The Early Years: Grades K-4
Because younger children learn primarily through imitation and doing, our kindergarten through fourth grade curriculum features a great deal of healthy activity and movement. We provide lessons rich in experiential exercises that will stimulate learning through action and imagination. Your children will experience a multi-sensory education as they explore a world of color, song, rhythm and verse, all the while learning about themselves and the world around them.
Preschool Kindergarten First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade
Get complete overviews and sample lessons of both our printed and online curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade.
Order a catalog for the 2009-2010 school year.
Middle School: Grades 5-8
Oak Meadow combines strong academic standards with an understanding of the developmental needs of adolescent students. We not only focus on developing a strong intellect, but also on engaging students artistically and experientially. We do this by providing lessons that are developmentally appropriate and that immerse students in the creative arts, music and movement as well as language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. Our goal is not simply to provide factual information, but also to inspire your child to learn and thrive.
In grades five through eight, we use descriptive stories that engage your children and encourage them to care about the topics they are studying. Historic men and women become real human beings that children can understand and appreciate. The curriculum for grades five through eight continues to present experiential exercises as in previous years, but now abstract ideas become part of the experience. Scientific observation is encouraged and explored, and mathematics start to become increasingly complex as students prepare for the higher math of high school.
Fifth Grade Sixth Grade Seventh Grade Eighth Grade
Get complete overviews and sample lessons of both our printed and online curriculum for kindergarten through eighth grade.
Order a catalog for the 2009-2010 school year.
Preschool Curriculum Materials
Our preschool curriculum is a creative, imaginative course that introduces you and your child to the fundamental principles of learning. You and your child will engage in morning circle activities, singing, fingerplays, sand and water play, nature walks, bedtime rituals, and storytelling as you establish rhythms for learning that will benefit your child throughout the schooling years. Materials include: Preschool Heart of Learning, Preschool Learning Processes, an audio CD, beeswax crayons, and preschool paint kit.
Kindergarten Curriculum Materials
Our Kindergarten curriculum reflects the open-hearted and imaginative way that young children meet the world. Students are gently introduced to the world of letters and numbers through play-based activities and storytelling. Each week, students participate in a variety of activities including nature walks, circle songs and games, sand and water play, storytelling, puppetry, cooking, imagination activities, gardening, and imitative games.
The capital letters of the alphabet, the numbers 1-10, and exploration of the natural world are presented through fairy tales and number stories. Singing, painting, drama, and handcrafts are included throughout. A healthy rhythm of learning is established that will serve you and your child for years to come. Materials include: Kindergarten Syllabus, Kindergarten Fairy Tales, First Book of Crafts, and Wee Sing audio CD & book.
First Grade Curriculum Materials
The first grade curriculum develops emerging skills while engaging in artistic activities that nurture the imagination. The course is loosely based around the cycle of the seasons, and is flexible enough to be modified for the seasons in your area and the time you start the course. The Language Arts lessons introduce capital and lower case letters, phonetics (word families, vowels, consonant blends), reading, writing, and speech exercises. Math includes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, word problems, number patterns and sequencing, freehand geometry, quantitative concepts, and money recognition. Social Studies emphasizes multicultural awareness through storytelling, a sense of time and place, and community connections.
Our Science curriculum includes plant cycles, animal habitats, the weather, and plant and animal interdependence. In Arts & Crafts, the curriculum encourages free drawing, form drawing, watercolor painting, beeswax modeling, recorder playing, singing, knitting, and seasonal nature projects. Finally, students engage in physical movement games to develop balance, coordination, agility, dexterity, body awareness, strength, endurance, and flexibility. Materials include: First Grade Syllabus, Beginning Recorder, Oak Meadow Songbook, Oak Meadow Music audio CD, First Grade Fairy Tales, Word Family Reader, Little Bear, Little Bear’s Visit, A Kiss for Little Bear, Frog and Toad are Friends, Frog and Toad Together, Mouse Soup, and Mouse Tales.
