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elementary subject overview

English

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BJU Press Elementary English is a language arts program that teaches students to develop God-honoring written and oral communication.

Our Goals for Elementary English• To appreciate language as a gift from God

• To develop correct use of English grammar in written and oral communication

• To use the writing process to complete several types of compositions

• To develop study and reference skills

Our Vision

ContentsProgram Approach

Biblical Worldview 3

Academic Rigor + Critical Thinking 4

Joy of Learning 6

English as a Part of Language Arts 7

The Materials 8

The Features 10

Technology Solutions 15

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Program ApproachProgram ApproachBiblical WorldviewA biblical worldview is one that is based on the authority of the Bible. BJU Press provides biblically based materials with instructions to guide Christian-worldview shaping. The Christian worldview is best expressed in the biblical story seen in God’s Word of Creation, the Fall, and Redemption. Taking these three events as the lenses through which to look at education, we see that faith and learning are bound inextricably together and that Christian faith must govern the educa-tional experiences.

In Genesis 1, we read about the beginning of all language. God spoke and created all things. Throughout the Old Testament we read about the words God spoke to man and their responses to God. God enabled men to write their words on tablets, giving us a written language. Then God chose to preserve this word and acts by inspiring men to write the Bible. We still communicate with others through language—both written and verbal. The Bible is God’s written communication to us, and prayer is our verbal communication to God.

How Can We Use English to Glorify God?The study of English can serve the purpose of Christian education—to conform man to the image of God—because the subject matter is used to reflect the character and words of God. English is a tool for achieving God’s purpose for us in the world. Loving God and loving our neighbor are God’s design for us (Matt. 23:34–40). Good writing that exemplifies good grammar is a way to show our love for God by communicating truth in a loving way to our neighbor. Clear writing can, for example, make a personal letter more meaningful, a newspaper article more persuasive, and a play more memorable.

The BJU Press English program lays the foundation for a student to become an effective communicator. With the use of correct grammar and accurate writ-ing, a student can share the Gospel in a letter or a story, write a Christian book review, or compose a poem that communicates God’s faithfulness. A student can also apply the rules of grammar to his speaking in order to share God’s Word verbally and to edify and encourage friends. Students will gain the skills needed to use language as a tool to show love to God and to serve others.

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Academic Rigor + Critical ThinkingSystematic ApproachIn Grade 1, students master skills necessary for success in reading. Emphasis is placed on phonemic awareness, reading, and beginning spelling skills. The three

student texts for this study include Phonics and English, Reading, and Spelling. Students are also introduced to grammar that is integrated into the reading instruction. Short writing seg-ments form the foundation for imple-menting the writing process.

Grammar instruction for Grades 2–6 follows a sequential, well-developed, and challenging scope and sequence. Students are taught one part of speech at a time with systematic reviews and ample practice opportunities. It is not

enough that stu-dents merely memo-rize linking verbs or a list of prepositions. Students must also activate critical-thinking skills to diagram sentences as they analyze the structure of a sen-tence and its compo-nents. Lower grades introduce concepts that are mastered in upper grades. Each year the concepts are expanded, building depths of knowledge and understanding.Discovery learning is implemented as the materials appeal to the student’s natural curiosity.

• English 4 Teacher’s Edition

• English 6 Teacher’s Edition

Sentence patterns

and diagraming skills

increase in difficulty

as students progress

from grade to grade.

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Chapters alternate between grammar and writing providing time and opportunity for solidifying and applying the concepts. Students learn sentence structure, parts of speech, punctuation, and capitalization. They incorporate higher-level thinking skills while choosing the correct verb form and tense, punctuation, and transition words as they apply their knowledge of grammar to spoken and written communication.

Writing DevelopmentThe development of writing skills is important to becoming good communicators. Students are guided step-by-step through the writing process as they write reports, stories, descriptions, poems, letters, and essays. Most writing projects include the use of a graphic organizer and a model to follow for proper implementation.

BJU Press Elementary English uses a five-step writing process that includes

Planning: Getting ready to write

Drafting: Writing ideas in sentence form

Revising: Improving writing

Proofreading: Finding and correcting mistakes in writing

Publishing: Sharing writing with someone

• English 6 Teacher’s Edition• English 3 Teacher’s Edition

The 6th Grade re-

search report builds

on a foundation set

in Grades 3–5.

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Joy of LearningThe BJU Press English program includes colorful worktexts and interesting themes and activities. Age-appropriate skills are presented in a sequential way that makes learning meaningful and enjoyable. One of the goals of the English pro-gram is to show elementary-age students how they can honor God by correctly using His gift of language. Our desire is that students find joy in expressing themselves creatively.

Writing projects are relevant and engaging. Chapters are introduced with lit-erature links that connect literature and writing. Lessons are structured to give students clear tasks to accomplish. After students choose an appropriate topic, they complete a prewriting activity to generate interest and to help them plan their writing project. Peer conferences allow students to collaborate and receive feedback from others.

