Lower School Curriculum Guide KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM The kindergarten program introduces children to a formal education in a safe and nurturing environment. The curriculum challenges children and supports all areas of development. Teachers recognize both the value of emergent curriculum and the need for directed, sequential instruction to ensure that children enter first grade with the needed skills and knowledge to be successful. Language Arts The Language Arts curriculum collaboratively delivers composition, grammar, reading, writing, vocabulary and spelling. Each of these components is organized to meet the unique needs of each student. Open Court places emphasis on phonemic awareness, phonics, word knowledge, comprehension skills, inquiry skills, writing, and language arts skills. The program creates a literature-rich environment that instills a passion for lifelong reading and a love of literature. An appreciation of books is encouraged. Early readers are sent home weekly and are often used as they learn to read. Saxon Phonics and enables students to develop spelling skills. A series of short, simple rules explaining typical spelling patterns are taught. Children can successfully spell words with regular spelling patterns and are not limited to merely memorizing words. Open Court provides students with a practical, working knowledge of grammar and develops confident and competent writers. Direct instruction n of grammar skills are reinforced by the students' own writing. Different kinds of sentences, capitalization rules, and correct punctuation are emphasized. is integrated throughout the curriculum in a variety of settings including whole class, small group, or independently. Students begin to view himself/herself as a writer as the connection between spoken word and print are made. The student writes not only to develop the mechanics of writing, but also for a variety of other purposes, including as a means of self-expression. Saxon Math and Their Way are the math texts used in kindergarten. Both series are based on the idea of making mathematics real for students. Students are challenged to think carefully and to use mathematical common sense. Manipulatives are used daily. Students work in the following mathematical strands: free exploration, numeral writing, patterns, sorting, measurement, graphing, estimation, number, and place value. Every Day Counts, published by Great Source Education Group, is a calendar math curriculum thatt uses changing data on a bulletin board to generate daily math discussion. Elements such as Days of School Counting Tapes, Calendars, Coin Counters, Measurement, Clocks, Depositors, and Graphs make kindergarten level concepts hands-on. Questioning strategies that engage students in reasoning and sharing their predictions and their thinking are at the heart of Every Day Counts. 1
Science Using a variety of hands-on, interactive experiences, the science curriculum allows children to explore, manipulate, discover and construct knowledge about the world around them. The students develop inquiry skills by observing, predicting, and collecting data. The students describe, discuss, and illustrate results of classroom experiments. Social Studies The social studies curriculum strives to develop the social skills of each child. Students practice the rules of the classroom community. The classroom community provides a model and opportunity for the students to become active citizens in their classrooms. The curriculum focuses on the school, neighborhood, and community. The student develops a beginning awarenesss of the people, places and events that make up a community. Students also develop a sense of the importance of people in the community and their roles. The following themes are taught during the school year: Ocean, Apples, Autumn, Pumpkins, Five senses, Pilgrim and Indians, Christmas, Winter, Dinosaurs, Heart, Community Helpers, Spring, Farm, Plants, and Insects. Health The Health program is a comprehensive program which is integrated into all areas of the curriculum and includes fitness, personal safety, nutrition, personal health and hygiene. FIRST GRADE CURRICULUM First grade is a time of fun and adventuree with an emphasis on a love of learning and an I know, I can attitude. They become fluent readers by developing phonemic awareness and comprehension skills. Language Arts The Language Arts curriculum collaboratively delivers composition, grammar, reading, writing, vocabulary, and spelling. Each of these components is organized to meet the unique needs of each student. Open Court reading has been implemented at LaGrange Academy since the founding of the school. It continues to be a program that meets the needs and challenges our kindergarten students through our third grade. Open Court is a research-based program with the curriculum grounded in systematic, explicit instruction of phonemic awareness, phonics, word knowledge comprehension skills, and writing skills and strategies. The program creates a literature-rich environment that instills a passion for a lifelong love of reading and learning. fluency is strengthening throughh the use of individual storybooks. Comprehension strategies, such as clarifying, summarizing, predicting, and drawing conclusions are modeled, practiced, and review. Venn diagrams, sequencing charts, cause and effect charts, and webbing charts help students organize information that will strengthen and develop comprehension skills. At the same time, students increase vocabulary skills through careful presentation and practice using vocabulary from literature selection. The development of these skills and strategies build life-long confidence. Analogies are part of the daily reading activities. Learning to solve analogies not only develops students logical thinking, but also builds visual awareness and verbal proficiency. 2
