Curriculum

Our academic program will take a cross-curricular approach in all subject areas, based on the philosophy that the understanding of material is more thorough and meaningful when students experience it in varied contexts. Environmental studies will be integrated in all our studies. As an independent school, Seacoast Academy will provide religious studies for all students. Cooperative learning, the clarity of individual goals, and the primacy of critical thinking are also primary elements of our curriculum.

The acquisition of study and organizational skills is central to our program and will be consistently reinforced in all areas. Students will be expected to master the following skills at Seacoast Academy:

Organization – using a plan book, breaking assignments down into smaller segments, prioritizing assignments and tasks

Note-taking – deciding what is important, summarizing class notes, reading a paragraph for a main idea, writing a brief summary of a reading, keeping an organized notebook

Questioning—processing information and considering how different

perspectives can shape material, gaining confidence in ability to question material, instructors, and peers toward the end of greater understanding

• Close reading of literature – selected for discussion of the relationship between setting (time, place, objects of special interest) and character (personal identity and values) – and including short story, novel, drama (a Shakespeare play), poetry, and some non-fiction.
• Reading emphasis on literal and figurative language, particularly irony, symbol, foreshadowing, and metaphor, while developing an understanding of how writers create meaning through methods of characterization and types of conflict.
• A variety of critical and creative writing exercises stressing the movement from paragraph-mini-essay-multiple essay, paying close attention to developing critical thinking skills through inference, evidence, coherence, and language correctness. Special emphasis on different types of opening and closing skills in all modes of written discourse        
• Structured exercises in grammar and usage as aids in writing style development and editing.
• Regular vocabulary lessons stressing Latin and Greek roots and using new words in improving diction.
• Speaking and listening through group discussions, oral presentations, and character role playing.

 8 English

• Close reading of literature – several classic works in American literature – selected for discussion of the theme appearance versus reality and how that theme has relevance to their study of American history- and including short story, novel, drama (a Shakespeare play), poetry, and non-fiction.
• Reading emphasis on literal and figurative language, particularly symbol and forms of irony, while developing an understanding of the writer’s purpose and methods of achieving that purpose in fiction and non-fiction.
• A variety of critical and creative writing exercises, some including research skills, stressing the movement from paragraph to essay, including several types of narrative and expository purposes, and focusing on inference, evidence, coherence, and language correctness.
• Structured exercises in grammar and usage as aids in developing an authentic voice and sentence variety.
• Regular vocabulary lessons stressing Latin and Greek roots and questions common to standardized testing, particularly the SSAT.
• Speaking and listening through group discussions, oral presentations, and role playing.

MATH

Course 2

Algebra/Geometry

SCIENCE

6 Science, Energy & Change

• Abiotic & biotic factors affecting local aquatic & terrestrial ecosystems (including: oceans, wetlands, forests, food webs, water & soil quality, rock cycle, pollution, etc.)
• Atoms & Matter 
• Aerodynamics
• Electricity & Magnetism
• Energy & Heat
• Evolution of the Solar System
• Stars & Constellations
• Human Physiology
• Inventions
• Skills: Use of campus as a lab; steps of the scientific method; graphing; data collection & analysis; writing formal lab reports; measuring length, mass, volume, density, & temperature in metric units
• Equipment: Compound microscope, stethoscope, stopwatch, dissecting tools, graduated cylinders, beakers, test tubes, triple beam balance, Probe ware, soil & water testing equipment, circuit building, magnets

7 Science, Levels of Organization

• Characteristics of life
• Intro to cellular biology (Including: Cellular organelles, cell processes, structure vs. function, specialized cells, & classification of cells from different Kingdoms)
• Evolution of life (Including: Adaptations, Kingdoms, natural selection, extinction, primates, & classification)
• Geology (Including: Rock cycle, Plate tectonics, Geologic time scale, & Fossils)
• Environmental studies (Including: Water, ecosystems, human impact, natural resources, & global climate change)
• Final Project: Design an environmental study or public education project based on info learned throughout school year
• Skills: Steps of the scientific method; designing graphs and tables; measuring and converting length, volume, mass and temperature in metric units; note-taking and lab reporting skills
• Equipment: Thermometers, calipers, timing devices, glassware, spring scales, hot plates, chemicals, triple beam balance, Probe ware, soil & water testing equipment, compound microscope

8 Science, Technology

• Development of technology through geologic resources
• Historical perspective of technology (industrial revolution through modern day technological advances)
• History of local resource development (use of waterways for power & transport)
• Simple machines
• Health & Medicine (Including: DNA, Genetics, Biotechnology, Cancer research, etc.)
• Robotics
• Technology & the Environment
• Skills: Problem-solving through experimental design, implementation, & evaluation; lab reporting skills; observing & analyzing data; proper use of lab equipment
• Equipment: Thermometers, calipers, timing devices, glassware, spring scales, hot plates, chemicals, triple beam balance, Probe ware, soil & water testing equipment, compound microscope, machine building materials

             

Students during play rehearsals and stage production for Music Man, Jr. (Feb. 2008), shows set for Mar. 6 @7PM and Mar.7 @1PM