School News

Curriculum News

September

Language Arts

Reading and Responding

We have started the core resource for our Language Arts program. Students have been introduced to their first student book called Step Out. We have, and will continue to, study selections from the anthology. To supplement the program, we are also working on various themes. We recently finished a “Back to School booklet”. Our next theme based unit will focus on Fall.

Phonics

The first unit in Phonics reviews the sounds of initial, medial and final consonants. Unit 2 provides opportunities for students to review the short vowel sounds of a, i, o, u, and e.

Spelling

We have started our Nelson Spelling program. Lesson 1 focuses on initial consonants c, d, m, and s. Please refer to your child's spelling folder for suggested spelling strategies. Weekly spelling tests will be on Thursdays.

Writing

Students are also engaged in journal writing. They are learning to write freely about a given topic. Students are using classroom displays, word webs and word walls to help them with their spelling. They are encourgaed to sound out unknown words by focusing on beginning, middle and ending sounds.

Math

The first unit in our Mathematics program focuses on patterning. Throughout the unit children will learn to:

• Describe, extend, compare, and draw repeating patterns and increasing patterns

• Create new patterns

• Talk about a pattern rule.

• Use 2 attributes to make a pattern

Religion

The first uinit of Christ Our Life introduces children to an all-loving God who care about each of us. Children will learn that everything and everyone are gifts from God. Children decorated special t-shirts with symbols that represent their many gifts and talents.

Science

We have begun our first Science unit entitled Move It! Children will learn to:

• describe the position of an object relative to other objects
• describe the position of objects from different perspectives
• investigate and descrive different patterns of movement
• desrcibe the motion of an object in terms of a change in position and orientation
• make predisctions about how various factors will affect the motion of an object

Social Studies

Our Social Studies program is centered around the concept of change. In Unit 1, students will explore the concept of change as it relates to people. Students are describing changes in their lives and their reaction to these changes. They will have opportunties to describe their feelings when confronted with change, and they will come to recognize that there will always be change in their lives.

Health

The first book in the Inside Out series is entitled “The Special Book”. Children are learning to recognize that each person is a special individual with a unique combination of traits, interests, and abilities. They will also learn to respect the similiarities and differences in others.