Curriculum

Curriculum Overview

At La Academia we provide instruction in the four core content area: Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies.  However, the curriculum at La Academia is grounded in the philosophy of two way immersion. Our students are immersed in a half day of instruction in English followed by a half day of instruction in Spanish in all of the areas listed above. This schedule rotates each day so they never start in the same language two days in a row. The two way immersion philosophy supports the La Academia mission of developing bilingual and biliterate citizens as we provide instruction in both language and content simultaneously thereby developing language acquisition and higher level thinking skills.

Furthermore, La Academia students engage in Project Based Learning where we take some of our Science and Social Studies concepts and develop projects around these ideas that incorporate reading, writing, math and language. Our project based learning units promote choice and real world authenticity. Each project culminates with a celebration of learning where we showcase our work for the entire school community.

Math

La Academia students are engaged in mathematics instruction for 45-60 minutes each day. We follow the Common Core standards and deliver instruction using content from the Mis Matematicas curricular materials. Our students receive math instruction in Spanish and our teachers are trained to bridge the content, draw specific attention to academic vocabulary in both languages and develop mathematical fluency so that the instructional content flows seamlessly from one day to the next.  Students also use Imagine Math as an individualized program for mathematics growth.

ELA / SLA

Our ELA/SLA curriculum follows the Common Core Standards.  Our students develop the necessary language skills and strategies to become successful communicators who are bilingual and biliterate through content delivered from the Maravillas and Wonders curriculum.  Students engage in both whole group and small group instruction during the ELA/SLA block which is typically a total of 90 minutes. Thirty additional minutes are spent outside the 90 minutes of core curriculum to enrich and/or remediate students in the area of reading.  Students use Imagine Language and Literacy and Imagine Espanol for a personalized learning tool to improve their English Language skills.

Science and Social Studies

The Science program at Academia follows the Next Generation Science Standards. Teachers teach 3 Science units a year using hands on discovery learning throughout the unit.  Science is taught in Spanish.

Academia’s Social Studies curriculum follows the Delaware Recommended Curriculum for Social Studies. Units are taught in the areas of History, Geography, Economics and Civics.  Social Studies is taught in English.

Expressive Arts

The expressive arts program at Academia includes the following:

  • Art
  • Health
  • Music
  • Physical Education
  • STEM
  • Technology
  • Library

Students attend one expressive arts class for 30 minutes a day for 1 week and then rotate through the 5 programs over the course of 5 weeks.

Each expressive arts teacher follows national standards for his/her particular content area.

Technology

Technology is an integral part of learning at La Academia.

Kindergarten through 7th grade is 1 to 1 technology with Chromebooks.

Students have access to ELA/SLA and Math curriculum materials as well as Imagine Learning / ALEKS  online learning platforms for enrichment.

Additionally, in all of the classrooms, there are Smart Projectors that are used for lesson presentations.

There is a computer lab with 30 desktop computers for technology classes.   Students attend technology as an Expressive Arts class beginning in Kindergarten.  Through this class, they learn keyboarding, mouse manipulation, and document processing using Google Suite.

Many technology based applications are used for communication and behavior monitoring as well including:  GoGuardian, ClassDojo, email etc.

School Philosophy

1% Better Everyday

At La Academia, that is what we strive for- whether you are a student, teacher, staff, parent or board member, 1% better every day is the goal.  We look for small things we can improve on every day, in our personal, professional or educational lives, instead of focusing on major things to change. 

Mindfulness Matters

Mindfulness is the practice of cultivating focused awareness. Not only being aware of one’s sensations, but accepting what is.

Responsive Classrooms

The Responsive Classroom approach consists of a set of practices and strategies that build academic and social-emotional competencies.

UNIDOS

Our community works to develop a culture of respect and collaboration based on our UNIDOS character traits (Unity-Never give up-Integrity-Discovery-Ownership-Success).

Restorative Justice

Restorative Justice is a holistic approach to behavior that focuses on repairing harm through inclusive processes that engage all stakeholders.