Religion
We will be using a series called Blest Are We. In addition, each week we will
discuss the weekly Gospel from the Sunday mass. A unit on Family Life will be
covered in May and June.
First Reconciliation-December, date to be announced later.
There will be a mandatory parent meeting in October in the parish office building.
First Eucharist—Sat. May 1 @ 2:00 p.m.
These are both at-home programs. You will be working with your child to
prepare him/her for these sacraments. I will reinforce in class.
Spelling
Our spelling words will come from three different sources: our literature
book, our vocabulary book, and the list of most frequently used words. Each
week we will have ten words from our literature series and five from the most
frequently used words. A spelling preview will be given each Monday. Those
students who miss 1 or less on the pretest will be given challenge words
(enrichment list).
Reading
We will read as a class from our basal reader series. This will allow me to
cover phonics, grammar, decoding, comprehension and other reading skills with
the entire class. In addition, I will be using leveled readers and SRA to
accommodate individual reading abilities.
Writing
Writing is integrated throughout the curriculum. We will also have Writer’s
Workshop several times a week.
Handwriting
We will continue to improve our printing skills and will not be learning
cursive this year. I will be especially focused on handwriting the first
month or two of school.
Math
I will give a pretest before each unit of the book. Students who pass the
pretest with 90% or better will move on to enrichment activities for that
particular unit. A student may work on enrichment one unit and not the next,
depending upon his/her knowledge of the skills in the unit we will be working on.
At the beginning of each math period we will practice our basic math facts.
The children will be timed for two minutes, and try to answer as many problems
as they can. All children begin with +1 and move on at their own pace. The
children will be regularly tested by Mrs. Grant using flashcards, and when
they have mastered a set of facts they move on to the next set. Each time
your child moves on to a new set of facts I will send home the next set of
flashcards. Please practice for a few minutes each night.
Science
We will be studying four
basic elements of science: life, physical, earth,
and space. Specific units will include plants, animals, dinosaurs,
matter, sound, heat, light, force, electricity, the earth, weather, the solar
system, space and technology.
Social Studies
Our units will include: how we depend upon others, maps, ancestors, the
United States, life in different countries, and biographies about Americans
who have made a difference in our lives and the lives of others.