Academic Curriculum
Literacy Curriculum English Language Arts (ELA)
For students in Kindergarten - 5th grade, UCS uses the CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) curriculum by Amplify Education. CKLA builds strong readers and writers through two connected strands:
Skills Strand – Students develop foundational reading skills such as phonics, decoding, spelling, handwriting, and fluency.
Knowledge Strand – Students build vocabulary, listening comprehension, and background knowledge through engaging texts in history, science, literature, and the arts.
Integrates Science and Social Studies topics.
For students in 6th - 8th grade, UCS uses the Amplify ELA curriculum by Amplify Education. This curriculum engages students in rich, complex texts—including literature, informational texts, poetry, and multimedia sources—while building strong skills in reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking. Students participate in collaborative discussions, analyze evidence, and write regularly in response to meaningful prompts.
Amplify ELA emphasizes close reading, academic vocabulary development, and structured writing instruction. Through thematic units and engaging topics, students learn to think deeply, communicate clearly, and support their ideas with textual evidence—preparing them for high school and beyond.
Math Curriculum
In math, UCS uses the Eureka Math² curriculum. Eureka Math² builds strong conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and problem-solving skills. Students learn to explain their thinking, use multiple strategies, and apply math to real-world situations.
The program emphasizes coherence across grade levels, hands-on learning, and meaningful practice to ensure all students build confidence and mastery in mathematics.
Science Curriculum
In science, UCS uses the OpenSciEd curriculum. This high-quality science curriculum focuses on hands-on learning, real-world problems, and student discussion. Lessons are built around science investigations where students ask questions, collect evidence, and develop explanations. Open SciEd is aligned to modern science standards and helps students think and work like real scientists.
Social Studies Curriculum
Middle school Social Studies uses resources from Facing History and Ourselves to explore United States history while building students’ skills in critical thinking, discussion, and civic engagement. Students analyze primary and secondary sources, engage in structured discussions, and examine historical events from multiple perspectives.
Instruction emphasizes depth of understanding and meaningful inquiry. In grades 6–7, students study major periods in U.S. history from Native American civilizations and colonization through the Gilded Age. In grade 8, students engage in in-depth case studies including the Holocaust, the murder of Emmett Till, and the Voting Rights Movement.
SPECIALS CURRICULUM
Aligned with Ohio’s Learning Standards, UCS’s specials program supports the development of the whole child by providing enriching experiences beyond the core classroom. Through physical activity, creative expression, literacy exploration, collaboration, and hands-on learning, students build confidence, curiosity, teamwork, and essential life skills in engaging and meaningful ways.
Restorative Practices
UCS has partnered with the International Institute for Restorative Practices to create learning environments where we strengthen relationships between individuals and develop social capital within communities as a central tenet.
Restorative practice is the overarching philosophy that informs the discipline model at UCS, consisting of high expectations and high support of the whole child. We use restorative practice in tandem with Conscious Discipline, which teaches self-regulation skills to our younger students. Proactively, we greet every child when they enter the building and at the door of every classroom or office they enter. We circle every morning in all homerooms and advisories in order to build relationships and connect with one another. Responsively, when someone or something is harmed in our community, we seek to repair the harm and/or restore the relationship, rather than punish, using conflict resolution, mediation, and logical consequences. We are working to establish a school family that is founded on connection, empathy, and accountability for the impact of choices.
Religious Education
Students receive a broad-based Christian education focusing on common ideals in Christian religions and emphasizing moral formation, a non-violent approach to problem-solving, mediation, cooperative learning, and respect for the rights of each person. We provide daily prayer both in the morning and before the end of each day. School-wide prayer services are all-inclusive as well, focusing on acceptance, peace, and commitment to God. UCS is a non-exclusive school that welcomes children of all faith traditions.
Social-Emotional Curriculum
We believe in educating the whole child. We use a variety of materials, programs, and resources to engage in social-emotional learning with all children.
