Elementary Program

Brooklake Christian School's elementary program is committed to providing students with excellence in education that begins with high standards in the classroom and a curriculum that is challenging and rewarding. We use a variety of publishers including A Beka, Bob Jones, ACSI, Houghton Mifflin, and Concordia. Curriculum is reviewed annually to assure the highest quality for our students based on research and best practice standards. Our students are instilled with a love of learning and leadership skills they take with them throughout their lives.

Curriculum

Language Arts – Our students learn to read using phonics and in classrooms rich with literature. Phonics based instruction provides a framework from which students begin to read independently due to their decoding skills. Comprehension is stressed using research based comprehension strategies such as summarizing, questioning, monitoring and clarifying, predicting and inferring, and evaluating. Learning vowel sounds, digraphs, and syllables, enables students to be successful spellers at all grade levels. Students also learn to express themselves in writing at each grade level. They are progressively taught grammar concepts, parts of speech, capitalization and punctuation. These skills enable them to write for a variety of purposes including, stories, expressing opinions, personal narratives, research reports, and written instructions. Writing skills are practiced and mastered through learning the writing planning process, writing drafts, and editing. An emphasis on growing student vocabularies is stressed at each grade level.

Science – Brooklake uses Discovery Works science curriculum throughout the elementary program. This approach teaches science through individual and group discovery of properties of matter and other scientific concepts through hands-on learning. Each grade level focuses on different areas of Life Science, Earth Science, and Physical Science each year. There is also an emphasis on the scientific method and experimental procedures in which students conceive of science projects and successfully see them to fruition through experiments of their own design.

Social Studies – Our social studies curriculum begins with an understanding of students' roles in their communities and basic geography skills. It progresses to a study of the history of the United States, the important people in our nation’s formation, how we have developed into the nation we are today, our rights and responsibilities, and finally, to a thorough understanding of world history and cultures, and the role we as a people and a nation play in the world. All of this is taught from a Biblical perspective understanding the role religion has played in history and in our lives today.

Mathematics – It is important for students to have a good foundation in basic mathematic concepts from which to build higher order math skills, including geometry and algebra. Students are given the opportunity to learn math through the repetition necessary to build a solid foundation of basic math skills, as well as the experience of using math in daily life and problem solving. Our students have been very successful using the A Beka arithmetic series in our elementary program to learn basic skills and strengthen their critical thinking.

Bible – Our primary goal is to provide students an opportunity to have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. We use the ACSI Bible series throughout our elementary program. Through this curriculum, and teachers of strong faith, students learn about God through Old and New Testament stories. Students gain an understanding of basic Christian doctrine and see it lived out through our staff. There is a special emphasis on Christian character traits and living the Fruit of the Spirit each day throughout the school year.

Music – Students begin a formal study of music through a variety of activities including music theory, band, choir, and recorder.

Technology – All students in grades K-6 spend a minimum of one hour each week in the computer lab. Students are taught to use the computer as a learning tool for use in current subjects and as an effective research tool. They also learn computer skills, and to use real world computer programs such as Word, Publisher, Excel, and PowerPoint.

PE – Physical Education is a bi-weekly part of our curriculum.

Elementary Activities

Reading Buddies – A weekly highlight for students is the time they spend with their buddies. Students in grades 3-6 are paired with reading buddies in grades K, 1, and 2. The students read together and enjoy a mentoring relationship.

Clubs – Chess, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, American Sign Language, Art

Chapel – Students attend a weekly chapel service. Centered on worship, each class sponsors a minimum of one chapel each year. Students participate in preparing for the service, choosing the speaker, and leading their classmates in worship.

Community Service – Giving back is a part of the philosophy of Brooklake Christian School. Each year the students of BCS sponsors children in needy countries, raises funds for disaster relief, and raises donations for local charities. Each class participates in an annual project to provide relief for a specific area of need locally or around the world.

Leadership – One goal of BCS is to train Christian leaders who are capable of making a difference in their world. Students gain practical experience in leadership through Reading Buddies and 6th Grade Leadership Teams.

Academic Competitions – Spelling Bee, Math Olympics, Science Fair, Speech Meet, Patriot's Pen