Language Arts

In addition to BJU Press, LCA will implement Haggerty, which is a Tier 1 core program for phonemic awareness for kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms to ensure students have a solid grasp of phonemic awareness.

Kindergarten 

Kindergarten engages children in literacy through oral language and literature appreciation as well as early reading and writing skills. Students become familiar with books, learning how to hold and care for them. They learn early decoding skills, how to interpret illustrations, and how to follow the progression of words left to right. Students develop listening skills, comprehension, and phonemic awareness through Heggerty. They learn to make predictions, sequence events, and recall information from stories. Kindergarten students also learn proper pencil grip, letter names and sounds as they begin the writing process.

By the end of kindergarten, students will:

• Use written language to express themselves
• Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print
• Learn and develop word family and sight word knowledge
• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words
• Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemic awareness) through Heggerty
• Begin to decode texts

First Grade 

Our first-grade language arts curriculum focuses on the fundamentals of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In first grade we emphasize basic sight words, as well as decoding and encoding words with various sound spelling patterns. Students learn strategies to enhance fluency and comprehension skills. Students will be introduced to a variety of colorful illustrated fiction and nonfiction stories, poems, plays, articles, and Bible stories. Reading selections will develop to incorporate phonics, English skills, and word families. New vocabulary words for each story will provide reinforcement of sentence structure and word knowledge.

By the end of first grade, students will:

• Write simple sentences with capitalization and punctuation
• Compose a story with a beginning, middle and end
• Recognize the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language
• Develop oral and silent reading habits
• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
• Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings
• Understand important spelling rules
• Develop comprehension skills
• Demonstrate understanding of phonemic awareness through Heggerty

Second Grade 

In second grade, our goal is to continue nurturing fluent and independent readers. Second graders will strengthen their knowledge of the relationships between sounds and letters, thus improving their decoding and spelling skills. Students will be introduced to new vocabulary and practice using comprehension strategies. Students will use higher-level thinking through the emphasis of character traits and Biblical principles and truths.

By the end of second grade, students will:

• Practice writing paragraphs in a variety of genres
• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words
• Ask and answer questions from a wide variety of literature
• Use informational texts for comprehension and key details
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
• Participate in collaborative conversations with peers
• Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemic awareness) through Heggerty
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar

Third Grade 

The third-grade language arts program entails reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students are taught reading and writing strategies and skills through direct instruction with an opportunity for daily independent practice. During guided reading, students learn how to think within and beyond the text by applying the following comprehension strategies: predicting, visualizing, questioning, inferring, and synthesizing the text. Students will deepen reading skills and comprehension and absorb character-building stories that demonstrate biblical truth and virtues.

By the end of third grade, students will:

• Write for a variety of purposes and follow the writing process, focusing on the elements of good writing while incorporating skills in capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and spelling
• Develop understanding in personal narratives, opinion writing, realistic fiction, and non-fiction research
• Read a variety of texts, including informational, autobiography, biography, fable, historical fiction, memoir, humorous fiction, and other genres
• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
• Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening

Fourth Grade 

The framework of fourth grade language arts instruction includes explicitly taught skills and strategies during the reading and writing time. Readers continue to think beyond the text by applying the following comprehension strategies, predicting, visualizing, questioning, inferring, and synthesizing. Students continue to develop themselves as readers and spend time writing and sharing their thoughts about their books with partners and small groups. In addition, students learn how to process information and communicate in a variety of ways in both written and oral language. Students will be engaged through a comprehensive-based program that teaches biblical discernment through teacher-guided instruction, provides silent and oral reading opportunities, and builds vocabulary skills.

By the end of fourth grade, students will:

• Read informational texts to refer to details, determine main ideas, explain events, and describe the overall structure of events, ideas, and concepts
• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
• Write on topics or texts to support a point of view with reasons and facts
• Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
• Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing and speaking
• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and word meanings

Fifth Grade 

The curriculum of fifth grade language arts instruction includes explicitly taught skills and strategies during the reading and writing time. Content connects skills in writing, mechanics, listening, speaking, and viewing to provide students with a solid English language arts foundation. Literature is based on a wide selection to help all students build reading comprehension, exercise biblical discernment and critical thinking skills, and cultivate an appreciation of literature.

By the end of fifth grade, students will:

• Demonstrate understanding of figurative language and parts of speech
• Know and apply sentence structure in writing
• Develop core writing skills in poetry, nonfiction, and fiction texts with proper conventions
• Know and apply listening and speaking skills such as oral book review and presenting a play
• Practice language usage skills such as homophones, pronouns, verb agreements, contractions, prefixes, and suffixes
• Read texts to refer to details, determine main ideas, explain events, and describe the overall structure of events, ideas, and concepts
• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension

Sixth Grade 

While entering junior high age, students will be engaged in a variety of character-building stories and classic literature selections. An emphasis on literacy elements, higher-level thinking skills and vocabulary enrichment will provide a bridge to junior high literature classes. Students will continue to develop their comprehension skills through rich text to support core reading skills. The sixth graders will be guided toward lifelong reading success through a variety of authors, genres, and backgrounds. Students will learn how to apply reading strategies so they can get the most out of their reading. Students will learn to apply principles to their own communication; this will enable them to respond to literature they read from a biblical worldview. Lastly, students will develop their writing and grammar skills.

By the end of sixth grade, students will:

• Develop word meaning from context, synonyms, antonyms, analogies, Greek roots, and parts of speech
• Know and apply comprehension skills through literal and higher-order levels such as sequencing, classifying, compare and contrast, cause and effect, problem and solution, and connections
• Practice language usage skills such as homophones, pronouns, verb agreements, contractions, prefixes, and suffixes
• Read informational texts to refer to details, determine main ideas, explain events, and describe the overall structure of events, ideas, and concepts
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension through a variety of texts such as biblical epistle, autobiography, biography, fable, historical fiction, memoir, humorous fiction, and other genres
• Practice study skills such as listening strategies, communication moods, interpreting dialect, voice expression, motive, and meaning
• Use the writing process for explanatory essays, personal applications, friendly letters, and argumentative essays.

Seventh Grade 

Seventh grade students will be engaged in a variety of literature to prepare students for the rigors of reading and critical thinking. The reading curriculum will sharpen students’ sensitivity to aesthetics within God-given gifts of language and storytelling. Students will dive into writing and grammar through formulating a biblical worldview of communication. Through writing, students will be focused on four themes: truth, beauty, virtue, and balance. Students will evaluate mentor texts and practice their writing and grammar skills with regular writing workshops. Emphasis is placed on explicit instruction that includes inductive strategies such as activating prior knowledge and using clues from word parts, etymology, and context.

By the end of seventh grade, students will:

• Develop word meaning from context, synonyms, antonyms, analogies, Greek roots, and parts of speech
• Know and apply comprehension skills through higher-order levels such as sequencing, classifying, comparing, and contrasting, cause and effect, problem and solution, and connection making
• Know and practice language usage skills such as homophones, pronouns, verb agreements, contractions, prefixes, and suffixes
• Read informational texts to refer to details, determine main ideas, explain events, and describe the overall structure of events, ideas, and concepts
• Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension through a variety of texts such as biblical epistle, autobiography, biography, fable, historical fiction, memoir, humorous fiction, and other genres
• Practice study skills such as listening strategies, communication moods, interpreting dialect, voice expression, motive, and meaning
• Use the writing process for explanatory essays, personal applications, friendly letters, and argumentative essays