Humanities:  All students are required to take a two hour humanities course daily.  This class combines the language arts and social studies core curriculum and is taught as 5th / 6th and 7th / 8th multi-aged classes.  Students read a variety of fiction and non-fiction titles. (BOOKLISTS)  Writing, research, technology and art history are integrated into this course. 
 
5th / 6th Grade
Year A              Ancient Civilizations – Egypt, Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Asia, and Meso-America
Year B              Middle Ages – Exploration – Renaissance – Reformation – Revolution
 
7th / 8th Grade
Year A              Early American history – colonial history, American revolution, government, westward expansion, Civil War, reconstruction, immigration
Year B              19th Century through modern world history
 
Each year, we select a theme that connects our classes and school-wide activities. 
 
2007 – 08              “Finding Home”
2008 – 09              “Power of One”
2009 – 10              “Valuing Place”
 
Arts:              We believe that the arts are a fundamental part of our students’ education.  Over their 4 years at the Arts Academy, our students receive a foundation in the arts that will lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of the arts.
 
5th / 6th Grade:  Students attend a four quarter rotation through dance, music, drama and visual arts in each of these years.  This arts rotation provides students not only an exposure to these art forms, but also the fundamental skills, concepts and vocabulary inherent in each.
 
7th / 8th Grade:   Students are required to select 1 or 2 art forms to pursue with greater specialization.  At this point, we encourage students to identify their artistic passion and make a commitment to expand their competency in these forms.
 
Throughout the school year, students attend concerts, plays and performances within the Salt Lake arts community from Pioneer Theatre to Kingsbury Hall, Ballet West, the Utah Symphony, RDT, and Ririe Woodbury.
 
Each year, our students create an original theatrical production that is based upon the annual theme and draws from the humanities, science, and arts curriculum.  All students are part of this exciting production which is performed at the Jeanne Wagner Theatre in downtown Salt Lake City.  This production combines with our signature fundraising event each spring called the Gala.   (LINK TO GALA 2010) 
 
Science:  Students take grade level specific classes in order to meet the state core requirements.  5th, 6th, and 7th graders take science 2 – 3 days / week, off-set by P.E.  Hands-on learning through science labs and field work are important components to these classes.  Students are asked to demonstrate their understanding of scientific concepts through original projects that often combine arts with science.
 
Inventions Convention:  6th graders are required to invent and construct a musical instrument that illustrates the change of sound.  8th graders are required to build a Rube Goldberg invention that utilizes pulleys, levers, and other mechanisms.
7th graders attend genetic labs at the University of Utah during their study of human genetics. 
8th graders travel to the Teton Science School in Jackson, Wyoming one week during the school year for fieldwork relating to environmental science, geology, and ecology.
 
Our science teachers meet with the arts and humanities teachers to develop complimentary units that support the work covered in other classes. 
 
In the summer of 2009, we received a 3 year grant from the McCarthey-Dressman Foundation of $10,000 each year to develop an integrated curriculum based upon human impact on the American West.  Beginning in Fall 2009, our humanities, science and visual arts teachers will construct lessons and arrange field work that link their curriculum to this topic.  (LINK TO GRANT)
 
2009 – 10              Impact of mining on the American West
2010 – 11              Water – a scarce and precious resource of the West
2011 – 12              Building sustainable communities in the future
 
Mathematics:  Although we are proud of our emphasis in the arts, we are equally pleased to offer an exemplary math program that has consistently resulted in some of the highest scores on the State criterion reference tests. (LINK TO ACADEMIC RESULTS THAT COUNT)
 
Students are assessed and placed at the level that corresponds with their level of competence.  Our math classes begin with Math 5 and run through Geometry.  We have even taught Algebra II to select students.
 
5th Grade Math – Math Expressions, Houghton Mifflin
6th Grade Math – Geometry utilizes the College Preparatory Math (CPM) program that is rated as exemplary by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). 
 
As described on their parent resource website: “The CPM program presents mathematical ideas in contexts that help students make sense of otherwise abstract principles. Students are taught how to gather and organize information about problems, break problems into smaller parts, and look for patterns that lead to solutions. Each course is built around several core ideas that are used to develop related topics, skills and procedures. Students master skills and come to understand ideas over several days and weeks. Much of their classroom time is spent doing guided investigations– much like a math lab–that develop ideas in concrete, visual ways. They also apply their learning to realistic problems that require more than merely mimicking examples of rules.”
 
PE emphasizes lifetime fitness and utilizes community recreation facilities such as the Liberty Wells Recreation Center, Central City Recreation Center, and Liberty Park.  In addition to regular PE classes, our students are often found walking to the Main Public Library, to the TRAX station, or to the theaters located in downtown Salt Lake City.
 
Elective Classes:  Students may select a class of their choosing as part of their instructional day.  Our elective classes provide students another opportunity to explore a new topic or learn a new skill.  Classes include:  Choir, Guitar, Creative writing, Digital Arts, Yoga, Dance Company, and Acting Shakespeare.  We also offer math tutorials and homework support classes as electives.
 
Before School Classes: 
Students may elect to take Spanish, French or German before school Monday – Friday.  Another before school class is called SOAR (Starting Off Aware and Ready).  In this class, students learn organizational skills and work with an assigned teacher to help them prepare for the upcoming day.  A fee is required to cover all before school classes.  Tuition waivers and scholarships are available for interested students.
 
After School Classes:
We provide a variety of enrichment classes and clubs each quarter after school.  These range from beginning guitar, to bicycle safety, running club and One Act plays.  A fee may or may not be included – depending upon the activity and class.