Lower Elementary

We want all of our students to build knowledge while exploring their world through literacy. Literacy is the key to understanding—across time, borders, and cultures—and will help students recognize and embrace the role they play in the world they are creating. The Academy's elementary grades use the Wonders literacy curriculum as the core element of our reading instruction.

Wonders is an evidence-based K–5 ELA program that empowers students to take an active role in learning and exploration. Students will enjoy unparalleled opportunities to express and assess themselves through reading, writing, and speaking. They will encounter the right content at the right moment in their learning journey to promote strong educational outcomes for all.

We teach writing, rather than just assign it, by giving students the tools they need to be better thinkers, writers, and communicators. The Academy's elementary grades use Write from the Beginning...and Beyond (WFBB) as the core element of our writing program.

WFBB is a whole-school, comprehensive writing program that is proven to increase writing skills across the curriculum by leveraging Thinking Maps to build a strong foundation for writing across all genres and content areas.

When students understand concepts, they link ideas together in meaningful ways so that there are fewer discrete things to learn. Mathematics is not about memorizing how to get right answers; it is about recognizing and using underlying structures and patterns to see how seemingly disparate ideas are connected. The Academy's elementary grades use the enVision curriculum as the core element of our math instruction.

enVision is the only math program that combines problem-based learning and visual learning to deepen students’ conceptual understanding and is used by classrooms across the country and around the world. 

Students work on a project over an extended period of time – from a week up to a semester – that engages them in solving a real-world problem or answering a complex question. They demonstrate their knowledge and skills by creating a public product or presentation for a real audience. The Academy's elementary grades use the Colorado state standards in conjunction with the Core Knowledge Sequence to identify topics of study at each grade level in science and social studies. We then apply a Project Based Learning approach to cover these topics with students in the most engaging way possible.

Project Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge. In PBL, teachers make learning come alive for students.

A New Way to Define Leadership - Many people equate leadership with a formal position of authority, but we believe anyone can be a leader by intentionally leading one’s own life (leading self) and working well with and encouraging the greatness in others—whether family, friends, neighbors, or colleagues (leading others). The Academy's elementary grades use the Leader in Me curriculum and framework to empower all students through social-emotional development.

Leader in Me is a research-validated, comprehensive process designed to address social-emotional needs, college and career readiness, and the development of a strong leadership culture.

Imagination, creativity, and expression are essential elements of a stimulating intellectual life. The Academy's offerings in technology and the arts provide students with opportunities to engage their whole selves. In addition to core curricular areas, students in the elementary grades spend additional time in science, music, art, physical education, and technology classes. We call these Specials.

Students have one Specials class each day and experience all five Specials offerings each week. These classes include musical performances for the community, art shows, a science fair, and an annual field day event.