The curriculum
Ten strands across six tiers. Tiers T0–T3 (K–6) are specified objective by objective; T4–T5 are outlined.
T1 · Early Grammar
Grammar stage · ages 6–8 · 2.5–3 hours a dayThe mechanics years. Reading becomes fluent, the hand is trained, arithmetic facts are laid down cold, and memory work is heavy and cheerful.
That the child reads to learn rather than learning to read, and carries a stock of memorized Scripture, catechism, poetry, and math facts.
Bible & Doctrine
Daily, first thing, with family worship.Biblical narrative, redemptive history, systematic theology, and church history. The organizing strand — every other strand is taught as a servant of this one.
Recite the books of the New Testament in order by the end of grade 1, and all sixty-six books of the Bible in order by the end of grade 2.
- Assessment
- Timed oral recitation.
- Mastery criterion
- New Testament in under 60 seconds with no more than one prompt; full canon with no more than two prompts.
Locate any given chapter-and-verse reference in his own Bible without using the table of contents.
- Assessment
- Ten randomly drawn references, timed.
- Mastery criterion
- Nine of ten located, average under 30 seconds each.
Retell thirty biblical narratives and place them on a wall timeline in correct chronological order.
- Assessment
- Oral narration plus timeline placement of shuffled cards.
- Mastery criterion
- At least five accurate sentences per narrative; 27 of 30 correctly placed.
Recite thirty additional Scripture verses with references, plus Psalm 1 and Psalm 23 entire.
- Assessment
- Weekly recitation; cumulative review recitation each term.
- Mastery criterion
- Word-perfect on both psalms and on at least 27 of 30 verses at the end-of-year review.
Given a passage read aloud, state whether it chiefly tells us what God commands or what God has done to save sinners, and explain the difference in his own words.
- Assessment
- Ten short passages read aloud; oral sorting with a follow-up 'why'.
- Mastery criterion
- Eight of ten correctly sorted with a coherent reason for at least six.
Name and define in a single sentence six attributes of God: holy, eternal, unchanging, all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present.
- Assessment
- Oral quiz; then match each attribute to a supporting verse from a set of eight.
- Mastery criterion
- All six defined correctly and at least five matched to the right text.
Explain, unprompted, what sin is, why sin separates people from God, and why Jesus Christ had to die and rise again.
- Assessment
- Oral narration to an adult other than the teaching parent.
- Mastery criterion
- A coherent account covering sin, God's justice, substitution, and resurrection, delivered twice at least a month apart.
State why Christians gather for worship on the first day of the week and name three things the church does when it gathers.
- Assessment
- Oral question following a Lord's Day service.
- Mastery criterion
- The resurrection given as the reason, and three activities named, on two occasions.
Materials for this tier
- Truth78 (formerly Children Desiring God) — Foundations of Faith / Making Him Known · Truth78 · core
Explicitly Reformed, God-centered, and built on a deliberate nursery-through-junior-high scope and sequence combining chronological Bible survey with systematic theology. Written from a Baptist-friendly (Bethlehem Baptist) heritage, so it does not assume paedobaptism. The strongest single fit for this strand.
- The Child's Story Bible (Vos) and The Biggest Story Bible Storybook · Eerdmans / Crossway · supporting
Read-alouds that keep the redemptive-historical thread rather than moralizing each story into a lesson about being brave.
Catechism & Confession
Daily, 5–10 minutes; review cycles weekly.Formal memorization and understanding of A Catechism for Boys and Girls, The Baptist Catechism (Keach's, 1695), and the 1689 Second London Confession. Question-by-question progress is tracked in the catechism module.
Recite questions 1–90 of A Catechism for Boys and Girls verbatim, answered cold and out of order.
- Assessment
- Daily review; weekly cold draw of fifteen; cumulative term examination. Tracked question-by-question.
- Mastery criterion
- At least 85 of 90 answered verbatim on a cumulative out-of-order examination.
Recite the Ten Commandments verbatim from Exodus 20 in the family's translation, with numbers.
- Assessment
- Oral recitation, numbered.
- Mastery criterion
- Word-perfect with correct numbering on two occasions a month apart.
Recite the Apostles' Creed from memory and explain in his own words what each of its three main sections is about.
- Assessment
- Recitation plus oral explanation.
- Mastery criterion
- Word-perfect recitation and a correct account of Father, Son, and Spirit sections.
Materials for this tier
- A Catechism for Boys and Girls (144 questions) · Founders Ministries / public domain · core
The simplified Particular Baptist children's catechism. Full text is bundled with this curriculum and loaded into the tracking app, so progress is recorded question by question.
