Reading is the framework upon which all other elementary studies are built. It is the vehicle that, in distinct turns, is examined, erected, and then embraced as the means of exploring related elementary disciplines. Development of fiction and non-fiction writing provides the impetus; initially motivating an enjoyment of the creative process, and later by including each student in the work of editing. A more formalized, individual presentation of grammar, spelling, and sentence analysis skills enriches each student's efforts.

There is a grand story of language, one of the Five Great Lessons. As in mathematics, this story encompasses the history of language as developed in ancient cultures. Students understand how writing in particular, developed out of necessity, often so as to keep records of trade transactions. They learn that early pictographs, Babylonian cuneiform , Egyptian hieroglyphs, and the more abstract Phoenician symbols which eventually led to the alphabet we use today. Understanding this human need and the debt owed to those who handed down the language taken for granted today, can help inspire students to develop their own language abilities.

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