Level: Form I (K–3rd grades)
Subject(s): English, Literature
Description:
In this interactive, multi-sensory, hands-on class, Form 1 Students delve into phonics and cursive penmanship, discover and apply spelling rules with grade-level spelling words, learn parts of speech, practice oral reading, and hear and recite classic works of poetry. With our commitment to incorporate the best of both classical tradition and contemporary research, this course uses researched-based best practices for helping students of all abilities and grade levels. Instruction will be individuated for students at various levels within Form 1. As space allows, parents of younger students are encouraged to arrange to sit in whenever possible to enjoy learning and engaging in the activities together with their students.
This class keeps it kinetic as beginning students (Form 1-a) use large motor skills to draw cursive letters and multi-letter phonograms in salt boxes and to water-paint them on the sidewalk before moving on to fine motor skills with pen and paper. Students will play games and relays, compose original sentences, and listen to beautiful literature read aloud.
Learning outcomes include growth in the foundational operations of language—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—as students learn to read so they can read to learn.
“Historically cursive was taught first to our nation’s children. Today, reading and dyslexia experts are rediscovering that teaching cursive first–before print or manuscript–improves long-term penmanship skills, helps children learn to read, virtually eliminates reversals, and enables children to read what is written by others. Cursive First introduces children to writing numerals, the cursive alphabet, and the most common phonograms of the English language.”
Cursive First will be used in conjunction with the coordinating instruction in Spell to Write and Read by Wanda Sanseri. Both curricula can be used with the beginning reader and writer or with older students transitioning from print to cursive.
BHSC will offer parents free ELA training at the beginning of the school year.
Note: A placement test is required for all students entering ELA classes at BHSC for the first time levels 1-b and above. For pre-writers entering the Form 1-a ELA class, no placement test is required, but parents are asked to assess the student’s writing readiness.
Materials:
Families purchase the following required curriculum:
- Red Primary Learning Log—one per student; a new book is required each year.
- Spell to Write and Read core kit (one per family; one-time purchase)—Note that this resource is used for all BHSC English Language Arts (ELA) classes, Kindergarten through 6th grade; it is a teaching resource that parents can use with multiple children and over multiple years.
- Recommended: Cursive First (one per family; one-time purchase)—Note that this resource is used for BHSC ELA classes, Kindergarten through 3rd grade and beyond; it is a teaching resource that parents can use with multiple children and over multiple years.
- Literature selections: The classroom instructor may also incorporate or recommend pictures books and other read-alouds which are TBD; we will contact enrolled families once the book list is available.
Families also supply a 3-ring notebook, pencils, colored pencils, and erasers in a pencil pouch.
Form 1-b and Form 1-c (2nd & 3rd grade) Students Only:
We strongly recommend the following resources for second and third-grade students in the Form 1-b and 1-c ELA classes: (A suggested at-home assignment schedule for these books will be provided in the Form 1-b and 1-c ELA syllabi to round out the students’ ELA education; these books will not be covered in class.)
- Form 1-b: Language Lessons for Today: Grade 2.
- Form 1-c: Language Lessons for Today: Grade 3.
- Wordly Wise 3000 Student Book, 3rd ed., either Book 2 for 2nd-grade (Form 1-b) or Book 3 for 3rd-grade (Form 1-c)
- Wordly Wise 3000 Answer Key, 3rd ed., either Book 2 Answer Key or Book 3 Answer Key
