Themes & Content

CROSS-CURRICULAR THEMES 

Cross-curricular themes serve as the overriding framework for the program. Each theme centers around a theme book. While the same nine themes occur at every grade level, specific theme content changes to reflect the developmental and interest levels of students. Themes range from personal, spiritual, and family-oriented ones to those incorporating cultural, sociological, and environmental issues. Spiritual lessons will be drawn from each theme that relate to students' own spiritual journeys. The thematic structure offers consistency across grade levels and a framework for the literature units.

THEME	CONTENT AREA	GRADE 1  THEME BOOKS	GRADE 2  THEME BOOKS
Heroes	Literature Development	Little Lad	Charlie Horse
My World and Others	Geography	A Day at Greenhill Farm	Cactus Hotel
Living Things	Science	Pokey, the Runaway Bear	Salamander Room
Spiritual Journey	Adventist Heritage	Little Maid	Twice Yours: A Parable of God's Gift
Friends and Family	Social Science	The Doorbell Rang	Galimoto
Environment	Science	We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania	Will We Miss Them?
Personal Feelings and Growth	Health and Guidance	Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day	The Gardener
Yesterday	History	The Warrior Maiden	First Flight: The Story of Tom Tate and the Wright Brothers
Social Issues and Culture	Social Science/Current Events	Cleversticks	I Miss Grandpa

 

THEME	CONTENT AREA	GRADE 3  THEME BOOKS	GRADE 4  THEME BOOKS
Heroes	Literature  Development	Abe Lincoln's Hat	The Story of George Washington Carver
My World and  Others	Geography	The Courage of Sarah Noble	Yuki: An Alaskan Adventure
Living Things	Science	Spiders!	Where the Waves Break: Life  at the Edge of the Sea
Spiritual Journey	Adventist Heritage	Summer of the Sharks	A Gold Star for Eric
Friends  and Family	Social Science	Buddy: The First Seeing Eye Dog	The Adventures of Lisa and  the Drainpipe Prayer
Environment	Science	Trash!	Come Back, Salmon
Personal  Feelings  and Growth	Health and  Guidance	Julius! The Perfectly Pesky Pet Parrot	Fly High! The Story of  Bessie Coleman
Yesterday	History	Sarah, Plain  and Tall	The Cabin Faced West
Social Issues and Culture	Social  Science/Current Events	Helen Keller: Courage in the Dark	Twenty and Ten

HEROES
As students move from one stage of development to the next, Pathways literature stresses heroes who overcome insurmountable odds. Stories feature all types of heroes facing challenges ranging from the physical to defending beliefs to social injustices. Students are led to recognize God's power and love in these stories as well as in their own lives.

MY WORLD AND OTHERS
Students experience how people live in different cultures and political settings. They gain insight from historical and contemporary perspectives about how people live in different geographical regions and how culture affects human lives. Students will celebrate not only the differences among cultures, but also the many similarities that make up God's family.

LIVING THINGS
Students learn about God's creation through literature. Each level has a specific life science focus. Knowledge about the animal world is gained through informational reading as well as stories. Through the study of  "God's Second Book," students are brought to a closer relationship with Him.

SPIRITUAL JOURNEYThis theme encourages students to grow spiritually and to foster a personal relationship with Jesus by seeking God's plan for their lives. The many Christ-like attributes described in the stories will exemplify what being a Christian truly means. Included are stories of how God has led our church from a handful of youth with zeal to know His will, to a worldwide church with a membership of over a million people. Also included are stories of how God leads in the affairs of those who trust His guidance.

FRIENDS AND FAMILY
This theme includes literature about interrelationships among family members and friends. In the early grades, students explore roles and relationships within families. In the middle and upper grades, the content broadens to interpersonal relationships with friends and struggles with peer- and self-acceptance. Also emphasized is God's unconditional love for us, even when human relationships are disappointing.

ENVIRONMENT
Selections in this theme stress the interrelationship between people and their environment. The literature deals with the survival of people in nature and the exploration of God's world. Students also study ways to appreciate and protect the environment. Seventh-day Adventists believe in a coming earth made new; however, as good stewards commissioned in the Garden of Eden, we still have a responsibility to care for God's creation.

PERSONAL FEELINGS AND GROWTHThe literature for this theme stresses personal issues and struggles as students move from one stage of development to another. The early literature focuses on students' growing knowledge of themselves and their potential. The literature for the middle and upper grades explores an individual's personal feelings and growth, change, peer pressure, and family relationships. Students experience a character's feelings of sadness, loss, anger, happiness, and life. Character development is essential to the spiritual journey.

YESTERDAYStudents explore history through literature. In the early grades, students investigate personal, local, and colonial history. In the middle grades, the literature focuses on early pioneer life. Upper grade students explore some of the major conflicts and cultural events in American and world history. Students are led to see God's hand in the affairs of humans.

SOCIAL ISSUES AND CULTURE
Readers explore relationships among different groups over issues of prejudice, physical and mental disabilities, cultural differences, immigration, poverty, hunger, and relationships between old and young people. They experience how characters learn to accept others with special needs and people from different cultural backgrounds. Students are made aware of humans' need for God.