Religion: Kindergarten students listen and role play major stories in salvation history and recognize key events in Jesus’ life. They memorize and recite daily prayers and develop a deeper relationship with Jesus through prayer. We attend weekly Mass and make class and independent visits to the Chapel for prayer. Students learn about the sacraments of the Catholic Church and how understanding the lives of Jesus, Mary, the saints and the Pope enrich our spiritual lives.

Reading: We will focus on reading comprehension skills and vocabulary development using a variety of fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts. Students will learn to listen and view attentively and critically, and speak purposefully. Students learn and apply a variety of reading strategies for comprehending, interpreting and evaluating a wide range of texts. Kindergarteners will develop general skills and strategies of composition and the writing process.

Spelling and Phonics: We will continue our use of Saxon Phonics. Students will expand their phonetic abilities and learn to read unfamiliar words in isolation and in context. They will learn:

• phonetic sounds A-Z
• letter identification A-Z
• consonant blends & digraphs
• consonant-vowel blending
• short and long vowels
• decoding
• sight words
• punctuation
• plurals

Handwriting: Students learn proper posture, grip and pencil placement to develop good formation of all upper and lower case letters.

Math: Kindergarten continues with the Saxon program of mathematics with concentration in mathematical reasoning; number sense and operations; measurement; geometry; patterns, functions and algebra; and data analysis, probability and statistics.

Geography: Children enjoy a variety of activities that expose them to beginning map skills, including directional symbols and identifying major land formations. They develop an understanding of their personal community and the global community.
 
Science: We will cover scientific inquiry and four areas of science, which include:
 
Earth and Space Science

• Earth composition
• Weather
• Seasons
• Climates
• Space

Life Science

• Living & non-living
• Classify animal groups
• Animal habitats
• Plant parts

Physical Science

• Properties of physical objects
• States of Matter
• Magnets
• Light & Sound

Human Body

• 5 Senses
• Organ location & function
• Nutrition
• Hygiene

 
History: Students will learn how to identify and describe differences between the past and present using stories, objects, illustration and discussion.  We start with the explorations of Christopher Columbus and travel through American history by studying Native American tribes, pilgrim and pioneer life, westward expansion, Revolutionary and Civil Wars. Kindergarteners will become familiar with important figures in American history and recognize national symbols, statues and monuments.

Religion: First grade students increase their level of understanding about major stories in salvation history and recognize key events in Jesus’ life. They memorize and recite daily prayers and develop a deeper relationship with Jesus through prayer. We attend weekly Mass and make class and independent visits to the Chapel for prayer. Students learn about the sacraments of the Catholic Church and how understanding the lives of Jesus, Mary, the saints and the Pope enrich our spiritual lives.

Reading: Students use the Scott Foresman reading program to build reading comprehension skills and vocabulary development. We learn and effectively apply a variety of reading strategies for comprehending, interpreting and evaluating a wide range of texts including fiction, non-fiction, classic, and contemporary works. Students will listen and view attentively and critically, as well as speak purposefully and articulately in situations that serve different purposes and involve a variety of audiences. Students begin with an introduction to the fundamental concepts of the writing process. Students are learning how to focus the topic for a given purpose and audience, organize and outline ideas, as well as use facts and details to enhance the plot, develop the character or setting, or help to illustrate the main idea. Using these basic skills and strategies students are able to plan, draft, revise and edit short stories, letters, poems, essays and short reports.

Spelling and Phonics: We will continue our use of Saxon Phonics. Students will expand their phonetic abilities and learn to correctly code words using phonetic principles to help them read words in isolation and in context. They will learn:

• phonetic sounds A-Z
• letter identification A-Z
• consonant blends & digraphs
• consonant-vowel blending
• short and long vowels
• decoding
• sight words
• punctuation
• plurals

Handwriting: Students use textbook (Writing Our Catholic Faith) to develop good handwriting skills, correct posture and stroke to write letters, words, biblical phrases and prayers.