- Truth and Grace Memory Books 1–3 · Founders Press · supporting
Bundles catechism, Scripture memory, and hymns on a graded schedule. Book 2 contains The Baptist Catechism. Useful if you would rather buy the memory schedule than build it.
- The Illustrated Baptist Catechism (Paul Cox) · Founders Press · supporting
Visual aids for the youngest children; helpful for holding attention during the daily five minutes.
Language Arts
Daily.Phonics, reading fluency, spelling, penmanship, English grammar, and composition.
Decode multisyllabic words by identifying and applying the six syllable types: closed, open, silent-e, vowel team, r-controlled, and consonant-le.
- Assessment
- Thirty unfamiliar multisyllabic words read cold, with the student marking syllable divisions on ten.
- Mastery criterion
- 27 of 30 read correctly and 8 of 10 divisions marked correctly.
Read aloud unfamiliar grade-level prose with accuracy, appropriate pace, and expression — 60 words per minute by the end of grade 1 and 95 by the end of grade 2.
- Assessment
- Timed one-minute cold reads from a leveled passage, three times per term.
- Mastery criterion
- Target rate met with 98% accuracy and observed phrasing and expression, on two of three attempts.
Spell four hundred cumulative words correctly from dictation and state ten spelling rules that govern them.
- Assessment
- Weekly dictation; end-of-year cumulative test of fifty randomly drawn words plus an oral rules quiz.
- Mastery criterion
- 45 of 50 words correct and at least 8 of 10 rules stated accurately.
Identify nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns by the end of grade 1, and all eight parts of speech by the end of grade 2, within a given sentence.
- Assessment
- Twenty sentences with underlined words to classify.
- Mastery criterion
- 18 of 20 classified correctly on two separate assessments.
Write a complete sentence with correct capitalization and end punctuation, and by the end of grade 2 write a coherent four-sentence paragraph on a single topic.
- Assessment
- Independent writing sample on an assigned topic, graded on a four-point rubric.
- Mastery criterion
- Scores 3 of 4 or higher on the rubric on two samples from different terms.
Write from dictation one to two sentences heard twice, with correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
- Assessment
- Weekly dictation exercise.
- Mastery criterion
- 90% accuracy on four consecutive weekly dictations.
Form all lower-case and upper-case cursive letters with correct entry and exit strokes, and write his own name and a short verse in cursive.
- Assessment
- Handwriting sample graded for formation, slant, spacing, and connection.
- Mastery criterion
- At least 85% of letters correctly formed and connected in a sample written at normal pace.
Retell a passage of two to four paragraphs in his own words after hearing or reading it a single time.
- Assessment
- Narration recorded or transcribed by the parent, twice weekly.
- Mastery criterion
- Main idea plus at least three supporting details, in order, on four of five consecutive narrations.
Materials for this tier
- All About Reading / Logic of English Foundations · All About Learning Press / Logic of English · core
Explicit, systematic, multisensory phonics covering all 44 phonemes and the six syllable types. Either program will meet LNG.T0 and LNG.T1 objectives; pick one and finish it rather than switching.
- Spelling: All About Spelling or Spell to Write and Read · All About Learning Press / Wise Owl · core
Rule-based rather than list-based, which is what the objectives measure — the student must state the rule, not only pass the Friday test.
- Writing With Ease (Bauer) · Well-Trained Mind Press · core
Copywork, narration, and dictation in a graded sequence. Directly produces LNG.T1.06 and LNG.T1.08.
Literature & Recitation
Daily reading; recitation weekly; formal presentation each term.Read-alouds, independent reading, poetry memorization, oral narration, and public recitation.
Recite six poems from memory, at least two of them eight lines or longer, with audible voice and appropriate pace.
- Assessment
- Termly recitation before family or a co-op, graded on memory, volume, pace, and poise.
- Mastery criterion
- All six delivered without prompting; at least 3 of 4 on the delivery rubric.
Narrate twenty books — read aloud or read independently — identifying character, setting, problem, and resolution for each.
- Assessment
- Narration log; parent records the four elements for each title.
- Mastery criterion
- All four elements correctly given for at least 17 of 20 titles.
Read independently for twenty minutes a day without supervision and report what was read.
- Assessment
- Daily log signed by the student, spot-checked by parent questions.
- Mastery criterion
- Sustained on at least four days a week for eight consecutive weeks, with accurate reports.
Materials for this tier
- Memoria Press literature guides and poetry sets · Memoria Press · core
Well-sequenced classical reading lists with recitation built in. Roman Catholic and broadly Christian selections appear; read ahead and substitute where the theology matters.
Latin
Daily from Tier 1; 20–40 minutes.Classical Latin vocabulary, forms, and translation — chosen for its grammatical rigor, its yield in English vocabulary, and its access to the theological tradition.
