Elementary

Religion

An emphasis is placed on Catholic virtues as well as the importance of sharing, caring, and loving.  Religion activities include singing songs, completing faith-based workbook pages, participating in craft activities, and learning about feast days and religious holidays.

Reading and Language Development

The Kindergartners use Jolly Phonics, a program that establishes a solid foundation of phonemic awareness and letter recognition skills. They are guided through the stages of sound development, which then transition into the blending of sounds necessary for reading and writing words.  Jolly Phonics is a multi-sensory approach to teaching phonics.  In addition, the series will foster the students’ education in the areas of grammar, vocabulary, writing, and dictionary skills.  The program also includes leveled readers, which will be assigned to the students individually based upon their unique strengths and weaknesses.

Mathematics

The kindergartners use the My Math Series.  The students learn by using concrete objects to represent numbers, compare quantities, create and extend patterns, match and identify shapes, and sort objects.  The series provides students with countless manipulatives and hands-on approaches to problem solving.

Social Studies

The social studies curriculum assists the students in recognizing their community, as well as their individual roles within it.  The students will participate in units that relate to historical events, holidays, American traditions, and influential leaders.  Additionally, through our yearlong “Around the World” unit, the students will learn about a variety of countries and their cultures.

Science

In science, children learn to investigate and understand the world around them through inquiry-based learning.  Throughout the year, students will take part in units related to the seasons, weather changes, animals, insects, and the solar system.  Our science curriculum will provide the students with opportunities for field trips, experiments, and hands-on learning.

Physical Education and Motor Skills

St. Isaac Jogues strives to enhance children’s physical fitness and well-being by teaching them a wide variety of motor skills appropriate to their grade level.  Our program also contributes to enhancing self-direction, self-esteem, and cooperative behavior through individual and group experiences.  Our physical education units include:

• ball and agility games;
• manipulative skills (bean bags, kicking, hopping, etc.);
• parachute;
• long and short jump roping;
• soccer;
• kickball;
• basketball;
• dancing;
• scooter activities; and
• recreational games.

Art

Kindergarten students will draw and paint using a variety of materials such as crayons, chalk, watercolors, and tempera paint.  Concepts include:

• being able to name primary and secondary colors and monochromatic art;
• creating tints, shades, and textural effects with paint;
• identifying lines, shapes, and patterns within a visual image;
• creating two and three-dimensional art works;
• understanding space relationships, and negative and positive space; and
• exploring art from the world’s greatest artists.

Music

Rhythm and movement will be taught regularly.  The purpose is to allow an opportunity for the appreciation of music and self-expression through movement.  Also the students will:

• sing in groups;
• perform and maintain a steady beat; and
• identify groups of instruments as well as individual instruments.

Information Skills

Information skills include reading both fiction and non-fiction picture book and early reader texts during weekly library visits. Students take turns choosing a symbol and selecting the books on that topic which will be read aloud in class.  Students learn where various books are shelved in the library. Students read from the Monarch reader’s choice list and keep personal tallies, with voting conducted in February. Additionally, students will:

• infer meaning using picture and textual clues;
• recognize author voice and point of view;
• identify similarities in books by the same author;
• predict possible story outcomes based on evidence;
• determine textual features of fiction and nonfiction texts; and
• self-select books for checkout with an emphasis on early reader texts.

Technology Skills

Technology is incorporated in an effort to enhance the unique learning ability of each student.  The kindergartners use a variety of leveled literacy and numeracy apps throughout the week.  Most apps used in school offer the students the opportunity to login from their own device at home, thus encouraging seamless academic growth both inside and outside the classroom. The students each have their own iPad and pair of headphones, which stay in school.  The iPads are used during whole group instruction, small group lessons, and one-on-one sessions. Additionally, throughout the year, the students learn basic iPad usage and safety skills.

Project Lead The Way STEM Curriculum for Kindergarten

The Project Lead The Way Launch Interdisciplinary Curriculum is designed for kindergarten students to become problem solvers. Students use structured approaches, like the engineering design process, through compelling activities, projects, and problems that build upon each other and relate to the world around them. They apply STEM knowledge, creativity, skills, and habits of mind, and discover that trying different approaches and solutions is an essential part of the learning process. The students will discover how engineers influence their lives. Students apply newly acquired knowledge and skills as they collaborate and utilize the design process to define the problem, sketch, build using available materials, test, and reflect on their designs.

Elements and skills of our Project Lead The Way Launch curriculum for Kindergarten include:

• The PLTW Kindergarten Curriculum includes four modules that bring learning to life: Structure and Function: Exploring Design, The
  Human Body, Animals Adaptations, and Animated Storytelling.
• The PLTW Curriculum is aligned with the Next Generation Learning Goals and Standards for Kindergarten.

Speech and Language Pathology

St. Isaac Jogues provides on site services.  All kindergarteners are screened by the Speech/Language Pathologist and the Learning Resource Teacher.  The Speech/Language curriculum is child specific and designed to improve communication skills where needed.