Lower School

In preK, students will create original works of art using a variety of mediums. They will learn about color and shapes while developing fine motor skills and expressing their creativity.

PreK students are introduced to key Bible stories to study God's love and His salvation plan. It also shows them God's holiness and majesty which will, in turn, affect how they live. Memorizing Scripture and understanding Bible doctrines are also key elements of the program. Lessons are supplemented with songs, videos, and Bible pictures to reinforce lesson content.

PreK utilizes the Handwriting Without Tears program. PreK students will learn handwriting skills in an active and explicit developmental sequence. We use multi‑sensory and developmentally‑appropriate teaching strategies, insuring all children learn regardless of learning style.

Our preK language arts curriculum is designed to support oral language and pre-reading skills. Students are exposed to quality literature using interactive read alouds and shared reading strategies. Children participate in the reading process, enabling them to develop stronger vocabularies, listening, and comprehension skills. Through word work, students develop letter knowledge and phonological awareness, and learn to write letters and words.  

• Interactive Read Aloud: Whole group reading with a variety of books that spark discussion and inquiry. Interactive read‑a‑louds promote the joy of reading, expand vocabulary, and increase students' ability to think, talk, and write about texts.  
• Shared Reading: Students and teachers engage in reading together. Shared Reading provides an enjoyable experience for the classroom community and gives children the opportunity to 'step up together' into more challenging texts while beginning to notice and acquire the processes they need to read texts independently.

Our math curriculum is designed to provide students with a hands-on balanced approach to mathematics learning by offering opportunities to:

• Develop number sense and one-to-one correspondence
• Perform foundational mathematical operations such as basic addition and subtraction, measurement, and data analysis
• Sort and compare by attributes and learn basic geometry by identifying shapes and describing spatial relationships
• Investigate algebraic concepts through recognizing and duplicating simple sequential patterns

In the weekly music class, students will have a variety of opportunites to move, sing, listen, play instruments, create and interact with the basic elements of music. They will experience music through their ear and through their body. Vocal development will be nurtured with easy songs for them to sing with very little text, a limited vocal range and considerable repetition. Beat and rhythm will be explored through movement and a variety of classroom instruments. Creativity will be encouraged in all the areas of music and movement. 

The preK Physical Education curriculum at TCA introduces the students one day each week to motor development.  The ten areas of emphasis are balance, sequencing, tracking, body awareness, spatial awareness, laterality, gross motor skills, kinesthetic awareness, hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination with safety as the number one component.

Students will learn about their world through carefully planned units of study. Community helpers, weather, seasons, space, animals, gardening, insects, dinosaurs and ocean are among the topics used to introduce students to their world.

Students visit the STEM lab once per week for 30 minutes to receive an introduction to science, technology, engineering and math. The preK Student:  

• Explores concepts such as force and motion, and simple machines
• Learns critical thinking and collaboration skills that can be applied to current and future learning
• Learns beginning concepts of digital citizenship
• Is introduced to beginning concepts of coding and robotics

At the kindergarten level, students will create their own original works of art using a variety of mediums. The creative environment of the art classroom allows us to develop fine motor skills and learn to follow directions in a unique setting.

Our Kindergarten language arts curriculum is designed to support whole group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities through 6 main strands: interactive read-alouds, reading mini-lessons, shared reading, phonics/word study lessons, guided reading, and independent reading.    

• Interactive Read Aloud: Whole group reading with a variety of books that spark discussion and inquiry. Interactive read-alouds promote the joy of reading, expand vocabulary, and increase students' ability to think, talk, and write about texts.  
• Shared Reading: Students and teachers engage in reading together. Shared Reading provides an enjoyable experience for the classroom community and gives children the opportunity to 'step up together' into more challenging texts while beginning to notice and acquire the processes they need to read texts independently.  
• Phonics/Word Study: Students learn to attend to, learn about, and efficiently use letters, sounds, and words.  
• Reading Mini-Lessons: Brief, focused, and practical whole class lessons on the topics of management, literary analysis, strategies and skills, and writing about reading.  
• Independent Reading: Individual reading by the student. Independent Reading offers students the chance to read, enjoy, and interact with texts that they choose in order to gain 'mileage' as readers. This time helps students explore their interests, flourish as readers, and develop the ability to independently read increasingly challenging texts.  
• Guided Reading: Teacher facilitated small group reading instruction. Teachers provide instructional support of each reader's processing of new and challenging texts. Students read with the teacher on their individual reading levels and work to apply reading strategies and develop as independent readers.