Math: First graders continue with the Saxon program of mathematics with concentration in mathematical reasoning; number sense and operations; measurement; geometry; patterns, functions and algebra; and data analysis, probability and statistics. Students use appropriate mathematical vocabulary, symbols, and notation to communicate mathematical ideas. We practice developing reasoning skills to identify patterns and relationships, select appropriate strategies, solve problems and justify and test solutions. Students understand and apply basic and advanced concepts of measurement to compare, convert, and solve problems involving linear measurement, weight, volume, temperature, time, and money. We also explore geometry by understanding and applying basic and advanced geometric concepts and methods to analyze, interpret, represent and solve problems involving points, lines, planes, and space.

Geography: Students will develop an understanding of the world in spatial terms. They also grow in their awareness that physical and human processes affect how places and regions are shaped. Through studies in history and geography, students should begin to acquire basic facts about different cultures and social systems, as well as learn how to identify and discuss similarities and differences between cultures they have studied and their own, as well as be able to discuss the typical characteristics of places and regions.

Science: Children will know and apply the fundamental concepts, principles and processes of scientific inquiry and reasoning by participating in discussions, in-class experiments and special projects in these four areas of science, which include:


Earth and Space Science

• Earth composition & Physical processes
• Atmosphere
• Water cycle
• Space & gravity

Life Science

• Life cycles
• Classify plants & animals by internal & external structures
• Heredity
• Structure & function of cells

Physical Science

• Compare properties of physical objects
• States of Matter
• Force & simple machines
• Properties of light & heat

Human Body

• Nutrition
• Major systems in the body & their functions
• Hygiene

History: In first grade we are still developing the ability to take the perspective of others but children are able to recognize and identify others’ point of view. Students will understand key concepts of chronological thinking: change over time and cause and consequence. They are beginning to realize that people in the past could have different views of the events in which they were participating. In this way, they are building a foundation for being able to attain a historical perspective. Through participation in a variety of classroom experiences, students develop basic research skills by acquiring, organizing, evaluating, and communicating historical information. Topics of study include learning about life in Mesopotamia and Egypt, Viking culture and communities from early to modern America.

Religion:

• Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Communion (both received through your parish)
• Woodmont has a special First Communion Mass in the Spring, Wednesday, May 28 th.
• There will be available times after your child has received his/her First Communion to have their confession heard by Father Stephen at Woodmont. This will be offered each time but it is optional.
• We will help them prepare for those special moments of grace and foster a love of the sacraments in school.

Books: Treasure of Our Faith; Jesus Our Life.
Mass will be every Thursday at 8:30 am.

Math:

• Saxon Math
• Daily worksheet completed in class; side B is the reinforcement to be complete at home. See side A, there are similar problems on it.
• Study calendars, addition, subtraction, fractions, measurements, multiplication, and division.
• Math Homework: Math folders (blue) will be taken home daily. There will be no homework on weekends. Homework will be in the right hand side of the folder, and related class work will be on the left. Homework is graded and test will be almost every Friday.

Reading , Grammar, and Phonics:

• Scott Foresman Reading/Grammar
• Saxon Phonics
• Journal Book

Spelling:
Students will have a weekly list, homework Monday-Thursday and tests on Friday. The words are coordinated with the Phonics program.

Science:
Scott Foresman: This year we will study animals, plants, matter, energy, air and water, weather and the human body.

History/Geography:
Core Knowledge - History of people, places around the world will be studied. Additionally, we will be performing "The Incredible Westward Movement" this year with our other second grade class.

Religion: We will be studying the Bible throughout the school year. We begin with an overview of the Bible itself; then, students will work their way through biblical history from Creation through the ministry of Christ.

Grammar and Composition: We will cover basic punctuation, capitalization, identifying parts of speech, parts of complete sentences, and constructing sentences. In writing, students will further develop their composition skills by completing a variety of writing projects, including: friendly letters, business letters, thank you letters, personal narratives, poetry, descriptive paragraphs, expository and informative paragraphs. We will explore the writing process and refine writing skills.

Spelling and Phonics: We will continue our use of Saxon Phonics. Students will expand their vocabulary and master the following:

• digraphs
• consonant-vowel blending
• long and short vowels
• inflectional endings
• syllabication
• prefixes and suffixes

Reading: We will focus on reading comprehension skills, and expand word recognition and vocabulary. Students will explore different types of literature including fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. They will identify and use different types of literary techniques and figurative language.

