Sample Course of Study for 8-9 Year Old

Course of Study
(8-9 year old)

1. Basic Communication Skills: continue with spelling skills, critical thinking skills, comprehension skills, recreational reading, oral reading, language arts, letter writing skills, story writing, use of dictionary, library skills, strong emphasis on phonics, listening skills, kinds of sentences, plurals and possessives, homonyms, synonyms, vocabulary, penmanship, addition, subtraction, fractions, symmetry, decimals, reading and writing numbers through 100,000, long division, geometric concepts, percent, reasoning skills, and probability and estimation.

2. Citizenship, History and Government: continue strong emphasis on the U.S. Constitution, critical thinking skills, Vermont history, family history in relation to U.S. history, the American presidency, current events, personal responsibility, law, geography, American Revolutionary War, American Civil War, map skills, current events and regional travel.

3. Physical Education and Comprehensive Health Education: continue swimming, hiking, bicycling, sledding, proper care and use of equipment, use of protective gear, human biology including digestive, nervous, skeletal and circulatory systems, food pyramid, the 5 senses, critical thinking skills, cooking and food preparation, abuse and effects of alcohol, tobacco and related drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac, effects of consumer advertisements on the subliminal consciousness, survival skills, and psychology.

4. English, American, and other Literature: improve critical thinking skills, frequent trips to town, city and regional libraries, continue to read silently and aloud, create own written works, story telling, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, creative writing, biographies. Will include but not be limited to the following books and magazines: Oliver Twist, Sarah, Plain and Tall, The Diary of Anne Frank, Little House on the Prairie Series, Frankenstein, Kidnapped, Tom Sawyer, Gulliver's Travels, Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew Mysteries, Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, Highlights, Cobblestone, New Moon, Ranger Rick.

5. The Natural Sciences: continue with human and animal biology, care and feeding of pets, immediate environment, investigative science, archeology, geographic skills, nature walks, gardening, camping, recycling, basic human needs, types of shelters, climate, food sources, diseases, deserts, insects, weather, astronomy, pollution.

6. The Fine Arts: continue painting, drawing, clay, crafts, collage making, papier mache, attend galleries, museums, art shows, attend theater and dance performances, creative dramatics, basic musicianship to acquire skills in hearing and differentiating musical instruments, listening to all types of music from country to classic.