Matheia Curriculum

Matheia is a Greek suffix that means "useful learning". Matheia School seeks to provide a curriculum that will enable our students to use learning as a foundation for their future.

Reading: The Foundation of Education at Matheia

Our goal is that children see themselves as readers, and learn to love reading. All children begin their day in reading groups, which are organized by ability, not age.

Emergent Readers
Our goal for these children is that they begin to see themselves as readers and become excited about books. Teachers use a wide variety of teaching methods, including whole language and phonics. Individually tailored tools expand the ability of the teacher to hold each child's interest and reinforce lessons.

Beginning Readers
Beginning readers start every day listening to a story and then discussing the author, the author's style, and the genre. Next, children move into small reading groups of 3 or 4 children where they read aloud with an adult. As a child's reading ability improves, he or she is given increasingly challenging materials.

Independent Readers
These students read and comprehend more challenging books. Students develop higher-level thinking skills while gaining an appreciation for the richness and subtlety of language. Children learn to follow multiple plot lines and analyze characters. Class book discussions teach children to develop their own opinions.

Language Arts: Inspiring Students to be Authors

In the Writing Program at Matheia School, students quickly learn to view themselves as writers and creators. Through a series of imaginative units, students learn to write in the genres of letter writing, poetry, short essays, and creative stories of their own imagination. Our students are encouraged to share their finished works with each other, before bringing them home to share with family. 

A balanced approach to language arts ensures that students express themselves creatively, while learning the necessary tools of grammar and spelling. As students progress through each grade, they gain the appropriate skills to be independent writers.

Our youngest students begin their process by gaining experience with writing by learning to use both upper-case and lower-case letters. They quickly gain confidence in their abilities, which grows into a genuine desire to write, write, and write some more! As students learn to pair phonetic sounds with the letters of the alphabet, the next step is to dictate creative stories, letters, and other written creations. 

In the middle grades, students write their assignments with guidance. They are introduced to common spelling words, word families and classroom resources to edit their writing. Grammar conventions assist students in becoming fluent authors.

As students transition into the upper grades, they continue the creative process, while preparing for middle school challenges. Story writing is still the primary focus of the program. Formal paragraph and essay writing are also introduced and developed in the curriculum. Students are encouraged to push their creative ideas further, through more interesting plots, dynamic characters, and vivid settings. A variety of short essay tasks challenge students to use more formal formatting and language while expressing facts and opinions clearly. 

Every unit encourages creativity and student choice. Students are provided with the support they need as they complete each activity. Outside of dictating and writing, students participate in cooperative tasks, lively discussions, illustration, and occasional friendly competitions. Our students are enthusiastic about what they learn and passionate about what they create. 

Science: Preparing for Discovery

More than any other discipline, science provides us with tools to learn about the world. Science is not a listing of facts; science is an invitation to observe the world, ask questions, puzzle over problems, and enjoy the process of solving them. From the time children begin to perceive their environment, they are involved in science. Each unit provides students the opportunity to learn about topics in physical, life, and earth sciences and technology through direct observation and experimentation. The units invite the children to develop and test hypotheses, just as professional scientists do.