First and Second Grade Natural History A

2 Year Rotation of Topics

Year 1: Classification of Animals (vertebrates vs. invertebrates; 5 categories of vertebrates); Habitats, Food Chain; intro to tree and plant identification. Students complete observations in nature in proximity to the school. Students will observe plant species and insect species and discuss in the classroom.

Year 2: Tree and plant identification; animal life observation, butterfly and insect study. Students complete observations in nature in proximity to the school. Students will observe plant species and insect species and discuss in the classroom.

Grade 3 Natural History B

The study of the physical world allows students too take their observational skills into the great outdoors. As field investigators 3rd Graders will observe and document an array of local insects, trees, flowers and birds. 

Texts: Golden Guide: Trees, Golden Guide: Insects, Golden Guide: Flowers, Golden

Guide: Birds

Grade 4 Natural History C

This fourth grade curriculum teaches students important science concepts about what they can see, observe, and understand in the world around them. This curriculum focuses upon basic science concepts, and presents God as the creator, sustainer, and upholder. Students will explore primary units on insects, plants, birds, matter, energy, geology, oceanography, astronomy as they learn how to make an insect zoo, how to recognize the plants they see every day, how to attract birds to their own back yards, how to use field guides, how to interpret cloud formations, and how to identify rocks. They’ll also learn to appreciate the miracle of plant germination, the causes of weather, the God-given provisions for life on earth, the design of the starry heavens, the ecology of the ocean depths, and more.

Grade 5 Introduction to Physical Science

Students will study the planets, climate and weather, anatomy and physiology, and the building blocks of chemistry. 

Grade 1– History & Geography

Topics covered include Mesopotamia, Greek myths and an introduction to ancient Greek culture, Ancient Egypt, and an introduction to World Geography. Students will explore the transition from early nomads to farmers, as well as the first civilizations such as Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Israel, Africa, India, Rome, and Greece. They will also be introduced to various legends and myths from these civilizations.

Students will have the opportunity to use their creativity through hands-on art and craft projects throughout each semester. 

The primary text used will be The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 1: Ancient Times by Susan Wise Bauer.

In addition, students will acquire a basic understanding of map skills, including map keys, symbols, directions, and the compass rose. They will learn about landforms, bodies of water, continents, and oceans. Students will also study maps of the civilizations they are learning about in history.

Grade 2 – History & Geography

Students will continue with the second half of The Story of the World, Volume 1 by Susan Wise Bauer.

They will continue building map skills, including understanding map keys, symbols, directions, and the compass rose. Students will study landforms, bodies of water, continents, and oceans. Geography will be tied to the civilizations studied in history.

Grade 3 – History & Geography

Third Grade History focuses on medieval and classical history, exploring empires and the rise of religious groups. Students will use The Story of the World, Volume 2 by Susan Wise Bauer.

Topics include:

• The fall of the Roman Empire
• The British Empire
• The Byzantine Empire
• The Indian Empire
• The rise of Islam
• The rise of Christianity
• and more.

Students will also begin American history using The First Americans: A History of US, Book 1 by Joy Hakim.

Grade 4 – History & Geography

Fourth Grade History covers Early Modern Times, focusing on global events from the years 1600 to 1850. Students will also study geography alongside historical topics. The primary text used is The Story of the World, Volume 3 by Susan Wise Bauer.

In addition, students will study early American history using Making Thirteen Colonies: A History of US, Book 2 by Joy Hakim.

Grade 5 – History & Geography

No education is complete without history, especially for those seeking to understand the unique contributions of Judeo-Christian culture to Western Civilization.

Fifth Grade students will explore the Modern Age—a time period ranging from the mid-19th century to the present. The class will use The Story of the World, Volume 4 by Susan Wise Bauer as the primary text.

To deepen their study of American history, students will also read:

From Colonies to Country: A History of US, Book 3 by Joy Hakim

English Grade 1

First Grade English consists of the following courses: Reading/Phonics, Writing, Poetry, and Spelling/Grammar/Vocabulary.

For Reading and Phonics, first graders will read texts Little Angels Reader A & B and Right into Reading Book 1. Students will read from these books and answer the accompanying workbook questions. The teacher will also read several books aloud to the students, such as Helen Keller, Flat Stanley, and Pippi Longstocking.

For Spelling/Grammar/Vocabulary, students will learn spelling rules, practice phonics, and study new vocabulary words. Building Spelling Skills by Evan Moor will be used.

For Writing, students will learn how to sequence words within a sentence and write sentences within a story sequence.

For Poetry, students will read, memorize, and recite a new poem every two weeks. Poems and nursery rhymes will be taken from texts such as Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization: A Mastery Learning Approach and The Core Knowledge Series: What Your First Grader Needs to Know.

English Grade 2

Second Grade English consists of the following courses: Reading/Phonics, Writing/Penmanship, Poetry, and Spelling/Grammar/Vocabulary.

For Reading and Phonics, second graders will read texts Little Angels Reader C & D and Right into Reading Book 2. Students will read from these books and answer the accompanying workbook questions.

For Spelling/Grammar/Vocabulary, students will learn spelling rules, practice phonics, and study new vocabulary words using Vocabulary from Classical Roots Grade 2.

For Writing, students will work on creating larger story structures while continuing to perfect sentence structure.

For Poetry, students will read, memorize, and recite a new poem every two weeks. Poems and nursery rhymes will be taken from Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization: A Mastery Learning Approach and The Core Knowledge Series: What Your Second Grader Needs to Know.

