The uniqueness of Lake Country Academy lies in the rigorous core-knowledge and core virtue curricula taught by a method called "direct instruction" which is an approach to learning through ability groups.
Well-organized and clearly defined, the Core Knowledge Curriculum (CKC) identifies and teaches the essential facts, skills and content a student must understand in order to succeed at the next level of learning.
The Core Knowledge sequence is knowledge-based and includes science, language arts, classic literature, foreign language, humanities, history, geography, music and visual art.
The language arts program includes Shurley Grammar and Step-Up Writing, both sequential approaches to the teaching of grammar, writing and the conventions of the English language. Spanish is taught several days a week for all grade levels beginning in 5K.
The CKC approach is unique in it’s specificity. For example, a fourth-grader studying American History will be able to recite part of the Declaration of Independence, be familiar with Thomas Paine’s Common Sense argument for freedom, and learn what Washington crossed the Delaware.
The Core Virtues Program at Lake Country Academy 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.
The program highlights a different virtue each month and promotes that particular virtue by introducing it at an all-school assembly, 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.
Direct Instruction, which takes place in small learning groups, allows for material to be taught with logical precision in discrete, child-size bits, with rapid correction and careful measurement. The fundamentals of reading, math, spelling and reasoning & writing are taught using Direct Instruction. Students are continually monitored, tested weekly and observed by LCA’s on-staff D.I. Coordinators in order to provide an ongoing comprehensive assessment of the child's performance and potential.
