Pre-Grammar – Petra Academy

Jan 15 2019

Late last week, one of our Elementary teachers told me of a conversation she had with a student struggling to come back to school after Christmas break. The end of their discussion had gone like this:

Teacher: “I don’t always feel like coming to school, either, but this is what God has called me to do. I want to obey, so this is why I come to school.”

Student: “So I should obey and come to school because this is what God has called me to do?”

Teacher: “That’s right. For now, this is your work.”

Student: “Hmmm. Makes sense, I guess. Where do you work?”

I had to laugh – somehow it had never occurred to the student that what his teacher did with him all day was “work”. While I’m not sure how he would exactly describe it, I bet this phrase from our mission does: “…to awaken love and wonder in our students…”

Thanks be to God for teachers who make “work” look like anything but! And thanks for your prayers, that love and wonder awaken in our students – no matter their age – at Petra.

Sep 19 2016

View More: http://ashleydawnphoto.pass.us/petrastaff — Mrs. Elizabeth Wickland, Elementary Latin teacher

The Romans were renowned for their roads, constructed for the effective conveyance of military might. Paved with smooth, flat stones that afforded the soldiers an efficient marching pace along straight paths, these roads became a symbol of the strength and reach of the Empire. Roman law mandated the maintenance of roads, so Roman engineers developed a method for road construction that resulted in durable roads that could be used for nearly a century before repaving was necessary. The foundational construction of these roads was so strong that several are still in use today.

The soldiers began by digging into the soil and tamping it down to form a compacted trench. In the trench they placed rocks, then filled in the spaces between the rocks with gravel and sand to create a firm foundation. Atop this foundation they laid smooth, flat paving stones to finish off the road. The Romans were strategic, systematic, and efficient in their approach to the world, which is reflected in their language as well as in their engineering practices.

In Latin, a trivium is a crossroads, literally the place where “three roads” meet. In classical education, the trivium is comprised of the three liberal arts pertaining to the mind: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. Like a Roman road, each stage of the trivium contains building blocks that, when laid carefully, provide for the effective conveyance of ideas. In order for Latin to be learned and used well, the knowledge of Latin must be built systematically, beginning with the grammar of the subject, progressing to the logical components of the language, and finally paved with the persuasive eloquence of rhetoric.

According to Sister Miriam Joseph in The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, grammar is the art of inventing and combining symbols and is concerned with the thing as it is symbolized. In Latin, these symbols are primarily the forms of words and inflections. Therefore, during the grammar stage of a student’s Latin education, he ought to be learning primarily vocabulary and endings, and some of how these endings apply to the vocabulary he has learned. This grammar education is best done during the elementary years, which Dorothy Sayers terms the “poll-parrot” stage. At this point in a child’s development, he is generally pleasantly disposed to the chanting of rhymes and the memorization of endings. Learning vocabulary is relatively easy for the young student who is still in the process of language acquisition in his native tongue.

(Read part two of this two-part series on Latin at Petra Academy here.)

May 2 2016

This is the second of two posts by Petra K4 teacher, Joan Kempf, on how our mission applies to the youngest of our Petra Academy students. In her first post, Mrs. Kempf covered the first two phrases of our mission statement – “Recognizing our need for God’s grace, Petra Academy strives to awaken love and wonder in our students…” In this post, she walks through the remainder, focusing on our Trivium education and its ultimate two-fold goal at the K4 level.

Petra talks a lot about something called the Trivium, an ancient pedagogy used to educate students explained as, “…teaching them to observe with humility, think with reason, and articulate with charity.” What does that look like for a four-year-old?

One of the major prerequisites for observing with humility is teaching students to think beyond themselves and their needs. One of the many ways we do this is by incorporating biblical history into monthly themes as appropriate to the school calendar. By teaching K4 students why and how these Christian holidays and celebrations occur draws upon our need for having God first in our lives. These are great opportunities to get the real meaning of Christmas and the Incarnation rather than just a present, as well as experiencing the true power of Easter and the resurrection of Christ instead of just bunnies and candy.

Mathematics is a great opportunity to help students learn to think with reason, for God has created children to be natural mathematicians. Some of the materials the K4 classroom utilizes are puzzles, patterns and shapes, blocks, sensory items, buttons, and a variety of colorful objects for sorting, counting and patterning. Daily counting of the calendar and using math concepts (big, little, empty, full, long, short, same, different) as a part of daily language help to set a strong math foundation. Students also learn to identify numbers, demonstrate 1-1 correspondence to 10, demonstrate number comprehension to 10, count to 20, recognize 6-8 shapes, and become familiar with the clock face. They participate in number songs/chants daily and enjoy working on mazes and visual puzzles, allowing young children to experience math concepts as they experiment with spatial awareness, measurement, and problem solving. All of this teaches the basic truth that there is order to God’s universe.

In terms of articulating with charity, the K4 classroom is dedicated to providing students with the necessary skills to communicate their ideas/needs/desires and demonstrate foundational skills for reading. The main core of the curriculum focuses on introducing a letter a week. During the introduction of a new letter, the students are asked to identify (“show me the letter ‘A'”) and then name that letter (“what letter is this?”). Students also learn the sound(s) that each letter makes and eventually they are able to think of words that contain the letter sound.

Reading stories aloud is very important in the development of reading skills in young children. Students in the classroom are exposed to a variety of books on many different topics. Through this process, students learn that letters create words, words are read from left to right, words rhyme and repeat, and stories contain a beginning, middle and end. Students also make predictions about what will happen next in the story and are asked details about the story they have heard to gain an understanding of their language and comprehension skills.

