Latin School of Chicago

curriculum chart lower school

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Junior Kindergarten Senior Kindergarten First Grade HISTORY & SOCIAL STUDIES LANGUAGE ARTS MATHEMATICS Language Arts covers the core skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Skill development in reading begins with pre-reading activities in junior kindergarten and continues with a program that underscores reading for understanding, acquiring vocabulary, and using higher-order thinking skills to gather meaning from text. The writing process at all levels values organization of thoughts and ideas, drafts, editing and pride in authorship. Writing instruction incorporates skill development in letter formation, keyboarding, grammar, punctuation and spelling. The Houghton Mifflin Spelling and Vocabulary program is used to improve skills. Students express personal style through creative writing, report and essay writing, poetry and illustration. They share their written work with different grade levels during Author's Day. (1) Reading: alphabet recognition and letter-sound correspondence; reading to and with their teachers, to their peers and independently. (2) Writing: names, capital letters; label and explain illustrations. (3) Speaking: perform for each other and parents through poetry, songs, movement and story telling; show-and-tell. (4) Listening: stories, conversations, group discussions, songs,rhymes, poems; understand and interpret the spoken word. (1) Reading: phonemic awareness; sound-symbol connections, sight word exploration and a variety of other literacy experiences. (2) Writing: journals; group stories; group books and poems; letter and number formation. (3) Speaking: class discussions; show-and-tell; news share; performances for small and large groups. (4) Listening: stories read by teachers; group lessons and discussions; following directions. (1) Reading: word study, guided reading, independent reading with leveled books and a variety of non-fiction and fiction texts. (2) Writing: descriptive, expository, journals and letters, narrative, Author's Day; capitalization, punctuation, sentence formation, story structure, and organization of ideas. (3) Speaking: small and large group presentations, and dramatic play activities; express and clarify ideas, ask questions, and engage in social conversation; present at a lower school assembly. (4) Listening: stories, poetry, drama, directions and discussions. The lower school social studies program is dedicated to providing a sound understanding of the world in which we live and an appreciation for the rich diversity of humankind. The curriculum reflects an age-appropriate, multidimensional, project-based approach to the study of people and the land. The goal is to give students a sense of others and a context of their place in the larger world. Specific units of study integrate literature, music, art, social studies and, where appropriate, math and science. Units: New Friends & New School, Family Holidays and Traditions, Seasons, Transportation, Chicago connections. Research: read class books based on ongoing observations and accumulation of facts Units: When I Was Little…Now at I am Big, Our Country: Now and en, It's Winter!, e Earth and Its Climates, Getting Ready for First Grade Research: animal adaptations in winter (migration, hibernation, torpor) and study of a children's author Chicago Connections: Craft for Inspiration Cafe in Uptown; 100 year-old visitors from Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly Units: Community: school and local, architecture, Mexico Research: student-led inquiry during Mexico and architecture units Numbers and counting; shapes and patterns; sorting objects by various attributes; introduction to manipulatives, charts and measuring tools Counting to 1,000 using manipulatives, odd and even numbers, wholes, halves, thirds, and fourths, 2-digit addition and subtraction, fact families, identifying and counting money, calendars and clocks, number sentences using +,-, =, <,> Math Lab: Starting in first grade - Weekly Math Lab classes help students reinforce, apply and extend the mathematics learned in homeroom through hands-on activities, games,discussions and computer work. Topics covered in the Math Lab can be categorized into three main categories: (1) Number Sense: whole numbers, place value, fractions, decimals, percents, computation; (2) Measurement: length, perimeter, area, volume, weight, liquid capacity, money, time; (3) Geometry: symmetry, polygons, polyhedra, angles. The lower school currently uses the Everyday Mathematics curriculum by The University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. For the 2015-16 school year, the second grade will pilot the Singapore math program, which teaches significantly fewer topics per grade level, but in greater depth. In SK, a Math Enrichment Teacher provides weekly support and resources to teachers and students in a whole class setting or in small groups. The students also attend a class every other week with the Math Lab Teacher. In grade 1, students use the online computer program ST Math ("Spatial Temporal Math") to learn math concepts through animation and to practice their addition and multiplication facts. Students in grades 2-4 have the option to attend a weekly challenge word