At Colorado Springs Charter Academy, our curriculum is designed to build strong academic foundations, deepen student knowledge, and cultivate thoughtful, confident learners. Through a content-rich Core Knowledge approach, structured literacy instruction, meaningful mathematics, traditional skills such as cursive, and opportunities for enrichment and support, students grow in both skill and understanding. Our goal is to provide a rigorous, well-rounded education that helps students think deeply, communicate clearly, and connect learning across subjects. All curriculum covers concepts specified in the Core Knowledge Sequence.  

 

 

​

 

Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is the leading early literacy curriculum grounded in the Science of Reading. While teaching skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, CKLA also builds students’ knowledge and vocabulary in literature, history, geography, and science.  

The focus of CKLA in Grades K-2 is developing fluent reading and writing skills and enhancing language comprehension by building background knowledge and vocabulary. This is accomplished through two strands: the Skills Strand and the Knowledge Strand. 

​

The Skills Strand focuses on decoding, encoding, grammar, handwriting, and the writing process. 

​

The Knowledge Strand builds background knowledge and vocabulary through carefully sequenced read-alouds and complex texts. Teachers read aloud stories that are more difficult, enabling children to engage with complex texts and build background knowledge of a variety of connected topics in history, science, literature, and the arts. The Knowledge strand replaces CKSci and CKHG (below) in grades K-2.  

​

Students using CKLA in Grades 3-8 continue building strong reading and writing skills while also expanding their knowledge and vocabulary. As they grow, comprehension and meaning-making become deeply intertwined with the content they are learning. The daily CKLA block includes instruction in reading, writing, spelling, and grammar, all embedded within a rich, content-based curriculum. 

​

Big Ideas: Math and You helps students develop a deep conceptual understanding of mathematics through real-world applications and meaningful problem-solving. The program challenges students to reason, model, explain their thinking, and apply mathematical concepts in ways that build confidence and lasting understanding.

 

Core Knowledge Science (CKSci) covers the main areas of science content: life, physical, and earth and space science. In addition, each grade level contains units on the Human Body and Computer Science. The content of the units is informed by NGSS and stresses questioning of initial observations. Each unit provides activities that give students experience with science processes, such as collecting and analyzing data and communicating results. 

​

Core Knowledge History and Geography (CKHG) ensures that students acquire the foundational knowledge needed to become literate citizens who can contribute to a democratic society. CKHG objectives are correlated to the state English Language Arts standards, which call for increased reading of nonfiction informational texts. CKHG provides an interdisciplinary approach to reading that provides rich, meaningful, and sustained engagement with informational texts organized in a coherent sequence. 

​

Core Knowledge Visual Arts (CKVA) focuses on important elements of making and appreciating art, emphasizing important artists, works of art, and artistic concepts. In the CKVA curriculum, students in K–8 are exposed to both classic and contemporary works of Art and famous architecture from around the world. Students learn about the elements of art through study and creating their own works of art. 

 

Core Knowledge Music (CKMusic) exposes students to a variety of musical genres while learning about the fundamental elements of music, and how music can be used to comfort and inspire. Students can enjoy music in many ways: they may listen to it, sing it, play it, move to it, and more. Core Knowledge Music gives students ways to explore all these forms of musical participation and in the process, expands their knowledge of theory, notation, and music history.