Once a week, the faculty and student body in grades one through four gather together in the Worship Center to express devotion to our Lord through praise and worship. Biblical truths and principles of life are taught by our staff, pastors and guest speakers. We welcome parents to attend with their children and worship with us.

Bible study is an integral part of the school curriculum at Willamette Christian School. In the third grade curriculum, a spotlight is on the character of God. God is presented as the source and strength of character. We encourage students to respond to Him in worship and admiration. The truth of God’s Word will be taught and applied to our daily life and struggles. Familiarity with God’s father-heart toward us and His amazing plan for our future are a source of hope and guidance. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the main thrust for the classroom. Students learn by His example how to be the best they can be in God’s plan for His kingdom by developing Godly character.

The third grade ACSI Bible curriculum presents an overview of Christ and His Church. The instructional sequence includes a study of the life of Christ (His actions, teachings and miracles), the early church in Acts and missions from the apostle Paul until the present. We also learn the books of the Bible in order and do daily morning devotions.

READING

Bob Jones University Press authors the reading program for grades three through six. This is an innovative developmental reading program providing teaching, practice, application and assessment of essential reading skills in a unique way. Each student receives a reading text as well as a workbook to provide further practice, application and assessment skills. The reading program is supplemented with A Beka reading books from levels 3.5 - 4.5 to provide a wide variety of quality reading selections that stimulate the student’s enjoyment of reading and to develop an appreciation of literature. Read and Think 3 provides timed reading exercises with quizzes; it is designed to be given once a week in third grade.

These exercises help develop speed and comprehension in reading. We also work on genre study. Each month there is a focus on a new genre. Throughout the year we will read different novels as a class and do many activities for comprehension, application and assessment skills. We will also be doing various book reports that will be done outside of class.

The ability to communicate with one another and with God is part of His plan for our lives. Written language requires accurate spelling. Thus, spelling becomes an important part of the communication process. Writing allows the transfer of information over space and time. This ability is unique to humans and is a clear reflection of the nature of God.

WCS works to create lifelong spellers. Students need to have a grasp of spelling rules as well as a knowledge of how to spell basic to advanced words, not just for Friday tests, but in everyday work. We use a variety of methods to accomplish this. The main resource is Rebecca Sitton’s Sourcebook Method. This method is based on the top 1,200 most frequently used words in the English language. The program uses a wide variety of interesting games and lessons to practice synonyms, homonyms and other word groups. Words are graded in context taken from everyday writing, "cloze" tests and dictation. We utilize the ACSI Spelling Bee lists in the first semester.

Each day two sentences from Daily Oral Language are presented to students. The sentences contain errors in punctuation, capitalization and usage. Through classroom discussion, previously learned skills are reviewed and new applications are taught.

In addition, the children receive daily practice in the principles of language in both written and oral communication. The workbook, Language 3, provides an excellent and abundant variety of practice exercises to begin formal study of English. Students benefit from solid skill instruction in:

            * Capitalization                                            * Complete sentences

            * Recognizing nouns, verbs, adjectives         * Forming plurals

            * Using synonyms, antonyms, homonyms     * Dictionary skills

            * Letter writing                                            * Punctuation

            * Creative writing                                        * Proper word usage

Students solve verbal or representational analogies daily, enabling students to understand the connecting relationships between words. In the process, students develop skills in critical and creative thinking, vocabulary, and test taking skills.

The A Beka penmanship book for third graders, Writing With Phonics, re-teaches the formation of the cursive letters at the beginning of the year. Phonics is also reviewed. Good formation, proper slant and correct letter sizes are emphasized throughout the year. As students practice their penmanship they also work with proper nouns, including bible names and books of the Bible.

They compose sentences and paragraphs, learn new words and work with rhyming words, syllabication, alphabetizing, root words, suffixes, prefixes and sequential order. They also learn research skills of looking up answers in a beautifully illustrated animal and state glossary.

On a daily basis students receive mini-mental exercises where they need it the most: speed drills, number sense, patterns, estimation, mental mathematics and geometry through creative and oral games. Critical thinking skills are incorporated into problem solving, helping students see the connections among a variety of math topics. Problems emphasize real-world situations, reinforcing the importance of mathematics in students’ daily lives.

The A Beka math curriculum is used as the core textbook. This is a complete math program that provides daily activities including oral drill, the teaching and practice of new material and review of basic facts. Games are used to reinforce math skills learned during lessons. Besides training students in the basic skills that are needed in life, the mathematics curriculum teaches students to believe in the absolute boundaries of the universe, to work diligently to get right answers and to see the facts of mathematics as part of the truth and order that God has built into the real universe. Listed below are many of the skills the third graders will learn:

        * Addition/carrying                     * Money                         *Place Value

        * Roman numerals 1-1000         * Estimation                     * Graphs and charts

        * Division facts/long division       * Prime Numbers             * Fraction and decimals

        * Subtraction facts/borrowing     * Equations                      * Terminology

        * Multiplication facts 0-12          * Angles                           * Time

        * Averaging numbers                  * Pre-Algebra                  * English/metric measure

