Reading, Writing, Spelling and Arithmetic
Reading, Writing, Spelling and Arithmetic are the foundations of the curriculum here at the Sorensen School. Nancy has developed her own pure phonics system. The Sorensen System to Succeeding with Reading teaches reading, writing, spelling, comprehension and thinking skills.
She has written her own series of books entitled American Family Tales that are written in a large font with only a few pictures so that they can illustrate the pictures in their minds. This will help the students focus on word families, blending and reading the words correctly. The guessing game does not exist. The exciting thing about these books is that the students with their prier knowledge will comprehend and love the stories because they are all about the family.
Writing and spelling are fundamental parts of reading. In the beginning children are immediately introduced to writing and spelling. When they are writing they are reading and spelling. This elements are closely knitted together to make reading easier. They are taught to hold a pencil correctly and to write their letters in proper stroke direction. This will prepare them to learn cursive easier in the future. They learn to write the vowels and the consonant blends. They are also being instructed on how to "build" words. Then they begin to write words, sentences and stories.
Violin
Nancy introduces violin into her curriculum not only because she loves music but because the violin has been shown to develop young minds and enhance their learning in all aspects. Playing the violin improves a child's focus and as a discipline it improves the physiological function that enhances the connection between the left and right brain allowing both sides of the brain to work together more completely. These results carry over into other aspects of a child's learning.
Mrs. Fulwider is the violin instructor for the Sorensen School in Mapleton, Utah. She has over 20 years experience teaching the violin and has been with Nancy for ten years. Mrs. Fulwider teaches the effective and very popular Suzuki method. Parents are treated to a performance by their children during the Christmas and Spring Programs.
Math
Math is part of our curriculum. We help the children learn to recognize and write the numbers. They will learn to understand math concepts such as counting, measurement, and geometry making real life math easier to understand in their everyday world.
Geography
American History and Scripture Study
Every day we begin with prayer and The Pledge of Allegiance. They will listen and learn about the people in the scriptures and will role play some of these events. This is a very special experience that has such great impact on everyone. Students will also learn about influential people in our American History.
Science and Arts
Throughout the school year the children will have many units of science which are taught by prominent people in the community with certain expertise. For example, they will learn parts of the body and how they work by a doctor. Or the children will perform a science experiment with help from a chemical engineer.
At the Sorensen School of Reading and Arts, art time isn't just crayon and Elmer's glue; it is the fundamentals of true art mediums. They are taught by an experienced art teacher who teaches the children a variety of imaginative methods to create masterful works of art. Art that just might be your surprise under the Christmas tree, or on Mother's day!
Dance and Tumbling
Mrs. Sorensen believes that not only is dance and tumbling good exercise, but she believes that performance is an excellent way to teach children discipline and focus. Twice a year, the school puts on a program for their families. The children practice very hard, and quickly learn that Mrs. Sorensen's favorite word is, "again." The parents are always surprised what a spectacular performance the children put on, and the children are very proud of their accomplishments. They gain self respect and self confidence.
