Special Areas

Art

Preschool – Preschool focuses on the basics of art and how to recognize them. Students learn colors and shapes, patterns and lines, color mixing and the safe and correct use of tools. Working at in school and at home on holding tools, pinching and grasping objects is especially important in developing fine motor skills.

K – In this class students continue where they left off in Pre-K but expand upon what they already know. Can they make a pattern that decorates a picture? Can they use scissors by themselves?

1st Grade- Students draw animals, seasonal pictures and learn how to take parts of pictures to make a whole composition. They learn about the color wheel and students should be cutting and gluing by themselves.

2nd Grade- Students learn more about the elements of art and how to turn them into symbols that have meaning or a recognizable composition. They learn how shapes and colors become important to various cultures, tribes and groups of people. All students should know the primary and secondary colors as well as the basic shapes and 3D form counterparts (square = cube).

3rd Grade – Third graders are very interested in the purpose of art and why people make it. They begin to learn that art has categories, genres and functions. They learn to draw step by step and to actually look at what they want to draw to study the parts of a picture. They begin learning that the principles of design compose and arrange art so an artist can express his/her message. Everyone should have a sense of foreground, middle ground and background parts of a picture and whether a picture is a portrait, landscape, narrative or still life.

4th Grade – Students begin using sketchbooks this year! They use them for listing supplies, directions, thought processes and practice drawings. They are expected to incorporate elements of art and principles of design into all projects. For example, a paper quilt square needs color, shape, line, variety and continuity. They learn about Folk art, Americana, some Renaissance and a little of what public/community art is all about. Students need to come to class prepared with sketchbook and pencils every class period. They will begin leaning about artist’s statements and using C.L.I.P.S sentences on the back of their work to show what they have learned about a project.

5th Grade – Fifth graders will learn about cultural art, symbols and imagery and use a variety of materials. One project will often relate to the next in some way and the students have to know why or try to understand the relationship. Their art projects may also correlate to another subject they are studying.

6th Grade – These students expand their knowledge of genres and categories of art. They learn what the art is expressing and how to show expression and purpose in their own creations. The art projects are often tactile and textural. In middle school, neatness and completion of a project is integral to expression. Even Jackson Pollack had a method to his madness.

7th Grade – Seventh graders will be pushed beyond their comfort zone sometimes to create art that is technical, detailed or even mechanical in some way. They learn a lot about function versus form, aesthetics, beauty and design versus emotion. They do quite a bit of drawing and measuring and everyone should know all of the elements of art and principles of design by the end of the year.

8th Grade – Eighth graders use a variety of materials, mixed media, clay and papier mache. They learn about portraiture, murals, and lots of vocabulary. This is a good year to test skills in various art contests and learn how to work time management and meeting deadlines.

Music

Preschool – In pre-school the focus is on making music with voices, hands and feet. Students use instruments like the piano, xylophone and drum to learn rhythm and reinforce things they are learning in class like numbers and letters. There is a Christmas and end-of-the-year program.

K- Students learn more about music concepts such as high and low, fast and slow, loud and soft. They also talk about instruments and what makes them sound the way they do. They get to play with instruments every week and learn about what music means to them. The students have a Christmas and end-of-the-year program.

1st Grade – Students start learning about music theory. They learn about note names, rhythm, dynamics and tempo. They do activities, games and songs to reinforce learning. They also participate in a Christmas program with 2nd and 3rd grade.

2nd Grade – students go a little more in depth into music theory. They start off with reviewing note names and rhythms and then get into instruments and the orchestra. The students get to hold and see instruments from the orchestra and talk about the different orchestra families and then they make their own instruments. They also participate in a Christmas program with 1st and 3rd grade.

3rd Grade – In 3rd grade students do a deep review of note names and rhythm to prepare them to learn an instrument in 4thgrade. Then they talk about what it means to be a composer and learn about composers from all of the music eras. They learn about solfege and how important that is to learning how to read music. They also participate in a Christmas program with 1st and 2nd grade.

4th Grade – In 4th grade students learn how to play two instruments, the drum and the xylophone. They learn how to read music and then play it on either instrument. The drum deals with rhythm and the xylophone deals with note names which is what they have been continually learning over the past few years.

