Curriculum selections at New Covenant Schools are determined by how suited they are to our objectives, and how much they comport with our teaching methods. In some cases, particular inclusions may be secular; in other cases they may be explicitly Christian.
Among the contemporary curricula that are compatible with our basic philosophy: Saxon Mathematics, Shurley Grammar, Spalding Phonics & Language, and The History of the World, a time line developed by New Covenant Schools. Science is based in natural observation and discovery. Latin studies begin in kindergarten, although students do not encounter the language in print until grade 3.
Middle School for Dialectic
Middle School students in grades 5-8 read and write constantly. They begin Latin in earnest with studies in the language taught alongside their English. In fact, English grammar is taught through the Latin. Logic is also included in late middle school. New Covenant middle school students are often separated by gender for the disciplines of mathematics, literature and Latin. We achieve an excellent result with this approach, although our school remains thoroughly co-educational in every other respect.
School of Rhetoric
In grades 9-12, we emphasize the “Great Books” including the Bible, Homer, Aristotle, Virgil, St. Augustine, Dante, Shakespeare, de Tocqueville, and Burke, just to name a few. Students at all levels study the classical languages of Latin and Greek, and read selected works in those languages by the time they reach the junior year. We emphasize original sources, and employ a variety of teaching methods that recognize the value of lecture, socratic dialogue, The Harkness Table, and writing.