Kindergarten students enjoy the library once a week for a thirty-minute class. Lessons and books read in the library support curriculum being taught in the classroom. Book check-out begins in Kindergarten.

Our math curriculum is designed to provide students with a hands-on balanced approach to mathematics learning by offering opportunities to:

• Investigate concepts and build their conceptual understanding.
• Review, learn, and practice basic computational and procedural skills.
• Apply mathematics to problem solving in real-world situations.

Program content includes:

• Number Sense (use and understand number, place value; identify number relationships)
• Algebra and Functions (comparing and sorting objects)
• Measurement and Geometry (standard and nonstandard units of measure, using time and money, describing two and three dimensional figures, fractions)
• Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (describing positions and patterns, constructing and using graphs)
• Mathematical Reasoning

The physical education curriculum for grades K-2 sets the stage for the PE curriculum with motor development as the main emphasis. The ten areas of emphasis are balance, sequencing, tracking, body awareness, spatial awareness, laterality, gross motor skills, kinesthetic awareness, hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination.Students in K-2 spend one day each week on motor development. Two days a week are spent on skill development taught through a spiral rotating curriculum that complements the motor development program. With safety as the number one component, games are played incorporating fair play, cooperation and positive social interaction.

Our science curriculum is designed to allow students to learn by engaging in hands-on opportunities to interact with scientific principles. We learn about God's world through the following investigations:

• The Trees and Weather unit provides systematic investigations of trees and leaves over the seasons to bring students to a better understanding of trees at school and in the community. Students will observe day-to-day changes in weather over the year, as well as the impact weather has on living things.
• The Materials in Our World unit provides experiences that heighten student’s awareness, curiosity, and understanding of the physical world as they observe and compare the properties of a variety of kinds of earth materials. Students discover what happens when they subject the materials to a number of tests and interactions.
• The Animals unit provides young students with close and personal interaction with some common land and water animals. Appropriate classroom habitats are established, and students learn to care for different animals. This process enhances opportunities for observation, communication, and comparison.
  • The Force and Motions unit explores magnetic properties.
  • The Objects in the Sky unit explores the sun, moon, stars and careers in this field.
• Our science explorations allow us to think creatively and critically through a variety of hands-on experiences.

Students visit the STEM lab once per week for 30 minutes to receive an introduction to science, technology, engineering and math.

The Kindergarten Technology Student:

• Practices using the mouse for manipulating objects on the screen
• Learns to log in to programs with username and password
• Learns correct technical vocabulary/terminology
• Practices communication and collaboration skills as they use the engineering design process to complete activities in class
• Is introduced to digital citizenship
• Is introduced to concepts of coding and robotics

In first grade, students will create original works of art using a variety of mediums, including clay. Basic art concepts are developed with line, shape and color in expressive projects.

The first graders are taught that all we have comes from God and that the greatest gift God gave us is His Son, Jesus Christ. Stories from everyday life are used to encourage growth in Christian character.

Our first-grade language arts curriculum is designed to support whole group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities through six main strands: interactive read-alouds, reading mini-lessons, shared reading, phonics/word study lessons, guided reading, and independent reading.

• Interactive Read Aloud: Whole group reading with a variety of books that spark discussion and inquiry. Interactive read-alouds promote the joy of reading, expand vocabulary, and increase students' ability to think, talk, and write about texts.
• Shared Reading: Students and teachers engage in reading together. Shared Reading provides an enjoyable experience for the classroom community and gives children the opportunity to 'step up together' into more challenging texts while beginning to notice and acquire the processes they need to read texts independently.
• Phonics/Word Study: Students learn to attend to, learn about, and efficiently use letters, sounds, and words. ·Reading Mini-Lessons: Brief, focused, and practical whole class lessons on the topics of management, literary analysis, strategies and skills, and writing about reading.
• Independent Reading: Individual reading by the student. Independent Reading offers students the chance to read, enjoy, and interact with texts that they choose in order to gain 'mileage' as readers. This time helps students explore their interests, flourish as readers, and develop the ability to independently read increasingly challenging texts.
• Guided Reading: Teacher facilitated small group reading instruction. Teachers provide instructional support of each reader's processing of new and challenging texts. Students read with the teacher on their individual reading levels and work to apply reading strategies and develop as independent readers.

