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Language Arts – Grammar, Writing, Spelling, Penmanship

Philosophy:

            At the time of creation God gave to men and women the ability to express thoughts as well as to receive and comprehend the thoughts that were expressed by others.  Language Arts is that part of God's gift to man by which people can communicate ideas, feelings and experiences both with their Creator and with their fellowmen.
Fulfilling our cultural mandate as Christians requires that a language arts curriculum include recommendations and activities that promote the development of the student's own desire and power to communicate.  God has placed us in a context of relationships, which often compel our responses and may include:  speaking, writing, listening, role-playing, dramatizing, and occasionally the making of collages, paintings and music.
Whatever the form of expression, however, the curriculum's concern will always focus on promoting the student's growth in responsible, competent and creative use of language.  The Christian must use the gift of language not only as a functional tool but also as a spiritual art in order to speak truth, to make peace, to witness the love of Christ, to rectify wrongs, to clear up misunderstandings.
As all things are of God, through God, and unto God, so also must the use of our language be directed to that end.  Language is the expression of thought, and the thoughts of a regenerated person must surely manifest themselves in the manner of his expression.
Competence in language can significantly enhance one's effectiveness in communication and hence in one's cultural encounters.  Ignorance imposes unnecessary restrictions on the user of language, and therefore the curriculum will promote instruction in such grammatical principles as will serve the student toward a more proficient and effective production of language and such concepts as will guide him toward a use of language that is most appropriate to the audience and circumstances.
All instructional materials must encounter the individual person, regard the uniqueness of his capacities, experiences, readiness and needs, and accord him respect, dignity, and a sense of worth and significance.  When appropriate, materials and activities should be chosen to promote the student's freedom to be himself, to dare to imagine, invent, and experiment whenever such contribute to the desired learning goals.  The ultimate goal in language arts is the development of the student as a confident, mature, free person in Christ, with a command of a vital language to the delight and honor of God, to the service and benefit of his fellowman, and to the enrichment and enjoyment of his own life.

School Goals

Grades K-3:

  1. To appreciate the God-given gifts of speech and the ability to communicate with others.
  2. To develop listening skills and the ability to follow instructions.
  3. To improve speaking skills.
  4. To learn basic grammar rules.
  5. To introduce dictionary skills.
  6. To begin writing letters, words, sentences and stories.
  7. To learn proper handwriting skills.
  8. To increase spelling vocabulary and acquire a workable knowledge of these spelling words.

Grades 4-6:

  1. To know the mechanics of a proper sentence.
  2. To know dictionary skills – alphabetical order, guide words, correct pronunciation, etc.
  3. To speak clearly and expressively to give a proper message.
  4. To write a proper paragraph.
  5. To know the mechanics of proper letter writing.
  6. To know the basic eight parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, interjection).
  7. To be able to display knowledge of proper word usage.
  8. To be able to use the library and use resource books to gather needed information.
  9. To understand and practice basic rules of punctuation and capitalization.
  10. To know and use the letter patterns of cursive handwriting.
  11. To know how to spell the words used in daily written communication.
  12. To build a basic vocabulary.
  13. To know phonetic letter patterns for word attack skills.
  14. To be able to follow written and oral directions.
  15. To follow proper guidelines of listening.
  16. To understand and use the process of good writing.
  17. To know and use a variety of writing forms.

Grades 7-8:

  1. To teach a Christian interpretation of the origin and use of language.
  2. To enable the student to clearly and correctly express himself in both spoken and written communication, including correct spelling, proper capitalization and punctuation, proper penmanship, effective use of vocabulary and organized, creative thought.
  3. To teach the student the use of basic spelling rules and the proper use of the dictionary, library and other resource material.
  4. To develop an understanding of the principles of the structure of language through a formal study of grammar.
  5. To teach the skills of public speaking.
  6. To develop proper study skills.
  7. To develop proper sentence and paragraph structure.
  8. To understand and use the process of good writing.
  9. To know and use a variety of writing forms.

GRAMMAR/WRITING

            The specific objective of the grammar program is to enable students to express themselves in oral and written form.  Grammar, mechanics, capitalization and punctuation and usage are to be taught as aids to the students' growth in responsible, competent and creative use of language.  Language instruction lends itself very easily to correlation with all subjects.  Every class is not a grammar class, but the principles of correct usage can and should be applied incidentally at all times.  Correlating grammar with other classes makes the work done in language classes seem practical and useful.
The specific objective of writing is to enable students to understand and use the process of writing, to gain experience in a variety of writing forms, and to be able to put their creative ideas and thoughts into written form.  Teachers at all grade levels have the responsibility of encouraging their students to write correctly in all school work.

SPELLING

            The specific objective of spelling is to enable the children to spell correctly in all forms of written communication.  Good spelling skills contribute to effective written communication, and effective written communication is essential to full and useful service.  It is the responsibility of each teacher to insist on correct spelling in all classroom work.

PENMANSHIP

            The specific objective of penmanship is to enable the students to form letters correctly in both manuscript and cursive handwriting, to write correctly, neatly, and with proper form, and to develop and maintain handwriting skills in all school work at all grade levels.  It is the responsibility of each teacher to insist on proper penmanship skills in all classroom work.