THE FOLLOWING PAGES CONTAIN A
SIMPLE AND BRIEF OVERVIEW
OF
QUEEN OF
CURRICULUM.
IT IS MEANT TO BE AN INTRODUCTION
TO SOME OF THE BASIC MATERIAL
THAT IS COVERED AT EACH GRADE LEVEL.
SPECIAL
SUBJECTS ARE SCHEDULED WEEKLY
IN THIRTY TO FORTY-FIVE MINUTE PERIODS.
EACH
CLASS HAS ONE SPECIAL SUBJECT PER DAY.
Each
month students focus on a new artist and study his/her style of expression as
well as the medium used in his/her artistic work. Students will learn about the
contribution that this artist has made to the world of Art.
COMPUTER/LIBRARY
Computer/Library
classes are combined so that one half of the students go the library and one
half of the students go to the computer room; then, the students rotate to the
alternate area.
In Computer Education, students are taught to recognize the keyboard; to
practice creative writing and graphics; to play educational games in math,
science, and social studies; and, to explore Internet research in coordination
with the classroom curriculum.
In Library, students are taught the primary functions of the
library. They will develop thinking and problem-solving skills in locating,
evaluating and using informational resources beyond the textbook. They are
given the time to enjoy reading about topics of personal interest, famous
literature and reading for pleasure.
INTRODUCTION to WORLD LANGUAGE
(K to 2) Students learn
a variety of on-going formative processes and assessment in basic introduction
to Spanish: Colors, Numbers, Shapes,
Family Names, Classroom Items, Phonetic Sounds of the
Alphabet, Songs and Prayers.
(Grades 3 to 8) Students
perform a variety of oral and written activities that help create dialogue,
comprehension and appreciation for Spanish as a language. Students will imitate
appropriate gesture and common idiomatic expressions of target vocabulary. They
will be provided with purposeful and challenging activities in which to recite,
write, read and listen to Spanish in order to acquire confidence in speaking a
new language. Students will be empowered to communicate effectively and
appreciate this new language.
MUSIC
The
Music curriculum is a sequenced approach to understanding the elements of music
beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through Grade 8. Music skills and
concepts are taught and reinforced through singing, note reading, performing,
creating and movement. Cultural enrichment is provided by utilizing all types
and styles of secular and religious music.
PHYSICAL
EDUCATION/HEALTH
Students
learn the importance of sportsmanship while working on their large motor
skills. Junior High students learn to play organized sports, learning the
particular skills and rules of the various games.
Health
class includes hygiene, nutrition, stranger danger, drugs, alcohol and medicine
with age appropriate information presented to each class.
RELIGION
Students
are introduced to God, the Creator, and will learn about all of the gifts He
has given to us. Families help us to
discover God’s World and share His love. Jesus is the greatest gift that shows
God’s love.
MATH
Students
are introduced to sorting, categorizing, geometry, patterns, positions, numbers
0-31, graphs, tables, fractions, addition and subtraction readiness, and simple
money, time and measurement concepts.
Students
are introduced to beginning literacy skills. They develop phonemic awareness
and move from recognition of sound to symbol and then blending and decoding
sounds into words. They also begin to develop comprehension as words combine
into story formation.
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMAR/SPELLING/CREATIVE WRITING
Students
are introduced to the simple sentence. They learn about capitalization of
important words and names. They learn about common punctuation marks. They are
also introduced to naming words (nouns), describing words (adjectives) and
action words (verbs).
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Students
are introduced to important holidays throughout the year, national remembrances
and celebrations. They also learn how to be social; work in groups; listen to
each other and respect their friends.
SCIENCE
Students
learn simple information about each area of science concepts: life science,
physical science, earth science, health and human body (5 senses, growing,
changing and being healthy) through a selection of books read orally and then
experienced in various hands-on learning centers.
RELIGION
Students
learn about the story of creation through to the beginning of the early Church
with
MATH
Students
begin basic facts of addition and subtraction, geometry, graphing and simple
money, time and measurement. Students practice both oral and written counting
to 100.
Students complete six basic
readers emphasizing sight vocabulary and work attack skills.
Teachers read to the class
each day covering various topics of interest and building comprehension skills.
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMAR/SPELLING/CREATIVE WRITING
Students
are introduced to simple parts of speech, different kinds of sentences,
beginning grammar mechanics and creative writing in their journals.
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Students
discuss current events, holidays, customs and traditions as well as family
interactions through books, hands-on learning center activities, videos and Art
projects.
SCIENCE
Students
study animal habitats, three states of matter, nutrition, five senses, energy,
magnets, dinosaurs, planets and stars, hibernation, bugs, earth conservation
and recycling.
RELIGION
Students
will learn the seven sacraments with special emphasis on Reconciliation and
Holy Eucharist. They also learn about the church year, the Ten Commandments,
holy days and the Liturgy of the Word.
MATH
Students
continue to memorize addition and subtraction facts, regrouping, two and three
digit numbers, data and graphing, place value to 100, geometry, money, time and
measurement.
Students
begin to read stories in depth, focusing on settings, predictions, drawing
conclusions, author’s purpose and character descriptions. They learn about
realistic fiction and animal fantasy while practicing comprehension and
vocabulary skills.
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMAR/SPELLING/CREATIVE WRITING
Students
continue to practice sentence structure and punctuation; parts of speech;
dictionary skills; personal narratives and letter writing.
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Students
begin to recognize and study maps; holidays and celebrations; famous Americans;
neighborhood and community helpers; and, other famous people and places in
history.
SCIENCE
Students
begin scientific exploration through hands-on learning center activities about
five senses, habitats, states of matter, dinosaurs, magnets, energy, bugs,
nutrition, recycling and conservation of our planet earth and simple machines.
RELIGION
Students
will focus on the Church and its beliefs. They learn that Jesus gives us the
Church. We are members of the Church which leads us in worship. We are all
called to discipleship.
MATH
Students
learn place value, number sense and comparison; operation sense and meaning;
addition and subtraction with regrouping; one digit multiplication and
division; measurement, time, geometry and spatial sense.
Students
learn phonemic awareness, concepts of print; decoding words and reading
strategies; word recognition and vocabulary in context; reading fluency;
inferring word meanings from prefixes, suffixes and root words; drawing
conclusions and inferences; recognizing theme and purpose of writing and
summarizing.
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMARSPELLING/CREATIVE WRITING
Students
begin to practice the writing process (pre-write, draft, revise and edit).
Students continue to identify parts of speech and to write sentences using
correct grammar and usage principles and proper spelling.
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Students
will explore communities: past, present and future. They identify
responsibilities to family, community, nation and world. Students begin to
practice map skills.
SCIENCE
Students
learn about the basic needs of organisms, the diversity of life, and living
systems (food chains, matter, energy and organization); the structure and
properties of matter, motion, force and energy transformation; atmosphere,
water, properties and processes that shape the planet earth, the galaxy and the
universe.
RELIGION/FAMILY
LIFE
Students
learn that we are called as a community to hear and live God’s word through the
teachings of sacred scripture, prayer and the celebration of the sacraments.
Students deepen their faith by exploring the basic teachings of the Church and
developing healthy moral attitudes in our relationship with God, with others
and with ourselves (with focus on the Ten Commandments).
Family
Life consists of three basic themes which are addressed with age-appropriate
discussion and activities: 1) Respect for Life; 2) Relationships; and 3)
Life-Giving and Love-Giving.
MATH
Students
learn to apply several problem solving techniques; to use calculators; to make
simple computations with money; to compare whole numbers to commonly used
fractions and decimals; and, to understand various uses and methods of
measuring. They are introduced to geometric properties and statistics; and,
multiplication with multi-digits and long division.
Students
understand and can now apply the knowledge of sounds, letters and words to
become independent readers. They read a variety of materials and texts with
fluency and comprehension. They employ self-monitoring skills, comprehension,
graphic organizers and previously learned strategies to improve reading skills.
They begin to recognize different genres of literature.
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMAR/SPELLING/CREATIVE WRITING
Students
practice writing in clear, concise and organized language that varies in
purpose. They recognize complete sentences and parts of speech. They practice
correct spelling, punctuation and grammar mechanics.
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Students
examine the history, geographical features and government of their home state,
SCIENCE
Students
explore four different areas of scientific study: Life Science, Physical
Science, Earth Science and the Human Body. Through these explorations, they
learn to think critically, logically, analytically, creatively and ethically.
RELIGION/FAMILY
LIFE
Students
learn about the sacraments; Jesus’ life shared in us; and, carrying on Jesus’
mission of loving and serving others. Review and assessment reinforce the
essential content of each lesson. Music and prayer echo and anticipate
liturgical celebrations.
In
Family Life, there are three basic themes with age-appropriate discussion and
activities: 1) Respect for Life; 2) Relationships; 3) Life-Giving and
Love-Giving. “Wonders of life” is a special 4th session in Grade 5
which addresses the physical and emotional changes occurring in the transition
from childhood to adolescence.
MATH
Students
learn about decimals and fractions with an age-appropriate introduction to key
algebraic topics. Geometry readiness topics are integrated as students build
measurement skills; increase understanding of geometric relationships; and,
develop visualization skills. Problem solving lessons encourage students to
approach problems in a variety of ways. Students analyze, interpret and draw
conclusions throughout the year.
Students
explore five critical areas of reading: Phonemic Awareness; Phonics, Fluency,
Vocabulary and Comprehension, in addition to
Oral Language, Alphabetic Knowledge, Decodable Text, Listening
Comprehension, Informational Text and ongoing Assessment. Before, during and
after reading strategies and vocabulary development are also stressed
throughout the classes.
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMAR/SPELLING/CREATIVE WRITING
Students
write in many genres: descriptive, persuasive, narrative, biographical and autobiographical
and poetry using English conventions of sentence structure, grammar usage,
capitalization, punctuation and spelling. Spelling is included in the Language
Arts curriculum. Critical thinking skills such as opinion vs
fact and effects of media are also explored.
Grammar
includes all parts of speech and sentence structure; study skills using
reference materials; paragraph, essay and report writing; and, proof reading
and editing.
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Students
learn about the history and geography of early life in Eastern and Western
hemispheres; early American life, American Revolution and Civil War, United States
expansion, U.S. in world relations and current events of the present day. Map
and globe skills are also integrated into this curriculum.
SCIENCE
Students
learn seven human body systems; life cycles and reproduction; structure and
behavior of matter; motion forces and energy transformation; sound and
electrical energy; ecosystems and cycles; and, earth science and rock changes.
Students are also introduced to scientists and inventors and their contribution
to our civilization.
RELIGION/FAMILY
LIFE
Students
learn more about God’s love for His people and His action in their lives
throughout history. They learn the truths of the Catholic faith in Sacred
Scripture and Tradition in accordance with the doctrines of the Church.
In
Family Life, there are three basic themes with age-appropriate discussion and
activities: 1) Respect for life; 2) Relationships; 3) Life-Giving and
Love-Giving.
MATH
Students
develop number sense and perform standard numerical operations, spatial sense
and the ability to use geometric properties, relationships and measurements.
They represent and analyze relationships among variable quantities and solve
problems involving patterns, functions and algebraic concepts. Finally, they
develop an understanding of the concepts and techniques of data analysis,
probability and discrete mathematics. They use them to model situations,
problem solving as well as analyze and draw appropriate inferences from data.
LITERATURE
The
students are introduced to strategies that will increase their comprehension
through consistent instruction that reinforces literary analysis and reading
strategies. They review and assess comprehension of all reading selections.
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMAR/SPELLING/CREATIVE WRITING
The
students continue their journey in grammar usage and mechanics of written
language by further identifying the eight parts of speech to help enhance the
student’s written expression. The students experience several forms of writing
(narrative, persuasive, informative, poetry, etc) and learn how to write as a
process (pre-write, drafting, revision, proof reading and publishing). Students
incorporate weekly spelling words and their application in context, thereby
also striving to improve their writing skills.
SOCIAL
STUDIES
Students
explore geography, the ancient world and medieval times. They activate prior
knowledge and make predictions. They confirm predictions, take notes, ask
questions and, finally, recall information through assessments and hands-on
projects.
SCIENCE
Students
explore life Science, Physical Science and Earth Science. They employ twelve
process skills for science inquiry:
observing communicating, classifying, estimating, measuring, inferring
predictions, making operational definitions, making and using models,
formulating questions and hypotheses, collecting and interpreting data,
identifying and controlling variables and experimenting.
RELIGION/FAMILY LIFE
Students
will study who God is (including the Blessed Trinity, Scripture and Tradition)
and God being the source of all life. They also concentrate on who Jesus is
(Messiah, Healer, Bread of Life and Savior of the World).
In
Family Life, there are three sessions: 1) Respect for life; 2) Relationships
and 3)Life-Giving, Love-Giving and Virtue.
PRE-ALGEBRA
Students
learn algebraic equations and integers. They solve one-step equations and
inequalities. They work with decimals and equations; operations with fractions;
ratio, proportions and percents; two-step equations; area and volume; and, an
introduction to geometry.
LITERATURE
Students
explore and study the following genre: fiction, non-fiction, drama, poetry,
short story and folk literature. Literary analysis is reinforced and reading
strategies are provided. CD selections reinforce listening skills. In addition,
there is an in-depth study of a novel (literary classic),
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMER/CREATIVE WRITING
All
mechanics and usage of grammar is reinforced. Students review types and parts
of a sentence; all parts of speech; subject/verb agreement; oral communication;
the writing process and all types of writing; and, the “How-to” essay and
research report. Spelling is reviewed in all writing.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students
study historical events from the period of the exploration of
SCIENCE
Students
study the scientific process and science and society and the nature and process
of technology. They learn about energy and living systems, bio-evolution,
reproduction and heredity in Life Science. In Physics, they study motion,
energy and transformation. In Physical Science, the students are introduced to
chemistry. In Earth Science they learn about weather, atmosphere, and earth
properties. In Environmental Science they study nature systems and human
interactions.
RELIGION/FAMILY LIFE
Students
examine the Church from her beginning at the Pentecost event through her
history. This concept is reinforced through supplemental exploration of feasts,
rituals and doctrine. We practice our faith together at liturgy, devotion to
the rosary, commemorating the Stations of the Cross and a variety of prayer
services.
Family
Life study helps us to make correct moral decisions in our lives.
ALGEBRA
Students
are prepared for advanced study in Algebra---to discover mathematical concepts
and to learn to apply what they know. A solid algebraic foundation is in place
by the end of the school year. Integration of computer skills is incorporated.
LITERATURE
Various
forms of literature are explored: the novel, short story, poetry, drama,
nonfiction and folk tradition. Students are introduced to various techniques
which address differentiation of learning style. Major focus is placed on the
study of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
LANGUAGE
ARTS/GRAMMAR/CREATIVE WRITING
In
Grammar, the students identify the parts of speech and their usage; phrases and
clauses used in effective writing; punctuation and capitalization are presented
and practiced.
In
Writing, students practice the various forms of writing: narrative,
descriptive, persuasive, exposition and research.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Students
master core American history content, gain an awareness of current events and
issues pertinent to a global society. Internet activities supplement
differentiated learning techniques in an effort to accommodate all students.
SCIENCE
Students
understand the different areas of Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science
and Environmental Science. They learn through textbook usage, Internet
activities, projects, outside resources and hands-on experiments. Students are
encouraged to develop their higher level thinking skills which will enhance the
different learning styles of all students.