English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum
| Kindergarten | UFLI & BJU Focus on Fives |
| 1st grade | UFLI & BJU Press |
| 2nd grade | UFLI & BJU Press |
| 3rd grade | BJU Press + Simplify Writing |
| 4th grade | BJU Press + Simplify Writing |
| 5th grade | BJU Press + Simplify Writing |
| 6th grade | BJU Press + Simplify Writing |
BJU Press’s elementary English product line connects skills in writing, mechanics, listening, speaking, and viewing to provide students with a solid English language arts foundation. Students study one part of speech at a time, mastering English conventions through spiral review and regular practice of each skill. Proofreading activities give students practice in analyzing sentences, identifying grammatical errors, and correcting errors within the context of writing. Students follow the writing process to write opinion pieces, informational texts, and narratives. Teacher modeling and student collaboration help students develop their craft as they write in various genres for real-world contexts.
At The Kainos School, we use the BJU Press curriculum to lay the foundation for writing in kindergarten through second grade. In third grade, students transition to a standards-based writing curriculum called Simplify Writing. This writing program uses research-based strategies such as teacher modeling, student exemplars, and strategy focused direct instruction. Students will be exposed to and explore various styles of writing (narrative, informational, descriptive, etc.) as they creatively build their own content. Simplify Writing is also the grammar program we use at The Kainos School and grammar is taught within the context of writing. Students demonstrate mastery of grammatical topics covered through their writing samples. Visit the Simplify Writing website for more information.
After learning the mechanics and structure of sentences (in first and second grade) and gaining exposure to various types of writing (in grades three through five), students begin to put the pieces together in 6th grade using the EB Writing Program.
Reading
The Kainos School uses the BJU Press Reading curriculum in grades 1-6. BJU Press’s elementary reading product line develops student literacy by focusing on literary skills and comprehension strategies. Students build on the phonics foundation laid in the early grades, reading texts of increasing complexity in a variety of genres. Students develop their communication skills through oral and silent reading, responsive writing, and oral presentations. Using the before, during, and after reading process, students learn literary terms, reading strategies, and vocabulary words, and they learn to evaluate all that they read from a biblical worldview.
Because reading is one of our core subject areas and a primary area of focus at the elementary level, we dedicate frequent targeted reading practice on campus and satellite days. Teachers use differentiated reading groups within the classroom to respond to varying levels of proficiency, incorporating targeted skill practice in the areas of letter recognition, phonemic segmentation, decoding, word recognition, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Differentiated reading instruction is also programmed on satellite days as the co-teacher leads instruction.
Sixth grade students continue the BJU Press reading program with the Perspectives in Literature anthology.
Age-appropriate novel studies supplement the BJU Press reading program in every grade level.