Legacy Grammar Program
A Peek Inside Our Day!
Opening Liturgy
15 minutes to come together and start our day giving honor and thanks to God through hymn singing (which declares the truth of who God is in a beautiful musical form), scripture recitation (to fill our hearts with the goodness and truth of His Word), and prayer (to actively participate in daily communication with God). We believe it is important to set our minds and hearts on Him at the beginning of the day and practice a mindfulness of His presence in our lives throughout the day.
Memory
15 minutes of fun, energy-filled recitations to cover Scripture verses, catechisms, math concepts, a history timeline, Latin conjugations and declensions, grammar rules, science facts, geography songs, and masterpiece identification! The purpose of Memory Period is to capitalize on the enormous capacity of a Grammar aged child to absorb and retain information. The importance of memorizing during this stage of their education can’t be stressed enough! However, as Leonardo da Vinci so aptly stated, “Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.” Therefore, we intentionally make Memory Period at Legacy short, fast paced, and lively! We encourage families to follow the same model at home for practice, with perhaps a little extra attention given to those particular parts that the student may be struggling with. However, keep in mind that your child will likely be repeating these concepts over and over again for the next several years! If they don’t fully get it the first year, they will get it later!
Chapel
A time for the entire community to come together as a whole body to bring our sacrifice of praise to the One who has given us so much! Chapel includes worship, scripture reading, prayer, and a word of edification from the chapel speaker. The entire family is welcome to sit together, or to sit separately with friends. We know that sometimes little ones may make noise during chapel, and our community is okay with that! We love our littlest community members, and want them to be included in the fellowship of believers!
Latin
During Latin, we will learn and review Latin vocabulary, practice conjugations and declensions, and as the levels move higher, we begin to work more to understand the process of translating. Among the many reasons we study Latin, Dr. Christopher Perrin says, “The study of Latin is an ongoing practice in linguistic puzzle-solving that generally helps students to become close and careful readers and writers. Many believe it also generally hones the mental faculties, cultivating careful analysis and attention.” Latin is offered at various levels to meet the beginning, intermediate, and advanced student’s needs. Parents are encouraged to join their students in class so they can learn the content of the lessons as well, and thereby be more prepared to help their students at home!
Break
Being restful takes being intentional in class time and at home studies but making sure there are breaks to ease the mind and give time for processing thoughts, conversing with others, and playing so that we can focus better when we are studying. This break could be considered a “Reset!” rather than a “Recess.”
Snack and Line up
Time to go back to class! We give a little extra time to go to the bathroom, get a bottle of water and grab a non-messy snack to head into the next class!
Lower Grammar – History / Upper Grammar – Science
At this point in the day, Lower Grammar and Upper Grammar part ways and go to their separate classes which are thoughtfully approached according to their levels and ability.
HISTORY
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Students will see God’s hand throughout history as they learn about a new piece of history that will further develop and enlighten their understanding of our past through the use of stories, beautiful pictures, art or music, and an activity which could be creating a project, participating in a cultural meal, playing parts in a dramatic reenactment, or interacting with music. The at-home studies will further broaden their knowledge of that historical time through their curriculum reading, story reading, and written and drawn work. Geography maps will be part of their at-home studies.
SCIENCE
Science class will delight the student’s senses as they experience the wonder and order of God’s world through an engaging lesson and discussion about various aspects of Creation and our responsibility to engage with it respectfully. After a lesson, the students will engage in an activity or experiment designed to reinforce the concept and explore scientific discoveries. The at-home studies will develop the concept they learned to continue the conversation and foster a love of what they are learning in science with their friends. They will be asked to do reading in their curriculum and then retain the new ideas by giving a written response and/or drawing.
Lunch
This is the time we all come together (even Logic/Rhetoric!) for lunch! Families can sit together if they choose, but parents are asked to sit with their grammar students until they have eaten their lunch to ensure their tummies are nourished (and their food isn’t wasted!) before they go play.
Recess games and play should be inclusive and encouraging. Parents are asked to be on a rotation to watch over the students for the purpose of safety, but also to keep an eye on and lovingly encourage Christ-like behavior. The handbook defines unhealthy behaviors that will not be accepted.
Lower Grammar – Science / Upper Grammar – History
Same as HISTORY/SCIENCE rotation above, just reversed.
Art
Appreciation for art comes through the study of art and the practice of refining artistic talents at whatever level the student is at. We learn together for the purpose of encouragement and inspiration. Some students may have more natural talents that make it easier for them to engage in art, but even students who struggle can and should enjoy the process of learning how to create something beautiful, and seeing their skills improve through practice over time and through trial and error. Students are not expected to perform at a high level. They are expected to do their best with a good attitude.
Reader’s Theater / Poetry Recitation
This is often the most fun part of a Legacy student’s day! During Reader’s Theater, students have the opportunity to grab a script, a costume, and act out a play with their fellow students. Some plays are more involved than others, and may take more than one week to act through. During good weather, we will utilize the beautiful outdoor stage on the grounds of the property. During bad weather, we will use the stage in the sanctuary.
Poetry Recitation takes advantage of the poems that students are memorizing throughout their school year at home (and motivates the students to memorize those poems!). We frequently see multiple students recite the same poem when they are in the same level. Regardless of whether or not we’ve heard the poem a thousand times, or we are hearing it for the first time, listening to and encouraging our students is one of our delights at Legacy!
The purpose of Reader’s Theater and Poetry Recitation is to give the students exposure to quality written works, to interact with it and bring it to life through spoken word, and to gain experience in presentations and public speaking. It also gives the audience the opportunity to practice sitting attentively, and to practice providing encouragement to those who are presenting. This is very meaningful to the students in the audience, because they too are experiencing the nerves and the joys of being in the spotlight!
Closing Liturgy
We close our beautiful, fun day with a heart of gratitude to the One who brought us together and gave us the opportunity to bless Him and each other. The closing includes a song, and a prayer. In everything we do, we want our hearts to be centered on Him!
Clean Up
Legacy appreciates the generosity of our host church in welcoming us into their beautiful building, and for the use of their grounds. We want to bless them in return by leaving their facility in better condition than when we came. We believe this not only shows gratitude to our hosts, but it also sets the example for our children of being thoughtful, considerate and responsible. Cleaning assignments are handed out to make the process simple and efficient.