Tuition-Free Online Elementary School Program in Wyoming

LANGUAGE ARTS

This Kindergarten Language Arts course will teach students to identify and write all letters, produce letter sounds, and frequently used phonograms. Students will also master weekly sight words and reading and comprehension strategies to grow as readers. This course meets all Common Core Kindergarten Language Arts standards.

MATH

During the first semester, students will learn foundational math facts. They will learn to count to 12, compare sizes and ordinal numbers, put items in order, what a number line is and its uses, basic measurements such as inches and feet, and how to tell time on digital and analog clocks.

In the second semester, students learn to count to twenty. They compare objects using the terms tall, longer, and shorter and compare two objects using the words lighter and heavier. They will continue their exploration of basic geometric shapes such as cones and spheres. They will work with the concept of first, middle, and last.

SCIENCE

Students in this course will use their senses to explore their world. Students experience nature walks, gardening, and imitative games by exploring varying concepts.

SOCIAL STUDIES

This course introduces students to their place in the community and the responsibilities of being a member of society. Significant figures in U.S. history, such as Pocahontas, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, are a focus of learning this semester.

In the second semester, students study map reading. They will discover how to read maps of the U.S. and the world. Students learn essential map skills, including location and water representation in floor plans, to benefit them for life.

ELECTIVES

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Elementary PE K-1 helps young learners establish a basic understanding of health and fitness. Students focus on health-related fitness and learn to become more fit and healthy. Topics of study include exercise safety, healthy choices, nutrition, the benefits, components, and principles of fitness, basic anatomy and physiology, and values of cooperation and teamwork. In addition, students learn age-appropriate motor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills. Students are required to participate in regular physical activity.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

This course provides a foundation for children’s inherent artistic imagination and creativity by sharing the basics of art and making art. It covers fundamental art concepts, including lines, circles, shape recognition, collage creation, and an exploration of symmetry.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This 1st Grade Language Arts course will teach students to identify and write all letters, and produce letter sounds and frequently used phonograms. Students will also master weekly sight words and reading and comprehension strategies to grow as readers. All Common Core 1 LA standards are met in this course.

MATH

During the first semester, students will build fluency with basic math facts. They will learn to count to 100, basic addition and subtraction facts, and how to add double-digit numbers. Students will be introduced to new concepts like word problems, Venn diagrams, and basic geometric concepts.

During the second semester, students will begin counting by twos, fives, and tens. They will learn both vertical addition and subtraction. Students are introduced to multiplication, division, and the signs used in those operations. They will also study even and odd numbers.

SCIENCE

Students in this course will complete projects designed to allow for exploration and discovery. Students observe their surroundings and through observations of the natural world conduct inquiries into topics related to their healthy development.

SOCIAL STUDIES

In this semester, students begin to explore the fundamentals of social studies including map skills, and cardinal directions, and will examine maps of the U.S. and the globe. Students will also be introduced to important figures from American history, such as Pocahontas, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Clara Barton.

The second semester has a focus on introductory economics. They will study bartering, goods and services, jobs in the community, and how the marketplace works.

LANGUAGE ARTS

The 2nd Grade Language Arts course will teach students to spell and write vocabulary, read more fluently, apply grammar concepts, and participate in handwriting and writing activities through thematic units. Students will also continue to master weekly sight words and reading and comprehension strategies to grow as readers. All Common Core 2 LA standards are met in this course.

MATH

During the first semester, students will build fluency with basic math facts and add and subtract within 100 to solve word problems using strategic methods. Students will also manipulate numbers to 1000 using knowledge of hundreds, tens, and ones. Lastly, students will demonstrate arrays with repeated addition.

During the second semester, students will use place value to add and subtract within 1000. They will use place value to estimate and solve word problems to demonstrate skills. Students will measure and compare length and represent it on a number line. They will work with money and time to compare value. Students will collect data and represent it on graphs to discuss it. Lastly, they will recognize common 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes by specific characteristics.

