Like its model, the Boston Latin School, Washington Latin Public Charter School seeks to “ground its students in a contemporary classical education” that will prepare them for their future studies and their roles as successful people and citizens in a democracy.

“A contemporary classical education” emphasizes the reality that any curriculum grounded in the classical tradition must hold simultaneously to the timeless truths of the traditions of Greece and Rome, and the timely pressures of life in the 21st century. At Washington Latin, we stress three fundamental legacies of the classical tradition: education for citizenship in a democracy; the Latin language; and public oratory. We strive to convey these legacies in an environment and culture that includes some of the best of contemporary life: a commitment to a diverse student body and a variety of pedagogies. We aim to use both the ancient methods of repetition and Socratic dialogue, as well as the contemporary innovations of technology and cooperative learning.

Five core subjects dominate the curriculum for students in grades 5 – 9. The English curriculum throughout the school emphasizes active reading and engaged writing. Students read both classic works of literature and more modern works chosen for their examination of moral issues. An independent reading program at each level allows students to read books of their own choice. Instruction in literacy includes work on grammar and sentence structure. The writing curriculum introduces writing as a process and asks students to write frequently and in several genres. In grade 5, students take a separate public speaking course; instruction and practice in the art of public discourse is thereafter part of each course in the school.

Guided by the Saxon textbook series, the mathematics curriculum aims to provide students with a solid foundation in all the basic numeric operations. Students are expected to be able to perform these basic operations before they can move on to the more abstract ideas of algebra and geometry. In grades 5 and 6, students are grouped according to their previous expertise and facility with basic operations; in grades 7 - 9, depending on their comfort with numeric operations, students either continue their work on basic math or begin their work in algebra and geometry. For some advanced students, Algebra II is an option in the high school. Following the lead of Saxon math, throughout the curriculum, students repeat concepts until they understand them deeply; they also learn how to apply their knowledge to unknown problems. Throughout the school, the mathematics curriculum emphasizes automaticity with basic functions, application of prior knowledge to problems, and an appreciation for the beautiful mystery of mathematics.

The history curriculum begins in grade 5 with a world geography course. Students are expected to know the names of countries and capitals throughout the world, and to be familiar with the world map. In grade 6, students study a year of civics, with a particular emphasis on the founding documents that shaped the governance of the United States of America. In grade 7, the curriculum explicitly introduces students to the history of Greece and Rome, and to the major figures of the classical tradition. The curriculum in grade 8 leads students through their first comprehensive study of American history, while the ninth grade course introduces them to those terms and issues most important for a beginning understanding of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. In the future high school years, students will examine all of these areas in further depth. Throughout the curriculum, students learn to ask “essential questions,” deep, moral questions that raise fundamental issues about scarcity of resources, governance of peoples, and causes for conflict.

The science curriculum at Washington Latin aims to introduce students to both the method and wonder of science. In grades 5 and 6, students work labs and units designed by the inquiry-based FOSS science curriculum. They investigate questions from the four main areas of science: earth, chemical, physical and life. After this introduction, students receive more specialized instruction in each of these areas: in grade 7, they study life science in more depth, focusing particularly on those aspects of life science that are crucial to understanding some of the issues of biology now in the news. In grade 8, the emphasis is on earth science, again with an emphasis on a moral issue like the harvesting of diamonds or the search for oil. Grade 9 begins the three-year high-school sequence with an introduction to physics. This course makes understandable some complicated but fundamental physical concepts such as electricity, motion, light, and sound. Throughout the curriculum, students are asked to practice the habits of the scientist: to be painfully precise and endlessly curious.

As the cornerstone of its curriculum, Washington Latin asks all students to study Latin for at least three years. Beginning in grades 5 and 6, students study the basic grammatical principles of Latin, laying the groundwork for their more formal instruction in grade 7. The curriculum stresses Latin’s legacy to the English language, both in grammar and in vocabulary. Students also learn the major characters and tales of Greek and Roman mythology, and the phrases the ancient tradition has bequeathed to our every day speech. In grades 7, 8, and 9, depending on when they enter the school, students take either Latin I, II, or III. The first two years cover the essential features of grammar, and introduce students to some passages of real Latin. By the third year, students are ready to translate some of the world’s most well-known and loved classical texts.

In grades 8 and 9, students are required to choose either French or Chinese as their second world language. By the time they graduate from Washington Latin, all students will have taken at least three years of Latin and three years of either French or Chinese.

Instruction in the arts and physical education complete the curriculum at Washington Latin. Students in grades 5 – 7 take formal instruction in visual arts, pursuing a curriculum that asks students to imitate the motifs of a variety of cultures, including that of ancient Greece and Rome. In the future, a full arts program for all grades of the school will be an integral part of the curriculum. In grades 5 and 6, students also receive instruction in physical education with an emphasis on learning the habit of daily activity and exercise. Students in grades 7 – 9 are required to participate in a sport at least one season of each academic year.