Grammar School (Elementary)

At ASA, our main goal is to build confident readers who love to read! We do this through multiple means based on the best research.  We use The Rigg's Institute’s program based on Romalda Spalding’s landmark work, and we explicitly teach phonics through phonograms and spelling rules. English really can make sense! In addition, we use rich, living literature to teach a love of reading, including Mother Goose, Fables, Fairy Tales, Bible Stories, as well as real children's literature such as Frog and Toad, Little House on the Prairie, Charlotte’s Web, and Beowulf. 

In our classrooms, children learn to write by writing! In the grammar years, our classrooms use many techniques such as scripted writing, copywork, Shurley Grammar expository writing, letter and card writing, poetry, and narration. Children learn to express themselves through the Writing Process, creating rough drafts, editing their work, and publishing final projects.  In their upper grammar years, children work into using the Progymnasmata to learn to write their own stories and fables, with the goal of becoming competent writers in their middle school years, and exceptional writers in their high school years.

At ASA, children also learn grammar and mechanics regularly. Each classroom uses Shurley Grammar, which builds a strong foundation in grammar rules, parts of speech, and punctuation. Students also receive ample opportunities to practice being an editor and improving upon basic sentences. 

At ASA, students are surrounded by a word-rich environment, and become skilled and competent readers, writers, and English users.

At ASA, our goal is to help produce confident problem solvers who enjoy the study of math. We believe that everyone can learn math!  We study math so that we can apply what we learn in everyday situations, as well as to see the order and beauty of higher math applications and in the created world. We use the highly rated Singapore Math curriculum as our foundation for math. It not only teaches math skills, but also teaches how to deeply think about math problems using a combination of hands-on manipulatives, math calculation, and critical thinking problems. 

We want to help our students become fluent in manipulating numbers. We don’t want them to depend on algorithms (although they should know them), but rather to have an innate feeling for how numbers and math concepts work.  In addition to Singapore, the teachers use a combination of other supplemental programs which include timed tests, spiral review, and math games.  The study of math is much more than committing a list of facts to memory. It includes memorization, but it also encompasses learning the concepts that are critical to problem solving. We believe everyone can become comfortable with math. 

At ASA, Grammar school science is designed to cultivate wonder. The natural world is a veritable feast that beckons exploration and discovery. Children are eager for this quest and eager to share what they find with others. At ASA, we want the student to develop and habituate their attention to the natural world. Students are encouraged to ask good questions about what they observe, learn accurate science vocabulary, and to discover patterns designed into the world and universe around them. 

At ASA, studies in science cultivate a poetic imagination and a reverence for life, with the hope that each student will  embark on a lifelong quest to view everyday phenomena as anything but ordinary. Our experiential, inquiry-based, hands-on curricula celebrates natural curiosity and utilizes chants, songs, reading material, discussions, activities, and experiments in small-group settings. ASA seeks to integrate science studies whenever possible into the era of history being studied. While students are learning about ancient civilizations, they are also learning about astronomy, earth science, plants, animals, and themselves. The level of inquiry and depth of information advances incrementally with their grade level, requiring greater analysis as students reach middle school levels. But first, one must be captivated by the beauty and awe of discovery and of God’s creation. 

Agia Sophia Academy’s immersive history studies are based on a four-year rotation structured around Susan Wise Bauer’s Story of the World. This includes ancient times, middle ages, early modern times and the modern age. Because all grades engage in the same period of study, students across the school, or children in different grades within the same family, share a common discussion. The level of class work accords with classrooms in depth of detail and complexity of projects. Each classroom integrates literature and geography to parallel these rotations. By the end of the four-year rotation, students are exposed to mapping the physical and political world from ancient to contemporary times. Agia Sophia Academy’s teachers utilize multi-sensory learning, collaborative projects, and examination of primary source documents as elements in a dynamic program that engages the imagination and inspires inquiry for life-long learning.

The Orthodox Christian faith is central to who we are. Students at ASA begin and end each day with a short prayer service where students participate and take turns in leadership roles.  Additionally, we attend Divine Liturgy an average of once a week, and a member of the clergy comes into each classroom weekly to share and dialogue with the students about the Orthodox faith. 