SCIENCE

Students in 2nd Grade Science learn the importance of observation in the study of science. Learners will identify their five senses and why they are critical to observation. Students will use these observation skills throughout the course to examine many different types of animals and their environments. Students begin by observing ants in their environments and continue to learn the different types of birds. Students will come to understand plant and animal rhythms and will perform small experiments with plants. Stories will be used to teach the students about nature and the interactions that humans have with nature. They will continue to learn about animals and their characteristics, habitats, and needs.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Students in this course will begin to explore the fundamentals of social studies including culture, geography, and economics. Students will explore the Ancient Cultures of China, Africa, and the Celts. Students will explore these cultures through ancient folk tales and fables. Learners will create a photo book describing the significant events in their lives. They will also examine the importance of geography and direction. Students will learn how to locate boundaries while using a world map. Students will identify the places discussed in the previous lessons including Africa, China, and the British Isles.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This 3rd grade language Arts course will teach students reading comprehension skills and strategies to help them become stronger readers. Students will also master weekly spelling, vocabulary words, and grammar concepts to help them become stronger writers. All Common Core Third Grade LA standards are met in this course.

MATH

During the first semester, students will build flexibility with numbers as they master addition and subtraction facts and multiplication and division facts. Students will understand relationships between addition and subtraction, multiplication and addition, and multiplication and division as they learn to borrow, carry, and regroup to find sums and differences of two whole numbers up to 10,000. Students will also comprehend the place value of base ten numbers up to 1,000,000 to find patterns and make estimations. Lastly, they will implement a 4-step approach to solving problems and express numbers differently, including translating them into Roman numerals or expressing them as ordinal numbers.

During the second semester, students will explore measurement concepts including linear measurement, weight, volume, temperature, and time. They will also recognize, compare, and convert fractions. Students will write amounts of money and make change using as few coins as possible. Lastly, students will examine lines, polygons, and solid figures as they are introduced to basic geometry concepts.

SCIENCE

3rd grade science introduces students to experimentation as they journey through the earth and its many miracles. They will begin by learning about the earth, the sun, and the moon. By participating in simple experiments, students will explore the water cycle, gravity, the weather and its patterns, various types of terrain, and the role of plants in oxygen production and their importance to human survival. Learners will expand their knowledge through videos, pictures, short readings, projects, and hands-on experiments.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Students will begin to explore the fundamentals of social studies including geography, civics, and economics. Learners will begin by looking at the beginning of civilization and examining the ancient Hebrew civilization, the Phoenicians, and the Kush tribe of ancient Africa. They will then study the Native American tribes of the Cherokee, Sioux, and Hopi. Students will also look at the first explorers of the Americas and learn about the beginning of the United States. In the first semester students will learn important geographical factors in the ancient civilizations, Native American tribes, and the developing United States. Students will increase their skills by creating maps and looking at the landscapes. They will take a close look at their heritage by mapping their ancestry.

LANGUAGE ARTS

4th grade Language Arts integrates reading, writing, speaking, listening, and the study of vocabulary and grammar in a way that engages today’s learners and supports them in building a broad and diverse set of literacy skills. Students study classic literature as well as more contemporary forms, including media and multimedia products. Writing assignments in semester A focus on narrative and persuasive modes and emphasize the use of reasoning and details to support opinions. Each writing assignment spans several lessons and guides students through a writing process that begins with prewriting and ends by emphasizing one or more aspects of conventions of standard written English. Students also learn how to participate in collaborative discussions and peer review sessions. In each lesson, engaging and relevant models and step-by-step instruction guide students toward mastery and appreciation of 21st century communication in all its forms and functions.

MATH

4th grade math uses varied instructional material to reinforce and teach new math skills. Instruction includes creative videos, mathematical storytelling, practical math applications, and repetition to strengthen skills. By the end of the course, students will have acquired a solid grasp of key content areas. They will gain proficiency in multi-digit multiplication and learn how to divide to find quotients when dealing with multi-digit dividends. They will also develop an understanding of fraction equivalence, addition and subtraction of fractions with like denominators, and the multiplication of fractions with whole numbers.

SCIENCE

4th grade science encompasses three main science domains: physical, life, and earth and space science. Students will use various experiments, including field studies, systematic observations, models, and controlled experiences. The course begins with an explanation of the scientific method, which the students continue to use and build upon throughout the course. The students review life on planet Earth, including salt and freshwater, as well as fast and slow changes occurring on the planet. Students go beyond planet Earth to study galaxies, the solar system, and other planets. Students examine how forces and motion can be measured and how a single kind of matter can exist as a solid, liquid, or gas. Grade 4 science uses many modes of instruction, including video presentations, enrichment activities, and hands-on experimentation.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Semester A: Students will utilize social studies skills to investigate their local states and communities. They will begin by learning the topography of their area by creating a detailed landscape model. This project will be hands-on and require students to research their communities. They will also study local animals and gain an understanding of local Native American grounds in their part of the country. This course walks students through the research and report writing steps vital to continuing social studies. They will continue to focus on their states as they do projects based on local geography, state capitals, and nearby natural wonders and landforms. The semester concludes with an introduction to colonial history.

