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Athletics & Activities

First Grade

Language Arts

Language Arts is composed of several interrelated areas: reading, writing, and spelling. At the elementary level, students are encouraged to learn to communicate clearly through development in these three areas:

Reading

SRA/Open Court Reading, a phonics-based program developing reading fluency while leading to greater comprehension and enjoyment of reading.

Develop an understanding for literature and phonics through a balanced literacy program
Use phonemic awareness knowledge to identify and recognize rhyme, letter/sound relationships and patterns in words
Use letter-sound knowledge and age appropriate sight vocabulary to read
Use a variety of reading strategies to self-monitor and self-correct miscues that interfere with meaning
Read fiction and non-fiction materials for specific purposes
Use text clues and prior knowledge of topics to make and justify predictions
Read age appropriate material orally with accuracy, rhythm, volume, and flow
Respond to analytical and interpretive questions based on information in text, including graphs, pictures, maps, and diagrams
Recognize, discuss and retell the structure of a story, read or heard, in sequential order
Describe and compare characters, setting and/or events in stories or pictures
Investigate self-selected/teacher selected literature from a variety of authors and cultures
Make connections between texts, personal ideas, and lives

Writing

The Shurley Method of Grammar uses rhythm and a set of specific questions to classify sentences orally, identifying each sentence part as well as the overall sentence structure. Students learn how to expand, improve, and edit their writing.

Write simple sentences with correct subject/verb complement pattern including appropriate capitalization and punctuation
Use appropriate prewriting strategies (e.g., drawing, brainstorming, idea mapping, graphic organizers) to generate and organize ideas with teacher assistance
Elaborate and support written content with facts, details, and description
Use the writing process in developing a two-point expository paragraph
Experiment with different forms of creative writing, (e.g., poetry, journaling)
Communicate connections and ideas in all subject areas through written response

Spelling

Spelling Connections: Zaner-Bloser

Proofread one’s own work and the work of others; revise accordingly

Use of Spalding method for phonemic awareness of words
Correctly spell appropriate spelling and Spalding words

Mathematics

Houghton Mifflin Math explores more of the spectrum of mathematical ideas through a deeper understanding of key mathematical concepts and in-depth study of all the content strands of mathematics.
The curriculum allows students to construct an understanding of mathematics from their own experience and includes practical routines to build arithmetic skills that are essential for building number sense, estimation skills, and flexibility in a problem-rich environment. Important concepts or skills recur with variations throughout the curriculum, and concepts are introduced and revisited in a variety of formats providing considerable practice.
Content strands include:

Number concepts, operations, and Graphing
Addition and subtraction facts through 12
Geometry and Fractions
Numbers through 100
Time and Money
Measurement
Two-digit addition and subtraction

Religion

Sadlier: We Believe Series, God Loves Us, emphasizes the infinite goodness of God through Bible stories. The Family Life curriculum broadens students’ awareness of God’s gift of life, in conjunction with respecting others as well as ourselves.

Social Science

Harcourt Brace, Science and Harcourt Brace, Social Studies Child’s Place
The purpose of science is to provide students with balanced, relevant, hands-on opportunities and experiences to better understand science and to promote scientific literacy. (Life, Earth, Physical, and Health)
First Grade Science topics include:

Life – Plants & Animals
Earth – Earth , Weather, Sky & Seasons
Physical – Matter, Energy, Forces
Health – Inside Story

The purpose of Social Studies is to develop an awareness of the world around us.
First Grade Social Studies units include:

Appropriate behavior
United States and various cultures
Neighborhoods: city, state, country, and continent
History as the story of our country
Families

Enrichments

• Physical Education
Students learn, develop, and apply skills needed for participation in personal fitness and lifetime activities that contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

• Visual Arts
Students grow creatively, intellectually, and aesthetically through the application of media techniques and processes as well as knowledge of art elements and principles of design.

• Music
Students develop an understanding of the relationship of music to other disciplines and cultures through experiencing variations in rhythms, music styles, melodies, and performances.

• Library
The library curriculum teaches students the basic skills needed to become independent library patrons. The curriculum fosters a love of reading and literature, but also emphasizes library organization, using the electronic catalog to locate books of interest, and the use of standard library materials such as books, encyclopedias, and almanacs to locate information.

General Information

Technology
The goal of technology education is to provide students with the opportunity for technological literacy starting with the elementary curriculum.
Our emphasis with students is the application of technology across all grade levels and curricular areas as well as the development of problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Reporting to Parents
Classroom progress is reported through quarterly report cards and mid-quarter progress reports. Weekly parent newsletters and informal parent-teacher communications are also utilized.

Testing
Our achievement-testing program assesses the strengths/needs of our instructional programs and measures the achievement of individual students. Tests utilized annually by all schools of the Diocese of Lake Charles include Stanford Achievement Test for grades K - 8, Explore/ACT Test for 8th graders only. Otis Lennon School Ability Test is administered in odd numbered years.

Homework
Homework at the elementary level begins in an informal fashion but becomes more formal and requires more time and effort as the child progresses through each grade.
Parents are expected to be sufficiently interested in their child’s education to commit the time and energy needed to monitor/supervise the child’s home study and thereby insure that he/she makes a reasonable effort to complete homework assignments.

Promotion
Students must meet the following criteria:
~Demonstrate competency in all areas of the
Stanford Achievement Test (SAT)
~Attend the required number of instructional days
~Attain adequate skills needed as determined by the teacher and administration