Curriculum
Pre-K
Here
at St. Isidore, we participate in the Non-public School Early Childhood
Development (NSECD) program for Pre-K. This is a play-based
curriculum where students learn concepts and skills through centers and
individualized small group instruction. Centers include dramatic
play, sand/water table, blocks, reading, art, games, science, and
writing. Games and activities are designed to encourage creative
problem solving while following thematic explorations. We always
have a ten to one student/instructor ratio with a teacher and a
professional assistant in each class.
K
In Kindergarten, we will continue to work with
colors, shapes, numbers and letters. The calendar is used at the
start of each day to learn skills such as concept of time and numbers.
We work on weather concepts and start to form complete thoughts. The
children will work on phonics, beginning-ending-vowel sounds. They
will keep journals and learn that groups of letters form words, a
precursor to reading. The teacher works with the site vocabulary
words to develop books that the class can read (short 3-5 word sentences).
They will continue to develop a site vocabulary along with their new
decoding skills. In math, students will learn to count to 100, find
the missing number, add two and three numbers. They will use many
manipulatives during this process. We also have many activities
involving music, social studies, science, and computers.
1st-4th
Grade
First through
fourth grade classes are self-contained to allow the young children
stability and a chance to establish a rapport with a single teacher.
This also allows teachers to get to know the students' strengths and
weaknesses and to help them reach their full potential. In Reading
classes, the emphasis is on developing strong phonics skills, reading
fluency and good reading comprehension. Our Math program strives to
lay a strong foundation in the basis math computations skills necessary
for success in more advanced math, as well as teach problem solving and
critical thinking. In Science and Social Studies, the students cover
a variety of topics, including plant and animal life, the solar system,
communities, families and many others. Students have daily Religion
classes, attend weekly Mass, visit the Library and have instructions each
week in P.E. and Computer.
5th
and 6th Grade
The 5th and
6th grades are departmentalized. Two teachers share most of the
teaching schedule of these children. We feel this enables the
children to benefit from the combined teaching expertise of our
staff. Students also participate in daily Religion classes,
bi-weekly physical education classes, and weekly library and
computer classes. Field trips are taken throughout the year to
enhance the topics covered in class. Below are descriptions of the
core subjects.
The Shurley Method: English Made Easy
The Shurley Method is a wonderful way for children to master English
skills. We have been teaching from the series The Shurley Method:
English Made Easy for several years in the upper grades and are very
excited to be filtering it down into our younger grades. This method
of teaching English includes jingles which teach and reinforce English
rules as well as illustrated procedures to follow when writing paragraphs,
essays, and stories. Our students' scores on both standardized and
classroom tests have risen and continue to rise with the use of the
Shurley Method. To learn more about the Shurley Method, visit www.shurley.com
Reading/Spelling
The Open Court Reading Series is used throughout the school as the
main curriculum for Reading and Spelling. Students read a variety of
stories, including biographies, informational text, and fiction, in their
textbooks and discuss how to become better readers. Students are
also expected to read books independently and use the Accelerated Reader
computer program to test comprehension. Spelling words are
taken directly from the story being covered in class.
Science
The Harcourt Science Series is used throughout the school as the
Science curriculum. It covers basic concepts in Life Science,
Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, and
Astronomy. The fifth and sixth grades participate in a variety of
experiments and activities throughout the year to enhance their
comprehension of the concepts being taught in class. This hands-on
learning allows science to become real for the students. Students
also participate in a science fair.
Math
The Progress in Mathematics Series, published by the Catholic
publishing company, Sadlier, is used throughout the school. Students
are
exposed to basic mathematics operations as well as advanced computations.
Higher thinking skills are put to use in problem solving. Students
receive a strong basic introduction to Algebra. Hands-on activities
are used as often as possible to enhance the learning process.
Social Studies
The Harcourt Brace Social Studies Series is used throughout the
school. American History is studied in fifth grade. The
studies include the ancient Americas, the coming of Europeans to the
Americas, the American Revolution, and the new nation through the Civil
War period. World History is studied in sixth grade. The
themes include the history, geography, civics, government, economics, and
cultures of early people of the Stone Age, the Cradle of Civilization, the
Nile Valley, early civilizations in Asia and the Americas, ancient Rome
and Greece, the Middle Ages, and times leading up to the Industrial
Revolution.