To reinforce concepts in all areas of development, songs, chants, and finger plays are used in the classroom on a daily basis. Reinforcing pre-reading lessons with songs/chants helps bring familiarity into the learning process and assists students with the ability to recall information more readily. When students learn these basics, they are ready to build on them going forward.

The last part of Petra’s mission communicates a two-fold end, “for the flourishing of humanity and the renown of Jesus the Christ.” Are these ends realistic for a K4 classroom?

Absolutely! We desire to teach students to listen and obey because it glorifies God. We encourage students to do their “best” work instead of their “fastest” work. We aspire to see students understand the value of their efforts and the pleasure it brings to God, others, and themselves when choosing to do their best. Understanding the school routine and developing good work habits are important, not only to create a good student but to foster good citizenship with others with whom they share space. Gentleness and love are extended to each student in hopes that each child will develop a love for learning and for those with whom they are learning. Some of the work habits we guide, foster, and direct are:

-Listening to stories and songs without leaving the group or interrupting

-Staying focused on a task during a lesson

-Trying to solve a problem before asking for help

-Following a 2-3 step direction from the teacher

-Completing an activity by themselves

-Taking turns when talking during a group time

-Raising their hands when they have something they would like to say

-Participating in show and tell by presenting their item, listening to others, and asking a question

Being obedient to Jesus Christ and understanding God’s grace is an important concept in the K4 classroom. Treating others kindly in school allows us to focus on following the example of our Savior. Teaching the attributes of kindness and grace is a daily, hands-on occurrence. In addition to following the loving kindness of Christ, students memorize Bible verses, hear stories from the Bible, pray, participate in fine art activities to learn more about beauty, and sing praises to God. If all this doesn’t contribute to the renown of Jesus the Christ, I’m not sure what does!

Apr 25 2016

Kempf, Joan (low res) — K4 teacher Joan Kempf

Interested in how our mission applies to the youngest of our Petra Academy students? We asked K4 teacher, Joan Kempf, for her thoughts on the matter. A graduate with her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education from the University of North Dakota, Joan has taught and consulted in early childhood education classes (including teaching children with learning disabilities) for twelve years. This is her second year at Petra.

Petra’s mission begins with the phrase, “Recognizing our need for God’s grace…” What does that look like with four-year-olds?

Since we all fall short of the glory of God, we recognize the need for God’s saving grace not only for salvation, but for everything else as well, including our social and emotional skills. Seeking to honor God through our behavior and teaching love for Jesus is our primary goal when teaching social skills to students. Many K4 students are attending school or any organized social interaction for the first time and need to learn how to play, work, and move within a group setting. It is important that students feel safe and comfortable at school so that these skills can be guided and directed throughout the day. As teachers, we seek to demonstrate grace and humility through our daily guidance and interactions with students. Some of the skills we help students achieve are:

-Separating easily from a parent
-Independence in toileting/washing
-Playing with others in a “kind” way (sharing and taking turns)
-Develop empathy for others by noticing when a classmate is frustrated or sad
-Respecting other people and their personal material
-Interacting positivity with peers (uses words vs. grabbing/pushing/hitting/kicking )
-Sit on the floor with peers without touching them with their hands or feet
-Begin to use “please” and “thank you” when talking to others

The next part of our mission states that, “Petra Academy strives to awaken love and wonder in our students…” What does that look like in the K4 classroom?

The innate curiosity of young learners lends itself to provide opportunities for self-directed exploration and teacher-directed activities in the K4 classroom. Many activities during our free choice time are designed to engage students in cause and effect opportunities. Students will build with gears, tubes, blocks, Legos, and other manipulative materials. We also utilize a wide array of sensory materials (shaving cream, salt, water, sand) and incorporate playing with cars and trucks, using tweezers and magnifying glasses, and utilization of containers with different volumes to increase their awareness and understanding of science-based terms and applications.

In addition, students learn about the seasons and explore items related to the season, talk about the changes in weather and how weather effects us and the world around us. Teaching the days of creation offers the opportunity to participate in activities about heaven, earth, sea, animals, dark, light plants and trees. Students learn about various animals, reptiles, bugs, volcanoes, wind, and other science themes through literature and activities throughout the school year.

Students also participate in various fine art activities that include the utilization of a wide array of art mediums, music and movement. Students create projects that relate to weekly and monthly educational/biblical concepts being taught through:

-Painting with brushes, forks, string, marbles, etc.
-Drawing with markers, colors, white erase boards/markers
-Expressing themselves through dramatic play centers
-Singing songs and doing movement activities
-Preparing and performing recitation songs/chants
-Observing Grammar student’s recitation (K-6th grade)

Finally, preparing students to write is an important part of our K4 curriculum; in fact, most activities in all curricular areas lend themselves to developing fine motor strength and dexterity. Isolating the muscles in the hand and wrist are accomplished through activities like putting together puzzles, lacing, play dough, manipulating tweezers, peg boards, linking chains and blocks, cutting, coloring, tracing designs and letters, and sensory play.

Some of the skills developed are:
-Pencil grasp-training to use a pincer or tripod grasp (holding the writing/coloring object with the thumb and the pointer finger while resting it on the middle finger)
-Crossing the midline of the body while writing/coloring (ability to move from left to right side of body while using one hand)
-Increasing hand and finger strength
-Hand eye coordination (processing information to accomplish the tasks)
-Hand dominance (consistently using the same hand to accomplish tasks)
-Ability to copy and print letters and numbers

Read part two of Mrs. Kempf’s post. Spaces are going fast for K4 next year. Click here to apply!