who are able to retell a story sequentially, ask appropriate questions, listen to live and recorded media appreciating attentiveness to these, and early reading. Children will be able to copy words as well as compose simple sentences and stories. Math skills include calculator and money skills as well as operational relations. In science and math observation and measuring skills as well as careful observation of information create awareness of details in the children’s environment and equip the children to adopt problem solving skills in their daily life. In health children will understand that their bodies are created in God’s image and encouraged to be Christ-like through a better knowledge of their physical bodies and their physical needs. Physical education involves fundamental movement skills and muscle development, and music involves performance, creativity, and response through active participation in musical activities.

1st Grade

Building on the foundations of the previous years in Language Arts, children are now ready to read, compose, and work on spelling, vocabulary, and handwriting. In math, the primary focus is adding and subtracting whole numbers and organizing and analyzing data. Patterns, relationships, algebraic thinking, geometry and spatial reasoning, measurement, and probability statistics round out the math program. The science curriculum stimulates the children’s curiosity by encouraging them to investigate their world. The ability to reason from observation, make field investigations, and gather information is given to students so that they will see science in an orderly manner and understand the natural world and see how it works. Social studies introduces students to other cultures and teaches them to appreciate their own culture as well as other cultures through an emphasis of the “Golden Rule”. Map work, the value of work, identification of historical figures, the family, and rich materials such as biographies, folktales and myths enrich the social studies curriculum. The Health curriculum continues to teach students about their bodies and how to care for themselves. Most importantly, students continue to understand their own being as created in God’s image. Computer Application is broadened in 1st grade so that students can understand the basic working of the computer and use it to solve problems, acquire information, and communicate. The Modern Greek component adds oral and written language, literary experiences, and culture and history. Physical Education and Music extend the concepts and skills introduced in Kindergarten and teach the children to integrate both physical activities and music in their lives in terms of both performance and appreciation. Art is added to the curriculum in 1st grade to allow the students to perceive this medium in an academic sense as well as to continue art in a creative manner.

2nd grade

In 2nd grade Language Arts students have the opportunity to become effective readers who read and comprehend a variety of texts, and they work towards becoming effective communicators in the writing component of Language Arts. Critical thinking and analysis of reading are skills that receive attention. In math, fractions are introduced as well as practicing addition, subtraction, and understanding the meaning of multiplication and division. Number stories are used in 2nd grade. Dimensional shapes, length, time, and recording, displaying, and evaluating data complete the math portion of the curriculum. Social Studies adds investigation of the working world, our past, map work, and American holidays as well as holidays celebrated by various ethnic, cultural, and racial groups. Science exposes students to life science and how animals and people grow and change and live as well as exploring the earth’s resources and considering the fossils that we find and what we can learn from them. Space and weather, exploring matter and recognizing forces, motion, and the science of sound complete this curriculum component. The Orthodox Way curriculum incorporates those elements of the Orthodox Christian Faith basic to a student’s growth and development in the Orthodox Christian way of life. Daily chapel attendance is a part of meeting this objective. Hymnology, Bible study/stories, and learning about the physical building that is the church as well as the practices and rituals of the Church, Modern Greek, Music, Physical Education, and Computer Application continue to develop and deepen the understandings which were introduced in 1st grade. Art is added to the curriculum in 2nd grade to allow the students to perceive this medium in an academic sense as well as to continue art in a creative manner.

3rd grade

In 3rd grade Language Arts students build upon skills learned the previous year. A rigorous review and extension of the grammar and composition material encompasses the Language Arts program. Students move toward mastery of English grammar and mechanics. Students write full compositions and produce a formal research paper. The reading component further develops literary skills, study skills, and reading comprehension. In math, numeration, operations and computation, data and chance, geometry, measurements and reference frames, patterns, functions, and algebra are introduced and implemented. Students practice basic skills frequently, revisit topics to ensure full concept development, and explore a wide variety of mathematical content while applying basic skills to geometry, measurement, and algebra. Social Studies adds an investigation of our community as it pertains to history. Students develop their map and globe skills, as well as study environmental issues and increase their knowledge of current events. Science exposes students to life science – how animals and plants interact, earth science – the cycles on the earth and in space, and physical science – the investigation of matter and exploration of energy and forces. The Orthodox Way/Hymnology curriculum incorporates those elements of the Orthodox Christian Faith to aid them to become responsible members of their church. The curriculum is a more detailed study of the topics explored in 2nd grade. Daily chapel attendance is a part of meeting this objective. Modern Greek, Music, Physical Education, and Computer Application continue to develop and deepen the understandings which are expanded upon from year to year. Children continue to be taught in Art and library skills on a weekly basis.

4th grade

In the 4th grade, students are engaged in reading from different genres for understanding and developing critical thinking skills. Students strengthen reading skills through a continuation of the writing process in an array of writing areas. Students will enhance their writing skills by understanding the conventions of written language through revisions and editing, and the utilization of writing strategies. Many of the same thinking skills for reading are integrated into the Everyday Math program. Students reinforce the basic principles of math extending the curriculum to fractions, decimals, percents, graphing, rounding, geometry, and other elements of a strong math program. The science program allows students to explore, investigate, and implement the scientific method in a thorough process. These same thinking skills are applied to social studies. Students engage in the study of United States and Texas history. The exploration of understanding events, examining the roots of American culture, and the expansion of economic opportunities in American history provides students a broader perspective for understanding the world around them. All fourth grade students participate in the enrichment classes; Physical Education, Music, Greek, Orthodox Way, Library, Technology, and Art. Students also participate in daily chapel.

5th grade

In the 5th grade, students transition from the basic core curriculum into extended learning concepts of the core curriculum. The students are challenged, engaged, and participate in research and higher level thinking skills. Examination of literature, using a variety of genres, enhances students to think about what they read and the understanding of the author’s perspective. Writing becomes an elaborate form of critical thinking and interpretation, while at the same time building on the principles of writing mechanics. The same thinking skills and strategies build conceptual understanding and ensure mastery of basic skills in math. Math curriculum revisits concrete mathematical skills to be integrated into new learning math concepts. In Social Studies, students will study about different forms of government, explore the economics of countries, and their cultural attributes. A continuation of map study, land forms, and other physical aspects of world geography are also a part of the Social Studies curriculum. The Science curriculum lends itself to the study of living systems such as plants and animals, exploring natural resources, solar system, and the processes that change the earth. Physical education is twice a week. Students play age appropriate games to help develop gross motor skills. They learn the value of good sportsmanship. Students participate in problem solving activities to promote team cooperation and organizational skills. In addition to the core curriculum, students attend Hymnology/Christian Orthodox class, Modern Greek, Music, Technology Application, and Art.