Research and Presentation

At the core of our elementary school curriculum is the Good Morning Show. This daily event offers young students the tools to present on subjects of their choosing. Students in K through 5 participate in this unique program by making three to six oral presentations per year and observing and discussing their peers’ presentations. The three-minute presentations on self-selected topics are diverse, entertaining, and informative.

Students are required to conduct extensive research and preparation for their presentations. Early instruction in public speaking lays the foundation for our students to become great leaders and communicators in higher education and in life.

Presenters receive constructive feedback about five aspects of their presentation:

• Evidence of preparation
• Audience learning
• Creativity
• Audio-visual aids
• Personal affect

Building Skills: Forum

Forum is the Middle School complement of the Good Morning Show. In Forum, students in grades 6 through 8 deliver research or performance-based presentations. The presentations are longer and far more extensive than Good Morning Show presentations, allowing the student to engage deeply in the subject that they have chosen to present. Students follow detailed guidelines and instruction which encourage high level public speaking skills.

These presentations are built around group themes. This allows individual presenters to build on each other’s work and nurture an extended dialogue on a group of ideas.

Mathematics

Why Singapore Math?

Academy Hill utilizes the Singapore Math® curriculum at the elementary school level (grades K-5). We have chosen the Singapore Math method because it is rooted in sound science and deep research regarding the way people, and particularly young children, learn mathematical concepts. The Singapore Math method uses a three-step learning process: concrete, pictorial and abstract. Instruction is paced to the needs of each individual student.

Singapore Math® maintains an appropriate balance between drill and creative problem solving and moves students more quickly and rationally toward abstract concepts. Compared to more traditional materials that cover a larger number of topics rather superficially, Singapore Math® solidly builds the core math concepts that will best prepare students for the challenges of a more advanced math program. There is an emphasis on classwork and practice and an effective mix of word problems, drills and mental calculations.  This approach stimulates clarity of thought, communication skill in the language of mathematics, and adaptability to problem solving.

The curriculum is extremely clear, highly logical and sequential, with a strong focus on mental math. Our teachers strive to provide students with strong opportunities to practice without resorting to rote repetition. Challenging word problems build thinking skills and help students apply math in a variety of situations. Our curriculum has proven effective at preparing students for advanced secondary and postsecondary study in mathematics.

Kindergarten

The Kindergarten curriculum incorporates a wide range of activities designed to introduce children to key basic math concepts including color, shape, size, number, length, weight, capacity, time, money, and graphs. This approach helps students to begin their lives with a positive competence in math, leading to lifelong mastery and confidence in this subject.

Grades 1-5

The Primary Program (grades 1 through 5) builds a foundation of thinking that positions students for more advanced math. The curriculum first introduces students to key concepts with concrete examples and pictures. Then, the students are led progressively and logically to understand the abstract concept.

Grades 6-8

Middle School students start with a course in Pre-Algebra in Grade 6 and progress through our curriculum as mastery of each level of math is demonstrated.  Students in the Middle School can participate in Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II, contingent upon school-based assessment results. Application of content knowledge along with in-depth problem-solving are required as students work from one subject to the next.

Literacy

Our English Language Arts/Literacy program provides our students with extraordinary opportunities in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. We focus not only on developing reading skills but also on opportunities for instruction in written and spoken expression, as well as exposure to a vast array of literary genres that stimulate and engage developing minds. Students throughout the grade levels are taught how to research and present topics. By training students in these skills early on, we build a foundation for effective communication and leadership in their academic careers and in life.

All the skills required for success are taught and practiced in an engaging, interactive manner. Children conduct author studies, create plays and officiate at Author’s Teas, where they share their own literary accomplishments. Children begin the study of word stems in grade 4 and continue their study through grade 8. We utilize a variety of sources, including Michael Clay Thompson’s thoughtful series of grammar and vocabulary texts. Literature selections range from classic to contemporary. Some texts are taught in conjunction with the Social Studies material, while others are taught by themselves.

We take care to provide students with some choice and to find sufficiently challenging books with age-appropriate content.

Science

Academy Hill’s robust science curriculum focuses not only on teaching scientific information, but also on equipping innovative and insightful thinkers. Our science curriculum, beginning at the elementary school level and continuing through the middle school, is built around teaching students scientific process skills:

• Observing
• Communicating
• Predicting
• Hypothesizing
• Drawing conclusions
• Inferring
• Estimating
• Measuring
• Working with variables and data

Each grade level investigates topics in Earth and Space Science, Life Science and Physical Science. Our older students additionally explore Cell Biology, Energy Based Physics and Chemistry.

Experiments are largely hands-on, giving the students a real feel for the craft of a scientist. Our state-of-the-art science lab was constructed in 2015.

Spanish

Our Spanish program is designed to establish proficiency in Spanish by the end of grade 8, starting with early instruction at the elementary school level – the time in their lives when our students’ minds are best equipped to learn a language. At each level of our program, students acquire more advanced vocabulary, build on grammar concepts and improve upon oral and written proficiency. Classroom experiences are varied to provide students with as many opportunities as possible for language acquisition as well as developing an understanding of other cultures.

By the time our students enter high school, they are often several years ahead of their peers. This provides the opportunity to learn another language at the high school level or to pursue advanced study in the language they learned at Academy Hill, including preparing for the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests.

Latin

At the Middle School level, Academy Hill students use Latin via Ovid, which uses adapted versions of the myths in Ovid’s Metamorphoses to teach the grammar of Latin. As they progress, they are able to appreciate more and more of Ovid’s original work and read some excerpts from other authors.

Our students are prepared to take the National Latin Exam starting at the Introductory level in sixth grade. Moreover, the Latin vocabulary works with the stems and derivatives that students learn in their other classes to give them a strong understanding of both Latin and English.