Many grammar lessons are intro-duced with listening and speaking activities that engage the students. Chapter themes, such as museums, sports, science, and travel, enhance learning by linking the grammar topics with real-life information. Colorful artwork and photos make the student text appealing to use. The Apply and Write feature at the end of most grammar lessons gives students the opportunity to apply and practice new skills.

BJU Press English takes an interac-tive approach to learning. Group and “pair-share” activities help students review content in a way that is enjoyable and interesting. Class discussions provide a way for students to learn from one another as they work through the lessons.

Fun examples gen-erate excitement for writing.

• English 6 Teacher’s Edition

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At BJU Press, our desire is that students be challenged both spiritually and aca-demically. We want them to grow every year, learning to think biblically and to apply critical-thinking skills as well as enjoying what they are learning. And we know that you do too.

English is only one part of our highly correlated and successful language arts program. The full program includes phonics, reading, spelling, and handwriting. All BJU Press materials offer the same teaching philosophy—equip students to understand and apply language-arts skills for the glory of God. All of our elemen-tary textbooks are dedicated to serving this mission.

It is not enough that students learn only facts for tests. What matters more than any-thing else is that students learn to love God and serve Him with knowledge, skills, and wisdom they acquire through interacting and engaging with quality materials.

Phonics materials give young learners an introduction to letters, sounds, and words in a way that is fun and effective. Our Spelling program helps each student to remember the patterns of words he has learned about and to apply what he has learned to unfamiliar words. In Elementary Reading, reading selections are purposefully selected to teach biblical truths and character qualities as well as fac-tual information. Students are introduced to multiple genres of literature, includ-ing fiction, biography, and poetry as well as informational selections. Every lesson poses questions to ensure that students understand what they have read in the text and to help students develop critical-thinking skills.

English as a Part of Language Arts

The MaterialsBelow are the standard Elementary English materials provided for each elementary grade. For a comprehensive list of all grades, contact your Precept Sales Representative at 800.511.2771, or visit bjupress.com today.

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D

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A. Student WorktextThe Student Worktexts provide guided and independent practice for the students to complete. A chapter review and a cumulative review are included at the end of each chapter. The Writing Handbook contains a thesaurus, writing models, a list of frequently misspelled words, and a list of abbreviations for the students to refer to while writing. A glossary of English terms and copies of grammar songs are also included in the worktexts.

B. Teacher’s EditionThe Teacher’s Editions feature alternating chapters for teaching grammar and writing. The grammar lessons provide easy instructions on how to teach grammar for understanding. The writing lessons explain how to teach writing as students plan, draft, revise, proofread, and publish many types of writing. Rubrics or check-lists are provided for grading each type of writing projects. Additional writing prompts are given as an alternative to testing students over some of the writing chapters. Overprint answers are provided for the Student Worktext pages in read-able size.

C. Teacher’s Toolkit CDEach Teacher’s Toolkit CD, located inside the back cover of the Teacher’s Edition, includes reproducible pages to supplement the grammar lessons. The Extra Practice pages may be used for classwork or homework to review grammar lessons. They are also great for assessment of student progress during a grammar chapter.

D. TestsEach test packet contains one age-appropriate test per chapter, covering the most important concepts taught in the lessons. These tests can be adjusted to what the teacher has taught. The Tests Answer Key is sold separately for each test packet.

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Theme Information

• English 5 Teacher’s Edition

Interesting themes form the basis for practice sentences in all grammar chapters.

The Features

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• English 5 Teacher’s Edition

Writing SampleExplanations and mod-

els for the specific

writing genre

Guided instruction for each stage of the project

Discussion of the

key terms

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• English 6 Teacher’s Edition

Grammar Lesson

Discussion questions

help to build students’

comprehension

Step by step pro-cedures outlined in for instruction

Student participa-tion to promote interactive learning

Questions promote critical thinking

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Writing, listening, and speaking activities provide application of skill

Background information

and biblical principles

integrated into lesson

Extra Practice page

available for homework,

review, or reteaching

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Differentiated Instruction in ESL

Adapt lessons so that students who are learning English as a second lan-guage are successful.

• English 5 Teacher’s Edition

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Technology SolutionsTechnology SolutionsTechnology SolutionsTeacher Tools Online Teacher Tools Online was created by BJU Press to give educators like you more of the digital resources you need when you need them.

What’s Included

• Editable PowerPoint presentations• Course art for use on bulletin boards or with

other classroom materials• Video clips• PDF files of the Teacher’s Editions• Quizzes, rubrics, and other materials from the

Teacher’s Toolkit CD (where available)• Editable lesson-plan overviews• Electronic copies of the Test Answer Keys• Links to free resources• Easy online access• Designed specifically for use with BJU Press

materials

To order an exam kit, call your Precept Sales Representative at 800.511.2771.

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To learn more about BJU Press English,visit bjupress.com/scope/english.