Academic Curriculum

Kindergarten

The most important goal of Kindergarten is to get children off to a great start so they’re excited about school and learning. There are lots of high fives and cheers when we celebrate our successes.

Children are taught as a whole group, in small groups, and individually. Learning is multli-sensory, involving lots of movement and music. Art and creativity walk hand in hand as students learn letters, sounds, begin to read, and learn all about numbers. Science is all around the classroom and during the year the students also get to learn and help care for some of the animals that live in the room including Guin, our class guinea pig, and our pet tarantula spider.

Developing social skills is an important part of kindergarten. Students spend time learning how to solve conflicts and get along.

The Kindergarten class goes on lots of field trips and may visit an apple orchard, a farm, the zoo, a local bakery or fire station. The children also visit the Elders at Health East Care Center, across the street from school. During the visits the Elders and students may play Bingo or make an art project.

1st Grade

First grade students learn through direct instruction, hands on exploration and discussion. They work alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Our curriculum includes reading and language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and religion. First graders also attend Music, Art, P.E., Computer Lab, Library, and Spanish.

In first grade we celebrate different authors and illustrators of children’s picture books. Students explore the elements of art through literature. Our book project starts in January. It encourages children to read for 15 minutes every night. Students may check out books from the classroom library to take home and read. The books are leveled. By the end of the year, we hope that each student will read over 100 books.

In service to others, the first graders make placemats for Wilder. First grade students also collect socks as a donation to the Listening House for the homeless.

2nd Grade

In second grade students are growing in responsibility and independence. They acquire new skills and develop their abilities. They also continue to develop their social skills and learn to solve problems together. The second grade language arts curriculum includes the development of reading strategies, phonics and spelling skills, grammar and the exploration of reading and writing genres. In math we focus on addition, subtraction, geometry, fractions, money, time, and measurement. Religion, science and social studies are also part of our curriculum.

3rd Grade

The students are not really in primary grades but are growing more independent and responsible for their work and actions. They continue to work on their social skills as well as their academic skills.

Math and reading are the core of our curriculum. Mastering multiplication and division facts are essential to third grade along with comprehending word problems. Reading is also essential ­ comprehension of stories along with spelling, writing and basic skills. Religion is incorporated into all our classes as well as being a separate class.

One highlight of third grade is our weekly visit to Cerenity (formerly Wilder) Nursing Home to visit with the elders. Over the year the children do art projects, share treats and get to know each other.

4th Grade

Our new math curriculum brings to the surface how the students newly learned skills fit into their everyday lives.

The art of reading well requires several steps in order to achieve a high level of comprehension. Our classroom goes through weekly spelling tests, frequent writing assignments, workbook activities, as well as giving several speeches in front of the classroom. All of which are done to help in confidence building, decoding and understanding.

In Religion class, we take the time to pray for those dear to us, those fighting in the military, work leaders and/or even for each other to have a good day. The students feel a great sense of togetherness in religion because most of the stories shared are done in a confidential spirit.

5th Grade

Fifth grade is an important transition year. Students are changing into young adults with all the privileges and responsibilities that accompany their new selves.

One of the special activities in fifth grade is The Great Friday event. Students are grouped each quarter during which time they spend two weeks each on presentation of a poem, play, newscast or oral reading. Every other Friday the groups present their work. The projects are astonishingly creative and a fun learning experience for the whole class.

Middle School (6th ­ 8th grades)

Language Arts

In Grade 6, we begin with strategies for reading fiction and poetry and link that with writing fiction and poetry. We work on spelling and phonics as well. The students read the books 21 Balloons, Bud, Not Buddy, Hatchet, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. There is a test and a project due when each book is completed.

In Grade 7, we explore different genres of literature. This includes non-fiction. Students will be writing more short stories, poetry and at least one research paper. We also read the books Where the Red Fern Grows, The Outsiders, The Giver and The Egypt Game. There is a project due at the end of each book as well as a test.

In Grade 8, we read American and historical literature. The books that the students read this year are preparing them for high school and giving them a taste of what types of literature lie ahead. We read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Flies and Romeo and Juliet.There is a test and a project due at the end of each book unit we complete. The students will also be doing a large project on the Holocaust following the reading of The Diary of Anne Frank.