A list of spelling words is selected weekly from the reading program or unit study vocabulary. These words reflect the strategies and patterns that will help develop spelling skills. Students engage in sound/spelling chains, and word building games. plays an important role in the development of vocabulary and the writing process. Open Courts provides a practical, working knowledge of grammar. Skills are developed through a grammar workbook and reinforced by the students own writing. Sentences structure, capitalization rules, and punctuation skills are developed. A daily activity of editing sentences for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation reinforces grammar rules and skills. Developing a homophone word dictionary creates an enthusiasm for words and their meanings. Students will begin identifying nouns, possessive nouns, singular nouns, plural nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives. They will participate in activities, such as, adding adjectives to simple sentences to extend the sentence therefore giving their reader more information. is integrated throughout the curriculum. A mastery of our grammar, spelling, and reading strategies and skills play an essential part in the development of our writing program. Our art journals help to create interest and become a place for students to retrieve information or spelling they may need in developing a story. After students complete their stories they have their own assessment guide to check and use for editing. Also, we use study buddies to help with editing. A study buddy is a peer that will point out areas that may need change and is a support person. Saxon Math, a success-oriented program that enables all children to develop a solid foundation in the language and basic concepts in all areas of mathematics. Saxon builds on prior learning, with new skills presented in increments and time provided between increments for practice. Each day, students participate in a beginning of the day math activity called The Meeting. At this time, they practice skills related to calendar, counting, patterning, and weather, reading a graph, time and money activities. New objectives are introduced through selected group activity. These activities include: manipulative, working in cooperative groups, and engaging in discussions. Each lesson includes individual written practice, number fact practice and a daily problem-solving story. This helps students apply mathematics to real world situations and encourages them to become critical thinkers and problems solvers. Students learn to develop and write their own problem-solving stories. Social Studies/ Science/ Health Social studies, science and health are interrelated and taught through units. The units are developed around reading units, current events, map skills and life science. The units emphasize problem-solving, personal experiences, working cooperatively in groups and using comparison and contrast chart to organize information. Units of study: Rain Forest, Arctic and Antarctic, North American Bears, Colonial States, Naming all 50 States, Life story of Lincoln, Washington, and Roosevelt Human Body and Nutrition, Weather, The Potato blight in Ireland, Christmas around the World, Comparing Deer, and Nocturnal animals. 3
Second grade is based on learning through experiences. Children are given various opportunities to learn by doing. From hands on science lessons to rich literature, from concrete math games to more abstract problem solving, the 2nd grader will develop their critical thinking skills! Language Arts The Language Arts curriculum is integrated and addresses reading, grammar, and writing within the stories and lessons in the Open Court Program. Connections is the text that delivers our spelling, as well as phonics and word structure. These texts provide the structure that then is utilized in creating lessons that meet the needs of the individual students. The Open Court Program is a rich literature base from which to start. Through quality stories, the students discuss elements of the literature. Comprehension, recognizing inferences, reading for details, comparing and contrasting are an integral part of the literary discussions. Students begin to read more fluently. As they gain the comfort of their new skills, the children read longer and more complex materials. The second grade focuses on the parts of speech and how they are used in sentences. Types of sentences, punctuation, and capitalization are focused on in stories and in writing. Applying the rules of grammar in our writing will develop over the course of the year. The Connections program is a systematic and logical approach to spelling. The weekly lists of words are linked by a vowel sound or blend and diagraph cluster. The text offers many ways to create a list that will serve the individual needs of different students. Recognizing word structure, rhyme, and contextual application are strengths of this program. Second graders grow in their writing throughout the year. Beginning with large group poetry writing and then gradually graduating onto individual poems and stories, the students are encouraged and helped along the way of the writing process. Second grade writing still allows for experimental spelling. The revision and editing process is then brought in to create the finished product. Math The Saxon Math Program is a developmental and spiraling approach to math instruction. Clear and consistent, the children develop a solid foundation in math language and math concepts. Daily word problems, patterning, and calendar encourage the children to notice the math that surrounds them. Instruction is given through hands-on activities as much as possible. Place value, regrouping, measurement, geometry, probability, and statistics are all part of the program. Time and money are reinforced almost daily in this model. An emphasiss on logical thinking and problem solving make this curriculum ideal for the children to work out the problems that they will encounter. Science and Social Studies SECOND GRADE These two subject areas are intertwined in the second grade curriculum. The large unit studies that are a key to our classroom are: Animals, Native Americans, Trees, China, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, Plants and Seasons, and Dinosaurs. These units are enhanced with hands on experiences, field trips, resource speakers, and projects. 4
