Well-Ordered Language 1

Inside the Well Ordered Language Program: A Scholé Academy Info Session

The Well-Ordered Language series presents the study of language in a way that appeals to a child’s inborn curiosity and desire to collect, gather, and order. It teaches grammar in a clear, orderly way, while simultaneously seeking to cultivate a child’s wonder of language by presenting instruction in the context of narrative language, attractive illustrations, with samples taken from classic children’s literature and poetry. This course is designed for students to actively engage with the grammatical concepts in each lesson, using language skills—reading, writing, speaking and listening—along with physical movement, songs, and chants. Through Well-Ordered Language’s unique, creative, and orderly method of analyzing the grammatical functions of the parts of speech, students will find the mastery of grammar achievable, meaningful, and delightful.

Just getting started? See the Well-Ordered Language Program Scope and Sequence Watch a video about placement in Well Ordered Language

In the first semester, students encounter the following concepts: the four kinds of sentences (declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory), subjects and predicates, verbs, adjectives, direct objects, subject pronouns, and helping verbs. In the second semester, students are introduced to object pronouns, prepositional phrases (adverbial), introductory prepositional phrases, compound subjects, compound verbs, and compound direct objects. For a closer look at the texts used in this course, please follow these links and click “Look Inside”: Level 1A and Level 1B.

Schedule: This course is designed with young learners’ brains in mind! The course meets 3 times per week for 45–60 minutes, affording adequate instructional time while keeping on-screen sessions to a healthy duration for our youngest learners.

Placement: Please read about our placement process in the Student Parent Handbook.

• This course is designed as an introductory grammar course; no prior grammar instruction is required. Students should be comfortable reading fluently and independently writing sentences (legibly!) by hand.
• The course is geared toward rising 4th–5th graders. When considering whether this course is a good fit for your student, please keep in mind that in addition to readiness for the course content, students should be developmentally prepared to engage in a 4th- to 5th-grade corporate learning environment as well as the online classroom dynamic.
• If your student is outside the target grade range, or if you have further questions about placement, please contact us.

Quarter 1

WOL Book 1A, revised version

1. Chapter 1: Four Kinds of Sentences
2. Chapter 2: Principal Elements-Subject and Predicate
3. Chapter 3: Principal Elements-Subject and Predicate Verb
4. Chapter 4: Adverbs

Quarter 2

WOL Book 1A, revised version

1. Chapter 5: Adjectives
2. Chapter 6: Direct Objects
3. Chapter 7: Subject Pronouns
4. Chapter 8: Interrogative Sentences 

Quarter 3

WOL Book 1B

1. Chapter 1: Object Pronouns
2. Chapter 2: Pronoun Review
3. Chapter 3: Prepositional Phrases-Adverbial
4. Chapter 4: Introductory Prepositional Phrases 

Quarter 4

WOL Book 1B

1. Chapter 5: Compound Subjects
2. Chapter 6: Compound Verbs
3. Chapter 7: Compound Direct Objects

• Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.
• High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.
• Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)
• Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm
• Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:
  1. Visit zoom.us/download.
  2. Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
  3. Open and run the installer on your computer.
  4. In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.
• Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.