Primary Class

A pillar of the Classical/Charlotte Mason Philosophy is the use of narration to cement and synthesize ideas brought about through literature, art, and discussion. The student is often encouraged to “tell back” what they learned. Though it may sound simple, the process in the mind is much more complex. The student must listen to a new idea or view a new image with only ONE reading or glance, and then proceed to process that new information in their mind before regurgitating it in a narrative form. They must ask themselves “What did I just hear? What came first? What came next? Why did it happen?”. They must sort the answers to these questions in their mind, and then orally explain what they come up with. Narration comes in many forms. The most often used form is with words. Younger children will usually only narrate orally. Older children will begin writing down their narrations (the recommended age to start is 10 years old). However, parents are encouraged to vary the narration style for creative minds. They might draw a picture of what they learned and explain the picture. They might write a fictional conversation between two people mentioned in what they learned. They might teach a class to their stuffed animals about it.

This class will expose the students to great works of art, poetry, music, civics, and biographies. Basically, a closer look at the beautiful, good, and foundational things humans have done with the lives God gave them. This class period will have two parts:

First, we will study composers and artists from similar time periods and explore their great works. We will enjoy poetry from selected authors together.

We are focused on foundational principles of the bible and will be introducing them in a fun flash card concept.

Our goal in nature study is to awaken interest and to give children their first inspiring ideas about the natural world. It is not to learn facts and definitions.

At Pointing Arrows we affirm that each individual student learns to read at different rates. Development of reading can be challenging work and the desire to cultivate the love of learning in our children as a priority. We will focus on introducing our students to phonics in a simple and fun way. The beginning stages of phonics will start with learning the letters and what sound each one makes. We will also have the students practice how to write the letters. During the second semester we will begin to blend sounds together and in turn learn some sight words through fun games. Parents will be given a list of sight words that were used in class so they know what was learned. Each parent can choose then to practice at home if desired-this is not a requirement.