609 Brickell Ave. Miami, FL 33131

... a broad language education will provide students
an advantage in future careers...

ACADEMY CURRICULUM (K5 - 8th Grade)

What's HARTCOURT?

HARTCOURT is the curriculum program used at Key Biscayne International Christian School for our Academy student (K5-8th grade). This is an extensive curriculum that reaches all learners and provides enriching experiences that develop higher-order thinking skills.

The HARTCOURT math program uses a consistent 4-step method of instruction and provides a wide range of strategies. These strategies include the use of manipulative allowing learners to enjoy various hands-on experiences. The program, also builds a partnership between home and school, measures achievement before, after and during instruction, and includes various intervention strategies to bring success to every learner.

The HARTCOURT Language Arts program is called Collections. Collections are a balanced, comprehensive program that provides materials and support to help all learners become fluent, lifelong readers. The foundation of Collections is research-based instruction and practice, organized in a practical format.

This instruction method includes usage of oral language (shared reading, listening and speaking, retelling, and responding), honological awareness (songs, rhymes, isolating sounds, blending, and segmentation), literature (variety of classic and contemporary work, instructional-level reading, and trade books) and comprehension (strategy development, critical thinking skills, and summarizing). There is a strong use of phonics and whole language. Our first grade teacher states, "I feel that having the resources to intermix two effective instructional reading methods (phonics and whole language). has shown greater reading success for all my students."

Finally, HARTCOURT Science focuses on three main objectives. The ability to investigate, learn scientific ideas, and link science to other subject areas. The curriculum also provides a wide range of hands-on experiments which link to the textbook. The textbooks are filled with enriching photographs and useful information for students on an age-appropriate level.

Superkids

The Superkids Reading Program is a core reading program designed for Kindergarten through Grade 2 that looks like no other and works like no other, with a cast of characters that children love. Based on a proven pedagogy and compelling brain research, it combines rigor and fun to deliver on its promise.

The Kindergarten program is split into two levels. The program focuses on the 26 letters of the alphabet. Students systematically learn to read and write letters, to associate letters with sounds, to blend letter-sounds to form words and sentences, and to read and write phonetically regular words as well as Memory Words.

The Grade 1 program is also split into two levels. During this year the children learn more complex letter-sound relationships. They continue to develop their decoding and encoding skills and read longer stories where comprehension and fluency are emphasized.

In second grade the students have a rich and varied curriculum using multiple components such as: Decodable Reader, Work Work Book, SUPER Magazine, The Book Club for Super Kids, and Write it Right!

In addition to our HARTCOURT and Superkids curriculum, students are exposed to different subjects on a regular basis such as:

Spanish

Spanish classes lead our students to achieve and maintain effective communication in this language trough song, interesting news, easy readings, games, geography and history.

Learning a new language together with a new culture is a wonderful opportunity for a child, especially if he/she is surrounded by a bilingual environment as our students are.

Learning is by no means an activity that just involves students and teachers; parents play a unique and irreplaceable role in our program, as it is almost impossible for the students and teachers to succeed in the learning-teaching process without parents' support and confidence.

Italian

Language learning should be: quick, fun, and easy!

Italian classes immediately immerse you in an Italian conversation to help you grasp the syntax and structure of the Italian language. Our students are not only exposed to the Italian language, but also to the Italian culture and geography.

Students will participate in Italian Poetry and singing competitions organized by the Italian government.

Our students (4th -8th) participate in an exchange program with Italy.

Physical Education

Students will:

Display an understanding of the terminology, rules, safety concepts, movement patterns and performance cues that apply to games and sports.
Display increased self-confidence, self-stuffiness and individual initiative.
Explain and demonstrate basic movement patterns and performance cues related to games and sports.
Develop skills which promote lifelong pursuit of activity through games and sports.
Develop an appreciation of the role physical fitness plays in achieving and maintaining a personal sense of well being

Music

Students will demonstrate a willingness to participate in music experiences.

Describe a variety of purposes for music. Identify thoughts, images, and feelings derived from a music experience.

Apply elements of rhythm, melody, and expression to demonstrate thoughts, images, and feelings in classroom repertoire.

Children will use singing or instrumental skills to maintain a melodic or harmonic part in simple textures.

Create music for a given purpose.

Art

Students will explore different art media and how they can be combined, learn about art from different countries - printings objects, and see how they use art concepts in their work. They will practice using color families and explore color mixing - tints and shades as well as, explore some of the possibilities of clay. Also they will practice observational and expressive drawing, using the technical knowledge in regards to figure and facial drawings, etc.