        * Number sentences                   * Geometric shapes          * Problem solving

        * Composite numbers

Science is the study of God’s order, provision and general revelation as discovered in His physical creation. The science and health program at WCS offers a comprehensive study which gives the

students understanding of the content and processes of life, physical and earth sciences. Along with teacher created supplemental materials the third grade utilizes Bob Jones University Press Science 3 as the core text. Units have been created to stimulate the children’s interest in science through a study of the wonders of God’s creation. Experiments and activities reinforce and expand the ideas taught. Listed below are units to be taught this year:

        * Earth: rocks, minerals, soil

        * Space: solar system

        * Life: cells, tissues, organs, plants, animals (vertebrates, invertebrates, mammals,

           reptiles, fish, birds, amphibians )

        * Health: skin, body

        * Physical Science: work, mass weight, sound

        * Meteorology: weather, clouds, tornadoes, temperature

Students go on a field trip to the planetarium and have opportunities for extra credit projects such as experiments in class, dioramas, clay models and reports. We are gradually adding a new curriculum: Simply Science. The Earth Unit covers meteorology and more. We will study daily, seasonal, and geographical weather changes, use and make tools to measure weather, predict weather and collect and interpret weather data over time.

Students need a realistic view of history, government, and economics based upon the foundational truths of Scripture. The Willamette Christian School history program is presented with the firm conviction that "the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof." History, therefore is a revelation of God in His dealings with man and the universe.

In our history book, Heritage Studies for Christian Schools 3, the concepts of the Constitutional Convention, French Revolution, American frontier, states and regions, Civil War, the wild west and map skills are presented. Our objectives include not only the teaching of beginning history concepts and geography skills, but also the formation of Christian philosophy, character and attitudes. Each student is encouraged to become a responsible Christian citizen. The goal of history is for the children to see God’s sovereign hand in the formation of our country and His continued hand upon each of our lives as our history unfolds today. Other resources give children and awareness of their American culture and heritage as it was and is today so they can make choices that will affect their future. Children must be aware of the importance of learning from the past and appreciate the structure of their own families. We will write our own constitution in class; pan for gold, make timelines, keep journals, make log cabins and covered wagons as well as other activities. Students will be encouraged to do extra credit projects and experience the feelings of other people groups by studying and presenting research in a variety of ways. We will read from God’s World newspaper about current events around the world as we see from God’s perspective how things change and effect us. We will have quizzes and comprehensive evaluations that reveal increasing critical thinking skills. Students will have a better understanding of God’s work in our nation by the end of third grade.

SPANISH

WCS students participate in a multimedia Spanish curriculum. Viva el Espanol is a complete language development program designed for teaching Spanish in elementary and middle schools. The main objectives in our Spanish program guide students through the development of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills with a special emphasis on communicative activities to create actual and practical uses of the language. While learning Spanish, students also explore the cultures of the Hispanic world. Viva el Espanol makes learning Spanish fun and creates a positive attitude toward learning languages and experiencing a different culture.

A general introduction to computer terms and basics begins the class. An overview of mouse movement and entering and closing programs is reviewed. A typing program, Mavis Beacon Teaching Typing 5, is the primary teaching tool by which students are taught correct finger placement and usage for the keyboard. During special seasons, holidays, etc., they learn to make posters and cards from the Print Artist 3.0 program. Corel Word Perfect Suite 7 is also used to create "word art". The third grader is introduced to basic word processing.

Fitness and skill development are the primary goals of the program. Students participate in exercises to promote cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength and flexibility. Basic motor and manipulative skills are sequenced or combined for greater movement challenges. Games, relays and drills are designed to enhance skill related fitness or specific sport skills. Partner and group activities are used to meet growing social needs while emphasizing individual development.

We design art classes at Willamette Christian School to stretch the imagination of the children and challenge their creativity. Our curriculum introduces children to great artists, their works, various art techniques and a wide selection of art products. This is accomplished through the use of theme units such as Holidays, A Trip Around the World, and mixed mediums. Students learn about color mixing, shading, texture, size and color value. Foil art, origami, crayon rubbings, gingerbread houses, pop-up cards and soap carvings are just a few examples of the fun and exciting projects we offer to our art students.

God created music as a gift for us. In turn, we must use it for Him. Music is a skill that must be trained and developed. In doing so, students will learn music as an avenue to praise and worship God. Melody, harmony, and rhythm will be points of study, with community resources being used to help enhance this program. Students will learn to listen, write, read and lead others. Participate in the music program will go on field trips and minister to others in our community. Willamette Christian School students will perform a yearly Christmas Musical.

Throughout the year there are several opportunities for students to participate in various ACSI sponsored academic competitions with students from other Christian schools. Competitions at the classroom level select representatives from Willamette Christian School for the ACSI Spelling Bee, Math Olympics and Speech Meet. In addition, older students compete in the Creative Writing Festival and the Musicale, and event featuring choral and instrumental music evaluations and rehearsal with a guest conductor for a mass choir and a mass band performance at the end of the day.

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