The First Grade year is a tremendous year of growth and understanding in our student’s lives. Devotion and Bible time is spent teaching the children to assess their world through God’s plan for them according to scripture. They begin to hide God’s Word in their hearts through verse memorization and they learn to share the gospel with others.

Using Bob Jones University Press (BJU), math hour introduces practical, hands-on application of numbers by learning to tell time, count money and measure items we use in our everyday lives. The students get an introduction to multiplication and fractions, as well as solidifying their memorization of the simple addition and subtraction facts.

Through Bob Jones University Press (BJU), the whole world becomes decoded for our first grade students as they expand their reading ability significantly through our phonics, spelling and writing curriculum.

Bob Jones University Press (BJU) Science and Social Studies integrates independent learning activities with group discussions, experiments, and current events publications.

Students entire learning experience is enhanced with an incredible art program, a fun and energetic physical education class, and exciting field trips to open their minds to the world God is waiting to share with them.

The Second Grade students not only build on spelling, math, and reading skills they have learned in the first grade, but they are also introduced to many new concepts. The core curriculum consists of Math, English, Spelling, and Literature.

Bob Jones University Press (BJU) 2 Math develops the child’s ability to go from concrete to abstract thinking, order numbers, add and subtract with carrying and borrowing to the ten-thousands, estimate, memorize computations to 20, understand place value, and even to multiply and divide.

BJU curriculum is used for our English, Spelling, Literature and Handwriting programs. Students are taught correct grammar for both written and oral communication, including the development of word-attack skills using prefixes, suffixes, and homophones. They are also taught a writing process which helps them organize their thoughts for different types of compositions.

We use BJU Heritage Studies which covers the new world working together in the colonies (1607 – 1776).

BJU Press Science encourages hands-on, interactive learning. Ideas for enriching lessons are presented with demonstrations and activities, group discussions, and Bible application. Each Chapter includes age-appropriate, lab style activities and projects that help students develop and apply science-process skills.

Throughout the year our devotions focus on God’s faithfulness and our response in loving Him.

The Third Grade is a transitional year for students as they become more aware of their surroundings and the creator who spoke everything into existence. Class begins with devotional time which includes Bible reading, discussion, and prayer time. God’s Word is emphasized through out all academic subjects.

BJU Math reviews concepts learned in second grade and covers multiplication/division tables, measurements and converting, equations, Roman numerals, story problems, and introduction to fractions.

The class uses BJU for English and Grammar, Literature, Spelling, Heritage Studies, and Handwriting. English and Grammar introduce the students to basic Grammar and Writing assignments such as: friendly letters, persuasive essay, story telling using dialogue, and book study with report. Spelling uses phonics rules to introduce students to word families which also includes journaling, encouraging creative thinking as the students answer specific questions in letter form, using complete sentences.

The Literature program help the students use critical thinking as they read and discuss situational stories, which reinforces concepts from English and Spelling.

Heritage Studies teaches history of the development of America’s constitution and government, geography and map skills, economics, and cultures.

BJU offers a unique cursive writing technique, which is an easy transition from standard print.

BJU Press Science encourages hands-on, interactive learning. Ideas for enriching lessons are presented with demonstrations and activities, group discussions, and Bible application. Each Chapter includes age-appropriate, lab style activities and projects that help students develop and apply science-process skills.

The Fourth Grade day begins with a devotional time, prayer, and worship. Next is the Math hour which consists of instruction and interaction, along with independent completion of problems. BJU Math builds upon the already set foundation, and introduces new concepts including estimation, factorization, multiples, fraction addition, subtraction, and multiplication, metric equivalents, equations, decimals, geometry, etc.

The Bob Jones University Press Language Arts program covers all general grammar and usage, but it also integrates creative writing assignments every other chapter. Students will cover writing letters, compare/contrast essays, personal narratives, book reviews, and much more. The Literature text combines character-building stories and comprehension activities, both oral and written. In addition to commonly used words, the spelling program also teaches the correct spelling of each book of the Bible, dictionary usage, and other fun activities to complete.

BJU Press Science encourages hands-on, interactive learning. Ideas for enriching lessons are presented with demonstrations and activities, group discussions, and Bible application. Each Chapter includes age-appropriate, lab style activities and projects that help students develop and apply science-process skills.

The BJU “My State Notebook”, is currently being used at home by parents of 4^th graders for the California History requirement. Learning is enriched by a visit as a class, to a local educational facility such as Indian Hills, San Diego Mission, or Pioneer Ways.

By Fifth Grade, students are well-established as readers and their enthusiasm gains momentum. The students’ love for reading develops through BJU Literature program. This program builds vocabulary, comprehension analysis, structural analysis, and thought-provoking discussion. To increase their mastery of English, the Language Arts curriculum helps students gain a firm understanding of mechanics through word functions and sentence structure, as well as become adept at the writing process. Areas of composition cover poetry, narratives, book reviews, and also reports which require skill building with reference and study materials.

BJU Social Studies topics include map and globe skills, the early development of airplanes and automobiles, World War I, and world cultures. The highlight of each year is a 3-week wagon train simulation experience, through which students get a taste of the early American settlement period.

BJU Press Science encourages hands-on, interactive learning. Ideas for enriching lessons are presented with demonstrations and activities, group discussions, and Bible application. Each Chapter includes age-appropriate, lab style activities and projects that help students develop and apply science-process skills.

BJU Daily Math lessons include warm ups, mental math, and problem solving through critical thinking. Areas covered throughout the year include units of measure, fractions, algebraic equations, decimals, graphs and geometry.

Before any of these subjects are begun, the day starts with devotions where they learn God’s Word and how to apply it to their every day lives.

Students participate in varied, grade-level appropriate physical fitness units. All grades take the “Presidential Physical Fitness” challenge each year.

We love Art at Foothills Christian Elementary! In Art class, we learn that the power and ability to create comes from God, our Creator. He has given each of us a portion of this creative ability, and we strive to cultivate this within each of our students.

Students get to explore the world of art through ” Meet the Masters” curriculum, where students “meet” different master artists through multimedia presentations, learning packets, and hands on experience. Students learn about art history, study the lives and times of master artists, and discuss what they have learned, all from a Christian perspective. Art elements and techniques are the focus of the learning packets and practice time. Students create one of a kind artworks with the techniques they have learned, creating their own individual portfolio.

FCES participates in several art shows every year, where students are given the opportunity to earn ribbons, awards, and cash prizes for their art. It is exciting for students to show their art! As the school year comes to a close, we hold our own annual FCES Art Show and Silent Auction. Every student’s art is on display at this event, which is also the school’s fundraiser for this valuable program. Every class in the school creates baskets which are auctioned to the public, along with donated items from local businesses and artists.

Every grade and skill level is included in this program and classes are held bi-weekly for each grade. Creative expression is encouraged as students experiment with many different mediums and styles. At FCES, Art is fun!

The Educational Therapy and Tutoring program at Foothills Christian Elementary School, is a service for students who may struggle to learn in the traditional classroom environment. Individualized assessment and intervention are offered to develop the learning skills necessary to be a successful and independent student. We have expanded our “Tool Kit” by using the program “Bright Solutions” by Susan Barton to our Educational Therapy and Resource curriculum.

Through individualized assessment, each student becomes aware of their learning style, which in turn allows the student to practice specific techniques that stimulate the visual and auditory processing skills that are the foundation of strong reading, writing and thinking skills. Our goal is for each student to become a developing and independent learner, who knows how to utilize their God given gifts and talents.

Our Educational Therapy Program is not covered in the cost of tuition. All testing, evaluations, and therapy have additional costs.