Give the English meaning of 125 Latin vocabulary words shown in random order, and the Latin for the English.
- Assessment
- Written and oral quizzes, both directions, cumulative at term end.
- Mastery criterion
- At least 110 of 125 correct in both directions on a cumulative test.
Recite five Latin prayers or hymns from memory and give a rough English sense of each.
- Assessment
- Oral recitation plus oral translation.
- Mastery criterion
- All five recited from memory with the general sense given correctly.
Chant and write the present-tense personal endings and conjugate a first-conjugation verb in all six persons.
- Assessment
- Written conjugation of three unfamiliar first-conjugation verbs.
- Mastery criterion
- All six forms correct for at least two of three verbs, unaided.
Recite twenty-five Latin sayings with their English meanings and explain what one of them means in ordinary life.
- Assessment
- Cumulative oral quiz, both directions.
- Mastery criterion
- At least 22 of 25 correct with meaning, and a sensible application given for any saying asked.
Materials for this tier
- Prima Latina · Memoria Press · core
125 words, five prayers, and the Latin sayings — maps one to one onto the LAT.T1 objectives.
Mathematics
Daily, 30–60 minutes, plus 5 minutes of fact drill.Arithmetic fluency, conceptual understanding, and problem solving, taught as the study of order in a created world.
Recall all addition and subtraction facts through 20 automatically.
- Assessment
- Timed written drill of one hundred mixed facts.
- Mastery criterion
- 95 of 100 correct in five minutes, on two occasions at least two weeks apart.
Read, write, compare, and decompose numbers to 1,000, naming the value of each digit.
- Assessment
- Twenty mixed items including expanded form and comparison.
- Mastery criterion
- 18 of 20 correct.
Add and subtract multi-digit numbers with regrouping, using the standard written algorithm.
- Assessment
- Twenty problems, at least twelve requiring regrouping.
- Mastery criterion
- 18 of 20 correct on two separate assessments.
Skip count by twos, threes, fives, and tens to their twelfth multiple, forward from any starting point in the sequence.
- Assessment
- Oral quiz starting mid-sequence rather than from the beginning.
- Mastery criterion
- All four sequences completed correctly from a mid-sequence start.
Tell time to the nearest five minutes, count mixed coins to one dollar, and measure length in inches and centimeters.
- Assessment
- Hands-on assessment with a clock, real coins, and a ruler.
- Mastery criterion
- At least 85% correct across all three tasks.
Solve one-step addition and subtraction word problems, writing the number sentence before computing.
- Assessment
- Ten word problems; the number sentence is graded separately from the answer.
- Mastery criterion
- Correct number sentence on 9 of 10 and correct answer on 8 of 10.
Materials for this tier
- Primary: Singapore Math (Primary Mathematics / Dimensions) · Singapore Math Inc. · core
Recommended spine. Concept-first with bar modeling, which produces genuine understanding of the fraction, ratio, and word-problem objectives rather than procedure-following. Requires a teaching parent; it is not self-instructing.
- Alternative: Saxon Math (K–6/5) or Math-U-See · Saxon / Demme Learning · alternative
Saxon if you want incremental spiral review and maximum independence; Math-U-See if a child needs manipulatives and video instruction. Both reach the same objectives. Choose on the child, not the brand — and do not switch spines mid-year.
- Fact fluency drill (Xtra Math, Kate Snow's Math Facts That Stick, or paper drills) · various · supporting
The timed-recall objectives (MTH.T1.01, MTH.T2.01) will not be met by the spine alone. Five minutes daily, separate from the lesson.
History & Geography
3–4 days per week.A four-year chronological cycle (Ancients → Medieval → Renaissance/Early Modern → Modern), run twice across K–8, with church history woven in and geography attached to whatever period is under study.
Place twenty historical events on a wall timeline in correct chronological order and narrate each in two or more sentences.
- Assessment
- Shuffled card placement plus oral narration.
- Mastery criterion
- 18 of 20 correctly placed and narrated.
Identify fifteen historical figures from the period under study, giving for each roughly when they lived and one thing they did.
- Assessment
- Oral identification from portraits or names.
- Mastery criterion
- 13 of 15 identified with an accurate deed and the right era.
Use cardinal directions, a map key, and a simple scale, and explain the difference between a map and a globe.
- Assessment
- Practical map tasks on an unfamiliar map.
- Mastery criterion
- All four skills demonstrated correctly on a map the student has not seen before.
Materials for this tier
- The Story of the World, vols. 1–4, with activity guides · Well-Trained Mind Press · core
The four-year chronological cycle this strand is built on: Ancients, Medieval–Early Renaissance, Late Renaissance–Early Modern, Modern. Secular in tone rather than hostile; treats Christianity as one religion among others, so the parent supplies the providential reading (HIS.T3.04). Run the cycle in grades 1–4 and again in 5–8.
