Lower School

Kindergarten:

Students in kindergarten at Bulloch Academy will flourish socially and academically throughout the school year. The school provides enriching and challenging experiences that are developmentally appropriate. Teachers design thematic units that are incorporated into each subject and skill area taught. At the end of the year, our kindergarten students are honored with their own Kindergarten graduation. This is a special celebration that many of our high school seniors remember participating in during their own graduation ceremonies. 

• Language and Literacy development
  • Through Saxon Phonics and a balanced literacy approach that includes a daily block of Guided Reading and Whole Group Reading, students develop letter and high-frequency word recognition, fluency, comprehension, writing, and phonemic awareness skills. The letter celebration days highlight the kindergarten language and literacy development at Bulloch Academy. 
• Mathematical Thinking
  • The Math in Focus program is implemented in Kindergarten. Students will develop skills related to number recognition, counting, patterns, number comparison, ordinal numbers, measurement and sorting, shapes, coins, and their values, addition, and subtraction. Students acquire skills through a guided, hands-on approach with the use of manipulatives.
• Science and Social Studies
  • Carefully developed thematic units of study are integrated into the curriculum throughout the day. Students engage in various activities and hands-on experiments that develop their understanding of the unit. 
• Gross Motor and Fine Motor development
  • A variety of activities are incorporated daily to assist students in developing their gross motor and fine motor skills. Students participate in physical education through structured P.E. time during the week, as well as during movement times and recess. Fine motor activities are incorporated into various activities, such as writing, artwork, cutting with scissors, manipulating play-doh, and more. 

1st Grade:

First grade at Bulloch Academy provides a transitional time for students as they move into more formal instruction in language arts and mathematics. Teacher-developed thematic units are incorporated throughout each subject and enhance the students’ daily instruction. Students are guided through language and literacy instruction at a personalized and developmentally appropriate level. A highlight of First grade is the “Good Job” shop. Students earn and spend “money” they have earned for good behavior, exposing them to real-world applications of money. 

• English Language Arts
  • Bulloch Academy’s language arts curriculum consists of reading, writing, spelling, phonics, and grammar. Students in 1st grade develop these skills through the use of the Saxon Phonics program, Guided Reading, and whole-group activities with the Reading Wonders series. Students are exposed to a variety of phonological awareness and phonics skills to manipulate words and sounds and apply decoding strategies when reading. Fluency is emphasized through the acquisition of high-frequency words and oral reading, focusing on speed, accuracy, and expression. Comprehension skills include making predictions, identifying and understanding the beginning, middle, and end of stories, retelling stories, identifying the main idea and supporting details, cause and effect relationships, and story elements. First-grade students learn to write multiple sentences that are complete and use parts of speech appropriately. Punctuation, capitalization, and spelling skills are emphasized in students’ writing. 
• Math
  • Teachers use many lessons and learning strategies to teach mathematics skills in first grade. Hands-on materials are utilized to develop a solid understanding of various concepts. The Math in Focus program is used to assist in the teaching of skip counting, addition and subtraction, rounding, telling time, measurement, geometry, graphing, money, and word problems. Problem-solving skills are incorporated into a variety of activities.
• Science and Social Studies
  • Beginning in first grade, teachers utilize the Inspire Science series, which focuses on the 5E science framework (engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate). Thematic units teach a variety of topics in both science and social studies. Through experiments and hands-on activities, students are introduced to many scientific topics. Social studies units help students become productive and responsible citizens while studying history and how it affects the world around them. 

2nd Grade:

Students in Second-Grade become more independent learners through a variety of activities, including discussions, collaboration, and choice-board style tasks. Through integrated units of study, students are exposed to various skills on a daily basis. A highlight of the second-grade curriculum is the Pumpkin Book Report project. These are fun-filled activities in which students select a book of their choice and decorate a pumpkin as a favorite character or memorable scene from their book. 

