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Lower School

Students in a lower school classroom

The Trident Academy program is guided by the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators and the South Carolina State Standards.  Trident's Lower School students receive instruction in traditional subjects such as:

  • Language Arts
  • Reading
  • Writing and Grammar
  • Vocabulary
  • Math
  • Science
  • Social Studies

Lower school students also participate weekly in several special area classes that provide them with a well-rounded experience:

  • Art
  • Guidance
  • Library
  • Music
  • Physical Education

Students learn through the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading and spelling by being exposed to prescriptive, diagnostic, sequential, structured and multi-sensory teaching.    See below for an example of an OG approach to a Lower School curriculum:

  • Language Arts
    • The OG approach of sequential, systematic, and multi-sensory instruction is incorporated into each lesson.
    • Incorporate COPS (Capitalization, Organization, Punctuation, Spelling) strategy into each lesson
    • Incorporate APE (Answer, Prove, Extend) strategy into each lesson
       
  • Reading
    • 20 minutes of Out Loud reading to a parent/guardian required daily

Trident Academy’s Lower School is divided into Lower Elementary (grades K-3) and Upper Elementary (grades 4-5).  Students are placed in classrooms with others who most closely match their academic profile.  Trident Academy takes great care in these placements, taking into consideration each student’s academic profile, age, and maturity level.  Being placed with others who need the same level of instruction helps all students to progress and to reach their goals.  Teachers individualize instruction, helping each student move closer to their goals and independence in their learning.