What is Core Knowledge?

Tree House International School’s early childhood education programs and St. Geroge Academy's Kindergarten to Grade 8 use an enriched Core Knowledge Curriculum.. The Preschool Sequence is the result of a long process of research and critical review undertaken by the nonprofit Core Knowledge Foundation. The resulting Preschool Sequence represents a synthesis of exemplary practice and experience designed to provide your child with the solid foundation he or she will need for later learning in grade school and beyond. Internationally, the most successful educational systems teach a core of knowledge in the early grades. Only by explicitly specifying the competencies and knowledge that all children should share can we guarantee equal access to those competencies and knowledge. This background not only provides a foundation for later learning, but also makes up the common ground for communication in a diverse society.

Movement and Coordination
Physical Attention and Relaxation Gross Motor Skills Eye-Hand and Eye-Foot Coordination Group Games Creative Movement and Expression

Autonomy and Social Skills
Sense of Self and Personal Responsibility Making Friends Working in a Group Setting

Work Habits
Memory Skills Following Directions Task Persistence and Completion

Language
Oral Language: Nursery Rhymes, Poems, Fingerplays, and Songs Children’s Literature: Read Alouds and Storytelling Emerging Literacy Skills

Mathematics
Patterns and Classification Geometry Measurement Numbers and Number Sense Addition and Subtraction with Concrete Objects Money

Orientation in Time
Vocabulary Measures of Time Passage of Time

Orientation in Space
Vocabulary Actual and Represented Space Simple Maps Basic Geographical Concepts

Science
Human Characteristics, (Needs, and Development) Animal Characteristics, (Needs, and Development) Plant Characteristics, (Needs, and Growth) Physical Elements (Water, Air, Light) Tools

Music
Attention to Differences in Sound Imitate and Produce Sounds Listen and Sing Listen and Move

Visual Arts
Attention to Visual Detail Creating Art (Printing, Painting, Drawing, Collage, Sculpture) Looking at and Talking about Art