First-grade students enjoy the library once a week for a thirty-minute class. Library lessons and books read in the library support curriculum being taught in the classroom. Focus is placed on enhancing the students’ love of literature and introducing them to the library’s online card catalog.es come to the library once per week for story-time and book check-out. Library lessons include searching for just right books and introduction to fiction/non-fiction books.

Our math curriculum is designed to provide students with a hands-on balanced approach to mathematics learning by offering opportunities to:

• Investigate concepts and build their conceptual understanding.
• Review, learn, and practice basic computational and procedural skills.
• Apply mathematics to problem solving in real-world situations.

Program content includes:

• Number Sense (using numbers to 100)
• Algebra and Functions (comparing and sorting objects)
• Measurement and Geometry (standard and nonstandard units of measure, using time and money, describing two and three dimensional figures, fractions)
• Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability (describing positions and patterns, constructing and using graphs)
• Mathematical Reasoning

The physical education curriculum for grades K-2 sets the stage for the PE curriculum with motor development as the main emphasis. The ten areas of emphasis are balance, sequencing, tracking, body awareness, spatial awareness, laterality, gross motor skills, kinesthetic awareness, hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination.

Students in K-2 spend one day each week on motor development. Two days a week are spent on skill development taught through a spiral rotating curriculum that complements the motor development program. With safety as the number one component, games are played incorporating fair play, cooperation and positive social interaction.

Students visit the STEM lab once per week for 30 minutes to learn concepts of science, technology, engineering and math.

The First-grade Technology Student:

• Develops motor skills with mouse for manipulating objects on the screen
• Is able to log in to programs with username and password
• Uses correct technical vocabulary/terminology
• Demonstrates appropriate computer equipment handling
• Deepens their understanding of digital citizenship concepts such as online safety and privacy
• Learns beginning coding and applies concepts to program small robots

In second grade, students will create their own original works of art using a variety of mediums, including clay. Refining skills in painting and drawing allows the students to gain confidence in their expressive abilities.

Second-grade students study the life of Moses and his leadership of Israel. They learn how God loves his children and keeps his promises. Students also memorize different Bible passages each quarter.

Our second-grade language arts curriculum is designed to support whole group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities through six main strands: interactive read-alouds, reading mini-lessons, shared reading, phonics/word study lessons, guided reading, and independent reading.

• Interactive Read Aloud: Whole group reading with a variety of books that spark discussion and inquiry. Interactive read-alouds promote the joy of reading, expand vocabulary, and increase students' ability to think, talk, and write about texts.
• Shared Reading: Students and teachers engage in reading together. Shared Reading provides an enjoyable experience for the classroom community and gives children the opportunity to 'step up together' into more challenging texts while beginning to notice and acquire the processes they need to read texts independently.
• Phonics/Word Study: Students learn to attend to, learn about, and efficiently use letters, sounds, and words.
• Reading Mini-Lessons: Brief, focused, and practical whole class lessons on the topics of management, literary analysis, strategies and skills, and writing about reading.
• Independent Reading: Individual reading by the student. Independent Reading offers students the chance to read, enjoy, and interact with texts that they choose in order to gain 'mileage' as readers. This time helps students explore their interests, flourish as readers, and develop the ability to independently read increasingly challenging texts.
• Guided Reading: Teacher facilitated small group reading instruction. Teachers provide instructional support of each reader's processing of new and challenging texts. Students read with the teacher on their individual reading levels and work to apply reading strategies and develop as independent readers.
  • Grammar: Students practice concepts such as capitalization, punctuation and language on a daily basis.
  • Handwriting: Manuscript and cursive handwriting are reviewed and taught.

The physical education curriculum for grades K-2 sets the stage for the PE curriculum with motor development as the main emphasis. The ten areas of emphasis are balance, sequencing, tracking, body awareness, spatial awareness, laterality, gross motor skills, kinesthetic awareness, hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination.