• English Language Arts
  • Students in second grade are beginning to make the shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” and the skills taught in first grade will be expanded upon through a variety of strategies. Students continue to develop a love for reading through a combination of guided reading, literature circles, and whole-group read-alouds. Targeted instruction occurs during daily reading groups, in which the students are taught skills based on their reading level. Literature circles are used with a variety of books to boost student engagement and encourage a love for reading. Students begin their journey with chapter books through these literature circles. Exposure to other cultures and experiences is integrated through independent book studies. Vocabulary and spelling are two skills also emphasized in second grade, assisting students with their word knowledge acquisition.
• Math
  • In conjunction with the Math in Focus Curriculum, previously learned foundational skills are revisited and extended. Skills are introduced through hands-on manipulatives before moving into symbolic representations. Number patterns, place value, addition and subtraction within 1,000, multiplication and division, money and time, measurement, graphing, and geometry concepts are introduced and taught during the year. Daily fact fluency is a key component of the second-grade math curriculum, preparing students for the content taught in future grade levels.
• Science and Social Studies
  • Highlights of the second-grade social studies curriculum focus on leadership and levels of government before moving into a more in-depth study of Georgia. This study of Georgia focuses on symbols, regions, history, and famous people. A highlight of the curriculum is the Famous Georgians project, in which students research a well-known person from the state of Georgia. Students create a poster and dress up as their chosen figure when presenting their research. The science curriculum begins with mapping landforms, continents, and landscape changes to the Earth before moving into properties of matter as well as living things and their habitats. Through hands-on inquiry activities, students gain a real-world understanding of various scientific concepts. In the spring, students research an animal and its needs and habitat. 

3rd Grade:

Third grade is a pivotal year for Bulloch Academy students, as they apply their strong foundational knowledge in English language arts and mathematics. Their independence is shown through class projects, daily small group rotations, and problem-solving skills. Critical thinking is applied to all subjects and students are encouraged to express their understanding of content through proper terminology. Third-grade students participate in a field trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina each year, which incorporates much of what they learn in their science course. 

• English Language Arts
  • The Third Grade language arts and reading curriculum is literature-based. Through the use of short stories through the Reading Wonders curriculum and stand-alone novels, comprehension skills are heavily emphasized. In addition, vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and writing are incorporated into a variety of activities when working with the literature. Students learn to appreciate and enjoy different genres and types of writing. Cursive writing is introduced and utilized in all aspects of the Language Arts curriculum. 
• Math 
  • Students in third grade build upon the basic skills of addition and subtraction taught in second grade and expand upon these skills. Through the use of the Math in Focus Curriculum, students build a conceptual understanding of multiplication and division strategies before moving on to multi-digit multiplication and division. Students are given individualized instruction through the use of math rotations, in which they work with hands-on manipulatives to reteach and enrich mathematical concepts. Other concepts taught include fractions, elapsed time, geometry, measurement, and data analysis. Higher-order thinking strategies are incorporated into each unit of study through problem-solving and real-world applications. 
• Science
  • The Third Grade Science curriculum integrates hands-on learning experiences through experiments, projects, and labs. Students study weather, life cycles and traits, forces, magnets, electricity, and different types of habitats. Special projects include the Animal Research project in which students research and create a model of an endangered species habitat. When students present their project, they include the animal’s threats and solutions to help the animal come off of the endangered species list. Students also participate in a field trip to the Riverbanks Zoo to tie in real-life applications of science content. 
• Social Studies
  • Third grade Social Studies begins a three-year progression into American History, beginning with the first Americans through Westward Expansion. Students begin the year reviewing map and geography skills by learning information about maps, United States regions, and different landforms/bodies of water throughout the United States, as well as learning how to apply latitude and longitude when reading a map and how to use a compass rose. Next, students delve into early American Indian tribes and cultures, the contributions of the first explorers in the Americas, the colonization of America and the 13 Colonies. The year concludes with a look into American Government basics and economics.

4th Grade:

Students in fourth grade are encouraged to demonstrate a variety of skills, including creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Students participate in independent and collaborative groups throughout the year. Fourth-grade students have the opportunity to compete again in the Reggie Dawson Math Tournament. Highlights of the fourth-grade year include the annual “Shark Tank” project and Lemonade Wars. In Shark Tank, students showcase their knowledge and creativity in this project-based learning activity, which incorporates all subjects. This project allows them to invent an item, write a pitch, create an advertisement, and use their information to share their creativity with peers and faculty in their final presentation, in front of a group of “sharks.” After reading “The Lemonade Wars” in English Language Arts, students design their own lemonade stand and sell drinks and baked goods to the school, with proceeds going to a chosen local charity.

