Curriculum Goals

We designed St. Giles’ Pre-K program to be the foundation for future years of education. We are delighted to come alongside exuberant, image bearers of God, and introduce them to the concepts of learning. As shorter brothers and sisters in Christ, Pre-K children exhibit many endearing traits, while requiring teaching and direction to grow in wisdom.

We seek to recognize the frame of our students and structure each class so that it brings blessing to them, while laying a foundational love for God and His created world. Our goal in each lesson is to reveal the goodness, beauty and truth found in Language, Math, Reading and Writing.

These four tools of learning are introduced within a framework of activities which incorporate physical movement, singing, poetry, storybooks, timeless works of art and music, and the wondrous beauty of the created world. It is our prayer that students grow in their love and understanding of God as they learn more of His creation. Please contact us for further information.

As the only standard for life and godliness we believe students at all ages should be immersed in the Word of God, and taught to delight in it.

We seek to:

1) Focus instruction on the students reading, understanding, memorizing and applying the Word of God.

2) Teach a comprehensive Bible timeline which creates an understanding of major world history events within Biblical history.

3) Familiarize students with basic Christian disciplines such as prayer and Scripture memorization.

A typical lesson consists of prayer, Bible reading, discussion/teaching, Bible timeline event, singing and memory work.

The Word of God was written to enable His people to glorify and enjoy Him. We stand with Christians throughout history in our desire to teach all children to read, so that they may pursue the Bible individually and receive the blessings found in God’s holy Word. In addition to the Bible, we work to equip children to enjoy the wealth of treasure found in good literature.

We seek to:

1) Adequately equip each child with the phonetic skills and practice necessary to read well, that is, smoothly and with good comprehension.

2) Instill in students a love of the lovely (Phil. 4:8). C.S. Lewis put it this way: “Literature exists to teach what is useful, to honour what deserves honour, to appreciate what is delightful. The useful, honourable and delightful things are superior to it: it exists for their sake; its own use; honour, or delightfulness is derivative from theirs.” This means that, as the students are taught properly, they should grow in their love for great literature.

A typical lesson includes instruction in phonics and both silent and group reading. Books are chosen for reading in class time and at home which integrate with other subjects, as well as promoting truth and goodness.

Language is a blessing and tool in the Christian’s hand. This tool is often wielded in the written word.

We seek to:

1) Equip every student with the skills necessary for good writing, including correct spelling and grammar, pleasing style, clarity of focus, proofreading, and self-correcting.

2) Teach clarity of thought in writing through repeated practice.

3) Emphasize good writing by requiring the students to write often and correctly in various subjects, while introducing them to many styles of writing using the Bible and other high-quality literature.

A typical lesson utilizes a variety of materials appropriate for the grade, while implementing the grammar stage tools of memorizing facts and rules.

Math is the language of the created world and demonstrates the reason and logic found in the character of God.

We seek to:

1) Ensure that the students have a thorough mastery of basic mathematical functions and tables.

2) Emphasize the conceptual, as well as practical, understanding of math through the frequent use of story problems.

3) Illustrate God’s unchanging character through the timeless, logical mathematical systems He gave to man through His gift of reason.

A typical lesson includes memory work drills, review of past material, and working math concepts as a group and individually.

Christianity is a religion of remembering. From creation to present the children of God have been commanded to remember His justice, righteousness, holiness, and faithfulness to His people. History is the record of God’s providential dealings with men.

We seek to:

1) Teach that history is linear, proceeding along the path God directs from creation until Christ’s triumphant return.

2) Teach how to study history and how to critically evaluate reading material, identifying primary and secondary sources.

3) Teach the value of ancient history and the history of western civilization.

4) Teach a general timeline of historical events from Biblical times to the present, focusing primarily on western civilizations.

5) Focus geography on familiarization with the location and shape of land masses, prominent features, and major countries relevant to the history studied.

A typical lesson utilizes story-telling, quality literature, sound-offs, integration with other subjects, flashcards, singing, poetry and primary documents. Geography typically includes memorization of names and features and mapping by hand.

Article 2 of the Belgic Confession titled “The Means by Which We Know God” says this, “…since the universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God...” In Job 12:7 we are told to, “Ask the beasts, and they will teach you…”

Science is the systematic study of creation, based on observations. Romans 1:20 speaks of creation as a sermon on the invisible attributes of God, His eternal power and His divine nature. Creation testifies to these things and when we investigate nature, we are, in a very real sense, examining a sermon on the invisible attributes, the eternal power and the divine nature of our creator -- exposition with a microscope. In the Grammar stage of science we are laying a foundation of appreciation and respect which is built upon in the upper grades.

We seek to:

1) Foster an attitude of wonder in our students by teaching them to identify, describe, and categorize the different flora and fauna of the surrounding area.

2) Introduce the students to the created world with gratitude and delight.

3) Use the young student’s abilities to easily memorize and recite certain critical laws, distances, lists and other data that will prove useful throughout their training in science.

A typical lesson includes observation of the natural world using the five senses, nature walks, sketching, experiments, science reading, and memory work.

Latin is formally begun in the Grammar/Dialectic stage beginning in 3rd grade, after students have mastered most of their English phonics. It is taught because it builds English vocabulary and grammar, trains students to think logically and systematically, and prepares students for further foreign language study. A study of Latin connects students to Ancient history and Western culture while placing them in the stream of centuries of educated thinkers. Lastly, the study of Latin allows students to explore the treasures found in great works of literature both written in Latin, and those greatly influenced by Latin such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Tolkien and Lewis.

We seek to:

1) Instruct in the fundamental vocabulary and grammar of Latin.

2) Reinforce the students' understanding of the reason for, and the use of, the parts of speech being taught in our English grammar curriculum.

3) Cultivate scrutiny and logical thinking.

A typical lesson includes chants, written review, use of stories and pictures, and will allow for the student to be placed at the appropriate level based on previous study.

The worship of God is a calling for all of the saints, those who are called by His name (Ps. 29:2) We seek to impart to students a knowledge that music is a gift of God to His people to be used for His worship, as well as our own enjoyment.

We seek to:

1) Train the students to sing knowledgeably, joyfully, and skillfully to the Lord on a regular basis.

2) Systematically instruct the students in the fundamentals of vocal music.

3) Enrich the teaching of Scripture through the use of many classic, meaningful psalms and hymns.

4) Familiarize the students with the great musicians in Western culture and the instruments and forms they used.

A typical lesson includes singing, singing, and more singing. Our Music program is integral to our curriculum, so classes are held three times a week with integration in other subjects.

God’s created world is the model all artists should strive to follow in their creative work. The delightful principles of symmetry, color, form, and many other aspects of great art are found in God’s creation. With our study of art we seek to train an understanding, appreciation and ability for the good, true and beautiful as defined by God’s written Word and spoken world.

We seek to:

1) Teach students the basic fundamentals of drawing to enable them to create adequate renderings.

2) Encourage students to appreciate and imitate the beauty of the creation in their own work.

3) Equip students to knowledgeably use a variety of art media.

4) Introduce students to the work of great art Masters in Western culture.

Art lessons are twice a week with integration throughout the week in other subjects.