Our Learning Program

Catch a Star’s transformational education program, Ready. Set. Reach!, meets students at their level, allows them to develop the foundational skills they need, and gives them the confidence to thrive in the school years ahead. Step-by-step, we build the foundational skills of reading, writing and math to give students the keys to academic success. Through proven methods, individualized instruction, and hands-on learning experiences, your child will reach new heights!

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Our highly-trained educators utilize the Orton Gillingham approach, which always focuses on the learning needs of the individual student. Our program is multisensory, meaning that our instructors use sight, hearing, touch, and movement to help students connect language with letters and words. Most importantly, we meet students on their level to help them develop the skills they need to confidently decode words and read fluently. We focus on phonics, which teaches children about the relationship between letters and sounds as they read. The goal of phonics instruction is to help children learn the alphabetic principle — the idea that letters represent the sounds of spoken language — and that there is an organized, logical, and predictable relationship between written letters and spoken sounds. Mastering phonics gives children the knowledge and confidence to decode and read unfamiliar printed words.

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Just as step-by-step instruction can help ensure that all students learn to read, the same is true for writing. Writing may be the hardest thing our students learn in school because it requires them to apply what they have learned as readers, and then add additional skills to generate their own work. To enable our students to write well, we help them by teaching the necessary components of effective writing, which include the mechanics of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and sentence structure. We then move on to putting thoughts into words, planning and organization, and finally, writing and revising. With these skills, students are prepared for completing writing assignments in all subjects.  

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We begin teaching math skills by showing students basic concepts through hands-on methods. We use objects they can touch, move and change to teach mathematical concepts, all the while reducing math anxiety and instilling a sense of joy in learning math. Next, we move to pictures. Visual representations of math functions help them develop a deeper understanding and even use a different part of their brain! Allowing students to see how math works is the next step of being able to comprehend it without touching objects. As students gain math understanding and confidence, they are ready to calculate answers without objects or visual aids. By the time students reach this “abstract” stage of each lesson, they understand the logic behind both the math question and the math answer. This daily sequence leads to mastery of the fundamental skills required of future math classes. 

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The best way to learn about the world around us is to experience it. Our students learn about nature, science, history, arts and culture through fun and engaging project-based and community-based activities. Immersive learning experiences include visits to places such as the Denver Zoo, Botanical Gardens, Museum of Nature and Science, Center for Performing Arts, and History Colorado. We'll also explore outdoor adventure activities, gardening, and community volunteering. Guest teachers and guest speakers bring fun and engaging activities and presentations to our students, such as art projects, cooking classes, and introductions to sports, careers and community involvement.

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