Science & Nature Study
2 days per week plus a weekly outdoor nature study.Observation, classification, and experiment — beginning with nature study out of doors and moving toward formal method and lab reporting.
Describe the life cycle of four organisms — including one insect and one flowering plant — in correct sequence.
- Assessment
- Sequencing cards plus oral narration; at least one cycle observed live.
- Mastery criterion
- All four sequenced and narrated correctly, with one observed firsthand.
Classify animals into the five vertebrate classes and state one distinguishing feature of each class.
- Assessment
- Twenty animals to classify, plus an oral features quiz.
- Mastery criterion
- 18 of 20 classified correctly and all five features stated.
Label the parts of a flowering plant and state the function of root, stem, leaf, and flower.
- Assessment
- Labeled diagram plus a dissection of a real flower.
- Mastery criterion
- All parts labeled correctly and all four functions stated.
Describe the three states of matter with an example of each, and name the planets in order from the sun.
- Assessment
- Oral quiz plus a demonstration of one state change.
- Mastery criterion
- All states and examples correct, planets in order, and a state change correctly explained.
Produce twenty dated nature journal entries with labeled drawings and one written observation each.
- Assessment
- Nature journal review.
- Mastery criterion
- Twenty entries with accurate labels and an observation, not a guess, recorded for each.
Materials for this tier
- The Handbook of Nature Study (Comstock) plus a nature journal · Cornell / public domain · core
Drives the nature journal objectives. Costs almost nothing and gets the children outdoors, which is most of the point at this age.
Fine Arts & Music
Singing daily; art or composer study 1–2 days per week.Hymnody and psalmody, music literacy and instrument study, picture study, and hands-on art. Congregational singing is treated as a graded skill, not an extra.
Sing twenty hymns and psalm settings from memory and state in one sentence what each is about.
- Assessment
- Oral singing plus content questions.
- Mastery criterion
- All twenty sung from memory; content correctly stated for at least sixteen.
Identify the staff, treble clef, bar lines, and whole, half, and quarter notes and rests, and clap a simple written rhythm.
- Assessment
- Written identification plus a rhythm clapping task.
- Mastery criterion
- All symbols identified and four of five rhythms clapped correctly.
Study six works of art and narrate each from memory after the picture is turned over.
- Assessment
- Picture study narration, recorded by the parent.
- Mastery criterion
- At least five narrations include subject, main figures, and one specific detail.
Materials for this tier
- Your church's hymnal, plus a metrical psalter · various · core
The hymn objectives should track what your congregation actually sings, so that memory work serves Lord's Day worship rather than competing with it. Add a metrical psalter for the psalm-singing objectives.
- Picture study portfolios and composer studies · Simply Charlotte Mason / Memoria Press · supporting
Cheap, effective, and takes fifteen minutes a week.
Practical Arts, Logic & Character
Daily chores and physical activity; logic 1 day per week from Tier 2.Household competence, money, physical training, attention span, informal logic, and observable character habits tied to the Ten Commandments.
Complete five daily chores to standard and perform five household skills: tie shoes, make a bed, set a table, fold laundry, and sweep a floor.
- Assessment
- Chore chart plus a practical demonstration of each skill.
- Mastery criterion
- All five skills demonstrated to standard and chores completed on four of five days for six weeks.
Work at an assigned task for thirty consecutive minutes without supervision or reminders.
- Assessment
- Timed observation on three occasions.
- Mastery criterion
- Thirty minutes sustained on all three occasions with no reminders given.
Tell the truth when it costs something, and confess wrongdoing without being caught first.
- Assessment
- Parent observation over a term; incidents recorded privately, not punitively.
- Mastery criterion
- At least three recorded instances of unprompted confession or costly honesty in a term, with no unresolved deception.
Engage in vigorous physical activity at least three times a week and demonstrate running, throwing, catching, and balance.
- Assessment
- Activity log plus a practical skills check.
- Mastery criterion
- Three sessions a week for eight weeks and all four skills demonstrated.
Materials for this tier
- Family worship: A Neglected Grace (Beeke) and Family Worship (Whitney) · Christian Focus / Crossway · supporting
For the parents, not the children. The BIB and CAT objectives assume daily family worship is already happening; if it is not, start there before adjusting anything else in this plan.
Mastery scale
- 0 · Not Introduced — Not yet taught.
- 1 · Introduced — Performs only with direct, step-by-step help.
- 2 · Developing — Performs with prompts; ≥70% accuracy.
- 3 · Proficient — Independent; ≥85% on two occasions ≥7 days apart.
- 4 · Mastered — Retained and transferred; ≥90% on a delayed check ≥30 days later.