Students in K-2 spend one day each week on motor development. Two days a week are spent on skill development taught through a spiral rotating curriculum that complements the motor development program. With safety as the number one component, games are played incorporating fair play, cooperation and positive social interaction.

Our science curriculum is designed to allow students to learn by engaging in hands-on opportunities to interact with scientific principles. We learn about Gods world through the following investigations:

Students are taught the basics of geography, economics and citizenship in the context of his or her local community. The lessons also include current community services, how to make a difference in the community, and the meaning of good citizenship.

Second-grade students engage in interactive instruction, oral practice, and written practice with the language. Daily warm-up sheets provide structure and repetition with calendar terms, weather terms, and feelings. Spanish memory verses help students learn Biblical truths and practice their pronunciation. Students also practice the numbers to fifty. Units studied include: greetings, familiar classroom objects, feelings, colors, parts of the body and domestic/farm animals. PowerPoints and games are used frequently to reinforce the vocabulary. Students translate simple sentences orally. Furthermore, students study several Spanish speaking countries throughout the year to learn about the culture in each nation.

Second-grade students visit the STEM lab once per week for 40 minutes to learn concepts of science, technology, engineering and math. Students build upon the skills learned during previous years, and use those skills to enhance the learning experience.

The Second-grade Technology Student:

• Continues to develop motor skills for manipulating objects using the computer mouse
• Uses technology as a tool for learning what is being taught in the classroom
• Receives instruction for keyboard shortcuts to perform everyday tasks on the computer
• Practices proper keyboard techniques using home row key finger placement and completing lessons in an online keyboarding program
• Learns new technical concepts and vocabulary
• Demonstrates proper equipment usage
• Completes lessons on Digital Citizenship
• Completes grade appropriate projects using skills learned in word processing, spreadsheets and databases, and multimedia lessons
• Uses the engineering design process to solve problems and complete activities in class
• Uses technology and activities in class to complement learning from their classroom

In third grade, students will create their own original works of art using a variety of mediums, including clay, fabric, watercolor, acrylic and specialty papers. Students will continue building artistic skills and have more in-depth art making experiences.

Third grade uses a strong curriculum paired with the NIV Adventure Bible. Students learn about the Bible as God’s Word and they memorize the Old and New Testament books of the Bible. They also study the lives of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Daniel. Students memorize Bible passages each quarter. God’s truth is integrated in to all subject areas. Daily practices include devotionals and times of prayer throughout the day. Students create a Gospel book to help them share God's word with others.

Our third-grade language arts curriculum is designed to support whole group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities through the following main strands: interactive read-alouds, reading mini-lessons, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading.

• Interactive Read Aloud: Whole group reading with a variety of books that spark discussion and inquiry. Interactive read-alouds promote the joy of reading, expand vocabulary, and increase students' ability to think, talk, and write about texts.
• Shared Reading: Students and teachers engage in reading together. Shared Reading provides an enjoyable experience for the classroom community and gives children the opportunity to 'step up together' into more challenging texts while beginning to notice and acquire the processes they need to read texts independently.
• Reading Mini-Lessons: Brief, focused, and practical whole class lessons on the topics of management, literary analysis, strategies and skills, and writing about reading.
• Independent Reading: Individual reading by the student. Independent Reading offers students the chance to read, enjoy, and interact with texts that they choose in order to gain 'mileage' as readers. This time helps students explore their interests, flourish as readers, and develop the ability to independently read increasingly challenging texts. Students will engage in novel studies.
• Guided Reading: Teacher facilitated small group reading instruction. Teachers provide instructional support of each reader's processing of new and challenging texts. Students read with the teacher on their individual reading levels and work to apply reading strategies and develop as independent readers.
  • Grammar
  • Handwriting

Our math curriculum is designed to provide students with a hands-on balanced approach to mathematics learning by offering opportunities to:

• Investigate concepts and build their conceptual understanding ·Review, learn, and practice basic computational and procedural skills
• Apply mathematics to problem solving in real-world situations.

