Curriculum
Curriculum Cornerstone Academy
Allow us to share some information about our curricular programs.
The morning session is dedicated to mastery of essential skills in Language Arts.
Language Arts
Children are most successful when they learn to read through a balance of literature and explicit, systematic phonics instruction. Mastering phonics skills enables students to reach beyond the distractions and mechanics of decoding words so they can focus on the goal of reading: comprehension. That’s why Cornerstone Academy uses SRA/ McGraw-Hill and the Open Court Reading approach to reading instruction. The well-designed, researched, systematic program, balancing phonics and literature, has known success for nearly 40 years.
Open Court Reading, of SRA/McGraw-Hill, provides:
•An educational philosophy based on scientific research and nearly 40 years of practical experience
•A program that has been proven successful in schools nationwide
•A well-defined plan of systematic, explicit instruction for teaching the strategies and skills necessary for reading
MATH
SRA/Real Math is a research based, highly effective program which balances skills-driven strategies and real-world practice to engage students in the lessons. Real Math is not about memorization of applications but rather but rather helps students understand the methodology and internalize math concepts. The program engages students in role plays, math games, group investigations, and individualized practice opportunities.
SCIENCE
The science program, Harcourt Science gives students a solid foundation of knowledge about Life, Earth, Physical, and Health Science. At the same time, students master the scientific thinking processes necessary to solve problems.
ARTS, TECHNOLOGY, AND SPANISH
Rotating classes in the Arts, Technology, and Spanish occur daily and feature integration of the unique Paragon© Curriculum.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
All students at Cornerstone Academy are required to participate in the school’s physical education program unless prevented from doing so for medical reasons. There are no excused absences, barring injuries, from this important phase of learning. If a child is limited by a physical handicap and cannot take part in physical education, a doctor’s statement to this effect must be sent to the school. Needless to say, the school will honor temporary excuses, written by parents, to cover minor illness. In the event that a child has suffered a fracture and a cast has been applied, a note is required from the doctor (not parents) after the cast has been removed, indicating the duration of excuse from physical education or any special instructions that may apply.
PARAGON© CURRICULUM
Mosaica’s unique Paragon© Curriculum is more than just a Social Studies curriculum. It helps students achieve academic and personal excellence. Students learn about character, ethics, empathy and self-esteem implicitly by studying the world’s greatest thinkers, both canonical and unsung, and by stepping into the shoes of great historical figures, both real and imaginary.
Paragon© teaches rich content through hands-on study that encompasses all student learning styles. Through this engaging curriculum, students gain historical knowledge, and come to understand the expansive potential open to them if they can identify with early clarity their individual strengths and sense of purpose. Paragon© students contemplate questions that have captivated thinkers for millennia: What makes a “Hero”? What makes me unique? How can we learn from the past? How do we apply that knowledge to the future?
Rather than teach history in bits and pieces in arbitrary sequence, Paragon’s fully integrated, chronological approach demonstrates to students how one idea builds on and evolves into another. The curriculum illustrates how sweeping cycles repeat which leads students to understand the evolutions of world cultures.
In Paragon©, students study history across the continents. This provides valuable insight about the manner in which many ideas develop at the same time, in independent cultures, unaware of the other’s breakthroughs. Through this, students develop a larger picture of history and the associated interrelationships. Rather than memorize names, dates, and events in isolation, students recall the sequential circumstances surrounding these events and remember more readily both factual information and conceptual relevance.
