Course Highlights

Language Arts

Kindergarten Language Arts exposes students to the basics of reading, writing, and phonemic awareness. They work on skills such as letter sounds and names, rhyming, holding a pencil correctly, and following along with a story. One of our main goals is fostering confidence so that children believe they are readers and writers.

Course Highlight: Language Arts: Letters 

For Letters class, which includes both reading and writing skills, students split into fluid learning groups to engage material that they are personally ready for. This allows each student to be challenged but also eliminates frustration related to concepts they aren’t ready for. The various groups all play games to practice letter sounds, basic reading skills, rhyming, and phonemic awareness. Students become excited about reading and enjoy attaining achievable, personalized goals.

Course Highlight: Language Arts - Jesus Movie 

Jesus Movie is an opportunity for students to apply God’s perspective to popular narratives in TV shows and movies. Kindergarten students learn God’s laws and Bible passages that help them understand how to follow Jesus' example and represent God to others. We watch and discuss the narratives and characters in movies and TV episodes in light of our weekly biblical themes. We often watch a whole movie over the course of several class periods in order to pause and ask “how would you describe that character’s behavior?” or “what does God’s law say about that character’s response?”.  Though the movies/shows are curated by the teachers, the students are allowed to be active participants in making connections to principles they’ve learned in the biblical narrative. Our goal is that students would learn to critically think about God’s perspective on their world and ask “what did Jesus do in a situation like this?”. As children have access to so many narratives and messages through streaming devices and other media, it is important that our students learn how to actively engage in these mediums and are not merely passive consumers.

STEM

Kindergarten STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) classes are hands-on opportunities for kindergarteners to explore how things work in the world around them. They learn about numbers and pattern recognition, how to properly use their iPads, and how nature works. Students learn about cause and effect and are encouraged to experiment, ask questions, and learn with all their senses.

Course Highlight STEM: Outdoor Adventures

Outdoor Adventures is definitely a favorite of all kindergartners! What kid wouldn't love being told to explore the great outdoors, being encouraged to jump in mud puddles and find a way to get across a small stream without getting soaked? Students enjoy navigating an outdoor environment while learning many lessons along the way - ones that can’t be taught in a textbook while indoors. Geography happens while learning how to read maps for geocaching, science while learning about hibernation after finding an animal den, and life skills while having to wear soggy boots when boots get rained on because they weren't properly stored after last class. The best part of this class is seeing students' curiosity spark as they find mushrooms, animal tracks, or an empty turtle shell and ask those wonderful questions: "why" and "how". Then teachers respond with, "Let's find out!" They're hooked and the adventure continues!

Course Highlight: STEM: iPad Learning 

At the Academy, the iPad is our students' main manipulative. The purpose of iPad Learning class is to introduce students to their iPads and help them navigate the device appropriately for a learning environment. They learn that an iPad is a tool, not a toy. They learn the parts of their iPads, simple commands, and how to utilize essential software. They also learn how to properly maintain, clean, and handle their devices. Over the course of the year they create and share media content with classmates and teachers using apps such as iMovie and SeeSaw. Students also take time during class to play games that reinforce concepts from other academic disciplines such as Letters and Playing with Numbers.

Creative Arts

Kindergarten Creative Arts classes facilitate times for students to develop their fine and gross motor skills as well as their spiritual and social capacities. Students learn about the basics of drawing and sculpting, as well as the importance of ordering our environment and having good manners. Students learn the value of prayer while also learning new songs.

Course Highlight: Creative Arts - Draw This! & Sculpt This!

Draw This! and Sculpt This! classes focus on developing foundational fine motor skills needed for future art classes as well as aiding students in other disciplines such as writing in Language Arts. In these classes, kindergarteners are working on developing their hand strength and pencil control. These introductory art classes serve to teach students how to be responsible with their resources, how to follow step-by-step instructions, and how to be patient with themselves and the art process.

Course Highlight: Creative Arts - Share Time

Share Time class is a favorite in kindergarten. Students bring in a treasured object from home or a skill that they’ve learned and have the opportunity to practice their public speaking skills while sharing observations and stories about their object or giving a presentation on their skill. Their classmates practice their listening skills and enjoy asking questions about their object.