Lower School (K-5)

Programs

Executive Functioning

Orton-Gillingham

OG Classes

Project Based Learning (PBL)

Lower School (K-5)

Middle School (6-8)

High School (9-12)

Assessments

Academic Therapy

School Counselor

Assistive Technology

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Lower School (K-5)

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

Language Arts
Reading
Writing and Grammar
Vocabulary
Math
Science
Social Studies

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.

Trident Academy admits students of any gender, sexual orientation and identity (including transgender status), race, color, religion, national and/or ethnic origin, and provides students with all rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. In accordance with applicable law, it does not discriminate in the administration of its education policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs. Similarly, Trident Academy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on disability. However, consistent with Trident Academy’s mission, it is the admission policy that to qualify for admission consideration, students must have diagnosed learning disabilities and/or certain communication disorders and meet certain threshold criteria as evidenced by their professional testing documents.

Fact #6

“ADHD is a disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, controlling behavior and hyperactivity. A disorder that includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior and hyperactivity. Although ADHD is not considered a learning disability, research indicates that from 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging. – Learning Disability Association of America”

Fact #5

“Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts. Individuals with this type of Learning Disability may also have poor comprehension of math symbols, may struggle with memorizing and organizing numbers, have difficulty telling time, or have trouble with counting. – Learning Disability Association of America”

Fact #4

“Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that affects a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills. A person with this specific learning disability may have problems including illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and difficulty composing writing as well as thinking and writing at the same time. – Learning Disability Association of America”

Fact #3

“Individuals with dyslexia are those who, despite traditional classroom teaching, have failed to master the basic elements of the language system of their culture. Since language is the necessary tool upon which subsequent academic learning is based, such persons often encounter difficulty in all educational endeavors. – from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practicioners and Educators”

Fact #2

“The word dyslexia is derived from the Greek, dys, difficulty with, and lex (from legein, to speak), having to do with words. Words in their many forms are encountered in listening, speaking, reading, spelling, writing, in mathematics, and in organizing, understanding, and expressing thought. Based on information from neuroscientific and linguistic research, the definition can be summarized as difficulty in the use and processing of arbitrary linguistic/symbolic codes. This is an aspect of a language continuum which includes spoken language, written language, and language comprehension. – Definition from the Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practicioners and Educators”

Fact #1

“Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. – from the International Dyslexia Association”