Grammar School comprises grades Pre-K through 5th at CCA. Grammar is the art of inventing and combining symbols - the beginning stage of learning. We focus on the grammar of learning by installing “pegs” of lasting knowledge that can be built upon. Grammar is a language of symbols, a language in which fluency is the antecedent of critical thinking and winsome communication. Each day begins with a morning assembly in which prayer, Pledges, and the singing of jingles and hymns are prominent (jingles are tied to the curriculum and help students solidify the information learned by engaging their vocal and melodic capacities). Grammar School students are evaluated three times a year using an innovative assessment that not only measures information retained, but growth in mathematics, reading, and language arts skills as well. These metrics are used to help parents and teachers see where the students are ranked both within CCA and nationally. These tests are not the definition of the child's capabilities but are just a piece of the information to help us nurture each student's abilities.
What Type of Education Will Your Child Receive at CCA? An education conducted in submission to Scripture and aimed at developing a Christian worldview. We want our students to recognize that all that is good, beautiful, and true in the world finds its source in God. Students consider the ideas and beliefs they encounter in light of the truth of Scripture. We desire to submit ourselves in all things to Jesust Christ.
An education aimed at paideia. Paideia was the word the Greeks used to describe the formation of a whole human being.-instruction in the liberal arts, training of the body, and the formation of character. At CCA our aim is not merely job preparation of test-taking intelligence, but to shape the whole person-body, mind, and soul-for the glory of Christ and His kingdom.
An education attuned to the three stages of learning–grammar, logic, and rhetoric. In our Grammar School (Pre-k thru 6th), we build a foundation for future learning through children’s love of story and the ease with which they memorize. Grammar students memorize songs, chants, and rhymes, Scripture verses, and information from all subjects.
An education where history is valued. As Christians, we know that God works throughout human history. We value the past for its witness to God’s character, for its wisdom, and as important for understanding who we are today. Our entire curriculum rotates through the history of the world three times.
An education rooted in the wisdom of great thinkers and writers. While older is not always better, we honor the preserved, collective intellectual energy of entire civilizations as a body of wisdom to be respected. Our students read the great books of our intellectual tradition to learn from the great thinkers of the past. Through Socratic discussion beginning in 5th grade students enter into conversation with these thinkers, evaluating ideas in light of Scripture and considering how those ideas can inform our living today.
An education where subjects are integrated. School classes are divided into specific subjects–math, literature, art, etc.–but reality is complicated and unified in a way these subject divisions don’t acknowledge. To help our students understand truth that cuts across subject divisions, we encourage integration as often as possible. Our Grammar School teachers pull different subjects together through integrating history, Bible, and literature. Science is also often seen in light of mathematical calculations and the history of the world.
