CREATIVE LEARNING ACADEMY KINDERGARTEN

Kindergarten is a wonderful time of discovery for our young students! Language Arts is centered around phonetics using Montessori materials and the Beginning Letterbook series. Each child has a set of letterbooks. Each letterbook is a 16-page, full color booklet filled with multi-sensory, multi-modal activities that focus on one letter of the alphabet. The child writes, cuts, glues, and colors in the letterbooks. The major language skill areas are stressed in each book including: handwriting, auditory training, oral language, and linguistic skills. The child learns to write the letter, identify its sound and blend the sound with other known letter sounds to form words.

Math is hands-on using Montessori materials and the Singapore Math series materials. The children explore position and classification, sorting and graphing, patterns, numbers 0-30, measurement, solids, shapes, sharing, number sense, time and money, joining and separating and comparing numbers, addition and subtraction.

Science utilizes Montessori materials and the scientific method. Thematic units include: insects, ocean life, seasons of the year, weather, animal kingdom plants and space and the planets. Field trips are planned to enhance thematic units.

Social Studies includes holiday celebrations, community helpers, transportation, patriotism, "All About Me,” map and globe skills, and character building. Time for Kids or the Weekly Reader is read in class.

Field trips include trips to: Butterfly Garden, Gulfarium, The Zoo, PJC Planetarium, Saenger Theater, The Farm, and the Wildlife Sanctuary.

CREATIVE LEARNING ACADEMY FIRST GRADE

Reading skills focus on phonics, sight vocabulary, and writing skills. Comprehension is through storytelling and retelling, which incorporate children's literature. The reading program incorporates Language Arts and Spelling to make the connection between reading and writing. Proper capitalization and punctuation is stressed. Students learn the writing process in order to edit and revise their work. We encourage creative writing and guided writing in journals.

Math is learned through hands-on experiences, discussion, and exploration reinforced through carefully considered practice. Concepts and skills include computation, problem-solving strategies using addition and subtraction facts, measurement, geometry, money, time, pattern identification, fractions, place value, graphs and charts.

Science units include life science, physical science, earth science, and the human body. Life science includes the study of plants and animals. Physical science includes the study of sound, light, heat, and ways that objects move and work. In earth science we discuss the earth, weather and sky. The human body unit covers the five senses, growing and changing, and taking care of your health.

Social Studies units include the Homework Without Tears program. This program teaches children how to do homework responsibly.  Students study and celebrate cultures of other countries and learn how they contribute to our American culture. They explore customs through language, art, music and food. First graders learn map skills including direction and location. Other units include the importance of safety, cooperative learning, and the election process.

*Field trips include the Saenger Theater, Historic Pensacola Village, the Post Office, Planetarium, and the dentist office.

CREATIVE LEARNING ACADEMY SECOND GRADE

Language Arts: The Scott Foresman Reading series is a comprehensive and challenging program, including spelling, phonics, English composition and grammar. The Zaner-Bloser handwriting program is utilized. An achievement-based presentation with ability grouping is utilized in reading, providing for individualization through leveled readers and leveled trade books. The series Internet website provides opportunities to utilize computer technology. Individual needs are met through small reading groups, leveled spelling, trade books, and classroom independent reading libraries.

Math: Math implements NCTM standards using the Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley text. Students practice addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts Students become proficient with basic operations and develop problem solving and critical thinking skills. The math curriculum provides quality content and math strategy methods. Individual needs are met through small group lessons, challenge activities, computer programs, and reinforcement.

Science: The Scott Foresman text includes: Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, and the Human Body. Students are taught to use the scientific method for scientific inquiry. These process skills include: observation, classification, inference, prediction, communication, collecting and interpreting data. Scott Foresman science ensures student success by hands-on activities and additional resources. A thematic unit on the Rainforest is linked to research in the Media Center and Computer Lab. Field trips are planned to develop our science study outside the classroom.

Social Studies: Themes and units are based on holidays and special events throughout the year and include: Florida, United States, Johnny Appleseed, Continents, Pilgrims/Native Americans, Multi-cultural holiday celebrations, Famous Americans, U.S. Presidents, Women's History Inventors, and Countries.

*Weekly learning centers are implemented to extend and enrich the current concepts, skills, and units of study within the curriculum.