Second Grade Curriculum Materials
The second grade curriculum continues to present an artistic and creative approach that integrates the different subjects by intertwining stories, games, scientific observation, crafts, and physical activities. The Language Arts lessons encourage young students to express themselves in unique and meaningful ways, and feature phonetics (word families, vowels, consonant blends), reading, writing, speech exercises, and poetry. Mathematics activities include learning the multiplication tables, translating word problems into equations, number sequencing, place value, and calculations with money. History, geography, and civics are studied in the context of multicultural stories, community connections, and natural resources. The student will learn how to classify animals and recognize their tracks, and study the ways in which animals and humans depend on each other. Art projects offer opportunities for free drawing, form drawing, watercolor painting, clay and beeswax modeling, crocheting, and seasonal nature projects. Students will also learn about maintaining strength, endurance, and flexibility through healthy movement. Materials include: Second Grade Syllabus, Intermediate Recorder, Clay Fun, Book of Nature Crafts, Animal Stories, Just So Stories, Ben and Meg, The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle, Fables, and Animal Friends. Note: If you didn’t order the first grade curriculum last year, you’ll need to order Beginning Recorder.
Third Grade Curriculum Materials
Third graders are ready to meet educational challenges with a new sense of self and a stronger will. Our third grade curriculum encourages observation, precision, imagination, and creativity. Folk tales and classics from children’s literature form the foundation of a rich and effective Language Arts program that develops essential grammar and composition skills. Students will observe the natural world in their own back yard with the study of local climate, history, maps, and stories. Careful work is encouraged through the introduction of cursive handwriting, time telling, book binding, carpentry, and cooking. Mathematics lessons include carrying and borrowing, further work with multiplication and division, weights and measures, place values to one million, bar graphs, and geometric figures. Throughout, the student will engage in creative and imaginative projects such as watercolor painting, paper marbling, recorder playing, and community participation. Materials include: Third Grade Syllabus, Advanced Recorder, First Cookbook, Carpentry for Children, Folk Tales, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Velveteen Rabbit, Charlotte’s Web, Pippi Longstocking, Winnie the Pooh, Little House in the Big Woods, and Peter Pan. Note: If you didn’t order the second grade curriculum last year, you’ll need to order Clay Fun, Beginning Recorder, and Intermediate Recorder to add to this curriculum.
Fourth Grade Curriculum Materials
The fourth grade curriculum provides a wonderful challenge for the curious child with an emphasis on patterns in nature, local history, and creative writing. Our course is written to help children retain a sense of wonder and reverence for the world, while also taking greater responsibility for their learning by performing regular self-assessments. Reading and writing assignments take on more depth as well as flexibility.
Language Arts introduces the parts of speech, punctuation, sentence and paragraph construction, poetry, short story writing, and journaling. Social Studies includes a focus on the Native American history and geography of the student’s own state, as well as Colonial history and westward expansion. In Science, fourth graders study nutrition, cells, astronomy, and the concepts of longitude and latitude. Creativity is also enhanced through tonal drawing, perspective, multimedia projects, three-dimensional painting, form drawing, art appreciation, and recorder duets. Materials include: Fourth Grade Syllabus, Fourth Grade Math, First Book of Duets, The Search for Delicious, Addie Across the Prairie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Heidi, Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little, Treasury for Children, Indian Legends, Sign of the Beaver, and two jeweler’s loupes.
Math 4
The Math 4 curriculum reviews borrowing and carrying, expands the skills of multiplication and division and features a comprehensive and creative introduction to fractions. Math games, geometric patterns, rounding and estimating, and story problems provide a solid foundation for further math work.
Fifth Grade Curriculum Materials
The fifth grade curriculum awakens the student’s intellect and introspection through the lives of great people in history. We combine geography, literature, and American history up to the Civil War to create an experience that challenges students and draws parallels across subjects. Studying the biographies of famous Americans prompts students to formulate their own opinions, make inquiries, explore, and experiment. Students will write book reports and do research, concentrating on grammar and the parts of speech. Science lessons emphasize the scientific method, conservation ecology, meteorology, anatomy, and astronomy. There are also opportunities for creativity through drawing, clay modeling, candle making, quilting, cross-stitching, calligraphy, and bead weaving. Materials include: U.S. History and English, Science 5, Math 5, Harriet Tubman, Ben and Me, Johnny Tremain, Little House on the Prairie, Sarah Morton’s Day, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620, Where Do You Think You’re Going, Christopher Columbus? and Children of the Wild West.
