Lower School Language Arts
Overview
The foundation of the Princeton Academy Language Arts curriculum is the belief that the language arts are integral to the learning process of any subject at any level. The teaching done at each level encourages the boys to make lasting and pleasurable connections between books and writing and their own life and to help them walk boldly through the door to the worlds of knowledge and power contained in the written word. To this end, boys at Princeton Academy have ample opportunity and time to read and write independently as well as to experience excellent modeling of reading and writing behavior. Students have access and respond to a wide variety of text through discussion, writing, movement, art, music and drama. The instruction is designed to build on skills and knowledge gained in the preceeding grades in a way both developmentally appropriate and progressively challenging.
Grammar and mechanics guidelines listed for each grade reflect the grade where a grammar or mechanics area is first introduced. Each grade will review areas which were introduced in prior grades and will introduce new topics designated for that particular grade. Mastery is not expected, as writing skills will improve throughout one’s life as a writer. Consistent improvement is expected. Group and individual instruction will be provided on a regular basis. Rubrics will be created to assess progress.
Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten
For the Princeton Academy student, the seeds of literacy are first created at home through the parents' modeling of literate activities and daily reading aloud from a broad selection of text. These first seeds of reading interest and readiness are nurtured in the junior kindergarten and kindergarten, where the classroom environments provide a fertile soil, rich in books and exciting opportunities to interact with words and texts. In this way the boys become familiar and comfortable with the tools, symbols and concepts needed for literacy to take root. The early passion for books and ownership of reading and writing fostered in these early years is built upon in each succeeding year at Princeton Academy.
Reading
A variety of materials and techniques are used to teach reading in junior kindergarten and kindergarten. Word walls, phonics instruction, large group shared stories, small group ability based instruction and individual reading opportunities allow the boys to progress at their own pace. In addition, the Great Books program exposes the boys to quality literature and higher level thinking skills.
Writing
The basis of our program is the Writing Process/Writer’s Workshop approach. This way of teaching writing mirrors how “real writers” write. The process for junior kindergarten and kindergarten allows the boys to use many tools to get their thoughts on a piece of paper. Using pictures to describe an event or story is often the first step of this process. The child dictating the story events to a teacher who will write down what is said follows this. Some children will attempt to write using a combination of invented and correct spellings. Basic capitalization and punctuation concepts are introduced through mini-lessons and individual instruction.
Grammar and Mechanics
- Capitals at the beginning of sentences and for names
- End Punctuation: periods and question marks
- Sentences written with words and pictures
- Recognition of asking and telling sentences
First Grade
First Grade teachers nurture the emergent reader and writer by shedding more light on specific skills. The boys examine and practice phonics and word attack strategies, reading fluency, sight word and vocabulary retention, and comprehension skills. The first sprouts of independent reading and writing bud into early literacy over the year, as the boys learn to monitor their own reading and writing for meaning and language.
Reading
A variety of materials and techniques are used to teach reading in the first grade. Trade books that often connect with social studies and science topics are presented in both whole class and small ability based guided-reading groups. Word walls, phonics instruction, large group shared stories, small group ability based instruction and individual reading opportunities allow the boys to progress at their own pace. The Great Books program exposes the boys to quality literature and higher level thinking skills.
Writing
The basis of our program is the Writing Process/Writer's Workshop approach. This way of teaching writing mirrors how real writers write. This process begins in the first grade where the brainstorming concept is introduced. This allows the writer to make a list of the ideas that he may want to include in his story. The next step is to get the ideas down as quickly as possible in story form. Spelling, capitalization, handwriting, and punctuation skills are not emphasized in this step. The boys begin to learn about basic editing. A peer’s work is shared with a classmate and suggestions are made. The classroom teacher often models this writing stage. Then student and teacher together make a final edit of the work. This final step may involve using more descriptive phrases, mini-lessons on punctuation, attention to spelling, and positive encouragement. A final copy may be published, and an illustration might be made. If the author chooses, he may share his piece with the class.
Grammar and Mechanics
- Capitals for names and location
- End Punctuation: exclamation marks
- Sentences: writing a simple sentence
- Sentences: writing asking and telling sentences
- Using “naming” word and “doing/action” word for nouns and verbs
- Comma in a series ( red, white, and blue flag)
- Space friends: one to two fingers between words
Second Grade
In Second Grade all the work is bent toward strengthening and supporting this new growth. Skills are reviewed, and integrated through the use of more challenging texts, chapter books and more formalized and audience oriented writing. Connections are made to other content areas and wider uses of print. It is a transitional year in which the boys consolidate and integrate their skills as they move from learning to read and write toward using reading and writing to learn.
Reading
A variety of materials and techniques are used to teach reading in the second grade. Trade books that often connect with social studies and science topics are presented in both whole class and small, ability based, guided-reading groups. The Great Books program exposes the boys to quality literature and higher level thinking skills. The boys use a reading response journal to express their thoughts about what is being read and to make predictions about what they think will happen next. For this type of activity they are asked to support their predictions with passages from the book. The boys are introduced to the concepts of setting, plot, theme, and character analysis. Work with factual recall, sequential order and getting the main idea is continued. The boys begin to transition from the basic comprehension skills to working on higher level thinking skills such as making inferences and drawing conclusions. These skills are essential in helping the boys make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.
