Core Knowledge

Core Knowledge Sequence is the result of research into the content and structure of the highest performing school systems around the world. Core Knowledge is a detailed outline of specific content to be taught in language, arts, history, geography, math, science and the fine arts. It was the collaborative effort of educators and field professionals from across the country organized by the Core Knowledge Foundation.

As the basis of at least 50% of a school's curriculum, this collection of knowledge spells out clearly for parents, teachers, and students a very detailed core of knowledge that all children should know. It is sequenced to avoid gaps in learning or wasteful repetitions. This guarantees students have the necessary background preparation for successive classes. There are currently over 800 schools using this program across the country.

Additional information on Core Knowledge can be found at the following link:
http://www.coreknowledge.org
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Core Virtues

What about character training?

Is it something schools should teach?

How do you teach patriotism, honesty, loyalty, hard work, etc.?

Whose values are you teaching?

When they set about the delicate business of instituting a republican government for the first democracy in modern times, the American Founders assumed one thing: democracy in American would succeed only if her citizens were both "knowledgeable" and "virtuous". If youth is our future, educators must join parents in stressing the virtues.

The Core Virtues Program Lake Country Academy uses is a practical, non-sectarian approach to moral development. We promote basic moral, civic, and intellectual virtues such as: respect, responsibility, diligence, honesty, generosity, perseverance, courage, faithfulness, compassion, openness to inquiry, reason, and humility in the face of facts. These are virtues that we can all agree upon.

The program promotes the virtues by staff and students modeling the behavior, through classic literature that reinforces positive behaviors, and by focusing on historical and current people who have made or are making a difference. History has many examples of strong men and women who, when confronted with difficulty, temptation, danger, and vice, win though perhaps at great personal cost and sacrifice. Their heroism will inspire young minds when they ask, "Who will I be like?"

A random selection of literature could include: King Midas and the Golden Touch (self-control); Paul Revere's Ride (courage); "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death" speech by Patrick Henry (civic courage); Song of Hiawatha (gratitude); and Dicken's, A Christmas Carol (generosity).

Lake Country Academy will join you in your effort to inspire your children to be good people!
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Direct Instruction

This is a highly researched curriculum and teaching method that has been extensively field-tested and proven to work. In a typical classroom, you will see teacher led instruction with rapid pacing, frequent group responses. The teacher is following a very detailed lesson plan with over 30 years in development.

Each lesson has been field-tested and proven successful with 90% of the children in test schools or it is returned for improvement. Their program features: skills communicated with logical precision in discrete, child-sized bits; careful measurement of mastery, rapid correction of mistakes, strict schedules, and early emphasis on phonics and computation; and continual review to integrate old skills with new.

Parents like Direct Instruction because their children are in small learning groups, struggling students are not left behind while the class progresses, and students who have mastered the material are not held back.

Rated Best Method
"Direct Instruction was one of only two elementary programs rated "Best" out of 24 popular school reform methods in a report from the Washington-based independent American Institutes for Research. This research was commissioned by the National Education Association, the American Association of School Administrators, The American Federation of Teachers, The National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

300 to 500% Improvement
Siefert Elementary, a Milwaukee school riddled with social challenges, advanced dramatically after two years of Direct Instruction. The 4th grade class jumped nearly 300% in reading in one year. Their math scores increased over 300% and their social studies scores improved nearly 500%.

State Representative Terri McCormick, author of a proposed education reform bill, supports MindWorks and Direct Instruction as a method of teaching. McCormick states "This is a fine example of 'no excuse' education. Research says it's the methods, not the number in the classroom."

Want to know the nitty-gritty of Direct Instruction? Want to know the educational research that supports Direct Instruction? We invite you to check out the following web sites. We think it is important to be able to back up what we do with scientifically verifiable research done with real children.

American Federation of Teachers
Association for Direct Instruction
American Association of School Administrators
Education Week on the Web

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K - Kindergarten

Reading:
Nursery rhymes, Children's poems, folk tales, Aesop's fables, sayings and phrases. Reading Mastery 1, Fast Cycle 1, Storybook 1. Reading curriculum example.

Math:
Connecting Math Concepts A; Patterns; counting to 31, counting by 1, 2, 5, 10; money; addition facts to 10; measurement; and shapes. Math curriculum example.

Writing:
Fast Cycle Spelling, beginning punctuation, beginning capitalization, writing short stories, italic handwriting systems. Writing curriculum example.

History:
Early explorers, Columbus, Pilgrims, Independence Day, selected Presidents, one tribe of Native Americans.

Geography:
Oceans, continents, poles, maps and globes, WI, AL and HI.

Science:
Plant parts, farming, health, five senses, magnetism, seasons, care of the earth, science biographies.

Art:
Painting, sculpture, color and line.

Music:
Rhythm, pitch, dynamics, nursery songs, recognition of instruments.
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1 - First Grade

Reading:
Children's poems, more folk tales, Aesop's fables, Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Pied Piper, Rumpelstilskin, comparing similar stories from different lands. Reading Mastery 1 and 2.

Math:
Connecting Math B, classification, count to 100, dozens, fractions, money, measurement, add and subtract to 12, story problems, shapes and orientation.

Writing:
Spelling Mastery B, writing, italic handwriting system, punctuation, contractions, plurals, sayings and phrases.

History:
Early Civilizations (Egypt, Africa, Mesopotamia) Maya, Incas, Aztec Colonies to American Revolution, Louisiana Purchase.

