GRADE ONE
COURSE OF STUDY

RELIGION – MRS. MARTIN

The first grade Religion program is developmental in approach and includes these elements: Catholic belief (doctrine), God's word in Scripture stories and celebration of liturgical seasons. We guide the children to know, love and live their faith in Christ Jesus. An important aspect of the program is the application of faith to our daily lives. The basic prayers of the Catholic faith are also learned.

Text: Faith First, Legacy Edition Level 1. Resources for Christian Living, 2007.
Explaining God's Word. Ligouri Press.

Class meets 30 minutes four times per week.

LANGUAGE ARTS – MRS. MARTIN

In primary grades the Language Arts program covers reading, English, writing and spelling. The emphasis is on the reading/writing connection.

The four topics are intertwined daily during a two-hour period.

READING

The first grade Reading program engages students with a variety of ways to learn. Big books, read alouds, poetry, songs and audio CDs will accompany the reading series. The stories consist of both fiction and nonfiction. The nonfiction is linked to the story selections. The students will work on decoding and comprehension skills along with reading fluency and vocabulary.

Text: Here We Go. Houghton Mifflin Reading, 2006.
Let's Be Friends. Houghton Mifflin Reading, 2006.
Surprises. Houghton Mifflin Reading, 2006.
Treasures. Houghton Mifflin Reading, 2006.
Wonders. Houghton Mifflin Reading, 2006.

ENGLISH

In conjunction with the reading series, writing mechanics are stressed: proper spacing between words, punctuation at the end of sentences, capitalization for beginning of sentences, the pronoun "I" and proper names. Simple alphabetical order is introduced along with the use of simple dictionaries and the thesaurus.

Text: Practice Book. Houghton Mifflin Reading, 2006.

WRITING

Students will have opportunities to use the six traits, or characteristics (ideas, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, voice and conventions) throughout the year as they practice their writing skills.

SPELLING

Spelling skills include use of phonics clues, including long and short vowel sounds and their various spellings along with review of the consonant sounds. Word lists will be used in conjunction with the reading series.

Text: Practice Book. Houghton Mifflin Reading, 2006.

HANDWRITING

In handwriting, correct formation of the upper and lower case letters of the D'Nealian manuscript alphabet are demonstrated and practiced.

Text: D'Nealian Handwriting: Book One. Scott Foresman

MATHEMATICS – MRS. MARTIN

Grade 1 math begins with concrete materials to build understanding of math concepts. Addition and subtraction concepts including basic facts will be part of the unit of study. Data and charts, geometry, fractions, and number patterns will also be introduced. Concepts of time and money will be studied.

Text: Houghton Mifflin Math Grade 1, 2007.

Class meets 45 - 60 minutes five times per week.

SOCIAL STUDIES – MRS. MARTIN

This year we will learn about some American symbols and famous Americans. We will also look at community helpers at Visitation and throughout the community. We will explore the seven continents through maps and literature.

Text: Maps and Globes
Teacher created materials

Class meets 30 – 45 minutes two times per week.

SCIENCE – MS. PILARSKI

Grade 1 Science deals with life science, earth science and physical science. Science process skills of observation, comparison, classification, gathering and recording data are stressed. Students do hands-on activities, make models, experiments suggested in the textbook as well as instructor-based activities. Areas of study are: living and non-living matter, food chain, insects, teeth, weather, seasons, matter, light and forces.

Text: Harcourt Science. Harcourt, 2000.

Class meets 30 minutes three times per week.

MUSIC – MRS. SCHWARTZ

The basic purpose of the Music program is to help children appreciate the value of music in their lives as an art form; as a source of enjoyment; as a part of their historical, cultural and social awareness; and as a source of beauty and creative expression.

