Assignments also focus on the relationship of grammar to effective communication in writing and in speaking. Vocabulary and spelling studies cover prefixes, roots, suffixes and their use in context. Vocabulary focuses on Latin, Greek, and Anglo-Saxon root words and their affixes. It includes analogies, spelling, parts of speech, and antonyms. Stressing the paragraph form as a building block to longer works, the writing program integrates grammar through compositions on timely topics and literature with which students are familiar.
Literature includes the short story, novel, poetry, and drama from the world arena.
Supplementary Reading - Rebecca, October Sky, Fellowship of the Ring, The Chosen. With a focus on the elements of design and color theory through projects, students develop age appropriate skills in art. The importance of viewing mistakes as a vehicle for enhancing creativity is discovered through the means of developing and using critical thinking skills to solve problems in the art-making process. There is a focus on the utilization of the design elements and color in the creative process, with an emphasis on more in-depth exploration of media and technique. Students learn to proactive problem solvers through careful preliminary planning and critical analysis in various stages of the art-making process.