Cooperative learning encourages team work and broadens the children s learning. An appreciation for the Earth and the people and animals that inhabit it are the main focus of the lessons. THIRD GRADE Language Arts The Language Arts curriculum collaboratively delivers composition, grammar, reading, writing, vocabulary and spelling. Each of these components is organized to meet the unique needs of each student. The Open Court curriculum is a phonics-based curriculum that enables readers to become fluent and provides strategies for reading comprehension. In addition, independent reading and reading across the curriculum are practiced daily. Literary skills include identifying point of view, plot, characterization, and setting. comprehension skills include cause-and-effect relationships, compare vs. contrast, and drawing conclusions. The textbook Connections places an emphasis on structural patterns, visual patterns and relationship of letters within words. The words that students learn to spell are words most commonly used in i their writing. Skill- solving building activities include phonetic awareness where students learn to apply sound/symbol relationships, analogies, and understanding word meanings to stimulate reading comprehension. Structural patterns that are emphasized include plurals, contractions, compounds, possessives, prefixes, roots and suffixes. Cross-curriculum content words in the areas of math, science, social studies, geography, and technology are also included in the weekly lessons. The grammar component includes identification of the parts of speech, capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure and formation and correct word usage. Daily review skills promote mastery learning of new concepts. Students develop their writing using pre-writina daily writing journal. Students learn the steps of the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and publishing. activities in a reading and writing workbook. Students also maintain The Saxon Math program is an incremental math program designed to provide a solid foundation for students. Children participate in a daily math meeting where they practice skills relating to the calendar, counting, time, temperature, money, place value, and problem solving. A multisensory approach enables children to master number facts in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. By the end of third grade, children should exhibit automatic recall of these facts. Numbers and operations, measurement, fractions, geometry, data analysis and probability, and problem solving are part of the instruction. Social Studies The social studies curriculum focuses on types of communities. Early communities including Indian, Spanish and the Pilgrims, and rural and urban communities from different geographical regions of the United States are studied. Community government, the history of our capitol, functions of our federal government, and citizenship are also studied. In addition, geography and map skills are integrated into the lessons. 5
Science The science curriculum covers four areas: life science, earth science, physical science and health. Life science focuses on organisms and their habitats, humans in the ecosystem, and changes in the environment and its effect on plants and animals. Earth science focuses the Earth and space, the Earth s surface features, landforms and its composition. Physical science focuses on matter, light and energy, simple machines and electricity. Health focuses on the musculo-skeletal system, safety, first aid, and nutrition. Investigation activities and scientific process skills are also taught. The Macmillan McGraw-Hill reading series is used to instruct the 4th grade students. The reading program develops vocabulary skills, comprehension skills, and study skills. The students learn to read fluently and are exposed to a variety of literary genres through student-centered lessons. Vocabulary development related to each week s story is connected to the text. Comprehension skills help the students to identify cause and effect, make judgments and decisions, identify problems and solutions, compare and contrast, utilize context clues, and develop higher level thinking skills. for pleasure is encouraged through our Counts program. Weekly projects are assigned to link reading across the curriculum to science and social studies topics. words are related to the current develop spelling skills. The grammar lessons are included as a part of the MacMillan McGraw-Hill reading series. Through the grammar program and additional Daily Oral Language activities students study usage, mechanics, sentences structure, paragraph development, knowledge of parts of speech, and the use of graphic organizers to develop advanced grammar skills. Diagramming and analogies are introduced at the 4th grade level. Students are instructed in the stages of the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and publishing. There is concentration on writing complete sentences and paragraphs. The students learn different forms of writing including: expository writing, narrative writing, descriptive writing, persuasivee writing, journal writing, writing letters, and poetry. They learn to use graphic organizers as planning tools for effectivee writing. Social Studies FOURTH GRADE story and use definition, context, and phonetic patterns to help students The social studies program, utilizing the MacMillan McGraw-Hill series, strives to develop citizens who are capable of full participation in a democracy. The students learn active citizenship though skill lessons, interactive activities, and concrete examples. They learn geography literacy through the co-authorship of the National Geographic Society, through the presentation and development of the Five Themes of Geography, and the development of map skills. History lessons begin to explore the cultures of the West and East and continue through the exploration stage. They learn to link the past and present of history lesson in ways that make sense for the students. The goal of the social studies program is to help students see the history of our country by studying its lands and regions. The students also study current events which are integrated into the curriculum to help them apply history to their real lives. 6
