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Elementary (1-5)

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Curriculum

Language Arts - Journeys focuses on balancing literacy with direct instruction for phonics, grammar and reading strategies. We use pictures and beginning chapter books to help students grow in their reading ability. Through word study, students examine, manipulate and categorize words. We use a practical, hands-on way to study words in 1st grade. This helps students create a focus on attention to critical words/sounds, patterns and meaning. 

Mathematics - Saxon Math curriculum has an incremental structure that distributes content throughout the year. This integrated and connected approach provides deep, long-term mastery of the content and skills. Focusing on:

  • Cumulative: Students are ready for high-stakes assessments 
  • Incremental: Students have time to understand and practice the lesson
  • Distributed: Students have time to practice and master previous concepts

Science - Our inquiry-based science program, Foss: Next Generation, implements the use of FOSS kits to provide investigations and hands-on learning. Modules that are discovered in the 1st grade include: Air & Weather Modules, Sound & Light Modules, Plants & Animal Modules.

Social Studies - Social Studies Alive! My School and Family introduces the structure of schools and families. Students learn how to get along with classmates, follow school rules and identify people who work at a school.

Enrichment - The first grade students participate in: classes that enrich the core curriculum:

  • Art
  • Library
  • Music
  • Physical Education

Religion - Sadlier's We Believe series offers comprehensive religious education programs that present the essential Catholic beliefs and family life materials.  

  • Rooted in Scripture
  • Faithful to the Traditions of the Catholic Church
  • Spirited by the General and national Directories for Catechesis
  • Christocentric centering on the Person of Jesus Christ
  • Trinitarian, inviting relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
  • Ecclesial, supporting faith that is lived in the domestic church and the universal church
 
Class Experiences
  • Biennially perform the Infancy Narrative - Drama, Religion, Language Arts and Public Speaking
  • Pet Care - Leopard Gecko 
  • Uses an incubator to hatch chicks - Study Life Cycles 

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Curriculum

Language Arts -This is a wonderful year of transition for second-graders. They put together the pieces that they acquired in previous years and begin to take ownership of their reading. We use differentiated instruction to help them make the leap to become more independent readers. We use a mix of leveled readers and traditional instruction to guide students along their journey. Our phonics and spelling come from our reader, The Journeys Language Arts program. Students begin to explore the writing process through Six Traits.

Math -The Saxon Math curriculum has an incremental structure that distributes content throughout the year. This integrated and connected approach provides deep, long-term mastery of the content and skills. Second-graders work with addition facts, temperature, time, patterns (repeating and growing), fractions, and counting coins. Students also begin learning multiplication facts in second grade.  They also get through the first quarter of third grade math. 

Science - Our inquiry-based science program, Foss: Next Generation, implements the use of FOSS kits to provide investigations and hands-on learning. Three modules that are discovered in the 2nd grade include: Solids and Liquids, New Plants and Insects, Pebbles, Sand and Silt.

Social Studies - Social Studies Alive! My Community teaches students the basics of geography, economics, and citizenship in the context of learning about their local community.

Enrichment - Second grade students participate in classes that enrich the core-curriculum including:

  • Art
  • Library
  • Physical Education
  • Music

 

  • Religion - Sadleir ‘s We Believe series offers comprehensive religious education programs that present the essential Catholic beliefs and family life materials. Second-graders learn about our many gifts from God, especially Jesus. We focus on the vessels and vestments that we see at Mass. We learn about the many people who help at Mass and send letters to our friends in the seminary.
 
Class Experiences
  • Grow grass and brassica plants in the spring - for our unit on Plants and Life Cycles
  • Make a Community Helpers alphabet book -for our unit on People in the Community
  • Raise meal worms and watch them transform into beetles- for our unit on Insects and Life Cycles 

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Curriculum

 

  • Language Arts -In third grade, students continue to develop strategies to effectively use language. Through the presentation of reports and journal writing, they learn to write and speak for a specific purpose. Students learn to become strategic readers by identifying the elements of a story. They read expository material for specific information. Study skills include note-taking, the use of reference materials, interpreting graphs and diagrams, and test-taking skills. Vocabulary development continues to include the refinement of phonetic and decoding skills. Word analysis strategies include: homonyms, antonyms, synonyms, analogies, multiple meanings and compound words. Students expand their vocabulary by learning strategies for identifying unfamiliar words. Reading comprehension skills taught include: understanding fiction and nonfiction reading selections, identifying main ideas, sequencing events, recalling details, making predictions, drawing inferences, author’s purpose and understanding cause-and-effect relationships. Third-graders continue to learn and practice the steps of the writing process. Peer conferencing is introduced as another revision technique. Proper grammar, spelling, and the mechanics of writing are taught to enable students to proofread and communicate more effectively.

 

  • Math - The Saxon Math curriculum has an incremental structure that distributes content throughout the year. This integrated and connected approach provides deep, long-term mastery of the content and skills. Third-graders focus on fact families in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They continue developing strategies for multi-digit addition and subtraction problems. Learning multiplication facts through the 10s is a goal. Other third-grade skills include understanding large numbers in addition to working with small numbers using equivalent fractions and decimals. Practical application of measurement skills includes linear, weight, and capacity with customary and metric units. Students analyze data and predict outcomes. They continue the study of geometry, telling time, counting change and figuring change received. Third-graders reinforce skills taught during the day with homework on a regular basis and have the option to continue and challenge their learning with the IXL online math program.

