K4–6th Grade
Grammar School
The grammar stage forms the intellectual and moral foundation of a child’s education. Through integrated study, memorization, and multisensory learning, students develop the habits and knowledge that prepare them for deeper reasoning in the years ahead.
From the Headmaster
"All education is teleological. Teleology is the study of the purpose and/or end goal of a thing. So to say that all education is teleological is simply to say that there is an ultimate purpose for education. That purpose: the glory of God, the joy of mankind, and the renewal of all things!"
Cultivating a Heart for Learning
In the Geneva grammar school years, we seek to fan the flickers of those early yearnings to learn, discover, and love.
We endeavor to develop in each child a love of learning, a love and respect for neighbor, and a sense of wonder and adventure through discovering the world around them. Our Christian classical approach is designed to nurture a love of the good, true, and beautiful as well as the joy that comes from living as God has called us to live. Throughout each school day, we strive to cultivate a heart for learning within our children that serves to heighten their sensitivities to the glories of God.
How Grammar Students Practice Thinking
A lifelong love of learning develops when the earliest experiences of a child’s education are positive and rewarding.
In order for these years to provide such experiences, the natural development of the student must be understood. The grammar stage is comprised of K4–6th grade. Just as the study of grammar provides the foundation for understanding language, these early childhood years develop the essential building blocks necessary for more multifaceted, complex, and analytical learning that will occur in the dialectic (7th and 8th grades) and rhetoric (9th–12th grade) stages and throughout life.
A sense of wonder abounds in a child during these grammar years—their minds want to absorb and learn information about the world, past, present, and future. Singing, chanting, and laughter can be heard emanating from the classrooms and hallways of the grammar school as students discover the rules of phonics, interact with characters from history, identify the parts of a plant or animal, and create their own stories. None of these would be possible if it weren’t for the committed and enthusiastic faculty members who guide and instruct the students each day.
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Grammar
K4–6th Grade
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Dialectic
7th–8th Grade
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Rhetoric
9th–12th Grade
The Trivium
Geneva’s Christian Classical Education Model
We know that grammar school students learn best when the information is delivered through multisensory approaches.
Therefore, The Geneva School is committed to a classical curriculum that is intricately woven and integrated across all subject areas. Educator and author Susan Wise Bauer wrote, “Because it [classical education] uses real, living books and hands-on experimentation rather than relying on textbooks and canned presentations, classical education is a matter of exploration, of reading, thinking, and talking, and of discovery—not of rote memorization and regurgitation.”
Outcomes of the Grammar Years
The grammar school years at The Geneva School provide educational experiences full of wonder and growth.
For example, students perform the Three Piggy Opera, sail across the sea as Pilgrims, plant and harvest our Peter Rabbit garden, live as Egyptians in the land of the Pharaoh, emerge from the Trojan horse as Greeks, live as squires, knights, and ladies-in-waiting, embark on a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg, and immigrate to the United States through Ellis Island, all within a loving, safe, thoughtfully designed, stimulating, yet peaceful environment conducive for children to thrive and grow.
Wonder
Students cultivate wonder through stories, great books, and joyful discovery.
Virtue
Students develop habits of attention, discipline, and love of learning in a Christ-centered community.
Integration
Subjects are woven together to reveal truth, beauty, and order in God’s world.
Foundations
Students develop strong skills in reading, writing, grammar, and mathematics.
Grammar School Curriculum
The courses in the grammar school are all focused on providing students with the essential building blocks of knowledge. Through integrated study, memorization, and multisensory exploration, The Geneva School delivers a classical curriculum that weaves subjects together historically and thematically—helping students see the world as God made it: whole, ordered, and full of meaning.
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K4
Students take their first steps into classical education through sensory-rich, theme-based units that nurture wonder, godly character, and a genuine love of learning.
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Kindergarten
From Kinder Town to butterfly releases, nineteen integrated units bring language arts, math, science, Bible, and the arts to life through imaginative, hands-on discovery.
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1st Grade
Students journey through the wonders of Florida—indigenous life and natural springs—while growing in language arts, mathematics, Bible, science, music, and art through rich, story-driven units.
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2nd Grade
Second graders travel through the ancient world—from creation to Egypt—excavating history, literature, and biblical truth through immersive units that bring the past to life.
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3rd Grade
Students travel the ancient world from Greece to Rome while exploring timeless stories of friendship, courage, and faithfulness through literature, history, the Bible, science, and the start of Latin.
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4th Grade
Students explore the living fairy tale from start to finish through the Middle Ages and Renaissance with knights, castles, and chivalry. Students are knighted before their families at the end of the school year.
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5th Grade
From early explorers to the Civil War, the American story unfolds across a year defined by growing independence in learning, relationships, and faith.
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6th Grade
The culminating year of grammar school traces American history from the Civil War to the present day, and caps the year with a trip to Williamsburg and Washington, DC.
Ready to learn more?
We look forward to hosting you for a tour.