TIS “Core Knowledge” Curriculum
December 1, 2008
During Parent/Teacher conferences or at other times, you may have heard reference to the TIS or “Core Knowledge” curriculum.
The Core Knowledge curriculum we use is from The Core Knowledge Foundation, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. The organization was founded in 1986 by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., professor emeritus at the University of Virginia and author of many acclaimed books, including Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know and The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them.
The “Core Knowledge” movement is based on the premise that, for the sake of academic excellence, greater fairness, and higher literacy, early schooling should provide a solid, specific, shared core curriculum to help children establish strong foundations of knowledge.
The Foundation conducts research on curricula and develops books and other materials for parents and teachers. With the help of professors and teachers from across the nation, the Foundation developed a curriculum for elementary and middle school classrooms. The curriculum, the K-8 Sequence and the Core Knowledge Preschool Program, are currently used in over 500 schools nationwide.
So for TIS students::
- The Core Knowledge curriculum specifies what our students learn, supplemented by language arts and social studies cultural units in each of our target languages.
- Oregon State standards also specify what students should learn. In most cases, Core Knowledge requirements are greater than Oregon State standards. In those few cases where state standards specify additional material, we supplement the Core Knowledge curriculum to cover it.
- The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program specifies how our students learn (through their own inquiries), and provides guidelines on inquiry-based teaching methodology.
- The teachers use their creativity, knowledge and experience to bring each lesson to students in a way that is effective, memorable, and meets each student’s needs.
For more information, please ask your child’s teacher, Principal Maria Abad (MAbad@intlschool.org), or visit the Core Knowledge website at www.coreknowledge.org