 

  • Science - Our inquiry-based Science program implements the use of FOSS kits to provide hands-on learning. The third-grade curriculum focuses on the physical, earth, and life sciences. The three modules experienced in the third grade are Motion and Matter, Water and Climate, & Structures of Life.   

 

  • Social Studies - Meet Michigan introduces students to the great state of Michigan through the lens of four social sciences – economics, geography, political science and history. They learn about the history of Michigan starting with its first people and up to statehood. In their study  they learn how geography, climate, and natural resources have impacted the development and history of our state. Students extend their skills in geography, problem-solving, and study skills. The third-graders end their year of learning about Michigan’s history by visiting Fort Michilimackinac and historic Mill Creek.

 

  • Enrichment - Third grade students participate in classes that enrich the core-curriculum including Art, Music, Library and Physical Education.

Our Faith

  • Religion - Sadleir‘s We Believe series offers comprehensive religious education programs that present the essential Catholic beliefs and family life materials. During the course of the third grade year, students will realize they are called to be one of God’s holy people. They will learn about God’s plan that enables us to belong to the kingdom. They will become familiar with some of Jesus’ parables and miracles and their meanings. The third-graders will deepen their understanding of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. They will learn how Jesus helps us to be holy through the sacraments. They will celebrate the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist with a greater understanding.

Class Experiences

  • Write and Illustrate their own book
  • Animal Project – Research Writing
  • Fort Michilimackinac and History Mill Creek – Michigan History Connections

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Curriculum

 

  • Language Arts - Fourth graders discover many genres, including Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Auto/Biographies and Poetry. Students become exposed to different varieties of literature for interest purposes, and they become more enthusiastic, capable and confident readers. Combined with the use of the Houghton Mifflin, Harcourt series, Journeys, students learn reading skills and strategies to make them more critical readers.  Handwriting practice is supported by Handwriting Without Tears (gr 5). Students continue with cursive and review correct formation of letters, words and sentences, plus get added practice in grammar, spelling and the writing process. 

 

  • Math - Saxon Math curriculum has an incremental structure that distributes content throughout the year. This integrated and connected approach provides deep, long-term mastery of the content and skills. In addition, students learn numbers and operations, units of measure (standard and metric), algebra, geometry and data probability that are appropriate to this grade level. Remedial and enrichment activities can also be utilized. 

 

  • Science - Foss: Next Generation implements the use of FOSS kits to provide investigations and hands-on learning.  Modules in the Fourth grade are: Soils, Rocks and Landforms, Energy and Environments. 

 

  • Social Studies - Social Studies Alive! Regions of our Country by TCI studies the 5 regions of the United States through the lens of four social sciences; economics, geography, political sciences and history. 

 

  • Enrichment - Fourth grade students participate in classes that enrich the core-curriculum including Art, Music, Library and Physical Education. 

Our Faith

  • Religion - Sadleir's We Believe series offers comprehensive religious education programs that present the essential Catholic beliefs and family life materials. Focus on the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments, with supplemented material about Saints, Advent/Christmas, Lent/Easter and Food for the Poor Organization. The combination of these materials helps students in their growth in service and faith. 

 

 

Supply List

Curriculum

 

  • Language Arts - Fifth graders explore the genres of Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, and Mystery. Using the Journeys Reading Series, we strengthen knowledge of grammar, figurative language, and story elements. Fifth graders teach their classmates how to do a task, they write a personal narrative and a five-paragraph paper on a historical figure. Each child has his/her needs met with individualized spelling lists and leveled, personal chapter books. Many whole-class novels are used to support new skills and reinforce previously learned ones. They learn proper presentation skills and how to take good notes.

 

  • Math - The Saxon Math curriculum has an incremental structure that distributes content throughout the year. This integrated and connected approach provides deep, long-term mastery of the content and skills. Fifth graders work with decimals, fractions, multiples, factors, multi-digit multiplication and division, geometry, number relationships, ratios, rounding, probability, and measurement.

 

  • Science - Our science instruction is inquiry-based. Our FOSS kits provide hands-on learning through kits. Students discover through exploration and group work. They also have the opportunity to write about their discoveries through science notebooks. The three modules in Fifth grade are Mixtures & Solutions, Living Systems, and Earth & Sun. 

 

  • Social Studies - Social Studies Alive! America’s Past covers American history from the first migrations into the Americas through the 20th century. Intense interaction with the personalities, places, and events that structured our nation leads students to be both keen observers of and informed participants in U.S. history. We spend time exploring sunken ships, traveling through Colonial Williamsburg, and fighting the Civil and Revolutionary Wars.

 

  • Enrichment - Fifth grade students participate in classes that enrich the core-curriculum including Art, Music, Library and Physical Education.

Our Faith

  • Religion - Sadleir's We Believe series offers comprehensive religious education programs that present the essential Catholic beliefs, and family life materials. Fifth graders also have the opportunity to lead during weekly Mass and participate as altar servers. We discuss the Seven Sacraments and why God has given them to us. We also take an in-depth look at the parts fo the Mass and our role as the Body of Christ. This helps children turn their learned faith into a lived faith. 

Class Experiences

  • Spelling Bee - Grades 5 through 8 – Skill Building, Study Habits, and Non-Athletic Competition
  • Leelanau County Conservation Day – Protecting the Environment
  • Wax Museum Project – Research Writing
  • Mackinac Island – History Connections