Lower School

• Spelling: Encoding and decoding, patterns and rules, and syllable division 
• Grammar: Identify relationships among words, including synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and multiple-meaning words, contractions, effective use of capitalization, punctuation, spelling, adjectives/adverbs, prepositions, regular and irregular verbs, abstract nouns/pronouns, build and use accurately conversational, general academic, and content-specific words and phrases
• Reading Comprehension: Predicting, visualizing and verbalizing, summarizing, sequencing, inferring and drawing conclusions; compare/contrast, main ideas and details; cause/effect; author’s purpose, story elements, reading accuracy, fluency and expression, vocabulary and language structure
• Writing: Complete simple, compound and declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences, using coordinating and subordinating conjunctions and interjections; classify and identify parts of a sentence and apply in composition (subject, verb, capital letter, end mark, makes complete sense), differentiate between a complete, sentence fragment, and run on sentence

Students learn place value to 10,000, rounding numbers, mental math and estimation, addition and subtraction to 10.000, bar models to solve word problems, deepen number sense, multiplication facts 0-12, multiplication and division of 1 and 2 digit numbers, fractions and decimals, angles and lines, area and perimeter, 3D and 2D shapes. Students expand their knowledge of money, time and elapsed time, customary metric measurement conversions, bar graphs, and line plots.

Students study creation, the fall, Noah, the Tower of Babel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, the Exodus, the ten commandments, wandering in the wilderness, and the Promised Land. The year concludes with a Bible book study of Ephesians.

Students learn about forces and magnetism, the earth and the activity on it, plants, animals, and fossils.

Students discover how events, individuals, and ideas have influenced communities, especially Charlotte, NC. Students learn about major landforms and their impact on people, industries, the economy, and the 13 American colonies.

• Spelling: Decoding and reading words by applying phonics and word analysis skills, fluency and accuracy when reading, building and applying vocabulary using various strategies and sources, applying knowledge of word structure elements, determining the meanings, pronunciations, syllabication, synonyms, antonyms, and parts of speech of words by using reference aids as glossaries, dictionaries, and thesauruses

• Grammar: Morphology, spelling rules (suffixes, prefixes, base words, contractions, compound words, and syllables), types of sentences, punctuation, singular and possessive nouns, titles and quotation marks, parts of a sentence (subject, predicate, conjunctions, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositional phrases, subject-verb agreement), editing/revising, styles of writing (informational, poetry, narrative, summary, creative, persuasive, literary analysis, author studies)

• Reading Comprehension: Visualization and verbalization, vocabulary, verbal reasoning, language structure, summarizing, making corrections, inferring and predicting, asking questions, fact/opinion, author’s viewpoint, and character development and reading and comprehending a variety of literature independently and proficiently

• Writing: Develop writing skills by writing for different purposes and to specific audiences and people (persuasive, informative, narrative, personal), produce coherent and legible documents by planning, drafting, revising, editing, and collaborating with others

Students continue to build on math concepts, including number sense, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (facts, multi-digit numbers, common multiples, factors, estimation, and problem solving. Students master skills in the areas of mean, median, mode and range, fractions (adding and subtracting, equivalent, mixed numbers and improper), decimals (understanding, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing), measurements (length, weight, volume, customary and metric, converting metric units), perimeter/area, lines, angles, quadrilaterals, other polygons, congruence and symmetry, bar models to solve multi-step word problems, money, time and time elapsed time.

Students study the book of Philippians, Judges, Joshua, King Saul, King David, King Solomon, Ruth, Samuel, the divided kingdom, the feast of trumpets, the day of atonement, and the fruit of the spirit.

Students explore energy, speed, moving objects, waves, the earth’s features, natural hazards, structures, and functions.

Students study the state of North Carolina, including regions, history, government, and environmental and technological factors that affect the growth and development of the state.

• Grammar: Parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions), suffixes/prefixes, analogies, contractions, compound words, singular/plural, subjects/predicates, identifying and writing complete sentences, punctuation/capitalization, prepositional phrases, clauses

• Reading Comprehension Predicting/inferring, visualizing/verbalizing, summarizing, sequencing, making connections, drawing conclusions, compare/contrast, identifying (main ideas, details cause/effect, author’s purpose, point of view, story elements, theme), genres (fiction, fantasy, biographies, history fiction, non-fiction, poetry), reading accuracy, fluency and expression, vocabulary and morphology

• Writing: Conventions (spelling, syllable division, writing mechanics), structure (identify audience, purpose, personal voice, writer’s viewpoint, organizing information, effective sentences - opening, closings combining, variety, elaboration - reasons, details, developing ideas, staying on topic, paragraphing - topic sentence, details, word choice - vivid, sensory details, description figurative language, writing process).Written expression includes descriptive, narrative, expository, persuasive writings, and literary analysis

Students master skills in place value to 10,000,000, mental math, estimation, multi-digit multiplication, division of numbers, fractions (adding and subtracting, equivalent, mixed numbers and improper), bar graph problem solving models, algebraic thinking, area/perimeter, ratios, decimals and percents, graphs, probability, types of angles, and number sense.

Students study the book of 1 Peter, Old Testament covenants, Judah’s return, writers of the Gospel and how the Gospels were written, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Jesus’ birth, early life and ministry, Hannukah, Jesus’ expanded ministry and growing popularity, Passover, parables, Jesus’ Galilean ministry, His death and resurrection, and His further ministry.

Students discover chemical and physical property change, gravity, energy, photosynthesis and decomposition of plants and earth systems.

Students explore world and state geography, ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Greece and Rome, Vikings, Medieval Europe, Renaissance and the Reformation, Age of Exploration, Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs.

Skill, craftsmanship, beauty, clarity, balance, and other timeless elements are studied and practiced in lower school art classes. Art education sets students on a trajectory for understanding the beauty of Christ and His creation. Students practice painting, sketching, ceramics, printmaking, landscapes, portraits, and many other projects. The annual spring Art Walk event allows students to display their work for family and friends. 

The lower school music program exposes students to music in various ways. Vocal, instrumental, and percussion music is practiced while studying essential concepts like melody and rhythm through classical and modern composers. Fourth-grade students learn to play the recorder, while fifth-graders play band instruments. Vocal and instrumental concerts are held at Christmas and throughout the spring. 4th & 5th grade students interested in singing can join the children’s choir. In addition, private piano, vocal, and guitar lessons are available during school hours and after school.

C.J. integrates technology and critical thinking skills with the content areas at each grade level. Students solve problems and build collaboration skills through science, technology, math, and engineering. CREATE Junior is a precursor to the CDS Middle School’s CREATE. 

The lower school Spanish program teaches children to learn the language and also to engage in the culture. Holidays, geography, and traditions of Spanish communities are studied. 

Students flock to P.E. each week to practice various athletic skills and build endurance. The P.E. teacher encourages sportsmanship through encouragement and team building. Lessons center around developmentally appropriate skills. The Turkey Trot and Field Day are highlights for lower school students. 

The lower school library encourages the joy of reading and exploration of various genres. The librarian instructs students on how to find books and wisely develop their research skills in print and online. Students participate in the Readers Are Leaders program, which encourages them to read for pleasure with a purpose. The library team chooses literature with great intentionality and care.