A Comprehensive Curriculum Configured to Meet Your Child's Needs

Third Grade Core

In the core curriculum, Third Grade students enjoy reading a favorite children’s book, The Mouse and the Motorcycle. The literature program also includes story anthologies Tales from Far and Near and Tales from Long Ago, various leveled and decodable reading selections, and poetry.

Third Graders also begin to learn about ancient mythology and art history, two subjects that prepare students for greater literature appreciation. In social studies, students learn about how communities form and work together.

In science, students experience life cycles of plants and animals, force and motion, matter and energy, the solar system, the changing Earth, and staying healthy through hands-on experiences. Verticy’s integrated technology program features spreadsheet graphing and developing presentations.

Fourth Grade Core

The Fourth Grade Verticy core curriculum is exciting as students read classic children’s literature such as Mr. Popper’s Penguins and Farmer Boy. The literature program also includes various leveled and decodable reading selections, critical thinking, and vocabulary development. Students read and recite poetry to increase comprehension, appreciation, and analysis. The fourth grade social studies course focuses on regions of the United States.

Students continue to develop their skills in geography and map reading. The Calvert classic, A Child’s History of the World text, written by Virgil Hillyer, Calvert School’s first Headmaster, is available as an enrichment course for interested students who would like to continue the Calvert tradition.

The science program covers life science and physical science units such as classifying living things, the human body, rocks and fossils, electricity and magnetism. In integrated technology lessons, students learn to use spreadsheets and create tables, charts, and graphs, skills that will be applied in the general curriculum.

Fifth Grade Core

In Fifth Grade, students have an integrated complete curriculum containing all subjects. Fifth Graders experience the connections between American history, literature, and geography by reading classic historical selections such as Sing Down the Moon and American Tall Tales.

Most exciting and unique to Verticy is our inclusion of art history in the Fifth Grade curriculum. Your student’s classical education includes picture study and A Child’s History of Art: Painting, another text written by Virgil Hillyer.

Fifth grade students enjoy studying the history of the United States from ancient civilizations through September 11, 2001. Topics include colonization, the Revolution, westward expansion, Civil War, and the United States in the 20^th century. The accompanying geography course focuses on regions of the United States.

In science, students classify plants and animals, study weather and climate, sound, light, Earth and ecosystems, and energy and conservation.

Technology instruction includes research skills and basic HTML.

Sixth Grade Core

In Sixth Grade, students will be able to empathize with characters in novels such as The Phantom Tollbooth, Bud Not Buddy, and Esperanza Rising, as they deal with a variety of challenges.

In history, the students trace history from early man through the fall of Rome. They study civilizations in Egypt, China, India, and Greece relating their early past to the present. In Geography, they imagine traveling to Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.

The second volume of A Child’s History of Art: Sculpture offers hands-on art lessons coordinated with art history study.

In science, Sixth Graders study energy, astronomy, and the properties of matter. Technology lessons cover operation systems, URLs, Web searches, and presentation software.

Seventh Grade Core

Seventh Grade students continue to build strong reading strategies as they study exciting novels such as Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; Tom Sawyer; Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh; and The Westing Game. They also enjoy reading and interpreting short stories.

In history, students investigate the development of the modern world covering the fall of Rome to the Enlightenment. They relate geographic themes and map skills to North and South America, Europe, and Russia.

The art history course continues with Hillyer’s third volume of A Child’s History of Art: Architecture. Students apply these lessons by designing their own structures in the art unit.

Students learn about networks, web researching and validation, desktop publishing, and databases in our comprehensive technology program.

Our online Learning Strategies guidebook helps develop skills for studying, organizing, test taking, note taking, and researching.

Eighth Grade Core

Eighth Grade students study narrative poetry and prose that include interactive reading of short stories and novels such as Holes; Daniel’s Story; A Single Shard, and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Through literature and our American history textbook, atlas, and geography workbooks, students are immersed in the country’s intellectual, physical, and political identities from discovery to modern America. Students discover the United States' role in world events.

In science, the focus is on physical, life, and earth sciences such as electricity, magnetism, the structure of plant and animal cells, genetics, astronomy, topography, and environmental science.

In technology, students will further their abilities in presentations, desktop publishing, spreadsheets, and HTML.

Our online Learning Strategies guidebook helps develop skills for studying, organizing, test taking, note taking, and researching. Our Eighth Grade curriculum builds on the skills of earlier grades while preparing students for high school.

