Language Arts

Our Language Arts program in Pre-1st through 5th grade is designed to develop strong, confident readers and writers through a balanced approach that combines explicit foundational skill instruction with rich reading and writing experiences.

In Pre-1st through 2nd grade, there is a strong emphasis on building essential foundational literacy skills grounded in the Science of Reading. Students develop phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding skills through systematic and explicit instruction that follows a carefully structured scope and sequence. Skills are introduced and revisited through a spiraling curriculum, allowing students to continually strengthen and apply their understanding as they become increasingly fluent readers.

Instruction integrates research-based literacy practices that ensure students develop both strong decoding skills and deep comprehension. Alongside foundational skill development, students engage daily in meaningful reading experiences that help build comprehension, vocabulary, and a love of books.

Across all grade levels, teachers implement differentiated reading groups to meet the needs of all learners. These small-group settings allow teachers to target instruction, provide appropriate support and challenge, and ensure each student continues to grow as a reader.

In the upper elementary grades, students engage with increasingly complex texts, learning to analyze characters and themes, compare ideas across texts, and participate in thoughtful discussions and book clubs that strengthen comprehension and critical thinking.

The writing program follows a writing workshop model, where students learn the full writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Each grade level completes in-depth units of study in narrative, informational, and opinion writing, helping students develop organization, voice, and clarity in their writing.

Mathematics

Our mathematics program in Pre-1st through 5th grade focuses on developing deep conceptual understanding, strong problem-solving skills, and mathematical confidence.

Emek uses Math in Focus, a curriculum based on the highly regarded Singapore Math approach, which emphasizes mastery of concepts through visual models, hands-on exploration, and thoughtful reasoning. Students learn to approach problems using multiple strategies and to clearly communicate their mathematical thinking.

Instruction is designed to support a wide range of learners through differentiated instruction, math centers, and small-group learning opportunities. These structures allow teachers to reinforce foundational skills, provide targeted instruction, and extend learning for students who are ready for additional challenge.

Beginning in first grade, students also have opportunities for accelerated math instruction, ensuring that students who demonstrate readiness for advanced work continue to grow and engage with more complex mathematical concepts.

Through this combination of conceptual learning, differentiated instruction, and meaningful problem solving, students develop both accuracy and deep mathematical understanding.

Social Studies

The elementary social studies program helps students develop an understanding of community, history, geography, and culture, while encouraging them to think critically about the world around them.

Our curriculum is designed so that units build upon one another as students explore their immediate community, the city of Los Angeles, the state of California, and the United States. Through these studies, students begin to understand how individuals, communities, and historical events shape society.

Students engage with history and geography through discussion, research, primary sources, and project-based learning. Whenever possible, social studies is integrated with language arts to deepen understanding and strengthen students’ reading, writing, and analytical skills.

Through these experiences, students develop both historical knowledge and the critical thinking skills needed to interpret and understand the world around them.

Science

Our science program encourages curiosity, inquiry, and discovery as students explore the natural world.

Across the elementary grades, students investigate topics in life science, physical science, earth science, and health. Instruction emphasizes the scientific process, encouraging students to ask questions, make observations, test ideas through experimentation, collect data, and draw conclusions.

Through hands-on investigations, collaborative learning, and inquiry-based activities, students develop a deeper understanding of scientific concepts while building the skills needed to think and work like scientists.

These experiences foster both scientific knowledge and a lasting sense of curiosity about the world around them.

21st Century Skills

Emek is also on the forefront of 21st century learning aligning our curriculum to focus on 21st century skills like critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration. In addition, we use cutting edge technology as a tool to enhance and engage our students learning experience. Emek currently uses a blended learning model to support further individualization in the area of math and language arts. In addition, teachers work with Mr. Juan Gonzalez, our educational technology coordinator, to create opportunities for technology integration that help increase student achievement in new ways. With iPAD carts available for each classroom, teachers are easily able to create enriched lessons that complement our curriculum.

Click here to view our Complete Curriculum Guide for General Studies Pre-1st through 5th Grade.