The Core Knowledge Curriculum

At New Summit Charter Academy we use the Core Knowledge Curriculum. This curriculum is based on the writings of Professor E.D. Hirsch at the University of Virginia. The Core Knowledge Foundation’s dedication is expressed in our mission:

To build an educational community that emphasizes a love of learning, and inspires and empowers students to reach New Summits.”

We believe the future belongs to and will come from, the well-educated children of today. We also believe the economic circumstances of parents should not preclude the ability to choose high-quality education for their children. This is why we use the Core Knowledge Curriculum.

What is Core Knowledge?

“The Core Knowledge Sequence is predicated on the realization that what children are able to learn at any given moment depends on what they already know—and, equally important, that what they know is a function of previous experience and teaching. Although current events and technology are constantly changing, there is a body of lasting knowledge and skills that form the core of a strong preschool-grade 8 curricula. Explicit identification of what children should learn at each grade level ensures a coherent approach to building knowledge across all grade levels. Every child should learn the fundamentals of science, basic principles of government, important events in world history, essential elements of mathematics, widely acknowledged masterpieces of art and music from around the world, and stories and poems passed down from generation to generation.” – Core Knowledge Philosophy

The Core Knowledge Approach

The Core Knowledge approach puts knowledge at the heart of schooling.

• Specific and Sequenced: Most curriculum standards provide general goals and objectives but offer teachers little guidance about the specific knowledge students should learn in each grade. In contrast, the Core Knowledge approach is to specify, in a clear grade-by-grade sequence, what students need to know.
• Excellence and Equity: Only by specifying the knowledge and skills that all children should share can we guarantee equal access to that knowledge. Educational excellence and equity require that every child in a democracy have access to important shared knowledge and language.
• Starting Early: It’s important to begin building strong foundations of knowledge in the early years. The Core Knowledge approach focuses on preschool through grade eight. In these early years, especially the preschool and elementary grades, schools can do the most to help children lay the groundwork for language development and future success.

From CoreKnowledge.org

What is the Core Knowledge Scope & Sequence?

Core Knowledge Schools use the What Every Child Should Know scope and sequence for each grade. The Core Knowledge Sequence is a detailed outline of recommended content knowledge and skills to be taught in language arts, history and geography, visual arts, music, mathematics, and science from preschool through grade eight. The Sequence complements the general skills and objectives typically found in state and local curriculum guides.”

Read the Core Knowledge Sequence: Content & Skills for Grades K-8

Reading Room

• The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them
• Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know
• Books to Build On: A Grade by Grade Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers
• The Complete E.D. Collection of Books at Amazon.com

Articles:

• Building Knowledge
• How Knowledge Helps
• Taken for Granted: Why Curriculum Content is Like Oxygen
• Core Knowledge at the Core
• A Wealth of Words
• The Curriculum Reformation
• There’s No Such Thing as a Reading Test
• Teaching Kids to Read