Curriculum

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ABEKA CURRICULUM

At Tree of Life Christian Academy, we are a bilingual school using two curriculums. We use the ABEKA and the HIGH SCOPE curriculum while immersing the children in the Spanish language. We believe a successful education is centered on curriculum. The ABEKA curriculum has been used internationally for over 50 years. Scholastically, reading is half the battle for preschoolers. ABEKA has a six-step program to teach reading skills by using a phonetic approach:


  1. Learn to recognize the short vowels and their sounds.
  2. Learn to recognize the consonants and their sounds.
  3. Learn to blend.
  4. Learn to sound one-vowel words.
  5. Learn the sounds of the long vowels. Learn to sound two-vowel words.
  6. Learn and apply the special phonics sounds.



As the reading skills develop, the four main elements of reading proficiency are emphasized:

HIGH SCOPE CURRICULUM

Learning letter sounds and special sounds (132 in total) in a fun way prepares our students to pronounce words accurately. The HIGH SCOPE curriculum is incorporated into the curriculum as well. The HIGH SCOPE Preschool Curriculum is the component of HIGH SCOPE researched-based system of education for the preschool student and between infant to toddler years. The curriculum has a set of teaching practices for adults, content areas for children, assessment tools to measure teaching behaviors and children’s progress, and a training model to help adults use the curriculum to support children’s development. The curriculum is based on the belief that children learn best through “active learning,” which is direct, hands-on experiences with people, objects, events, and ideas. Children are encouraged to "construct" their own knowledge by pursuing their personal interests and goals, guided by trained adults who understand the importance of learning areas for children in the preschool years. Active learning is central to all activities in the program, whether planned by adults or initiated by children. Teachers give children a sense of control over the events of the day by planning a consistent daily routine that enables children to anticipate what happens next.

Four components of High Scope Curriculum:


1. Adult- Child Interaction - Teachers behave more as partners to work alongside the children, enabling them to communicate both verbally and nonverbally to inspire learning.

2. Learning Environment - The room is set up and characterized to encourage independence and guide children to learn to accomplish their goals.

3. Daily Routine - A persistent routine for the day provides a balanced variation of involvement and learning opportunities.

4. Assessment - Objective periodical observations of the children collected through time allows the teachers to assess and provide an accurate learning environment.

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