At ASA, we believe that Faith cannot simply be limited to a class, or a moment of time. Rather, faith becomes the thread that weaves throughout every subject and ties it all together. It is a central focus in every subject, permeating and infusing that subject with life. Our Faith study supplements home and church attendance with consistent reference to and instruction in the Bible, the Church Fathers, the Nicene Creed and Divine Liturgy.

PE is provided for all ASA students three times a week (recess/free play happens daily). Our students learn to develop a sense of physical and spatial awareness through movement. We also develop team spirit, care for the body, and a lifetime of fitness!  

Students pursue health, physical fitness and active lifestyles based on the National Standards for Physical Education. We encourage an active body through dance, obstacle courses, and–most of all–fun! PE develops muscular strength, aerobic capacity, endurance and flexibility. Through cooperative games, creative dance, folk dances, and more, the students learn about other cultures, social awareness, cooperation, problem solving, and self and group expression. At ASA, we believe that physical education is an integral part of becoming a balanced, healthy, and joyful person.

We believe music is core to fully educating the person; therefore students receive music instruction 3 days a week. ASA music instruction includes a number of well-known methods. Students do ear training following the Solfège Methodology, which involves finding pitches and recognizing tonal intervals while learning to sing on pitch. Students learn various rhythms and tempo using the Orff Method. 

Classes include dance/movement, theory, history, and application through singing and playing instruments. Students acquire these skills using children’s songs, classical music, Orthodox music, and American folk songs. These skills are demonstrated in at least two major performances during each school year: the Christmas program and the Spring Fine Arts Night.

Art education at Agia Sophia allows students to satisfy one of humanity’s fundamental needs to go beyond mere existence–to exercise their God-given desire to achieve and create.

The art program begins at the Kindergarten level, teaching students the rules and mechanics of drawing. It progresses through the elementary and middle school years, teaching students about the elements of design: line, form, shape, space, value, color, and texture. To create an aesthetic whole, students progressively learn about the principles of design such as: contrast, emphasis, balance, unity, proportion, movement, and rhythm. Children also learn and work with various media including: paint, charcoal, ink, clay, wood, collage, and more to stimulate their imagination and creativity. With respect to color, they learn the basics of the color wheel and color mixing, which is a foundational skill.

Art history is integrated into the art program to build a clearer understanding and engage the children in history. It is the goal of our classically oriented school to teach art connected to history whenever possible. 

Learning a second language at a young age provides wonderful advantages to a child! Latin and Modern Greek are an important part of our program. We picked these languages for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are both highly organized languages which use many cases. Therefore, learning them makes learning any other more modern language much easier. 

Additionally, both Latin and Greek are highly influential in English. Learning Latin and Greek will help a student to be better at understanding words in English. Many base words, philosophical words, legal words, and medical words have Latin or Greek foundations. Both languages help prepare students for many future professions, including law, science, mathematics, and medicine.

Learning Latin and Greek also help students to develop organized and deep thought process and logic skills. Finally, since the New Testament, as well as many great theological and philosophical works were originally written in Greek, it is important to have a fundamental understanding of the language to more deeply connect to these great works and our spiritual heritage. 

Greek Language

ASA students begin learning Modern Greek class starting at the age of 3. Our Greek class is inspired by the Total Physical Response language instruction principles, which emphasize teaching language naturally, in the same way that children learn it in the home. Using images, songs, actions, and manipulative objects, children learn how to identify objects in Greek and follow simple directions. The curriculum for Lower Elementary and Montessori is strictly verbal, while the Upper Elementary children are also exposed to basic reading skills, etymology, and verb conjugation. Etymology is especially valuable as it can tie in to other subjects, including science, religion, mathematics, other foreign languages, and more.

Latin Language

ASA students begin formally learning Latin at around second grade (with exposure in fun ways before that). Latin has been found to equip a person with the strongest single foundation for mastering Romance languages. Though English is not a Romance language, there are a great many words derived from the Latin language, and in that way, Latin serves as a supplement to students’ vocabulary and language arts education, as well as a reinforcement of English grammar rules. Working with Latin also broadens a person’s notion of structures possible in languages other than English. 

Each year we host a variety of activities for the students at ASA. These may include, but are not limited to: field trips, Passport to ASA, Special Guest Day (i.e. Grandparents Day), Pizza Day with Clergy, Day 100, St. Nicholas Day, Safety Days, special dress-up days more!