Program content includes:

• Numbers and Operations: place value, fractions, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Algebraic reasoning
• Geometry and Measurement
• Data Analysis

Students continue their study of proper instrument playing. The exposure to rhythm and staff recognition increases, including solfege, as well as composing rhythms and melodies. Students will listen to and study selected classical works by Mozart and Haydn. They will also study various jazz composers and artists. The third-grade students perform an evening Christmas concert in December celebrating Jesus’ birth.

Students in grades 3-4 work on sport units using a spiral curriculum. The units emphasized are flag football, basketball, soccer, track and field, tumbling, hockey, tennis, fitness, dance and volleyball. The students focus on learning the skills followed by lead-up games. As with the younger grades, fair play, cooperation and positive social interaction are promoted. Fitness level assessments, developed by The Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, are introduced to evaluate the students' fitness levels.

Our science curriculum is designed to allow students to learn by engaging in hands-on opportunities to interact with scientific principles. We learn about Gods world through the following investigations:

• Matter and energy
• Force, motion and energy
• Earth and space
• Organisms and environments

Third-grade students engage in hands-on interactive study and build awareness of local and global communities, diversity, public service roles, economies and research community heroes. Students in third grade learn state locations and abbreviations.

Third-grade students engage in interactive instruction, oral practice and written practice with the language. Daily warm-up sheets provide structure and repetition with calendar terms, weather terms, numbers, and feelings. Spanish memory verses help students learn Biblical truths and practice their pronunciation. Students also practice the numbers to one hundred. Units studied include: feeling statements, family members, additional weather terms, additional calendar terms, clothing, and birthdays. PowerPoints and games are used frequently to reinforce the vocabulary. Students translate simple sentences orally. Furthermore, students study several Spanish speaking countries throughout the year to learn about the culture in each nation.

This class visits the library and STEM lab every other week for 90 minutes to learn concepts of science, technology, engineering and math. Students build upon the skills learned in previous year, and use those skills to enhance the learning experience.

The Third-grade Student:

• Uses technology as a tool to enhance what is being taught in the classroom
• Practices keyboarding, improving upon speed and accuracy while working toward a goal of 20 WPM and 85% accuracy
• Learns new technical concepts and vocabulary
• Demonstrates proper etiquette in the use of computers and other technologies
• Completes lessons on Digital Citizenship
• Completes grade appropriate projects using skills learned in word processing, spreadsheets and databases, and multimedia lessons throughout the year.
• Reinforces digital literacy concepts such as online research and citing sources appropriately

Students will learn to problem-solve while creating their own original works of art using a variety of 2D and 3D media. The elements of art are studied and applied with an introduction to perspective.

Fourth-grade students study about the life of Christ and His teachings, various Old Testament characters and the life of Paul. Bible memory, prayer and personal application of biblical principles are included in the daily Bible classes. Students utilize the NIV Adventure Bible in the classroom.

Fourth grade utilizes an integrated reading curriculum, individualized reading resources, and rich literature studies. The focus is on fluency, comprehension, the writing process, and foundational reading strategies. A wide variety of teaching methods are utilized in the classroom including whole group, small group, and individualized instruction. Language Arts also includes a comprehensive grammar program, a variety of writing techniques and styles, and a traditional phonics based spelling curriculum. The goal for all students is to fall in love with reading and to be able to manage and handle the language with proficiency and understanding.

The fourth-grade study of Texas history begins with early explorers and extends through Texas' annexation as a state. Students study the people, places, geography and events that have shaped our great state.

Our fourth-grade language arts curriculum is designed to support whole group, small-group, and independent learning opportunities through the following main strands: interactive read-alouds, reading mini-lessons, shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading.

• Interactive Read Aloud: Whole group reading with a variety of books that spark discussion and inquiry. Interactive read-alouds promote the joy of reading, expand vocabulary, and increase students' ability to think, talk, and write about texts.
• Shared Reading: Students and teachers engage in reading together. Shared Reading provides an enjoyable experience for the classroom community and gives children the opportunity to 'step up together' into more challenging texts while beginning to notice and acquire the processes they need to read texts independently.
• Reading Mini-Lessons: Brief, focused, and practical whole class lessons on the topics of management, literary analysis, strategies and skills, and writing about reading.
• Independent Reading: Individual reading by the student. Independent Reading offers students the chance to read, enjoy, and interact with texts that they choose in order to gain 'mileage' as readers. This time helps students explore their interests, flourish as readers, and develop the ability to independently read increasingly challenging texts. Students will engage in novel studies.
• Guided Reading: Teacher facilitated small group reading instruction. Teachers provide instructional support of each reader's processing of new and challenging texts. Students read with the teacher on their individual reading levels and work to apply reading strategies and develop as independent readers.
  • Grammar
  • Handwriting

