In recent years there has been a strong trend, in public and private education, to teach only those subjects and skills which are included on the SAT9 test.  El Rancho School believes that a blend of academics and the humanities is necessary for a complete education.  Geography and history are an integral part of the curricula.  Our music and art classes bring joy and creative expression into our students' lives and often have an energizing effect on their approach to other subjects.  Intramural sports are fun, develop team-building skills and promote sportsmanship.  At El Rancho School students enjoy the benefits of a balanced education.

Reading and writing are the most important subjects taught in school.  Therefore, the heaviest emphasis is placed on these subjects.  The phonics method of instruction is used.
Each classroom has at least three levels of reading instruction.  Reading groups meet at least 4 times per week.  In kindergarten and first grade, each child reads their story to the teacher before it goes home to be read to the parent that night.  The next day the child reads the story again to the teacher and then gets a new story to read.
By utilizing the parent as a second teacher, the child quickly develops fluency and speed.  It also sends a powerful message: my mom and dad think my reading is so important that they make time to listen to me read every day!

Math computation, procedures and problem-solving are important life skills.  Calculator use in elementary math classes is a current trend in public education.
	It is based on the theory that mastery of  addition and multiplication facts are "an unnecessary skill since everyone can afford calculators", and is "boring" to learn. El Rancho School believes that the mastery of math facts is necessary to check the reasonableness of calculator-generated answers.  For example, 4 x 190.  It is necessary to round off 190 to 200, then multiply by 4 to know whether your answer is going to be about 80, 800, or 8000.
A lot of adults in the workplace have gotten in big trouble by being  just one decimal off!  We use math tapes, board, card and computer games; partner games, card games and dozens of other fun methods to develop mastery of math facts.  It also helps make Math more fun!

	Social Studies and Science are taught each week.  Field trips (see websheet K) link units of study to site visits and aid understanding and long-term memory.
A complete science lab, with six instrument-quality microscopes, allows teachers to make Science more exciting by doing experiments!  Books and encyclopedias in their room, as well as encyclopedias on classroom computers, help students find information they want to know.

Handwriting:  Penmanship must be taught properly and carefully monitored in the elementary school years because adults write the way they learned in elementary school.  El Rancho teachers work individually with students to help them develop proper penmanship. They do not accept papers which demonstrate poor effort and/or sloppy work.  Thus, students develop the habit of writing carefully.

Art lessons are incorporated into the El Rancho School curricula.  They include instruction in drawing and painting, decorative art, and art appreciation.  Since creativity is linked to feelings, recorded music often accompanies art lessons.

Computer Literacy:  All classrooms share state-of-the-art computers in the classroom.  Students develop skills in the lab with their computer teacher and apply them in their own classrooms.  Students in third through sixth grade use their classroom computers to access information through the internet via DSL lines.  El Rancho students have been submitting poems and tall tales to the Scholastic Network for publication for years.  It's been thrilling for our students to get E-mail from kids all around the world, complimenting them on their poems or stories.  For more information on computers see websheet B.

Spanish, Physical Education, and Music are taught once or twice by specialized teachers.  Please refer to websheet K for more information.
 
 

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