A Core Knowledge Education

The idea behind Core Knowledge is simple and powerful: knowledge builds on knowledge. The more you know, the more you are able to learn. This insight, well-established by cognitive science, has profound implications for teaching and learning. Nearly all of our most important goals for education - greater reading comprehension, the ability to think critically and solve problems, even higher test scores - are a function of the depth and breadth of our knowledge.

By outlining the precise content that every child should learn in language arts and literature, history and geography, mathematics, science, music and the visual arts, the Core Knowledge curriculum represents a first-of-its kind effort to identify the foundational knowledge every child needs to reach these goals - and to teach it, grade-by-grade, year-by-year, in a coherent, age-appropriate sequence.

Core Knowledge 4 "C"s

• Content-rich
• Coherent
• Cumulative
• Context Specific

For more information - see Core Knowledge Education.

Saxon Math

Saxon Gets Results! is a phrase heard consistently in classrooms across the country. Saxon products and programs have a proven record of success in every type of setting - urban, suburban, rural, public, private, charter, and parochial. The success of the Saxon curriculum can be attributed to the programs distinct, effective, and research-based pedagogy, which helps students develop a deeper understanding of concepts and how to apply them. Saxon's innovative, instructional approach breaks complex concepts into simpler increments, recognizing that smaller pieces of information are easier to teach and easier to learn. The instruction, practice, and assessment of those increments are systematically distributed across a grade level. The distributed approach ensures that students gain and retain critical thinking concepts and use them in real-world situations.

For more information - see Saxon Publishers.

Houghton Mifflin Reading

The Houghton Mifflin Reading© system is a reading program for instruction in grades K-6. It uses Big Books (authentic literature), anthologies, Read Alouds, and audio compact discs to provide step-by-step instruction in reading. According to the developer's website, Houghton Mifflin Reading© was developed based on the findings of the National Reading Panel. The product is designed to be used as a full-year curriculum program with instruction on developing oral language and comprehension, phonemic awareness, decoding skills (phonics, analogy, context, and word recognition), fluency, reading comprehension, writing, spelling, and grammar. Instruction is organized by a set of themes (10 for grades K-1 and 6 for grades 2-6) with selected Big Books (fiction and non-fiction literature) and other classroom activities to highlight the theme.

The Writing road to Reading© At A Glance

Spalding's Writing Road to Reading, a total language arts program, integrates essential research-based components, an educational philosophy, and a methodology consisting of time-tested principles of learning and instruction.

The Spalding Method is:

• Explicit
• Sequential
• Multisensory
• Diagnostic

Students learn the purpose for every task and are active participants throughout Spalding lessons. Daily observations and assessments enable teachers to tailor instruction to meet each child's individual needs: English Language Learners of all ages, Special Needs Students and Gifted. Thus, differentiated instruction is embedded in The Spalding Method.

Spalding teachers believe that students' physical and mental well-being is a primary concern and that all children can learn.

Spalding's Kindergarten to Sixth Grade Teacher Guides provide 32 weeks of:

• Spelling lesson objectives
  • Phonemic awareness
  • Phonics with handwriting
  • Spelling rules
  • Writing high-frequency vocabulary words in a notebook
• Writing lesson objectives
  • Meaning and usage of the same high-frequency spelling words
  • Morphology
  • Parts of speech
  • English conventions
  • Grammar
  • Compositions
• Reading lesson objectives
  • Literary appreciation
  • Text fluency
  • Text structure
  • Listening and reading comprehension strategies

For more information - see Spalding.