In each of the classes we work on communication skills by giving monthly book talks. We use textbooks, newspapers, magazines, the internet and movies.

Social Studies

In Grade 6 we are studying Ancient Civilizations. We start with River Civilizations including: Egypt, India, and China. We then move on to Ancient Greece, Rome and Byzantium. We look briefly at tribal civilizations and culminate with Medieval Europe. In most units we also focus on a religion; we will explore Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity.

Grade 7 studies Geography. We begin with the five themes of Geography, and we study the basics of both physical and cultural geography. Students learn skills such as reading maps and interpreting charts, and we have a unit on Resources and Land Use. We then do our best to make our way around the world in our 9 months of the school year, one continent at a time.

Grade 8 studies American History. We move from the Era of Exploration all the way through the Civil Rights movement. In the late 1800’s we focus on the Civil War, WW1 and WW2, both the causes and the consequences. We do our Government Unit coinciding with our YMCA Youth in Government field trip, and we continually incorporate current events.

All classes use a variety of resources to create individual, team, and group projects. We do poster presentations, power-points, dioramas and skits. Each unit is also assessed with a test. We use many resources, including the mobile lab, maps, timelines, text and supplemental readings, speakers and films.

Religon

In Middle School Religion class our goal is to strengthen the faith of our classroom community and individuals within it. Classroom activities for Religion class include prayer, working with religious textbooks, reading and reacting to scripture, journal writing and service projects. This Christian foundation equips students with the tools to take classroom lessons into the real world. Learning to imitate our Lord as a people of service is the center of our religion curriculum. The students have been involved with service projects. The religion text focuses on fundamental truths of the faith including Sacraments, Church History and Morality. The textbooks allow for many class discussions regarding social concerns and how the Catholic religion helps us to react to them.

Specialists

In addition to daily instruction with their classroom teacher, each student regularly visits our specialist teachers. These teachers enrich the overall learning of our students with their specific topic knowledge.

Spanish (All Grades)

Spanish is taught in grades Kindergarten through grade eight. Grades K through five are taught using the Total Physical Response system. The TPS system integrates reading, writing, speaking, and listening with physical activity. Students are asked to perform a tasks in Spanish (show me the clock, touch your nose) and are given writing and speaking assignments to reinforce learning. Classes are grouped so that several grades may be studying the same unit, but with slightly different expectations and assessment. Subject matter ranges from parts of language; i.e. nouns and adjectives to greetings and polite conversation.

Middle school students begin studying the structure of the language. They continue to work with structure of the language, graduating to conjugating verbs and correct pronoun usage. My goal for students in middle school is to give them a base for high school language.

Technology Class (All Grades)

Technology class challenges students to develop the computer skills they’ll need in our increasingly technical society. Students learn keyboarding through drills and games; how to make the most of frequently used programs like Microsoft Word; safe surfing on the internet; how to create brochures on Microsoft Publisher; how to create and use multimedia Power Point presentations and the basics of web design.

Art (All Grades)

St. Matthew’s art curriculum teaches students how to enhance their lives by making art an important part of their lives. Through art, students are exposed to various cultures, artist and creative processes such as drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking that help them to make important connections in life. Field trips to art museums help to reinforce the classroom learning. Art is an area that allows all children to succeed and build self-confidence.

Music (K-5th)

Music gives children a feeling of accomplishment and helps build a sense of confidence. Music also plays an important part in stimulating brain development. Students in grades K-5 have fun and enjoy learning music by playing games, using instruments and performing. Students perform two concert programs per year.

Physical Education/Health (All Grades)

The goal of the P.E. Program is to promote wholesome physical recreation throughout life and to develop and maintain through these activities: strength, vitality, skill and coordination. Classes consist of individual sports, team sport and lifetime fitness activities. Health class studies how the human body works and what is needed to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Library

Students meet weekly with our volunteer librarian to listen to stories and check out books to read. They also learn basic library skills and visit Riverview Public Library across the street.