• English Language Arts
  • 4th-grade students continue building on their literature-based experiences through short stories in the Reading Wonders curriculum as well as novel studies. Each Reading unit focuses on a specific theme/story, a specific genre, and helps students understand comprehension strategies and vocabulary strategies that encourage them to learn to question themselves as they read along with analyzing the text more deeply. The literary skills learned in 4th grade incorporate different genres and their characteristics, and a variety of comprehension strategies (prediction, sequencing, cause and effect, rereading, comparing and contrasting). Students will also learn the skill of using context clues, identifying synonyms, idioms, and other figurative language to help them determine the meaning of words that may be new to them. 
• Math
  • Fluency, problem-solving, and project-based learning are staples of the fourth-grade math curriculum. Students move to a conceptual understanding of math concepts through the use of hands-on activities to enforce in-depth knowledge. Individualized and differentiated instruction is implemented daily through math rotations. Students gain mastery through goal-oriented and self-directed learning activities. Multi-digit multiplication, fractions, decimals, measurement, data, and geometry are all taught through a pictorial-concrete-abstract format.
• Science
  • Fourth grade science curriculum exposes students to various units of study with specific focuses in earth science, living things, and physical science. Students will learn about Earth’s landforms and earthquakes in Earth Science, the structure and functions of living organisms in Life Science, and forces, energy, and energy transfer in physical science. Through hands-on activities, models, projects, and experiments, students will gain a deeper knowledge of each of these topics.
• Social Studies
  • The 4th-grade Social Studies Curriculum covers American History from the American Revolution to the Civil War. Students begin the year learning about geography and various physical versus man-made characteristics. Students then dive into the issues leading to the American Revolution, its major battles, the challenges the United States faced in becoming a new nation, Westward Expansion, and the Civil War. Collaboration and projects are a highlight of the 4th-grade curriculum. Information learned in Social Studies incorporated into Language Arts that bring history to life for our students.

5th Grade

Fifth-grade students have a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their leadership and academic skills. Students begin participating in 4-H, in which students are guided through the election process to choose class officers and participate in service projects. Students also have the opportunity to be a part of the math team, competing in the annual Penny Sikes Math Tournament typically held in March. Students write and publish a class book, which is a highlight of the fifth-grade year. 

• English Language Arts
  • Students in 5th grade are taught English Language Arts through a variety of novel studies, developing their reading comprehension and thinking skills through high-quality literature. Novel studies allow students exposure to differing perspectives and allow them to visualize and develop an understanding of differing perspectives. Students engage in activities that promote and develop communication, comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking strategies and skills. Grammar and vocabulary are taught through the use of Sadlier workbooks and daily spiral reviews. Grammar skills are incorporated into writing projects throughout the year so that students can put what they have learned into practice.
• Math
  • In fifth grade the students utilize Math in Focus to provide opportunities for meaningful student engagement. Mathematical practices are highly emphasized throughout the year. In addition to reviewing and extending previously learned concepts, fifth-grade math teaches a variety of new concepts that are built upon in the middle school years, including expressions and patterns, exponents, integers, prime factorization, fraction and decimal operations, measurement, and geometry.

• Science
  • Fifth Graders work through an interactive science program that provides a consumable textbook and online edition with a vast array of helpful resources. Areas of study include Matter, Plants, Living Things, Earth’s Major Systems, Earth’s Interactive Systems, and Space Patterns. The fifth-grade project-based science activities help spark curiosity, improve critical thinking, deepen understanding, and foster creative problem-solving in real-world situations.
• Social Studies
  • Fifth graders conclude the three-year study into American History, moving through the late 19th century to modern-day America. They begin the year with an overall review of geography, government, and economics which are then incorporated throughout each unit of study. Students move into the study of the United States and the world starting with American life after the Civil War, World War 1 and the 1920s, the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, Civil Rights, to 21st-century America. Several project-based activities are incorporated into the curriculum for students to participate in throughout the year to make history come alive.