Grammar Stage: Grades K-6
What is the Grammar Stage?
When we think of grammar, we tend to think of the structure of a language: of nouns and verbs and predicate adjectives and complex sentences. And, in a sense, that is what the grammar stage is. Students learn the structure of subjects. They collect the facts that their developing minds will later categorize and make sense of.
All children desire to know. A six-year-old will spend hours telling you of his or her favorite topics: sharks or fairies or dinosaurs or dogs. As young children, they learn quickly and readily. They ask “Why?” repeatedly. Our curriculum supports and encourages this natural curiosity and love for learning. We want our students to gather the knowledge and skills that will later enable them to make connections, to analyze new ideas, and to explain and utilize their knowledge.
Holy Rosary Academy students love exploring Alaska and its resources.
What does this mean for my child?
All grades use the Saxon math curriculum, which offers clear explanations and spiral review, enabling students to retain the concepts much more easily!
The study of world history, American history, and geography begins in preschool and continues throughout elementary school. A wide range of scientific topics are taught, from the human body to magnets, astronomy, and cells in the early grades before moving on to more formal studies of biology, astronomy, geology, chemistry, and physics in grades 3-6.
All elementary grades use the Faith and Life series for religion class. They learn prayers in both English and Latin, salvation history, the sacraments, the virtues, and more. Students participate in Mass and the Stations of the Cross. They join in service projects for our community.
Students are introduced to great works of literature from kindergarten on. They learn the fables, nursery rhymes, and myths that form the basis for so many cultural references and move on to great poetry, classics of children’s literature, and eventually to Shakespeare, Dickens, and Dostoevsky. They study grammar, writing, and penmanship. In grades K-2, they study phonics, which has been proven to raise students' reading proficiency.
Latin is taught beginning in third grade so that our students are working at a high school level by middle school. Our students also participate in multiple “pull out” subjects each week: art, P.E., music, and library.