The Lower Elementary program at FCMA allows students to expand their knowledge in a wide range of academic subjects – building on the skills and social abilities that they developed in the Early Elementary (kindergarten and first grade) program.  Academic subjects are integrated into a program designed to allow children to learn at their own pace.  Freedom of movement, open work areas and uninterrupted blocks of time for individual and group projects help to support the 7-9 year old’s drive toward autonomy.  Students are guided through a rich and challenging curriculum as they continue to work both individually, and in small groups.  The program permits a variety of approaches using colorful manipulatives that make sense of abstract principles.

A young girl tracing around the edge of an object on a desk

Practical Life

Care  of Oneself

  • Personal Hygiene
  • Sewing

Care of the Environment

  • Classroom Jobs
  • Gardening

Grace & Courtesy

  • Active Listening
  • Manners

Skills  Developing

  • Organizational Skills
  • Global Stewardship
  • Leadership
  • Reflection
  • Sense of Responsibility
  • Time Management
  • Inner Discipline

Science

Great Lesson

  • The Story of the Coming of Life

Physical Science

  • States of Mater
  • Solids
  • Liquids-Water
  • Gas-Air
  • Processes of Attraction
  • Gravity
  • Simple Machines

Botany

  • Story of Plants
  • Needs of Plants
  • Parts & Functions:
  • Leaf
  • Root
  • Stem
  • Flower
  • Fruit
  • Seed
  • Research
  • Observation & Care of Plants
  • Gardening
  • Nature Walks & Field Studies

Zoology

  • The Five Kingdoms
  • Animal Kingdom with Animal Story & Reference Books
  • Vertebrate/Invertebrate
  • Classification by Phylum & Class
  • Research
  • Observation & Care of Animals
  • Nature Walks & Field Studies

Earth Science

  • Layers of the Earth
  • Plate Tectonics
  • Parts of Volcanoes, Mountains, Rivers
  • Land/Water Forms
  • Rocks/Minerals
  • Rock Cycle

Human Anatomy

  • Parts of the Body
  • Internal Organs
  • Five Senses
  • Nutrition

Ecology

  • Recycling

Astronomy

Aviation

Scientific Process

Language

Great Lesson

  • The Story of Language

Reading Comprehension

  • Reading for Meaning & Content
  • Story Elements
  • Literature Circles
  • Daily Individual Reading
  • Reading Aloud

Grammar & Syntax

  • Parts of Speech
  • Word Study
  • Sentence Analysis
  • Dictionary & Thesaurus Usage

Written Composition

  • Research Writing
  • Creative Writing
  • Story Writing
  • Poetry Writing
  • Letter Writing
  • Journal Writing

Spelling & Mechanics

  • Instructional Leveled Spelling
  • Exposure to:
  • Capital Letters
  • Periods
  • Question Marks
  • Exclamation Points
  • Quotes
  • Commas
  • Apostrophes

Spoken Language

  • Presenting Oral Reports
  • Sharing Stories & Poetry

History

Great Lesson

  • The Story of Human Beings

Time

  • Timeline of Life
  • Earth History
  • Black Strip
  • Clock of Eras
  • BC/AD Timeline
  • Calendar
  • Study of:
  • Year
  • Month
  • Week
  • Day
  • Personal Timeline
  • Past, Present, Future
  • Clock Study

Human Studies

  • Fundamental Needs of Humans
  • Introduction to Various Civilizations & Cultures
  • Appreciation for Human Contributions
  • Origins of Holidays & Celebrations
  • Understanding of Historical Time
  • U.S. History

Mathematics

Great Lesson

  • The Story of Numbers

Numeration

  • Formation of Numbers
  • Place Value to Millions
  • Estimation and Rounding

Place Value

  • Using Place Value to Represent Whole Numbers & Decimals

Whole Number Operations & Fact Memorization

Multiples & Factors

Squaring/Cubing

Measurement

  • History/Intro
  • Money
  • Metric Measurement
  • Customary Measurement
  • Measuring Circles, Cylinders & Time

Fractions

  • Fraction Concepts
  • Operations with Fractions
  • Decimal Fractions
  • Money

Graphing

  • Grids
  • Picture Graphs
  • Pie Graphs
  • Tables

Problem-Solving Skills

  • One Step w/ All Operations
  • Multi-Step w/ Addition & Subtraction
  • Word Problems with
  • Money
  • Time
  • Place Value
  • Numeration
  • Estimation

Geometry

Great Lesson

  • The Story of Geometry
  • Concepts
  • Point
  • Line
  • Surface
  • Solid
  • Similarity
  • Congruency
  • Equivalence
  • Lines
  • Angles
  • Polygons

Geography

Great Lesson

  • The Story of Our Universe

Solar System

  • Planets
  • Stars
  • Constellations
  • Relationship Between Sun & Earth

Composition of the Earth

  • Layers of the Earth
  • Land & Water Forms
  • Formation of Mountains & Volcanoes
  • Types of Rocks

Physical Geography

  • Identifying
  • Countries
  • Cities
  • Capitals
  • Land & Water Features
  • Making Maps
  • Using an Atlas
  • Researching & Presenting Information

Mathematics & Geometry

Numbers 1-10

  • One to One Correspondence
  • Numerical Names
  • Quantity to Symbol
  • Sequencing
  • Writing Numbers

The Decimal System

  • Place Value
  • Using 0 as a Place Holder
  • Exchanging

Operations and Math Facts

  • Addition
  • Multiplication
  • Division
  • Subtraction

Linear & Skip Counting

  • Place Value
  • Tens
  • Teens
  • Greater Than/Less Than

Supplemental Math:

  • Fractions
  • Time
  • Money
  • Graphing

Art & Music Appreciation

Art

Creative Expression

  • Acquisition of Basic Skills:
  • Drawing
  • Painting
  • Collage
  • Printmaking
  • Sculpture
  • Mixed Media
  • Artistic Interpretation
  • Creation of:
  • Two-Dimensional Art
  • Three-Dimensional Art

Historical Understanding & Visual Culture

  • Study of Various Artist
  • Study of How Different Cultures Use Art
  • Identify the Roles of Art Makers in Different Cultures & Times

Appreciation

  • Individual Artist Studies

Music

  • Rhythm
  • Instrumental
  • Vocal
  • Music From Around the World

Appreciation

  • Individual Composer Studies