Handwriting: The focus will be to hone skills in cursive writing.

Math: The 3rd grade continues with the Saxon program of mathematics. This year we will cover measurement, geometry, patterns, functions, algebra, data analysis, probability, statistics and technology.

Science: We will cover scientific inquiry and four areas of science, which include:

Earth and Space Science

• Geosphere
• Rocks
• Atmosphere
• Universe
• Solar system

Life Science

• Classification of plants and animals
• Food chain
• Endangered species
• Niche and habitats
• Heredity
• Cells

Physical Science

• Forces and motion
• Light and optics
• Reflection
• Light spectrum
• Lenses
• Sound

Human Body

• Muscular system
• Skeletal system
• Nervous system
• Respiratory system
• Vision and hearing
• Sound vibration and the ear

History & Geography: Our study will encompass the history of North America, from Native Americans to Colonization of the Americas. Students will contrast our civilization with the ancient civilizations of Rome and the Vikings. They will develop research skills and master the concepts of time and change in History.

Third graders will learn the parts and types of maps, identify land and water formations, and locate places in the United States on a globe. They will study the physical characteristics of places and regions, and be taught the physical processes of the earth and its ecosystems, the causes of human settlement, as well as the impact that humans, weather, and technology have on geography.

Religion: Students use the bible and discussion to develop a deeper understanding of the life of Jesus and reflect on important virtues with Christ as our model. We will also explore the sacraments of the Catholic Church and understand how different forms of prayer expand our relationship with God the Father.

Grammar and Composition: Students compose with some independence at this stage. Their writing is based on a range of experiences and uses a variety of forms. We practice correct and complete sentence structure. Students are able to identify the topic to be addressed and determine its organization and development. Compositions are used for a variety of purposes, including personal narrative, descriptive, expository and instruction.

Spelling and Vocabulary: Students will expand their vocabulary and master the following:

• Using dictionary, glossary & thesaurus
• Identify root words
• Figurative language
• Analogies
• Latin/Greek roots
• Denotative/connotative meanings
• Prefixes/suffixes
• Context clues
• Homophones/homographs
• Phonetic rules for spelling
• Contractions
• Compound words
• Decoding with phonics rules

Reading: Students use a variety of fiction and non-fiction materials to develop reading skills including: fact/opinion, making inferences, text structure, genre analysis, personification and summarization. They show independence in using a range of strategies to identify unfamiliar words. In talking about texts they begin to use inference and deduction to explore and appreciate meaning. They use their knowledge to conduct research and find information to develop a written response using Bloom’s Taxonomy (varying levels of questioning).

Handwriting: The focus will be to hone skills in cursive writing.

Math: As with all elementary students at Woodmont, fourth graders use the Saxon Math program and complete the entire Math 65 text of 140 lessons. The book takes students from basic arithmetic through the foundation of many math areas, including geometry, measurement, and scale and graph reading. Daily lessons are followed by a set of 25 problems which, instead of providing practice in only one skill, the sets review everything that has been taught previously. This “incremental approach” has served Woodmont fourth graders well as they have excelled in standardized tests and have prepared for Math 76 in grade five.

Science: We will cover scientific inquiry and four areas of science, which include:

Earth and Space Science

• Earthquakes
• Soil, rocks, gravity
• Natural resources
• Atmosphere
• Solar system

Life Science

• Classification
• Plant life
• Ecosystems

Physical Science

• Sound
• Light
• Electricity

Human Body

• Human body systems
• Respiration & digestion
• Diet/exercise
• Disease

History & Geography: Through discussion and hands-on activities students will focus their studies on Maryland, including:

• Natural topography
• Early settlers
• The founding of Maryland
• State symbols
• Catholic Church in Maryland
• Contemporary history
• State government

History & Geography: Our study will encompass pre-historical and historical periods by looking at the past to appreciate the present and to develop an understanding of characteristics of civilizations. Periods of study include: Mesopotamia, Israelites, Egypt, Greece, Rome, barbarians and the Middle Ages. They will develop research skills and master the concepts of time and change in History and Geography. Students will learn about geographical themes of location, regions, movement, interaction and the study of maps.