Fourth-grade students enjoy the library every other week for a forty-five minute Library/Tech class. Focus is placed on digital literacy and citizenship, genre studies, writing citations and enhancing the students’ love of literature. The library also supports the Accelerated Reader reading incentive program. Students come once per week to check out books, have more detailed instruction on the Dewey Decimal System and lessons on genre and literary devices.

Teachers present mini Writing Workshop lessons that will guide students in their writing composition. Students will learn to compose narrative, persuasive and informational pieces. Students engage in the writing process: drafting, writing, editing and publishing. 

Our math curriculum is designed to provide students with a hands-on balanced approach to mathematics learning by offering opportunities to:

• Investigate concepts and build their conceptual understanding
• Review, learn, and practice basic computational and procedural skills
• Apply mathematics to problem solving in real-world situations
• Engage in multi-step thinking through complex word problems

Curriculum highlights include:

• Number Sense (modeling addition and subtraction, mastery of basic multiplication and division)
• Algebra (problem solving using variables)
• Measurement and Geometry (describing two and three dimensional figures and fractions)
• Data Analysis
• Mathematical Reasoning

Fourth-grade music integrates various curricula and resources including folk songs/dances (including some square dancing), singing of hymns and orchestral performances. Students will study and learn how to play the ukulele. The exposure to rhythm and staff recognition increases, including solfege, as well as composing rhythms and melodies. Students will listen to and study selected classical works by Copland and Debussy. In collaboration with their studies of Texas history, fourth-grade students perform an evening concert honoring Texas in May. 

Students in grades 3-4 work on sport units using a spiral curriculum. The units emphasized are flag football, basketball, soccer, track and field, tumbling, hockey, tennis, fitness, dance and volleyball. The students focus on learning the skills followed by lead-up games. As with the younger grades, fair play, cooperation and positive social interaction are promoted. Fitness level assessments, developed by The Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, are introduced to evaluate the students' fitness levels.

Students study Texas history beginning with colonization through the Civil War along with the people, places, and events that shaped our state. Fourth-grade students participate in interactive lessons that include technology and hands-on activities to engage students and motivate learning.

Our science curriculum is designed to allow students to learn by engaging in hands-on opportunities to interact with scientific principles. We learn about God's world through the following investigations:

• The study of electricity and mixtures introduces or reinforces concepts in physical science dealing with energy and change. Students investigate the water cycle and resources and expand upon their useful applications in everyday life.  

Fourth-grade students engage in interactive instruction, oral practice and written practice with the language. Daily warm-up sheets provide structure and repetition with calendar terms, weather terms and feelings. Spanish memory verses help students learn Biblical truths and practice their pronunciation. Students also practice numbers to one thousand. Units studied include: people in the school, mood descriptions, actions, traffic safety, modes of transportation, recreational places, athletic/recreational activities and reading simple Spanish books. PowerPoints and games are used frequently to reinforce the vocabulary. Students translate simple sentences both orally and on teacher-created materials. Furthermore, students study several Spanish speaking countries throughout the year to learn about the culture in each nation.

This class visits the library and STEM lab every other week for 90 minutes to learn concepts of science, technology, engineering, and math. Students build upon the skills learned in previous year, and use those skills to enhance the learning experience.

The Fourth-grade Technology Student:

• Uses technology as a tool to enhance what is being taught in the classroom
• Practices keyboarding, working toward a goal of 20 WPM and 85% accuracy
• Learns new technical concepts and vocabulary
• Demonstrates proper equipment usage
• Completes lessons on Digital Citizenship
• Completes grade appropriate projects using skills learned in word processing, spreadsheets and databases, and multimedia lessons throughout the year.
• Reinforces digital literacy concepts such as online research and citing sources appropriately