An eclectic approach to teaching music is used. The Kodaly signals are used to develop pitch awareness. The Orff approach is used to transfer rhythmic movement to playing instruments. Spotlight on Music 2005 is used to build on the concepts taught in Montessori. Those concepts are beat/no beat, melody/no melody, tone color, loud/soft, steady beat/strong beat, environmental sounds, high/low, fast/slow, long/short, upward and downward melody, phrases, style, repeated tones and leaps, accompaniment/no accompaniment and repeated patterns. Liturgical music is introduced. Attendance at the Christmas and Spring Concerts is expected.

Text: Spotlight on Music. McGraw Hill, 2005.

Class meets approximately 30 minutes four times per week.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE – MRS. ARATA & MS. HARMON

The French and Spanish languages and cultures are taught. During one semester half of the students study French while the other half study Spanish. In January, at the end of the semester, the students will explore the other language.

Text: Gerard et ses Copains. Symtalk, 2004.
Text: Pablo Y Sus Amigos – Junior Book, 2004. Symtalk.

Class meets 30 minutes two times per week.

ART – MRS. WALTHER

The students are introduced to the elements of art - line, shape, texture, value, color and space. Through use of different media and techniques, the students will be able to incorporate these elements into their art work.

Class meets for 30 minutes two times per week.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION – MRS. SITEK

The units taught in Physical Education are designed to develop the movement principles of space and body awareness, creative expression, rhythmic movement, leadership skills, self-esteem and a sense of fair play. Sport games through lead-up activities are introduced. These activities develop muscular strength, endurance, flexibility and overall coordination. Students in Grade 1 run/walk a distance of one mile in the fall and again in the spring.

Class meets 30 minutes four times per week.

HEALTH – MRS. SITEK

The program includes a comprehensive health, substance-abuse and violence- prevention program. The topics include nutrition, illness prevention, drug and alcohol prevention, safety, etc. This program, The Great Body Shop, contains information to help the student understand her body, the way it works and the best ways to keep it healthy.

Class meets two times per month.

COMPUTER EDUCATION – MRS. WILEY

The curriculum begins with learning the PC desktop. Students choose from these applications: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point and Publisher), Inspiration, Kid Pix, Kidspiration, Kid Keys and Internet Explorer.

The focus is one of incorporating these applications into project-based learning in the various subjects of the academic curriculum, which gives students experience using paint and draw programs, word processing and multi-media.

All students are taught to save and retrieve their projects from their own folder on the server.

All students, closely monitored by teachers, are taught to use the Internet with a focus on safety, the value and quality of sources, and copyright issues.

Grades 1-6 meet for 45 minutes twice a week with both the homeroom and computer teacher present.

LIBRARY – MRS. BYRD

The purpose of the library is to excite the girls about reading, set the foundation for their research skills, and supply students and teachers with books. Students visit twice each week to check out books, hear stories, and participate in plays and puppet shows. The library provides teachers with classroom collections dovetailing areas of study to enrich the supply of materials they have available for the girls on a daily basis.

ACADEMIC POLICIES
PRIMARY GRADES

A. Progress/Performance

Parent-Teacher conferences in fall and winter for Grades 1, 2 and 3
Narrative reports in fall for Grades 1, 2 and 3
Summative reports in spring for Grades 1, 2 and 3

B. Homework Expectations

Students in primary grades may expect homework assignments most evenings to develop a habit of study and to reinforce concepts learned during the day. Homework should be completed when assigned. Homework may consist of written work, study work or both. Reading is a very important part of learning. Becoming a fluent reader requires daily practice. Grade 1 students should read independently about 10 minutes each night. Students in Grades 2 and 3 are expected to read at least 15 minutes each night.

C. Primary Grades Standardized Testing

• Grade 1 - Stanford 10 Language Arts and Math is administered in the spring.
• Grade 2 - Otis-Lennon School Ability Test is administered in January and Stanford 10 (Language Arts and Math) is administered in the spring.
• Grade 3 – ERB Test of Basic Skills (Education Records Bureau) is administered in the fall.