The Yadkin Valley Community School follows the Montessori curriculum, allowing students in multi-age classrooms to progress through the curriculum at their own pace. Our teachers use a scope and sequence (see below) to guide their lessons. The curriculum below outlines topics covered during a three-year cycle.

As we cover the curriculum, we use a variety of methods and hands-on teaching strategies. For example, geometry may be taught through quilting; fractions may be taught through cooking; a history lesson may be taught by putting on a play; and land formations may be taught during a field trip to Stone Mountain State Park. The idea is that our students will truly understand concepts and develop critical thinking skills through experience. They are also allowed to try, fail, try again and improve through the iterative process.

Kindergarten – 2nd grade classroom
Math: history of numbers, numeration, addition, subtraction, skip counting, multiplication, division, fractions, time and money
Geometry: lines, angles, geometric solids, polygons
Language: history of writing, fundamentals of reading, reading (shared, guided, independent), literature discussions, spelling, punctuation, parts of speech, word study, handwriting, creative writing, research
Biology: external parts of vertebrae, external parts of plants, first knowledge of animal and plant kingdoms, exploration of the living environment
Earth Science: planets, rock cycle, water cycle, layers of the earth, zones of the ocean, atmosphere, states of matter
Geography: nature of the elements, sun and earth, land and water forms, parts of a mountain, parts of a river, maps, continents, oceans, cultures
History: concept of time, clock of eras, Timeline of Life, Fundamental Needs of Man

3rd – 5th grade classroom
Math: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, word problems, polynomials, percents, ratios and proportions
Geometry: plane geometry nomenclature, comparing figures, calculating area
Language: guided and independent reading, novel studies, spelling, language mechanics, creative writing, research, parts of speech, sentence study
Biology: vital functions of plants, vital functions of animals, advanced botany nomenclature, first knowledge of plant and animal kingdoms, plant and animal cells, invertebrate classification, Tree of Life, exploration of the living environment, human anatomy
Earth Science: planets, rock cycle, water cycle, layers of the earth, zones of the ocean, atmosphere, states of matter
Physics and Chemistry: simple machines, Roman architecture, Periodic Table, energy transfer, mixtures, chemical reactions
Geography: composition of the earth, land and water forms, work of air, work of water, maps, economic geography, natural resources, interdependence
History: Timeline of Life, Fundamental Needs of Man, Timeline of Early Man, Timeline of Civilizations, Pre-Columbian North America, Exploration, US history, NC history

6th – 8th grade classroom
Math: the number system, fractions, decimals, squaring, cubing, algebraic equations, signed numbers, base systems, ratios, proportions, expressions, statistics, probability, functions
Geometry: Theorem of Pythagoras, calculating area and volume, symmetry, reflections, rotations, translations, scale drawings
Language: literature, informational text, writing, collaborative discussions, public speaking, analyzing diverse media, sentence study, advanced language mechanics
Life Science: botany, single-celled animals, biotechnology, plant and animal cells, body systems, diseases, ecosystems, genetics, healthy diet
Physics and Chemistry: forces and motion, matter (properties and change), polymers, energy transfer
Earth Science: solar system, layers of the earth, weather and climate, hydrosphere
Geography: World and US political geography, World and US economic geography, physical features
History: US history and environmental literacy, World history and environmental literacy, NC history and environmental literacy, economic development, civics, governance, culture