problem session. Units: Staying Healthy, Ecology & Recycling, Endangered Animals, Life Cycles and Metaporhosis Units: biology, vertebrates and invertebrates, skeletal system, life cycles, Chemistry: properties of matter, Earth Science: rock cycle, Astronomy: Sun, Earth and Moon system Key skills for grades one to four: observation, classification, measurement, hypothesis, data collection, analysis, drawing conclusions, making models Units: Trees, Pumpkins, Bats and Spiders, It's Winter!, Under the Sea, e Human Body, e Earth and Its Climates. Each week children participate in a hands-on science center. Research: Observation of trees in Lincoln Park; ocean animals for class presentation. Chicago Connections: Field trip to Shedd Aquarium. Counting by 1s, 2s, 5s and 10s; counting back from 20; introduction to number stories and math terms/symbols; collecting and organizing data; non-standard and introduction to standard measurement; counting coins; exploring 2- and 3- dimensional shapes; patterns; introduction to place value up to 3-digits; building number sense to 100; math games Science in the lower school encourages students to explore the world around them while introducing them to science concepts and vocabulary as well as observation and research skills. In JK and SK science is integrated into the ongoing daily experiences students encounter. Students develop observational and record-keeping skills by conducting surveys, recording and reporting information, making and reading simple graphs, comparing physical attributes of objects and exploring cause and effect relationships. In grades 1 - 4, science is a stand-alone classroom. Classes meet approximately two times per week for 40-50 minutes. Process skills are developed through hands-on activities and investigations. Some of the most important skills for students are observing, classifying and collecting data, measuring and comparing and contrasting. PHYSICAL EDUCATION PERFORMING ARTS VISUAL ARTS LIBRARY LEARNING RESOURCES HEALTH SERVICES ONLY AT LATIN COMPUTER SCIENCE COUNSELING/ CHILDREN'S ROUNDTABLE LANGUAGES Latin's language program seeks to encourage students to become motivated language learners and global thinkers, connecting to the school's mission of providing students with an educational program that embraces diversity of people, cultures and ideas. Latin has implemented a "best practices" program that stresses proficiency in language acquisition. The primary goal of the program is to build a vocabulary base that fosters communication and creates a degree of comfort with the language. An integrated approach to teaching enhances student learning and provides cultural connections in a stimulating and meaningful way. SPANISH Conversational language skills: Greetings and goodbyes; introducing one's self; counting up to 10; describing items using color and size words; describing seasons; clothing for the seasons; commands including stand up, sit down, watch, listen; statements of preference. Conversational language skills: "Who am I and who are you?"; describing themselves, their family, friends and their school environment; discussing weekend activities; describing the weather. Conversational language skills: "What are my routines?"; Describing their school classes, activities, and after-school and weekend routines; identifying home routines and responsibilities; expressing their preferences. Our comprehensive physical development and health program is designed to help students learn to identify and work toward short- and long-term goals, to utilize fitness technology, to persevere in solving problems, to follow directions responsibly, and to work both independently and cooperatively with others. The program seeks to help students achieve active and healthy lives. Students in grades SK through 4 participate in P.E. class every day. Skill-building in games and sports begins with the premise that every child has athletic potential to be developed and celebrated. Physical education in the lower school emphasizes fine and gross motor skills through games, activities, and sports that contribute to the growth, development and social attitudes of each student. e physical education program includes basic body management, skill development and improvement, visual-motor integration and spatial awareness. e program stresses civility and good sportsmanship for all. Low-level activities include golf, field hockey, soccer, floor hockey, bowling, scooter activities, tumbling, mat games, yoga and Baggo. Multi-level activities include swimming, rock climbing and rope jumping. High-level activities include lacrosse, volleyball, softball, flag football, tee ball, softball and racket sports Movement and P.E. class: students develop body awareness, negotiate time and space, self-expression and creatively through movement, rhyming and music. Children participate in Yoga, dance and activities that support gross motor skills. Children's Choir and Musical eater Program is an optional class for students in grades 1 through 4, culminating in a spring musical production. Performing arts in the lower school are represented by general music, musical theater, band, and dance/movement classes. Students study the basic elements of music, incorporating Kodaly, Orff and Dalcroze methodologies. Stages of learning are: Imitation – teacher-modeled response; Exploration – the opportunity to alter a musical experience through experimentation; Improvisation; Visualization – the use of graphic or traditional notation leading to musical literacy. The music curriculum is based on the Orff-Schulwerk and Dalcroze principles, while using Gordon and Kodaly approaches to rhythm and melody. The curriculum integrates elements from the Language Arts, Mathematics and Social Studies curriculums while simultaneously firmly establishing the basic musical concepts. Technology is an integral part of the music curriculum. Students use one of three Sibelius software programs called Groovy Music, that teach basics of sound, rhythm, pitch and composition, scales and notation using pictures and animation. The students visit the music room twice in six days for lessons that are planned to stimulate imagination, develop physical, emotional, social, intellectual and critical thinking skills. Daily classroom art activities and exploration of art materials and media Projects: self and family portraits, water color and tempera painting, eco-friendly art, and the JK Art Museum TREE HUGGERS JK students study ecology and endangered animals. e unit culminates with an in-school Earth Day parade aimed at sharing what they learned with others. Students develop motor skills and learn to identify varieties of lines; recognize shapes; learn the color wheel, explore texture, construct a balanced and stable three-dimensional form; model a form in clay. Integrated units: Integrated units: family portraits, architecture, fairy tales and Mexico, field trip to Art Institute OUR KIND OF TOWN First grade students learn about our city's architecture through walking tours, creating 3-D structures and student-led inquiry. Daily classroom art activities and exploration of art materials and media, including collage, construction, printmaking, painting, drawing, and scrapbooking. Sample projects: self-portraits, painted wood sculptures, and an Earth and its Climates scrapbook. DEAR JOURNAL SKers begin each day with journal writing. is year-long exercise of both expression and organization results in a visual representation of each child's interests and development. The program in grades 1 through 4 familiarizes students with how art functions in different cultures and increases students' understanding of artists and how they use art to communicate about the world. Students learn about elements and principles of art through a wide range of media and techniques. Chicago Connections Only at Latin In the lower school, the computer science program introduces students to key concepts and problem solving techniques. In the youngest grades, students learn concepts like sequencing through hands on activities. In the oldest, students have developed to a point where they are able to create interactive computer games. Weekly Roundtable discussions, stories and activities complement the pursuit of academic excellence and intellectual growth with a concern for the social, psychological and moral development of each child. Counselors visit junior kindergarten through fourth grade classrooms weekly for 30 minutes. They lead discussions and activities focused on "taking care of ourselves, each other and our school." Children's Roundtable is a preventative mental health approach promoting physical wellbeing and an increasing sense of personal control over one's own behavior and safety, fostering interest in and respect for differences among people, and supporting responsible, effective participation in small groups and in the community. The librarians meet with students in grades JK-4. Goals are organized into four curricular areas: accessing information, evaluating information, using and creating information, and appreciating information and literature in all formats. The librarians collaborate with homeroom and special subject teachers to ensure an integrated curriculum. Students, teachers, and parents are encouraged to visit the library to select materials for pleasure reading, for assignments, and to satisfy natural (and encouraged) curiosity. The lower school learning resource program is designed to work with children who have diagnosed learning differences in collaboration with their families. Support is provided through individualized remediation, modifications, accommodations, and/or consultative services. The primary goal is to meet the unique needs of our youngest students preparing them to be confident and resourceful learners. The lower school reading resource program is designed to support struggling and at-risk readers in senior kindergarten through grade four. Students are referred by their classroom teacher and work in small groups. In collaboration with classroom teachers, the reading specialist focuses on helping students strengthen core skills and develop strategies for reading and spelling. We employ two full-time registered nurses, one in the lower school and one to serve the middle and upper schools. The nurses provide immediate emergency care, do initial assessments and work with parents and health care providers to help children with chronic conditions remain healthy at school. They also educate students, faculty and parents about health issues and good health practices. SCIENCE

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