CREATIVE LEARNING ACADEMY THIRD GRADE

Language Arts:  The Scott Foresman Reading series is a comprehensive and challenging program. Included in the program are:  spelling, phonics, English composition, and grammar. The Zaner-Bloser Handwriting program is utilized as well. An achievement-based presentation with ability grouping is used in third grade reading.  The Scott Foresman series provides individualization through leveled readers and leveled trade books.  The series Internet website provides opportunities to utilize computer technology. Individual needs are met through small reading groups, leveled spelling, trade books, SRA reading, classroom independent reading libraries, and Book-It power reading family homework and projects.  Students entering third grade should be able to compose a topic sentence and paragraph using grade level spelling and grammar.  They need to be able to read and recognize cursive writing.

Math: The Math curriculum uses the Scott Foresman/Addison Wesley series.  Students practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. They become proficient with basic operations, develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.  The math curriculum provides quality content (including algebra at all grade levels), and math strategy methods. The third grade program is enriched by the use of SRA Individualized math, Mad Minutes (speed drills in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), and Superstar Math. An Internet website provides enrichment.  Family Math projects help develop critical thinking skills. SRA Math, Superstar Math, Mad Minutes, computer programs, reinforcement and challenge lessons are provided to meet individual needs.  Students entering third grade should be proficient with basic addition and subtraction facts, able to solve 2- and 3-digit addition/subtraction with regrouping.

Science:  The Scott Foresman program is used. Units include Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, and the Human Body.  Students are taught to use scientific methods for scientific inquiry. These process skills include observing, classifying, inferring, predicting, communicating, collecting, and interpreting data. Scott Foresman science ensures student success by giving access to science content and hands-on activities.  Family homework projects and class activities enrich this program. The thematic unit on space is linked to research in the Media Center and PowerPoint presentations in the Computer Lab.  Field trips are planned to develop our science study outside the classroom.

Social Studies:  The Silver Burdett and Ginn text involves the students in communities at home and around the world.  Units of study include Citizenship and Values, Map and Globe Skills, Rural and Urban Communities, New York City and Washington, D.C. Our National Government and American Symbols, Wampanoags of the Past, Whole-Hearted Heroes, The Inuits of Alaska, and Passports to Capital Cities Around the World.  Family homework projects and class activities enrich the social studies curriculum.  The Weekly Reader is read in class. Many field trips are linked to this area of learning.  Our community caring project involves helping the Wildlife Sanctuary throughout the year.

CREATIVE LEARNING ACADEMY FOURTH GRADE

The fourth grade curriculum is a program designed for the inquisitive child who is looking for an adventure in learning!  Students use notebooks as an organizational tool, and fourth graders keep their work in their notebooks to check and review daily.

One of the major goals in fourth grade is to help students learn the interaction between the words of an author and the schemata of the reader. Prior knowledge helps make inferences about what is between the lines.  Science and social studies rely heavily upon this skill.  Directed reading is utilized to practice this skill.  Directed reading is a method of discussion used before, during, and after reading a selection.  This method helps students predict, read, question, and make interpretations.

The Science curriculum covers four areas of study.  Life Science includes plant structure and function, animal structure and function, energy and ecosystems, and surviving in the environment.  Physical Science includes measuring matter, force and motion, electricity and magnetism, and light and sound.  Earth Science includes measuring weather, the make-up of the Earth, exploring the oceans, and the solar system.  Human Body includes the digestive system, the circulatory system, the nervous system and keeping the body healthy.  Students will be encouraged to solve problems, think logically, collect and analyze data and complete lab work.

In Social Studies students use Scott Foresman’s Regions where the five regions of the United States are studied with a focus on cultures in history, resources, government and map skills.  For Florida History students use Scott Foresman’s Florida, as well as many other resources to create a Florida History notebook.  Explorers, Indians, government, flora and fauna, geography, pirates and Pensacola are covered.  Many enrichment activities are provided as students move through the material covered.

Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Math includes Data and Graphs, Place Value and Time, Adding and Subtracting Whole Numbers and Money, Multiplication and Division, Geometry, Fractions, and Measurement and Decimals.  In addition to the use of the text, many opportunities are provided for practice and reinforcement of skills through various avenues.

The language arts program consists of reading comprehension, grammar, spelling, writing, listening, speaking, and literature appreciation.  As students read they are accomplishing many goals including:  questioning, interpretation, literary analysis of styles, semantic (context) clues, sentence structure, communication skills, building background knowledge, and predicting.  Fourth graders are exposed to a wide genre of literature through the reading series, trade books, and the CLA Library.

Grammar and spelling lessons help to improve skills in graphophonic cues, as well as vowel patterns, syllabication, and punctuation.  These skills lead to better writing!  Based on a writing sample from the first week of school, many areas of study are covered in order to make better writers.  Students write every day in the classroom and begin a formal paper.  Supplemental texts used in the classroom are Silver Burdett and Ginn’s English and Writer’s Express.