K-2 Curriculum
Committed to providing an excellent Catholic Education since 1961.
Philosophy
At St. Teresa School we believe that each person is a child of God, blessed with unique gifts and talents, and so we endeavor to:
Promote the holistic development of each individual
Provide a program of learning which challenges and empowers students
Integrate spiritual beliefs and values with learning and living
Form a partnership between home and school to enrich each child’s life
Promote respect for the dignity and uniqueness of each individual.
Curriculum Guide Introduction
The purpose of this Curriculum Guide is to summarize the major objectives of the instructional program at this grade level at St. Teresa Catholic School. The curriculum has been designed to follow the recommendations of the Diocese of Orlando, and meets or exceeds the expectations set forth in the Florida Standards.
K Curriculum
Religion
The children are led to discover that God made each one as a very special person and that he also created all the wonders of the world around us. Some of the topics introduced include the following – God made me, I am special, I can discover through the five senses, and God blesses us with many gifts (animals, birds, fish, flowers, trees, water, light, air, family, and friends). Children are given experiences of prayer through regular participation in class, church experiences, and appropriate explanations of religious signs and symbols.
Language Arts and Social Studies
The children are exposed to an environment designed to stimulate total language development. The goal of the program is to develop pre-reading skills in a print-rich classroom. Learning centers and experiences are designed to develop oral language expression and listening skills. Children move from informal exploration of picture books to written material. As a letter of the alphabet is presented each week the child is immersed in a world of activities to promote the recognition of the selected letter. Development of fine motor skills is encouraged through cutting, gluing, painting and drawing, and these activities are associated with this letter. During “Circle time” children are encouraged to share experiences to promote the development of language and vocabulary skills. Awareness of holidays, seasons, cultural events, community helpers, as well as farm and zoo animals, encourages the development of Social Studies.
Mathematics
The goal of this program is to introduce children to pre-math activities through the exploration and manipulation of concrete objects. Students sort, classify, match, count, identify numbers, and learn about time and basic shapes through a variety of hands-on activities.
Cognitive Development and Science
Children are given a variety of opportunities to explore problem solving techniques. These include opportunities to compare and contrast shapes and colors, to distinguish between living and non-living things and to characterize weather and seasons. They have opportunities to manipulate objects, to experience the five senses, to explore how living things interact with the environment and to promote respect for life and health.
Physical Development
Children have opportunities to develop gross motor skills appropriate to each child’s developmental ability. Hopping, skipping, jumping, bending, climbing, balancing, and hitting a ball are some of the skills that children may experience on a regular basis on the playground or in the classroom. There are also opportunities to develop fine motor skills and eye/hand coordination through activities with clay/playdoh, stringing, painting, coloring, cutting, gluing, pasting, tracing, and tying.
1st Grade Curriculum Guide
Religion
God loves us is the theme for the Religion program at this level. Through this program, the children learn that Jesus teaches us about God’s love, that we are followers of Jesus, and that we belong to the Church and celebrate our faith. They become familiar with Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments, as well as the lives of the Saints. Children continue to learn traditional prayers and review those previously learned.
Language Arts
The Reading/Language Arts program develops skills in listening, reading, writing and speaking. The goal of the program is to enable the child to have meaningful reading experiences. Instructional skills include phonics, grammar, context clues, and background knowledge. Children learn to retell, summarize, sequence events, and read independently (silently and orally). The program enables them to blend vowels, consonants, and sounds into words. They recognize and use homophones, repetition, rhyme, and rhythm. Emphasis is placed on identifying complete and incomplete sentences, the use of capital letters, punctuation, and common parts of speech (noun, verb and adjective). Children develop skills in comprehension, spelling, and writing. They begin to build compound words and write contractions. Poetry, fiction, and nonfiction stories are discussed. Manuscript handwriting is also taught.
Mathematics
In Mathematics the student learns to add and subtract one-digit and two-digit numbers, to understand place value, identify fractions as parts of a whole, compare numbers, recognize and sequence patterns, and develop problem-solving strategies. Other concepts studied at this level include time, money, graphs, measurement, and geometric shapes.
Physical Education
The physical education curriculum provides for appropriate activities relating to the child’s physical development. Students develop gross motor skills according to each child’s developmental level. Activities include hopping, skipping, jumping, stretching, balancing, throwing, catching, striking, chasing, fleeing, and dodging. Students are introduced to organized play, games, relays and sports. Safety measures, as well as principles of good nutrition, health and hygiene are also introduced. Students have two forty minute classes each week.
Social Studies
In Social Studies children learn about the uniqueness of our culture, as well as cultures from around the world. They identify the basic needs of a family; recognize how families change, and how those changes affect its members. The importance of U. S. holidays, the need to protect resources for the future, the use of maps, globes, charts, and time lines are also studied.
Science
Science concepts are explored using observation, demonstrations, and hands-on activities. The student learns about how living things grow and change. They learn about nutrition, dental health, weather, the earth, as well as about matter and energy.
Music
In Music, the first grade student sings and memorizes various traditional, seasonal, and religious songs. The child identifies rhythmic instruments and various rhythm patterns. They enjoy singing, listening to various musical formats and using body movements (dance) to accompany songs.