Geography:
Mexico, Appalachians, locate Rocky Mountains, Mississippi, Africa, Mesopotamia, Peninsula, harbor, bay.

Science:
Living things and their environments, human body, matter, electricity, solar system, the earth, science biographies. Science curriculum example: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3.

Art:
Art of ancient Egypt, elements of art, selected works of art.

Music:
Intro to orchestra, narrative, opera, jazz, folk songs.

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2 - Second Grade

Reading:
Poems, A Christmas Carol, Peter Pan, Iktomi stories, tales from China and Japan, mythology of ancient Greece, American Tall Tales, sayings and more. Reading Mastery 2 and 3. Reading curriculum example: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3.

Math:
Connecting Math C, numbers to 1000, graphs, number line, fractions, money, addition with regrouping, perimeter, intro to multiplication. Math curriculum example: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3.

Writing:
Spelling Mastery C, writing, italic handwriting system, nouns, verbs, antonyms, synonyms, limericks and drama.

History:
History of Asian religions, China, India, Japan, ancient Greece, American Constitution, War of 1812, westward expansion, Civil War, immigration, civil rights. History curriculum example: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3.

Geography:
North and South America, Asia, ancient Greece, geographical features, and terms.

Science:
Seasonal cycles, life cycles, weather, insects, cells, digestive system, healthy diet, magnetism, tools and simple machines, science biographies.

Art:
Line, shape, abstraction, Greek and Japanese art, representationalism Architecture.

Music:
Music notation, theory, instrument families, songs, classical listening.

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3 - Third Grade

Reading:
Ogden Nash, Lewis Carroll, Langston Hughes, Aladdin, Alice in Wonderland, Ali Baba, William Tell, Norse Mythology, Greek and Roman myths, Reading Mastery 3 and 4. Reading curriculum example: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3.

Math:
Connecting Math D, fractions to 1/10, decimals square roots, Roman numerals, multiplication and division, weight, time, volume, tempature, and graphs. Math curriculum example: Page 1, Page 2.

Writing:
Spelling Mastery D, writing italic handwriting, report writing, classifying, stating facts, parts of speech, Sentence types, punctuation and letters.

History:
Roman empire, Byzantine empire, Native Americans, early exploration of North America, the 13 colonies. History curriculum example.

Geography:
Important rivers of the world, Canada, early American Mediterranean region.

Science:
Classification of animals, muscular, skeletal, and nervous system, eye, ear, optics, sound, biographies, ecology, astronomy. Science curriculum example.

Art:
Selected works of art, light, space, American Indian, Roman and Byzantine art.

Music:
Notation, singing, music appreciation (selected works).

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4 - Fourth Grade

Reading:
Poems of: Silverstein, Emerson, Millay, Nash, Sandburg; Lear, Legends of King Arthur, Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, Gulliver's Travels, famous speeches, Reading Mastery 4 and 5.

Math:
Connecting Math D and E, grids, planes, mixed numbers lowest forms, decimals, making change, angles, radius, diameter, division, multiplication.

Writing:
Spelling Mastery D, writing, writing, note taking, paragraph writing, parts of speech.

History:
Middle Ages, Islam, early African kingdoms, medieval reformation, China, French and Indian War, early Presidents, Declaration and Constitution.

Geography:
Africa, Western Europe, major mountain ranges.

Science:
Circulatory system, respiratory system, chemistry, atoms, elements, solutions, electricity, geology, weather, biographies.

Art:
European medieval art and Gothic architecture, Islamic art and architecture, art of Africa and China, early U.S. art.

Music:
Music theory, singing, vocal range, selected works.
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5 - Fifth Grade

Reading:
Poems of Dickenson, Longfellow, Blake, Whitter, Whitman; Frost, Tom Sawyer, Little Women, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Japanese legends, Gettysburg Address.

Math:
Connecting Math E and F, sets, prime numbers, common factors, ratio, fractions: add, subtract, probability and statistics, decimals: +, -, x, /, algebra (variables).

Writing:
Spelling Mastery E, writing, report writing, research techniques, interviewing, consolidating direct / indirect objects, linking verbs, and pronouns.

History:
Mesoamerican exploration, Renaissance, England, Russia, Japan, U.S. expansion, Civil War, Reconstruction, Native Americans.

Geography:
Important lakes, Europe, Russia, Japan, geography of trade.

Science:
Classification, cells, photosynthesis, periodic table, phase change, energy transfer, physics: speed, work, power, universe.

Art:
Renaissance art, United States 19th Century art, art of Japan.

Music:
Theory, jazz selections, Renaissance music, significant classical works.
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6 - Sixth Grade

Reading:
Poets: Dickenson, Frost, Wordsworth, Longfellow. The Illad and the Odyssey, The Secret Garden, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Classical mythology, reading comprehension.

Math:Saxon 6/5, 7/6, Saxon Algebra

Writing:
Spelling with morphographs, grammar, diagramming, writing, Expressive Writing II, persuasive essay, research essay.

History:
Ancient Greece and Rome, Enlightenment, 17th and 18th French Revolution, Romanticism, Industrial Revolution, Latin America, understanding United States history.

Geography:
Great deserts, Middle East, Latin America.

Science:
Physical Science: energy, heat, gravity, astronomy, Biological: circulatory, lymphatic and immune cells, plant reproduction, forests, Newton, Curie.

Art:
Impressionism, Monet, Marnet, Cezanne.

Music:
Non-western music, Baroque, classical romantic, Impressionism.