Smith Mountain Lake Academy - Curriculum Overview

Wednesday, 10 March 2010

Curriculum Overview

Months of research, involving countless hours of school visitations, publisher presentations and an enormous amount of prayer have gone into the curriculum development. The only objective has been to produce the best overall curriculum for Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy. Christian publishers were given priority, but wherever it was deemed necessary to achieve academic excellence, decisions were made to utilize secular publishers and adapt a biblical worldview to it. Curriculum development will be an ongoing process with annual evaluations to ensure SMLCA stays pure in its desire for an innovative yet fundamentally sound program. The pursuit of academic excellence will be relentless.

Curriculum Development Notes

Science: Christian Schools International

- Christian publisher was a pre-requisite

- Valued their Scope and Sequence

- Noticeable scientific depth to the issues

- Numerous hands on experiments available

- SMLCA a member school of CSI

- Offers a broad range of help to Christian schools

Social Studies/History: Bob Jones University Press

- Christian publisher was a pre-requisite

- Valued Scope and Sequence, particularly grades 1-5

- Strong detailed emphasis on American History from the Biblical Worldview

- In addition to history, the inclusion of geography and culture a plus

Math: Saxon

- The most widely used publisher of schools we reviewed

- Teacher friendly

Language Arts:
      Reading: Scott Foresman
            -          The most scrutinized discipline we studied
            -          Middle school literature incorporates a variety of award-winning authors utilizing Progeny Press, a biblical study guide
                -           We wanted the best reading program, regardless of publisher, within limits…
                      one secular publisher eliminated due to an obvious clash in worldview
                -            Had access to a major university study of the top reading programs in nation
       Vocabulary: Wordly Wise
       Grammar: Shurley Grammar
                -          Strong emphasis on fundamentals, diagramming sentences
        Writing: Excellence in Writing… will be used in all disciplines  Latin: Sattler, Classical Academic Press

Bible: Variety of Publishers

- Primary concern… is it effective?

- We also incorporate a broad spectrum of sources consistent with our Statement of Faith

- Music jingles and memorization will be a large component

The Integrity Institute:

- The Four Basic Principles cover a broad range of life skills and character traits

- Will incorporate formal Bible studies

- Supplemental teaching on American History, Biblical Economics
- Extensive array of resources

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