Curriculum

Core Knowledge is a detailed outline that provides a common base of curriculum content for language arts, history, geography, mathematics, science, arts, and music at the Academy. The Core program has been called a gifted program for all children. It is designed to encourage steady academic progress for children to build skills from one year to the next. Core prevents repetition and gaps in instruction that occur when schools lack a definitive curriculum guideline.

Balanced Literacy has interwoven literature from the Scotts Foresman Literacy Program, Core Knowledge and integrates skills within all learning activities. Our students find related meaning in all stories and literary content as they study the countries and cities of the story settings and characters, and even the language, music, and art of the country and time period in which the stories take place.

Everyday Mathematics encourages teachers and children to explore math by investigating data, gathering and analysis, probability, geometry, patterns, and algebra. This allows students to explore the process of finding an answer rather than just a number as an answer. Highlights of this enriched curriculum are: Problem solving about everyday math situations; sharing ideas through discussions; developing concept readiness through hands -on activities, and explorations, increasing "fact power" through games (math facts) and solving problems using multiple strategies. Each unit ends with an assessment that reflects student progress and mastery of the learning goals that are presented.

Science Curriculum is a research-based approach to science instruction. The students will participate in weekly experiments exploring the methods of science required under the New York State Learning Standards to solve a problem in science. Students will be able to follow these steps: observation, question, hypothesis, experiment, and conclusion. In the process the students will be able to interpret data, predict outcomes and communicate their finding. Students will also conduct experiments and discuss scientific concepts, principles, and themes pertaining to each unit.