Writing
The basis of our program is the Writing Process/Writer’s Workshop approach. This way of teaching writing mirrors how "real writers" write. The process begins with brainstorming. This allows the writer to make a list of the ideas that he may want to include in his story. A rough copy is created next. The purpose of this step is to get the ideas down as quickly as possible in story form. Spelling, capitalization, handwriting, and punctuation skills are not emphasized in this step. Peer editing requires a classmate to read the work and make suggestions. The writer then makes revisions and presents the piece to a teacher. Together they make a final edit of the work. This final step may involve using more descriptive phrases, mini-lessons on punctuation, attention to spelling, and positive encouragement. A final copy is published, an illustration might be made, and if the author chooses, he may share his piece with the class. The boys begin simple report writing in social studies and science at this grade level.
Grammar and Mechanics
- Capitals: dates and titles
- Recognize nouns, pronouns(“substitute players”), and verbs
- Recognize tenses: past, present, and future
- Punctuation: comma in dates and in friendly letters
- Forming plurals regular and irregular
- Subject and predicate number agreement
- Linking verbs (is, was, etc.)
- Apostrophes in contractions and possessions
- Two finger indenting
Third Grade
Reading
A variety of materials and techniques are used to teach reading in the third grade. Trade books that often connect with social studies and science topics are presented in both whole class and small, ability based guided-reading groups. Book clubs, which allow the boys to work in smaller groups and give them the opportunity to lead discussions, are another valuable tool used to develop reading skills. The Great Books program exposes the boys to quality literature and higher level thinking skills. The boys use a reading response journal to express their thoughts about what is being read and to make predictions about what they think will happen next. For this type of activity they are asked to support their predictions with passages from the book. The boys are exposed to the concepts of setting, plot, theme, and character analysis. We continue to work on factual recall, sequential order and getting the main idea. Most importantly, a great deal of time is spent working on higher level thinking skills such as making inferences and drawing conclusions. These skills are essential in helping the boys make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.
Writing
The basis of our program is the Writing Process/Writer’s Workshop approach. This way of teaching writing mirrors how “real writers” write. The process begins with brainstorming. This allows the writer to make a list of the ideas that he may want to include in his story. A rough copy is created next. The purpose of this step is to get the ideas down as quickly as possible in story form. Spelling, capitalization, handwriting, and punctuation skills are not emphasized in this step. Peer editing requires a classmate to read the work and make suggestions. The writer then makes revisions and presents the piece to a teacher. Together they make a final edit of the work. This final step may involve using more descriptive phrases, mini-lessons on punctuation, attention to spelling, and positive encouragement. A final copy is published, an illustration might be made, and if the author chooses, he may share his piece with the class. The boys are exposed to expository, narrative, and persuasive writing. During the month of April, which is National Poetry Month, the boys will focus on writing and sharing poetry. The boys also do basic research and report writing in social studies and science.
Grammar and Mechanics
- Quotation marks with comma for uninterrupted quotations
- Interrupted quotations (introductory only)
- Possessives
- Adjectives
- Four types of sentence: declarative, interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative
Fourth Grade
The fourth grade Language Arts curriculum is a comprehensive program that is designed to improve written and oral communication skills. The students will be presented with a variety of themes relating to reading, thinking, writing, and speaking skills.
Reading
A variety of materials and techniques are used to teach reading in the fourth grade. Trade books that often connect with social studies and science topics are presented in both whole class and small, ability based, guided-reading groups. Book clubs, which allow the boys to work in smaller groups and give them the opportunity to lead discussions, are another valuable tool used to develop reading skills. The Great Books program exposes the boys to quality literature and higher level thinking skills. The boys will use a reading response journal to express their thoughts about what is being read and to make predictions about what they think will happen next. For this type of activity they are asked to support their prediction with passages from the book. The boys continue to be further exposed to the concepts of setting, plot, theme, and character analysis. Comprehension skills including factual recall, sequential order and getting the main idea are strengthened. Most importantly, a great deal of time is spent working on higher level thinking skills such as making inferences and drawing conclusions. All of these skills are essential in helping the boys make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn, which is the reading goal of the fourth grade curriculum.
Writing
The basis of our program is the Writing Process/Writer’s Workshop approach. This way of teaching writing mirrors how “real writers” write. This allows the writer to make a list of the ideas that he may want to include in his story. A rough copy is created next. The purpose of this step is to get the ideas down as quickly as possible in story form. Spelling, capitalization, handwriting, and punctuation skills are not emphasized in this step. Peer editing requires a classmate to read the work and make suggestions. The writer then makes revisions and presents the piece to a teacher. Together they make a final edit of the work. This final step may involve using more descriptive phrases, correct punctuation, attention to spelling, and positive encouragement. A final copy is published, an illustration might be made, and if the author chooses, he may share his piece with the class. The boys are exposed to expository, narrative, and persuasive writing. Mini-lessons emphasizing sentence structure, paragraph writing, parts of speech, capitalization, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary are presented on a regular basis. Research skills such as note taking and outlining are formally introduced and are integrated into the social studies and science programs.
Grammar and Mechanics
- Nouns: proper nouns
- Capitals: place names and abbreviations
- Full sentences (no fragment)
- Compound sentences (introduced)
- Coordinating conjunctions with commas
- Paragraphing: introducing the five sentence paragraph