Knowledge
Core Curriculum
Primary (Grades K-2) & Elementary (Grades 3-5)
Our strong academic curriculum and wholesome learning environment prepare students to become confident and capable learners.
Mathematics.
In both the Primary and Elementary grade levels, students develop and expand their foundational knowledge of fundamental math concepts through the rich and structured Saxon Math (Houghton Mifflin) curriculum. This curriculum offers a perfect framework for students to be challenged in advanced concepts, while also having frequent opportunities to practice foundational skills. At Embers, students learn the Saxon Math curriculum that is one grade level above their current grade level. Embers’ Advanced Math program provides an additional opportunity for growth and challenge.
Reading.
Primary Grades
Reading program places emphasis on building and cultivating students’ phonological awareness and decoding skills, eventually leading them to be skilled and fluent readers. Phonics instruction takes place with the highly-rated From Phonics to Reading (Sadlier) curriculum. Phonemic awareness is cultivated through the multisensory Heggerty Phonemic Awareness curriculum. Reading and decoding practice is achieved through decodable reader sets, including SuperBooks and Benchmark. Further practice in text reading and comprehension is accomplished through the Reading A to Z program resources and book studies.
Elementary Grades
Classic novel studies and structured comprehension strategy instruction forms the basis of the elementary Reading curriculum. Through reading classic literature, students expand their virtue knowledge, develop reading fluency, cultivate vocabulary skills and deepen their comprehension. Highlights from novel studies include selections from the Narnia series (C.S. Lewis), The Blue Fairy Book (Andrew Lang), Little House on the Prairie series selections, (Laura Ingalls Wilder), The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett), and Don Quixote (Miguel Cervantes).
Writing & Language Arts.
The foundation of our Language Arts program is the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) curriculum. This curriculum offers a structured, sequential approach to writing instruction, which ultimately teaches cohesive writing, reading comprehension, vocabulary development, critical thinking skills, and English grammar. In the Primary Grades, Handwriting skills are cultivated through the IEW program and 2nd-grade students begin learning cursive writing skills in the second half of the school year. The skill is continued through the Elementary Grades with cursive writing being used in student daily work.
History and Geography.
Students are introduced to foundational concepts of ancient civilizations, American history, geographic knowledge, and map skills through the Core Knowledge (Pearson) curriculum and Evan Moor Geography resources.
Science.
The Mystery Science curriculum, designed to align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), offers fun, engaging, hands-on science. Students learn science concepts through class discussions, directed readings, and interactive investigations.
