Curriculum

"Only a well-rounded, knowledge-specific curriculum can impart needed knowledge to all children and overcome inequality of opportunity."

- E. D. Hirsch, Jr., Core Knowledge Foundation Chairman and Founder

Why Knowledge Matters (2016)

Core Knowledge

Platte River Academy provides a content rich, academically rigorous education with a well-defined and sequential curriculum. This element of our mission is primarily accomplished by adhering to the Core Knowledge Sequence in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

What is Core Knowledge?

The founding parents of Platte River Academy selected the Core Knowledge curriculum because international research shows that the highest achieving students receive a rigorous, content-based education.

Students learn new knowledge by building upon what they already know. The Core Knowledge Sequence clearly defines the knowledge and skills students will master at each grade level and raises the bar for student accomplishment. Core Knowledge gives students the foundation they need for success in school and beyond.

There are several good resources to help you discover more about the Core Knowledge curriculum and philosophy. E.D. Hirsch’s series of books (Cultural Literacy, What your __-grader needs to know, etc.) can be found at most bookstores and libraries. These books offer a comprehensive look into the content taught each school year in any Core Knowledge school.

The specific subjects of study within Core Knowledge include:

Reading/Language Arts
History and Geography
Visual Arts
Music
Mathematics
Science

Core Knowledge Year Plan and Sequence by Grade Level

Click on the buttons below to explore Core Knowledge curriculum for each grade level.

Also included are the teachers' curriculum plans for the school year.

Kindergarten 23/24 Plan 1st Grade 23/24 Plan

2nd Grade 23/24 Plan 3rd Grade 23/24 Plan

4th Grade 23/24 Plan 5th Grade 23/24 Plan

Kindergarten CK Curriculum 1st Grade CK Curriculum

2nd Grade CK Curriculum 3rd Grade CK Curriculum

4th Grade CK Curriculum 5th Grade CK Curriculum

Supporting Curriculum

The Core Knowledge Sequence is not meant to outline Platte River Academy’s entire curriculum; approximately 50% of our instruction is based on subject-specific published resources.

Curriculum supports used in addition to Core Knowledge:

Reading: Open Court Reading is a complete elementary based reading program used in grades K-3 at PRA. It maintains strong instruction in the areas of decoding (learning how to read), comprehension (understanding what you read), inquiry and investigation (learning how to apply what you have read), and writing (how to communicate with others in print). After the foundations of reading are established (K-3), reading instruction for students in the upper grades focuses on applying the skills learned to the listed works of Core Knowledge literature.
Mathematics: PRA uses Into Math for Kindergarten- 3rd grades. This research-based and standards aligned curriculum is structured to support strong number sense and confidence in Math. Into Math will be used at all Elementary grades (K-5) by the 2024-25 school year. PRA currently uses Saxon Math in 4th-7th grades. Saxon textbooks divide concepts into small, easily grasped pieces called increments. Saxon’s spiraling sequence exposes students to concepts multiple times before mastery is attained. In preparation for High School, our 8th grade students learn Pre-Algebra and Algebra using Prentice-Hall textbooks.

Platter River Academy Supporting Curriclum

Writing: Step Up To Writing provides research-based, multisensory strategies proven to help students master informational/explanatory, narrative, and opinion/argument writing.

Social Studies: The Core Knowledge foundation produces a unit-based textbook series that aligns to the topics listed in the sequence for each grade level (K-6). They are currently working on similar resources for middle school. Research of topics, using primary sources, is emphasized at the middle school level.

Science: Teachers use a variety of instructional resources and hands-on experiences to introduce students to the CK science topics. Topics from all fields of science (physical, life, and earth) are studied at all grade levels.

Platter River Academy Additional Curriculum Information

Additional Information

We invite you to learn more about The Core Knowledge K-8 curriculum by clicking the Core Knowledge image/logo below.

As a public school in the state of Colorado, we are obligated to follow the content standards as approved by our state board of education. Colorado’s Academic Standards (CAS) outline what students are expected to know and be able to do at each grade level. Our state assessments are based on these criteria. To learn more about Colorado’s Academic Standards, click the image/logo below.