Curriculum Distinctives

Copy Books
Students in Kindergarten through Grade Three produce copybooks that provide on-going practice for handwriting, spelling, grammar, etc. These copybooks are kept specifically for copying noteworthy poems, prose, quotes, historical facts and information, etc., that touch on the theme being studied by the class. In Grades Four through Six students produce Books of the Centuries in which they express their understanding of the historical periods they have been studying. Included in the Books of the Centuries would be students' narrations of research they have done on the historical period. The disciplines of literature, geography, science, and language arts find their way into the Books of Centuries. Copybooks and Books of Centuries are student productions by which the teacher assesses students' assimilation of knowledge.

Latin
Beginning in grade three all students study Latin for approximately ninety minutes each week. Students learn Latin spellings, vocabulary, grammatical structures, classical Latin pronunciations, and English derivatives. Living ideas in Latin are memorized and reflected upon. There are many reasons why we study Latin at Cornerstone. Latin is a root language for English and other languages, and studying it greatly enhances vocabulary and comprehension skills. It is simple, logical and consistent; therefore, Latin students more easily grasp the grammatical structure of English and the foundation is laid for other language study. Latin is and has been a means of expressing many significant theological ideas in the Christian church. Therefore, it is a language worthy of being placed in the classical curriculum.

Living Books
Living books are the opposite of dull, dry textbooks. They are books which are excellently written, timeless, wide-ranging, and interest-holding to children. People, places and events come alive as one reads a living book. The story and the noble themes presented in the book touch one's mind, will, and emotions and are used along with the Scriptures by the teacher to stimulate imagination and obedience to the truth. Cornerstone advocates avoiding "twaddle," or dumbed-down literature. We choose, rather, to provide a feast for children's minds of the best literary works available.

Nature Journals
Nature Notebooks are artist sketchbooks containing pictures the children have personally drawn of plants, wildlife or any other natural objects found in their natural setting. These Nature Journals can also include nature-related poetry, prose, detailed descriptions, weather notes, Latin names, etc. In addition, we believe in the benefits of children taking nature walks, perhaps one per week, during which they may experience and observe the natural environment firsthand. These excursions are nature "walks," not nature "talks." These activities generate the right attitude of mind for scientific observations and inferences, and foster a sense of awe and wonder for all things created.

Picture and Composer Studies
Cornerstone Christian Academy structures its program to bring the child into direct contact with works of art and music of enduring quality. Students spend approximately fifteen minutes per week studying a work of art by a great artist. The child looks at the work of art intently for a short period of time and is encouraged to look for every detail. The picture is taken away, and the student narrates (tells back) what he saw in the picture. A similar methodology is undertaken as the school studies significant musicians and their works. Through exposure to selected works of art and music, students develop an understanding of things that are worthy and timeless, and they build a mental inventory of many great works through the ages. Students are also provided instruction in basic music theory, singing and an introduction to the recorder, a basic wind instrument. Additionally, there are opportunities for Grades Four through Six to participate in band and vocal choir.

Recitations
Taking advantage of the predilection of young children for mimicry and repetition, we provide the opportunity for our elementary students to commit to memory passages and poems of lasting value. Chosen from the best of the Western canon, the selections in Grades Four through Six correlate to the time periods being studied in history. The full Book of Recitations is available for review in the school office.

Integration
When Christian schools speak of integration, we are often talking about the infusion of Biblical wisdom into all the subject areas that we teach. Although we do have distinct Bible classes, we also reference scriptural facts and principles in every academic area. Cornerstone teachers have been in workshops through a variety of sources in how to do this, including our own Continuing Education classes taught right here on our campus. One out of town resource we have learned this from was Dr. Marty MacCullough, Dean of Education at Philadelphia Biblical University. Dr. MacCullough taught a workshop on our campus attended by over two hundred Christian educators from all over Southern Arizona

Learning is also about relationships, or connections, between the traditional academic disciplines, as well. In particular, the learning style which Cornerstone has adopted is of this type. Paraphrasing nineteenth century British educator, Miss Charlotte Mason, our founding headmaster Jack Beckman once wrote, “…we mean that the child has been born in a natural relationship with many things: people, God, objects, animals, nature, etc. Learning then becomes the art (and science) of making connections between those things that have meaning, whether in literature, mathematics, writing, music, or art, to name several.”

A great example of subject matter and Biblical integration would be our Shakespeare Festival, which integrates Biblical themes of good and evil in a Christian cultural context with literary devices, historical allusions, visual art in both costuming and stage décor, period background music, and oratorical skills with stagecraft. 

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