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The Paragon™ Curriculum

A World of Ideas That Make A World of Difference - Across Eras, Continents and Disciplines

The unique Paragon™ Curriculum is predicated on the idea that we must impart to all children the content knowledge and academic skills that will provide them with the necessary intellectual capital to succeed in mainstream culture. Rather than teach history in bits and pieces in arbitrary sequence, Paragon™'s fully integrated, chronological approach demonstrates to students how one idea builds on and evolves into another. The curriculum illustrates how sweeping cycles of conflict and resolution repeat themselves and leads students to understand how and why various world cultures have risen to power and prominence, only to be supplanted by new precedents set by others.

Studying history across continents depicts for older students, the manner in which many ideas develop at the same time in independent cultures unaware of the other's breakthroughs. In comprehending synchronicity and the genealogy of ideas, students develop a larger conceptual picture of history and an enhanced awareness of the interrelationships of many areas of knowledge. Rather than memorize names, dates and wars in isolation, students recall the sequential circumstances surrounding these events and remember more readily both factual information and conceptual relevance.

The Paragon™ Curriculum is designed around eight ages of history or Human Eras, which constitute the monthly conceptual themes:

The Ancient World 40,000 B.C. to 500 B.C.

The Classical World 499 B.C. to A.D. 500

The Middle Ages 501 to 1459

Renaissance and the New World 1460 to 1600

Kingdoms and Colonies 1601 to 1752

Revolution and Independence 1753 to 1825

The World in Motion 1826 to 1913

The 20th Century 1914 to 2000

The Content Core of the Paragon™ Curriculum: History and Social Studies; Science, Technology and Computer Literacy, The Arts and Music - In respect to the Arts and Music - please continue to read an except from the application:

Rather than relegate art, music and foreign language to the periphery of the curriculum, Paragon™'s design integrates them into its interdisciplinary center.

To truly integrate the arts into the Paragon™ªú Curriculum, teachers will be trained in the visual and performing arts. Daily Paragon™ª Lesson Plans are outlined with step-by-step instructions to ensure seamless implementation. Art, drama, music and dance interrelated to the core curriculum draw many marginal students into the center of learning. Acting vicariously (not acting up) enables students to try on different roles without compromising their quality of life. It is no accident that "playing" (as in what children do) and "playing" (as in acting and putting on a play) and "playing" (as in playing a musical instrument) are the same word. Without the "play" in the process, it loses its validity and vitality.

Paragon™'s purpose is to make the arts a vital component of a child's education, while at the same time placing the strongest possible emphasis on the basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic. The arts offer children opportunities to assimilate and apply what they have learned in ways relevant and meaningful to their experience. Their enhanced skills of communication, analysis and self-expression enable them to compete far more successfully with their traditional learning classmates.

The Morning Core Program Curriculum

Reading - The scope and sequence of basic reading involves mastery of "tool skills" in three areas. The skill areas gain in difficulty and spiral through the primary grades K-2. Graystone Academy will teach content-rich classic and multicultural literature in conjunction with explicit phonics instruction to develop reading skills in K-2 when children are making the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.

Leveled books from the classroom library will feature the blend of phonics and sight word practice essential for beginning readers. Beginning at grade 1, Graystone Academy students will use a research-based spelling program that introduces them to spelling patterns and to high frequency, high-utility words they use most often in their reading and writing. The spelling program further develops phonetic awareness and features an innovative CD-ROM extension to engage students further in spelling and proofreading practice.

Phonics - Graystone Academy will use a highly effective phonics program for K-2 students and phonetically controlled, level classroom literary books to promote reading fluency and phonetic awareness. Phonemes are the smallest components of sound in language. As Graystone Academy students learn their letter formations, they acquire simultaneously the phonemic rules that govern the spelling and the pronunciation of the English language. Graystone Academy is a strong proponent of teaching students the correct spelling at the initial encounter, saving time and frustration in having to relearn rules after "inventive" spelling patterns have taken root.

Spanish instruction at all levels further enables student understanding of parts of speech and other linguistic principles. Moreover, because Spanish is such a phonetic language, instruction in Spanish reinforces training in Language Arts phonetic awareness.

Writing - Students write for a variety of purposes and projects. Some are daily assignments such as in journals, some are short-term assignments involving very few drafts such as letter writing and project proposals. Still other writing assignments are longer term (typically 4 weeks) and are assignments based on a theme of World Culture in a historical context. Each type of writing is distinct from the others and involves discrete sub-skills in reading, writing, thinking, and listening.

Mathematics - The curriculum will feature units of study that follow the NCTM standards based on everyday life experiences. A skills based program geared to high achieving students, the program will stress writing about and discussing mathematics. Black Line Masters, which integrate social studies skills, such as, map-making, serve as a compatible fit with the afternoon Paragon™ Curriculum.

Although students will be expected to achieve mastery of all the basic computational skills, the school regards mathematics as far more than a calculating tool. Students will devote a considerable amount of time to solving complex problems that require interpretation and analysis beyond the superficial level. Instead of merely memorizing assorted formulas by rote, students will acquire an understanding of the fundamental ideas of mathematics and its logic.

Technology - Technological advances accelerate at a rapidly changing pace, mandating a need in today's workplace for literate, analytical employees with a command of computer literacy and broadly informed problem solving capacities.

To master true computer literacy, students require hands-on access to computers in real time, rather than isolated visits to a computer lab. The Charter School will be equipped each with a computer for every three children, as well as with a laptop for each teacher and administrator. The personal desktop computers will be linked to the Internet, affording access to curriculum and resources available in cyberspace or on disk. Paragon™ Lesson Plans direct students to specific Internet sites on a regular basis. The Charter School library will be styled as a Multimedia and Resource Center, supplying a library of excellent books and CD-ROMs, as well as TV/VCRs, overhead and slide projectors for pedagogy. The Multimedia Center will also feature a Media Arts and Sciences Studio for student radio and video portfolio productions.

For more information visit the Mosaica Education, Inc.web site.