Library / Computer
In Library, children practice library manners and listening skills. They learn the differences between fiction and non-fiction, listen to, and read a variety of books. The parts of a book (cover, spine, title page), and terms such as author, illustrator, and publisher are also taught.
In Technology, the student learns to identify parts of a computer, to open and close a document, and use basic word processing skills. The child also learns to start and exit a program as well as demonstrate the use of various paint tools. An introduction to basic computer programming logic is also taught.
Art
In Art, the First grade student uses a wide variety of materials and media to create works of art that extend lessons already presented in the classroom. The child learns to use an assortment of art tools and techniques independently, to make connections between the visual arts and other disciplines, and learn to celebrate, record, and communicate with art.
Spanish
Students are introduced to the Hispanic culture through music and listening to Hispanic folk tales. The students learn to say the Guardian Angel Prayer and to sing Happy Birthday in Spanish. The children learn to sing songs in Spanish to reinforce vocabulary. The students learn how to greet people, family members, days of the week and months of the year and in Spanish. They learn to answer simple questions and to follow simple classroom commands. Most of these concepts are acquired through hands-on activities, repetition and play. Children also complete simple writing assignments.
2nd Grade Curriculum Guide
Religion
The Religion curriculum allows the children to pray, sing, and explore the ways the faith speaks to their lives. The truths of the Catholic faith are presented in ways that are age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, and varied. Children begin to understand the Eucharist and to discover other ways to be nourished by their friendship with Jesus. The Ten Commandments guide the children through the process of recognizing sin and the need for Reconciliation. They become familiar with Bible stories as well as lives of Saints. Children continue to learn traditional prayers and review those previously learned.
Language Arts
The Reading/Language Arts program is designed to stimulate total language development. The development of oral language, listening skills, appreciation of different types of literature, reading, writing, and comprehension are all components of this program. Decoding skills, context clues, predicting, summarizing, examining cause and effect, using the dictionary, and identifying story elements are some of the strategies used to develop reading and comprehension. Students develop skills in writing and grammar through examining word order, parts of a sentence, capitalization, and punctuation. They also recognize and use the following parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives. Students create and share their written work. Cursive writing is also introduced and practiced.
Mathematics
The goal of the Math program is to continue to develop mathematical concepts through the use of concrete materials and a variety of learning experiences. Students improve their skills in addition and subtraction of single, two, and three-digit numbers. Their understanding of place value is expanded to 1000. They recognize the value of various coins, count money, trade and make change. The ability to tell time and to determine hour, half hour, quarter hour and five minute intervals is also developed (digital and analog). They create and solve story problems and develop problem solving strategies. Other topics include identification of solid geometric shapes and comparing them for congruency and symmetry. They develop awareness of appropriate tools and units of measurement and are introduced to measuring activities.
Social Studies
In Social Studies the students will learn about people and places whether far or near. We learn about how people live, the rules we all follow and the different kinds of jobs people have. We also learn about different land forms and environments, as well as climate and weather. We study about our government and America’s past.
Physical Education
The physical education curriculum provides for appropriate activities relating to the child’s physical development. Students develop gross motor skills according to each one’s developmental level. Activities include hopping, skipping, jumping, stretching, balancing, throwing, catching, striking, chasing, fleeing, and dodging. Students are introduced to organized play, games, relays, and sports. Safety measures as well as good nutrition, health, and hygiene are also introduced. Students have two forty-five minute classes each week.
Science
In Life Science the students discover the wonder of plant and animal life cycles and their environments and needs. In Earth Science, the students explore treasures from the earth, such as rock, soil, and fossils. The students become familiar with matter, energy, motion, and forces in the physical science section.
Music
The second grade music program offers a variety of learning activities including movement (dance), singing, exploring musical instruments, and playing pitched/unpitched instruments. Concepts introduced include listening to many musical formats and rhythms, movement to varied rhythms, and movement with props. Children enjoy music and movement. They learn to sing traditional songs and participate in programs and activities.
Library / Media/Technology
In Library class students are encouraged to appreciate all types of literature and become familiar with different types of books and parts of a book. The arrangement of fiction and nonfiction call numbers is introduced and they become familiar with the electronic card catalog as a tool for finding information. Alphabetical order is introduced. Frequently there is an opportunity to read-aloud favorite stories.
In technology class, students become familiar with the basic components of the computer, with computer terminology, and basic word processing skills. Cross-curricular connections are made through educational software and supervised Internet activities.
Art
The goal of the Art program is provide activities that stimulate and enhance the creative and imaginative development of the child. Students are directed to explore through a variety of art media including but not limited to the following: markers, crayons, painting, clay/playdoh, pasting, gluing, weaving, paper, and textured materials. Children learn to appreciate the beautiful and artistic through exposure to works of art, the beauty of nature, and other children’s artistic work.
Spanish
Students in the second grade use The Complete Book of Spanish textbook as the primary resource in this learning area. The goal of the program is to continue the development of listening to and speaking the Spanish language. Through the development of listening skills children begin to enunciate and comprehend common expressions and greetings. They increase their vocabulary to include numbers to one hundred (100), different types of fruit, meals, the rooms in a house, musical instruments, and much more. Children also begin to progress from the spoken to the written word, and gradually move on to read familiar material.