Third Grade Math

Fourth Grade Math

Fifth Grade Math

Sixth Grade Math

Seventh Grade Math

Eighth Grade Math

Orange Level Phonics/Spelling

Verticy’s Orange Level course is the first of four levels in our Phonics/Spelling continuum. This level is an appropriate place for beginning readers who need to focus on vowel and consonant sounds.

Throughout the school year, students will build a solid foundation of phonics and spelling skills, beginning with an introduction to the alphabet sequence and the sound syllable relationship. From here, they will study basic syllable types and division patterns, spelling rules, and vowel teams.

Yellow Level Phonics/Spelling

Our Yellow Level Phonics/Spelling course is the second level of study in our four level continuum. Students at the Yellow Level typically display knowledge of the alphabet and the foundation of consonants and short vowels.

While studying at this level, students will learn the rules and practice of dividing words into syllables. Implementing various Orton-Gillingham based teaching methods, Yellow Level students will learn spelling rules; slides; consonant digraphs; long vowel sounds; and open, closed, silent e, and r-controlled syllables types. Compound words, homophones, silent letters, and stable final syllables will be briefly introduced towards the end of this level.

Green Level Phonics/Spelling

Verticy’s Green Level course is the third of four levels in our Phonics/Spelling continuum. Students at this level should be comfortable with short and long vowels, consonants, and have had some exposure to vowel teams, suffixes, and beginning spelling rules.

Throughout the school year, students will continue to build solid skills in reading, beginning with a review of syllable types and division rules, blends, slides, consonant digraphs, and basic vowel teams. From here, your student will study consonant-le and r-controlled syllable types. Learning prefixes, final endings, schwa, new sounds, and exceptions to the spelling rules will be briefly introduced towards the end of this level.

Red Level Phonics/Spelling

Verticy’s Red Level course is the highest of four levels in our Phonics/Spelling continuum. Students at this level are able to read, having mastered vowels, consonants, and vowel teams, and are working to solidify the more complex concepts of reading and spelling.

Throughout the school year, students at this level will review and master the range of syllable division rules, blends, slides, various complex consonant concepts, compound words, and suffixes. From here, your student will study higher-level spelling rules and their exceptions such as silent e, y to i, plurals and possessives, and stable final syllables. Your student will also study silent letters, schwa, and accent patterns.

Orange Level Grammar/Composition

Our Orange Level Grammar/Composition course is the first level of study in our four level continuum. Students beginning at the Orange Level are building basic writing skills. Typically, an Orange Level student can compose a simple sentence and is gaining short paragraph writing skills.

Students will write weekly journal entries, use illustrations with compositions, learn to make lists and organize ideas, and learn to proofread their writing. Focusing on capitalization, punctuation, and creating complete sentences will help these students on their way to more advanced writing skills.

Yellow Level Grammar/Composition

Our Yellow Level Grammar/Composition course is the second level of study in our four level continuum. Students beginning at the Yellow Level can write in full sentences and short paragraphs.

Yellow Level lessons will help your student master the art of composing a quality paragraph. Your child will spend time studying various types of paragraphs and identifying the parts of a paragraph in order to gain understanding of a well-rounded composition. From making lists and organizing ideas, to writing using the 5 Ws and presenting a book report, Yellow Level students grow in their ability to effectively communicate through writing.

Green Level Grammar/Composition

Our Green Level Grammar/Composition course is the third level of study in our four level continuum. Students beginning at the Green Level typically have the ability to write basic compositions or paragraphs.

During Green Level study, your student will first review foundational skills such as topic and concluding sentences, outlining, and proofreading. Focus on learning to write more complex sentences, writing letters, creating effective multi-paragraph compositions, and studying strategies for note taking will help these students on their way to more advanced writing skills.

Your student will also review the basics of grammar, and will build exemplary skills in proper and common nouns, subject and predicate, complex sentences, prepositions and phrases, and labeling parts of speech.

Red Level Grammar/Composition

Our Red Level Grammar/Composition course is the final and most advanced level of study in our four-level continuum. A student beginning at the Red Level can typically write a basic paragraph or composition and is looking to solidify skills in these areas.

During Red Level study, your student will begin to transition into a textbook-guided writing program in order to prepare for the demands of middle school. Red Level focuses on learning the steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and publishing. This level continues to implement multi-sensory strategies in order to prepare your student for more complex grammar and composition mastery.

Your student will quickly review the basics of grammar, and will build exemplary skills in complex sentences, prepositions and phrases, labeling parts of speech, interjections and subject-verb agreement. Composition study will review and master the foundations of quality writing, while adding concentration in publishing, advanced journaling, research, and presenting.