Curriculum & Programs

At both the elementary and middle school level, the curriculum reflects the philosophy that all subjects are interconnected and are presented in an interdisciplinary approach rather than as isolated subject specific material.  A sound foundation, including language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, foreign languages, music and visual arts is presented through developmentally appropriate activities.

Children are fascinated by the world around them, constantly wanting to know the why and how of everything.  Using this natural curiosity, science is taught from a hands-on, inquiry and discovery approach and is thematically enriched in all curricular areas and experience.  Field trips enhance the overall curriculum, as do special presentations from the Science Center staff.  Students have an opportunity to enjoy the unique resources located at the Science Center.  These include telescopes, microscopes, the Alan L. Bean Hypospherium (the largest planetarium in Connecticut), meteorology lab, HyperMedia Library, Electronic Music lab and nature trails.  The Talcott Mountain Academy provides a nurturing environment for young, gifted children where they can be challenged to take full advantage of their talents and abilities.

Courses of study include:

LANGUAGE ARTS
Literature, composition and grammar 

SOCIAL STUDIES
Geography, civics, American history, world history, world cultures and living history

MATHEMATICS
Levels of study range from elementary math to calculus

SCIENCE - areas of study include:
Life - Biology, Chronobiology, Ecology, Marine Biology, Anatomy & Physiology
Earth & Space - Astronomy, Meteorology, and Geology
Physical - Chemistry, Physics, Engineering

STUDIO ARTS
Art theory, art history, art appreciation, drawing, painting, sculpture, textiles, graphic and 3D design.

FOREIGN LANGUAGES
K-5 Spanish
6-8 Spanish, Latin, German, French, Italian with Rosetta Stone online 

TECHNOLOGY
Computer operating systems, applications, publishing, web design, communications, programming and simulations

MUSIC
Performance, singing and instruments, music theory and composition

PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Fitness for life skills, sportsmanship, cooperative games, karate, skiing and boarding, tennis, swimming and golf 

ENRICHMENT
In addition to these offerings, the Academy also invites students to study further into their chosen subject matter.  The enrichment program offers the chance to explore specialized subjects like creative writing, publishing, web design, yearbook, amateur radio, dramatic arts, math theory, and orchestra, among others.

SCIENCE & INVENTION FAIR
All students participate in the Talcott Mountain Academy Science and Invention Fair.  Students may choose to design an experiment to answer a question or invent something to solve a problem.  Students in Suites A and B may conduct group, class or individual projects depending on the year.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS