Religion 

Students use the We Believe series as a resource in discovering and learning about key areas of the Catholic faith.We strive to nurture and develop each student’s spiritual development and personal relationship with God through prayer and service.  Students are called to participate actively as a faith community and recognize the call to respect and serve God, themselves, and others. Students learn to appreciate the unique gifts and talents they possess from God, and that they are meant to use their gifts and talents for the good of others.  Students attend weekly school Masses and Holy Days of Obligation.  First and second graders have the opportunity to take part in the Mass as lectors and gift bearers.  Second graders prepare to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. We believe in helping our students learn, celebrate, contribute, and live our Catholic faith.

First grade – Makes the Sign of the Cross correctly and recite basic prayers:  Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be, and Grace Before Meals.

Second grade – Learns basic prayers:  The Act of Contrition, Morning Offering, Meal prayers and the Act of Faith, Hope, & Love, The Seven Sacraments, Preparation for the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.

Mathematics

Our focus is to connect math to everyday, real-world experiences. We strive to build students’ foundational skills in number sense, computation, and problem-solving. Problem solving strategies are introduced in first grade and build and increase in rigor and complexity as students progress to second grade.  Students gain confidence in their critical thinking skills as they advance from simple word problems to challenging multi-step problems. Technology and the use of manipulatives are encouraged and utilized to help facilitate learning objectives and goals. Creating a rich, student-centered environment, teachers facilitate cooperative learning and collaborative teambuilding through content-based centers and activities.  These centers help motivate and support independent, critical thinkers.

First grade – Solves one and two-digit addition and subtraction problems; word problems; compares and orders numbers; models and writes numbers to 120; applies the concept of place value; tells time; measure & compare lengths; represent & interpret data; two and three dimensional shapes; fractions.

Second grade - Studies number concepts; place value to 1,000; addition and subtraction; adding 3 & 4 addends; repeated addition (multiplication); problem solving; 2 & 3 digit addition with regrouping; money; time; customary units of length including inches and feet; metric system - meters and centimeters; collecting and displaying data; constructing and interpreting pictographs and bar graphs; geometry - two and three-dimensional shapes; angles and equal parts.

Science

Discovery is the primary theme of 1^st and 2^nd grade science while teachers' follow the Science curriculum (elevateScience). Students are encouraged to explore, investigate, and problem solve in an interactive, cooperative learning environment utilizing hands-on manipulatives and teacher-guided experiments. The science classroom is a supportive setting in which students are invited to ask “why?” and share their insights and findings with one another.  Teambuilding skills are fostered and strengthened as young students learn to work together in achieving academic goals mimicking real-life settings.

First grade

LIFE SCIENCE - Identifies the difference between living and non-living things; identify and describe life cycles of plants, animals, and insects.

EARTH SCIENCE - Study and examine elements of weather and seasons.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE- identify & describe the three states of matter; magnets.

Second grade

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY - Ask questions about objects and events in the environment, make  observations and gain knowledge through investigation, use scientific tools to collect data

PROPERTIES OF OBJECTS AND MATERIALS - Observe and describe objects and events in a variety of ways by investigating, classifying, illustrating, and recording

LIFE SCIENCE - Identify, describe, illustrate, and compare/contrast plant structures and organisms; examine the food pyramid and create a balanced menu

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE - Observe, describe, and gather information on properties of rocks, minerals, and soils from surroundings using appropriate tools; gather and record information about weather; design an experiment about evaporation; compare/contrast characteristics of the sun, stars, and Earth; identify plants and animals in an ecosystem; illustrate and describe a simple food chain; study ways to preserve the environment and consume resources; identify and describe threatened and endangered species

Language Arts

In first grade, students are introduced to the Shurley Method, a program which helps them effectively connect grammar, mechanics, and writing skills.  This method helps students build critical skills in basic sentence structure and grammar through daily editing and classification of sentences. It bridges the definition/meaning to a concept, a concept to a skill practice, a skill practice to writing, and writing to effective speaking. The goal is to develop confident thinkers, writers, and communicators. The skills taught and learned transcend beyond the classroom to a community of learners writing for various purposes. In second grade, the students continue to use the Shurley Method with the progression of the parts of speech and refining basic skills. The writing concepts shift as students tackle two-point paragraphs using rich, descriptive vocabulary, figurative language, and a variety of sentence types.  Students develop their use of the six traits of writing:  ideas, organization, word choice, voice, sentence fluency, and conventions. Teachers effectively mesh grammar and writing skills with the reading curriculum. Grades K-4 adopted Fountas and Pinnell Reading curriculum which focuses on small group guided reading instruction. Students are immersed in rich, developmentally appropriate literature.  Students build comprehension and word attack skills through fiction and nonfiction short stories and passages.  In first grade these skills are reinforced through carefully prepared guided reading centers geared to the topic/content at hand. In second grade, students strengthen their questioning and critical thinking skills by using textual evidence to support their ideas and responses.

Both grade levels target comprehension skills, vocabulary building, penmanship skills, phonemic awareness, and best practices in writing/speaking skills.

First grade

GRAMMAR/MECHANICS - Use capitalization and punctuation rules correctly; identifies and utilizes the parts of speech:  nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, & adverbs; identify and construct different types of sentences; basic sentence structure; constructing complete sentences; expression;  and word choice

READING SKILLS – Apply cause and effect; identify story elements; distinguish between reality and fantasy; decode words with short and long vowel sounds; make inferences about characters and events in a story; answer questions about key details in a story; retell a story; read high frequency words and words in a word family; phonemic awareness:  consonant blends and digraphs, long/short vowel patterns, inflected endings, R-controlled vowels, plurals, and compound words

Second grade 

GRAMMAR/MECHANICS - Identify and label specific parts of speech:  nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, objects of the preposition, pronouns; capitalization and punctuation rules; the writing process:  prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing; sentence structure; expression

READING SKILLS – Increase vocabulary building; figurative language including similes and metaphors; comprehension and fluency strategies; story elements: characters, settings, main idea, supporting details, theme, plot, and author’s purpose; genres including realism and fantasy; sequencing; cause and effect; compare and contrast; fact and opinion; phonemic awareness:  consonant blends and digraphs, long/short vowel patterns, inflected endings, R-controlled vowels, contractions, plurals, compound words, comparative endings, diphthongs, prefixes/suffixes, and syllables

Social Studies

The social studies curriculum (Studies Weekly) provides students the opportunities to explore and learn about their community and world while discovering their role as good citizens.  Emphasis is placed on the responsibilities of good citizenship and respect of others.  Students study and apply basic concepts of historical time sequencing and geographic awareness and understanding. Students will learn about government while practicing good sportsmanship, utilizing the voting process, and developing teambuilding skills through constructive collaboration.

First grade 

HISTORY- Compare and contrast historical figures and their roles and responsibilities

GEOGRAPHY-  Study cultural awareness, and compare and contrast changes over time.

CIVICS- Study and describe the importance of community awareness and good citizenship

Second grade 

HISTORY– Study local, state, and national celebrations and traditions; famous Americans past and present; early explorers; American Indians; western migration; examining timelines

GEOGRAPHY- Read and interpret physical maps; utilize a map key, symbols, and compass rose; locate and describe poles, equator, continents, and oceans; study and examine our community, state, and country; compare and contrast geographical features:  urban, suburban, and rural environments;  examine natural resources

CIVICS- Compare and contrast the three branches of government; study and describe the roles of political leaders in our community, state, and nation; examine the process of elections; study and apply the responsibilities of being a good citizen; describe the importance of resolving conflicts in society

ECONOMICS- Examine services provided by local economics; understanding personal savings; compare and contrast scarcity, wants and needs; understand producers and consumers; study and apply jobs, careers, and income