English Grade 3

Third Grade English consists of the following courses: Reading/Phonics, Writing/Penmanship, Poetry, and Spelling/Grammar/Vocabulary.

For Reading and Phonics, students will read aloud as a class, taking turns reading and listening to their classmates. There will also be opportunities for individual reading, listening to stories read aloud, and reading at home. Texts include Beezus and Ramona, The Hundred Dresses, Little House on the Prairie, Charlotte’s Web, Shiloh, and Matilda.

Other Texts: The Great Quillow by James Thurber, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis; Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White; A Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl; poetry includes The Cats of Kilkenny, The Daffodils by William Wordsworth, A Knight by Geoffrey Chaucer, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Tiger by William Blake, The Pied Piper of Hamelin by Robert Browning, St. George and the Dragon by G.K. Chesterton

For Spelling/Grammar/Vocabulary, students will focus on the fundamentals of language including the rules of spelling, parts of speech, and integration of new words into their growing vocabulary. Texts used include Evan Moor Building Spelling Skills Grade 3, Wordly Wise Book 3, and Easy Grammar.

For Writing, students will be able to write complete sentences logically ordered into a paragraph by the end of the year. Texts used include The Four Square Method of Writing, Logic Countdown, and Analogies for Beginners.

For Poetry, students will memorize and recite a new poem each week (or every two weeks for longer poems). This strengthens memory, builds poise and public speaking skills, and reinforces phonetic and syllabic skills.

English Grade 4

Fourth Grade English consists of the following courses: Reading and Phonics, Writing, and Poetry.

For Reading and Phonics, students will read aloud as a class, with each child taking turns. There will also be opportunities for individual reading, listening to stories read aloud, and reading at home. Texts include The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician’s Nephew, Prince Caspian, and Misty of Chincoteague.

Other texts: Farmer Boy by L.E. Wilder, The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis, Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry, The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling; poetry includes Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll, The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Lord Tennyson, Barbara Fritchie by James Whittier

For Writing, students will practice writing from dictation. They will also learn to write grammatically correct sentences and more complex sentence structures. Texts used include Hake Grammar and Writing 4 and Vocabulary from Classical Roots Grade 4.

For Poetry, students will memorize and recite a new poem each week (or every two weeks for longer poems). This builds memory, poise, and phonetic/syllabic reinforcement.

English Grade 5

Fifth Grade English consists of the following courses: Reading, Grammar/Writing, Spelling/Vocabulary, and Poetry.

For Reading, students will read aloud as a class, taking turns, along with individual reading and listening to stories. Texts include Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Caddie Woodlawn, The Magician’s Elephant, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Danny the Champion of the World, The Phantom Tollbooth, Young Fredle, Number the Stars, and Tom Sawyer.

Other texts: 

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham; poetry includes The Bells and El Dorado by Edgar Allen Poe, Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Pied Beauty and The Windhover by Gerard M. Hopkins, The Listeners by Walter de la Mare, The Donkey by G.K. Chesterton, Casey at the Bat by Ernest L. Thayer

For Grammar and Writing, students will expand their understanding of grammar including parts of speech, punctuation, spelling rules, and sentence types. By the end of the year, students will be able to write a five-paragraph essay. The text used is Hake Grammar and Writing 5.

For Spelling and Vocabulary, students will use Vocabulary from Classical Roots Grade 5 in a two-week cycle. Week one tests spelling; week two tests understanding and usage.

For Poetry, students will memorize and recite a new poem each week (or every two weeks for longer poems). This strengthens memory, builds poise, and supports phonetic and syllabic awareness. The primary text used is Linguistic Development Through Poetry Memorization.

Grade 1

1st grade Saxon math focuses on skip counting by ones, twos, fives and tens, identifying ordinal position to tenths, mastering all basic addition and subtraction facts, and measuring using inches, feet, and centimeters. This curriculum also teaches students how to add coins, draw polygons, and

observe information from real graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs.

Grade 2

2nd grade Saxon covers a larger range of critical concepts, such as working with larger numbers, geometric shapes, Venn diagrams, graphs, basic arithmetic calculations, and simple fractions.

Grade 3

3rd grade Saxon uses simulations and games to help students understand and practice new concepts with content integrated from other core subjects such as social studies. Students learn

skip-counting, comparing and ordering numbers, identify ordinal positions, identify and complete patterns, add/subtract multi-digit numbers, basic division, add positive and negative numbers, fraction concepts, understand and calculate measurements, compare and measure mass, identify function rules, graphing concepts, and concepts of geometry

Grade 4

Each of the 120 daily lessons includes warm-up activities, teaching of the new concept, and practice of new and previous material. Saxon 5/4 includes place value, regrouping, adding, subtracting, multiplication, division, fractions, factors, etc.

Grade 5

In Saxon 6/5, the student will work on place value, multiplication up to 3 digits, decimals, mixed numbers, fractions, quadrilaterals, averages, geometry and so on. 

Great Moral Stories program builds on Pacific Oaks focus of reading stories aloud and encouraging students to live the school motto as they seek what is true, good, and beautiful in their lives. 

September: Respect & Responsibility

October: Diligence

November: Gratitude

December: Generosity 

January: Courage

February: Honesty and Justice

March: Compassion

April: Forgiveness

May: Hope

At Pacific Oaks Academy, students enjoy a rich variety of activities that nurture the whole child. 

- Music

- Art

- Spanish

- Poetry

- Phyical Education

- Regular Hiking 

- Religion Faith & Life Series