Noah Webster Academy

One major goal of Noah Webster Academy is to provide each student with an excellent classical education that will enable them to think critically, creatively solve problems and express themselves articulately in speech and writing. Though many factors will help us reach this goal, our chosen curriculum will be essential in helping students succeed. The school's founders have endeavored to choose curriculum that is comprehensive, research-based, multi-sensory and flexible enough to accommodate many different learning styles and levels of knowledge. Another major component of student success is parent involvement. We have compiled this information on the major curriculum sources that will be used at Noah Webster Academy in hopes that it will help you understand how your child is learning. We hope you will be as enthusiastic about our curriculum as we are!

Core Knowledge: A Basic Framework

Noah Webster Academy will be using the Core Knowledge curriculum as a basic framework for all the academics that will be taught at NWA. The Core Knowledge curriculum was developed over several years with the input of hundreds of teachers, parents, and other professionals in education working to answer the question, "What are the most important things for children to learn at each grade level?" Although much information is good and valuable, not all is of equal value. The Core Knowledge curriculum selects specific information designed to help all children develop a well-rounded cultural literacy and skills in the areas of Language Arts, History and Geography, Visual Arts, Music, Mathematics, and Science. All of us learn by connecting new knowledge to the knowledge we already have. If new knowledge and skills are not connected to previous learning, we easily forget the new information or skill. In the Core Knowledge curriculum, each year is designed to build on the knowledge and skills learned in previous years and become the basis for what will be learned in the coming years. An example of this sequence is as follows in the subject area of world history.

Kindergarten - 7 continents are introduced. 1st -3rd Grade - Students learn about early Civilizations such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece and Rome. 4th Grade - Students learn about the middle ages, spread of Islam, African kingdoms, Chinese dynasties. 5th Grade - Students learn about European Exploration, Renaissance, Reformation and Feudal Japan. 6th Grade - They cover lasting ideas from what has been taught over the years, in addition to the Spread of Christianity, the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Industrialism, Capitalism and Socialism.

Core Knowledge is very comprehensive, yet it is not designed to require all of the academic time in a school year. It provides a framework with plenty of room to include additional curricula according to the needs of the students and the requirements of individual states. Core Knowledge is not some passing fad in education. It has been around long enough for educators across the country to use and see the great advantages to their students that result from using it. Johns Hopkins University conducted a three-year study of Core Knowledge schools around the United States and found that at schools where more than half of classrooms used Core Knowledge, their students performed better on standardized tests. Researchers called the improvement "educationally meaningful." For more information, go to http://www.coreknowledge.org/CK/about/research/index.htm In Utah, a Core Knowledge school has been recognized by Governor John Huntsman for the academic excellence of its students (Daily Herald, Nov 03, 2005). To read more about Core Knowledge, visit its web site at http://www.coreknowledge.org

Mathematics Curriculum

Saxon Math
We will be using Saxon Math for grades 2 through 6. Saxon Math is a well-structured method for teaching and learning mathematics, named for its principal author, John Saxon (1923-1996). The Saxon approach to math instruction is known for its adherence to "traditional" teaching methods, including practice and repetition and continual feedback and testing. For this, it is both criticized by some as "mechanical" or "algorithmic", and praised by others as a much needed "no-nonsense" foundation for math competency. It differs from other "traditional" methods in the way material is gradually introduced and then reinforced throughout the curriculum, without being set aside, discarded or forgotten. Systematized for public, private, or home-schooling environments, Saxon Math provides any educator with the instruction necessary to deliver sound math principles to children having a wide range of learning habits. It is non-discriminatory in its effectiveness, on a basis of cultural or socioeconomic factors. Not available in all public school districts in the US, the emerging Saxon Math system has become the subject of widespread interest among home-schooling families as well as educators seeking curriculum reform and standardized test score improvement. A substantial body of statistics validates that interest. The program is most often described as "incremental" or "distributed" for its manner of gradually introducing material, developing its complexity, and re-delivering the same on a more-or-less continuous basis throughout the curriculum. Material is neither thrust into use nor allowed to fall into disuse by the arbitrary arrangement of textbook chapters or sections. It is a teacher-friendly system of math instruction. It leaves very little to chance, where key and supporting concepts are concerned, lesson plans organized, assignments and test material defined. For more information on Saxon Math, visit its web site at http://saxonpublishers.harcourtachieve.com

Right Start Mathematics
We have chosen to use Right Start Mathematics in the primary grades: Kindergarten and First Grade. Saxon is very thorough, but Right Start Math gives the younger students (concrete learners) a better understanding of the basics. Many young children experience difficulty in trying to understand the one-to-one correspondence between the numbers they are saying and the items they are counting. More practice just won't help until they cross this hurdle. Through visualization and a hands-on approach Right Start Math helps children make the leap. Counting in the English language causes confusion all on it's own. Our value naming is inconsistent, (especially numbers 11-19). The tens-base approach of Right Start helps students to better understand place value. Understanding place value is very important in order to move on to multiple-digit arithmetic. Students often make mistakes when regrouping. Right Start gives them a more concrete understanding of place value, which will help them avoid these mistakes. Once the students have obtained a concrete understanding of the basics, they will be very prepared to move on to Saxon Mathematics and to learn the algorithms of arithmetic. "Anyone can learn mathematics with good instruction and hard work. Young children love to work with quantities. We need to foster that interest with appropriate tasks. " Right Start Mathematics The Right Start Mathematics web site is: http://www.rightstartmath.com

English Curriculum

The Spalding Method
The Spalding Method is a comprehensive approach to language arts. It teaches correct spelling, reading and writing through phonics. During multi-sensory spelling lessons students learn the rules and phonograms that make up the English language. Students learn to connect letters to the sounds they make during these spelling lessons. Because of this, as they are reading they are better able to concentrate on understanding the content of what they are reading. Students being taught the Spalding method have achieved scores in reading and writing above state and national averages. Spalding's proven track record has been successfully used in traditional classrooms, those with special needs students and those with students learning English as a second language. For more information on The Spalding Method: http://www.spalding.org/.

Shurley English
Shurley English is a fun, challenging and well-researched approach to teaching students the concepts and rules of the English language. Using repetition, teacher-student interaction and fun methods like jingles, students are able to master challenging skills. Throughout the learning process, students are encouraged to "see it, hear it, say it, do it" so that the needs of all learning styles will be met. And like Saxon Math, previously learned skills are continuously re-introduced along with new skills to encourage retention. As students are taught how to merge the skills they learn with the writing process. Doing so helps both teachers and students focus more on advanced grammar and writing. A major advantage of learning the parts of a sentence through Shurley English is that these parts are always presented as part of a cohesive whole. In other words, students are taught (through a Q&A approach) how to identify the nouns, verbs, adjectives and other parts of speech within a sentence. This approach gives students a better understanding of how words fit together and encourages higher-level thinking as they work on their own to solve difficult language problems. Students who are taught using Shurley English perform well on standardized tests. In fact, several schools have shown significant improvement in test scores after just one year of switching to Shurley English. It is also highly effective for students with learning difficulties and those learning English as a second language. In addition to proven effectiveness and high test achievement, students and teachers enjoy the Shurley English approach. Students learn to love language and writing. As an Alabama Second Grade Teacher put it: "I absolutely love Shurley English because traditionally difficult concepts are made easy. My children actually cheer and clap when it is time for English." To read more about Shurley English, please visit its web site: http://www.shurley.com