Semester B of 4th grade Social Studies looks further into the frontier life of the early American settlers. Students examine the difficulties that early settlers faced when reaching America. They use historical knowledge to understand how history has shaped and will shape the future. They will continue the focus of local history by doing research projects on settlers from their particular states and on how their state became a part of the Union.

LANGUAGE ARTS

5th grade Language Arts integrates reading, writing, speaking, listening, and the study of vocabulary and grammar in a way that engages today’s learners and supports them in building a broad and diverse set of literacy skills. Students study classic literature and more contemporary forms, including media and multimedia products. Writing assignments in semester A focus on narrative and persuasive modes and emphasize the use of reasoning and details to support opinions. Each writing assignment spans several lessons and guides students through a writing process that begins with prewriting and ends by emphasizing one or more aspects of conventions of standard written English. Students also learn how to participate in collaborative discussions and peer review sessions. In each lesson, engaging and relevant models and step-by-step instruction guide students toward mastery and appreciation of 21st-century communication in all its forms and functions.

MATH

Students will learn math topics outlined in this course drawing from a variety of sources, including hands-on activities, interactive lessons, and practical math applications. Students will focus on several critical areas including but not limited to developing fluency with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fractions. They will also learn to extend division to 2-digit divisors, integrate decimal fractions into the place value system, and increase an understanding of operations with decimals to hundredths. They will develop fluency with whole numbers and decimal operations. The semester begins with operations and expressions, moves into decimals and money, and ends with more work on fractions. Learners will gain valuable skills as they carry out activities that model real-life situations like grocery shopping throughout the semester.

Semester B begins with students continuing to work with fractions. The first lesson focuses on ratios and challenges students to solve word problems using fractions and ratios in practical life situations. Learners continue to strengthen their math skills by studying mixed and fraction products, and fraction application, models, and division. The third critical area students will focus on in Grade 5 Math is volume.

SCIENCE

Grade 5 Science continues to build on the science skills obtained in years previous. There will be an emphasis on Earth and space science, life science, and physical science. Students will begin the course by focusing on Earth and space science by looking at the solar system and planets. Students will come to an understanding of the concept of the Earth as a sphere and the Earth’s place in the solar system. The course continues with a focus on physical science and the different tools that can measure force, time, and distance. They will also grow their understanding of how light and sound travel and interact with each other and different types of energy. The semester concludes with a look into life science and ways organisms are interconnected. Instruction will include real-life applications, hands-on projects and assessments, and video and short research projects.

Semester B greatly emphasizes life science and begins by focusing on the many ecosystems of the Earth and how all parts of ecosystems depend on each other. Students will learn about the different types of ecosystems that exist. They will learn that ecosystems change and how those changes affect their ability to support their populations. Learners will examine plants; how they have different structures, and how those structures allow them to respond to different needs. Students will also grow their understanding of the importance of good nutrition to all living organisms. The course concludes with a look into the scientific process and the importance of investigations and conclusions in the study of science.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Grade 5 Social Studies combines the study of United States History through the Civil War with a geographical exploration of the United States and what it has to offer. Students will use their understanding of social studies skills and concepts as they study the development of the United States. The first semester begins with early settlements of North America and allows learners an in-depth look into what life was like for colonists and Native Americans. Students will come to understand the causes of the Revolutionary War and the people who played a significant role in it. The semester ends with students examining the new nation and what life was like for European immigrants and those on the frontier.

Semester B begins with an exploration of the West and what life was like for those looking to find gold. Learners will then look at slavery and what led to the Civil War. The course then takes a departure from American history and takes a more in-depth look into cultures, people, and the geography of the United States from the past to the present. Learners will have the opportunity to explore the country region by region and come to appreciate all that it has to offer. Students will conclude the course by planning and describing a trip they would like to take to a particular place within the 50 United States. Students will take a hands-on approach as they get to know the geography, climate, and culture of their country.