Our methods of instruction have proven successful over the 18 years our doors have been open. We use tried and true methods that set students up for success in their future education and throughout their lives.
Core Knowledge Sequence
The Core Knowledge Sequence is a solid, sequenced specific and shared core curriculum that helps children establish a strong foundation of knowledge grade by grade. The guiding principle is that knowledge builds on knowledge. Children learn by building on what they already have learned. The sequence provides in great detail exactly what children should learn at each grade in core subjects so they can carry that knowledge on with them to the next level.
Spalding Writing Road to Reading
John Hancock Charter School uses the Spalding Writing Road to Reading method to teach language arts. Ms. Spalding was one of the outstanding educators of twentieth-century America. She developed an effective method for teaching reading, spelling and composition. With the Spalding method, children in kindergarten start to learn the consonants and vowels and the sounds associated with them. They also learn the various rules by which the sounds of vowels and consonants change. They acquire the ability to sound out almost any word by themselves.
Saxon math believes that the most effective way for students to learn is through a gentle development of concepts and the practice of those concepts extended over a considerable period of time. As concepts become familiar and the requisite skills become automated, learning becomes a game at which students can succeed and through which they find satisfaction and self-worth. More importantly, the automation of fundamental skills frees students’ minds to consider the concepts on a more abstract level.
Quantum Learning 8 Keys of Excellence
The 8 Keys of Excellence is a character education program that has been used successfully in schools since 1982. The Keys of Excellence program gives teachers training to guide their students to model excellence and inspire them to work on skills to improve their creativity, teamwork, leadership skills and motivation.
All John Hancock Charter School K-6 students, starting in kindergarten, will learn a string instrument during school hours. We feel music helps student composition, computation, concentration and study skills. Thus, we feel strongly about teaching music history, music theory and instruction in a musical instrument to all students.
In makerspace, students are given tools to encourage creativity. Hands-on learning is a powerful way to learn concepts and to transform ideas into tangible objects. The makerspace program at John Hancock boasts many hands-on tools including a 3D printer and a Glowforge laser printer.
Visual Art class
John Hancock is part of the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Students engage in visual art education with a dedicated art teacher and have their works displayed in a public art show every year.
John Hancock Charter School has been the best school for my kids! This is the eighth year I've been at JHCS and I can say that no other elementary school- charter or not- can provide a better experience, a better team of teachers and staff members, a better curriculum for their students, or a better environment to learn in. Those who are lucky enough to get into John Hancock Charter School feel as if they are part of one big family. The director and Principal of the school- for fifteen years now- has done an outstanding job making John Hancock Charter School one of the best schools in all of Utah!
I love John Hancock Charter School. They have amazing teachers and staff, small class sizes, and really inspire a love for learning. While not the most aesthetically pleasing campus, they use all resources and money to go directly back to help the students which is obviously most important.
Joining JHCS has been one of the best decisions my husband and I have made for our children. They are receiving a top notch education and are growing and flourishing in their schoolwork. What doesn’t show up in their test scores are the extras that make JHCS stellar. The emphasis on a growth mindset and the encouragement to learn beyond the classroom will help them throughout their entire lives.