Math 5
Math 5 presents a substantial review of all four basic processes and fraction concepts, with an emphasis on word problems and practical problem-solving skills. This course is excellent for students needing to strengthen basic skills before moving into more advanced mathematical work. Students in the fifth grade who are ready for the next challenge may consider working with the Math 6 program.
Sixth Grade Curriculum Materials
The sixth grade curriculum engages the emerging adolescent with exciting stories of struggle and exploration. Ancient world civilizations provide the foundation for an integrated experience that weaves together the geography, literature, and art of ancient cultures. We encourage critical and independent thinking by challenging students to understand opposing viewpoints, and to write from the perspective of different cultures and time periods. Sixth graders study Life Science, including plant cell division and reproduction, plant classification systems, invertebrates and vertebrates, animal life cycles, ecosystems, and the human body. Art lessons include sculpture, drawing, calligraphy, mosaics, marbling, costume making, and mask making. Weekly assignments emphasize depth and creativity while also guiding the development of fundamental academic skills that will prepare students for seventh and eighth grade. Materials include: Ancient Civilizations and English, Basic Life Science, Math 6, Tales of King Arthur, Robin Hood, D’Aulaires Greek Myths, and Rainbow People.
Math 6
The Math 6 curriculum begins with an in-depth review of all previous skills, including multi-digit division and multiplication, and all fraction concepts and processes. Decimals, percentages, ratios, probability, and averages are covered, as well as a solid introduction to the metric system and basic geometry.
Seventh Grade Curriculum Materials
Seventh graders study American history in the context of world history, from the Age of Enlightenment to the present. While immersed in subjects like Far Eastern empires, the Industrial Revolution, and the Space Age, students will reflect and write about the people behind these events and the literature of the time. The English curriculum emphasizes composition and helps students express themselves clearly and creatively in writing. In Earth Science, students will make observations and perform simple experiments in astronomy, geology, meteorology, and the nature of matter and energy. Art activities include art history, world music, pen and ink drawings, and collage. Materials include: World History, English, Earth Science, Math 7, Mama’s Bank Account, Journey to America, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King, Jr., Amelia Earhart, Lyddie, Goodbye Vietnam, Zlata’s Diary, Summer of the Monkeys, and Water Sky.
Math 7
The Math 7 curriculum is both challenging and engaging, introducing square roots, exponents, negative numbers, mean and median, formulas for area and volume, as well as angle measurement. Further work with percents, ratios, and probabilities is introduced, as well as continued review and practice of all previous skills. Students enrolled in the seventh and eighth grades may elect to take Pre-Algebra or Algebra with teacher approval.
Eighth Grade Curriculum Materials
The eighth grade curriculum introduces students to civics through a study of the champions of freedom, federal, state, and local governments, and the economic system. Students witness their local government in action, explore issues affecting their state, and also become aware of national issues. Our experiential approach to understanding social issues includes practical activities such as community service projects. The Science curriculum focuses on the principles of physical science, including mass and matter, force, energy, sound, light, color, electricity, magnetism, and mechanics. In English, students read seven classic novels while studying vocabulary drawn from the reading, and concentrating on grammar and composition skills. Materials include: Civics, English 8, Writing for 100 Days, Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, Physical Science, Math 8, The Giver, The Hobbit, The Call of the Wild, Lord of the Flies, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, A Wrinkle in Time, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Math 8
The exciting Math 8 curriculum explores the advanced uses of fractions, decimals and percents and then introduces beginning concepts of algebra in preparation for high school. Lessons include squares and exponents, the order of operations, coefficients, geometry, formulas, scientific notation, and graphing. Students enrolled in the seventh and eighth grades may elect to take Pre-Algebra or Algebra with teacher approval.