Science The focus of the 4th grade science curriculum is self-discovery, cooperative learning, communication, and life-long learning. Hands-on, student-centered, and inquiry based approaches are the methods of instruction. Emphasis is on developing the ability to ask questions, to observe, measure, experiment, problem solve/reason, use computers, to use tools of science, gather data, and communicate findings. Each of these components is designed to meet the unique needs of the student. Students explore and investigate ecosystems, the rock cycle, plant growth and reproduction, body systems, and the classification of living things. The Saxon math series, specifically Saxon 6/5, is used to instruct the 4th grade students. The math program builds foundational concepts and critical thinking skills. Real world problem solving and application is incorporated in the daily lesson. There is continual practice and assessment. Students have a math journal where they learn to communicate mathematically. The Macmillan McGraw-Hill reading series is used to instruct the 5 th grade students. The curriculum provides a balanced instructional program with explicit and systematic instruction in phonics skills, vocabulary skills, comprehension skills, and study skills. The students learn to read fluently through the implementation of repeated reading and guided oral reading and are exposed to a variety of literary genres through student-centered lessons. Vocabulary is developed through the use of direct teaching of specific words, multiple exposures to words, and explicit instruction in vocabulary strategies focusing on structural or context clues. Comprehension skills help the students to identify cause and effect, make judgments and decisions, identify problems and solutions, compare and contrast, utilize context clues, and develop higher level thinking skills. for pleasure is encouraged through our Counts program. Weekly projects are assigned to link reading across the curriculum to science and social studies topics. words are related to the current help students develop spelling skills. lessons are included as a part of the MacMillan McGraw-Hill reading series. Through the grammar program and additional Daily Oral Language activities students study usage, mechanics, sentences structure, paragraph development, knowledge of parts of speech, diagramming, analogies, and use of graphic organizers to develop advanced grammar skills. FIFTH GRADE story. instruction uses definition, context, and phonetic patterns to Students are instructed in the stages of the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and publishing. The students learn different forms of writing including: expository writing, narrative writing, descriptive writing, persuasive writing, journal writing, letter writing, and poetry. They learn to use graphic organizers as planning tools for effective writing. 7
Social Studies The social studies program, utilizing the MacMillan McGraw-Hill series, strives to develop citizens who are capable of full participation in a democracy. The students learn active citizenship though skill lessons, interactive activities, and concrete examples. They learn geography literacy through the co-authorship of the National Geographic Society, through the presentation and development of the Five Themes of Geography, and the development of map skills. A survey of history begins with the colonization and conflict in the 13 English Colonies and continues with a discussion of independence, new government, expansion, and change. They learn to link the past and present of history lesson in ways that make sense for the students. The goal of the social studies program is to help students see the history of our country by studying its lands and regions. The students also study current events which are integrated into the curriculum to help them apply social studies to their real lives. Science The focus of the 5th grade science curriculum is self-discovery, cooperative learning, communication, and life-long learning. Hands-on, student-centered, and inquiry based approaches are the emphases of instruction. Emphasis is on developing the ability to ask questions, to observe, to measure, to experiment, to problem solve/reason, to use computers, to use tools of science, to gather data, and to communicate findings. Each of these components is designed to meet the unique needs of students. Students explore and investigate matter, energy, structure and function of living systems, structure of the earth, and history of the earth. The Harcourt Science series is used to instruct the students. The Saxon math series, specifically Course 1, is used to instruct the 5th grade students. The math program develops higher-order thinking skills. They learn to think critically in a mathematical way. Students become more confident problem solvers and understand that there are different ways to solve a problem. Manipulatives are used for hands-on learning experiences. Students have a math journal where they learn to communicate mathematically. 8