5th Grade – In 5th grade students learn how to play the Ukulele. The start off the year with a quick review of notes and rhythms and then spend the second half of the year learning how to play the Ukulele and sing-a-long with it. At the end of the year, after all their hard work, they have a performance at the awards ceremony.

6th Grade – In 6th grade students spend the first half of the year learning how to compose their own music. They use all of the knowledge they have learned in music and pour it into their own piece. They use the Chromebook to produce their song. The second half of the year they talk about music in the media and do multiple projects that involve TV, Movies, Commercials, etc. and then they present them to the class.

7th Grade – In 7th grade students spend a lot of time creating music on the Chromebook. They use different platforms to create beats, mixes, tracks and videos. It is a very creative year ending with writing their own plays and performing them for the younger grades.

8th Grade – In 8th grade students discuss and learn about music careers and talk to professionals that have been in the industry for years. They also learn about music genres and the students teach the class about the different kinds. Later in the year they create their own music track on their Chromebook. Then they finish the year out with making a music video and performing live.

Library

Preschool – Students in preschool have story time and check out a book to take home each week.

K-2 – Students learn about our Library. They have the opportunity to check out books weekly. Book care rules and parts of a book are some of the library skills covered. Mrs. Graas reads aloud a variety of books in different genres. Comprehension skills are addressed through discussion about what was read. Students learn small poems and nursery rhymes.

3rd Grade – Students build on skills from the previous years. They work with the Destiny program to find books in our library. They work on building reading comprehension skills, differentiating reading levels as appropriate for individual students’ needs. Students use a thesaurus to locate synonyms for words and are introduced to the encyclopedia as a resource for future projects. Students listen to stories read aloud and ask and answer questions to practice comprehension skills.

4th Grade – Students build on skills learned from previous years including locating information in the library, and research skills. Given a theme, they write short stories with a beginning, middle, and end. A variety of book genres are discussed. Students complete projects coinciding with the current season. Learning occurs through hands-on fun.

5th Grade – Students build on previously learned skills. We will do a variety of projects depending on the season. Research skills are an important part of learning in fifth grade. Learning to be an effective note taker, better writer, and learning study skills are a few areas on which students will work. Students learn about different authors and styles of writing. Relay races to find books in the library is always fun!

Physical Education

K-2 – Students work on basic gross motor skills, manipulative skills (throwing and catching, bouncing, kicking, dribbling, etc.), teamwork, cooperation, and sportsmanship. They also do a variety of sport related skills that apply to sports such as volleyball, basketball, floor hockey, etc., as well as lifetime skills such as jump rope, bowling, and fitness exercises. Lastly they participate in a variety of cooperative based activities such as; parachutes, noodles, and holiday themes games. Each student is given points based on effort, participation, and sportsmanship.

3rd – 5th Grade – Students work more on refining sport skills for basketball, volleyball, flag football, floor hockey, and soccer. They also work on life time skills such as jump rope, components of fitness, speed stackers, etc. Students learn to take more leadership roles during class such as leading stretches and exercises. There are also holiday theme games during the holidays and emphasis put on sportsmanship, teamwork, and positive communication. Each student is given points based on effort, participation, and sportsmanship.

6th – 8th Grade – Students do cooperative games, and learn about incorporating fitness into their everyday life. They participate in sport units where they are more involved in leadership by having the option as acting as captains, and coaching other students. Sports include; basketball, floor hockey, flag football, volleyball, team handball, archery, and badminton. Students participate in tournaments and win championships at the end of each unit. Students also participate in an intramural sports as their elective class. Each student is given points based on effort, participation, and sportsmanship.

Spanish

The Spanish curriculum is taught in a cross-curricular way, supporting learning in other subjects through the Spanish language and culture.

K-2 –

Literacy: Students learn greetings, numbers from 0- 20, Spanish vowels & ABC’s phonetics, colors, shapes, animals, fruits/vegetables, and classroom commands.

Religion: The sign of the cross and Guardian Angel prayer

Cultural: Holidays vocabulary as Easter, Halloween, Three king’s Day & Valentine’s Day.

3rd – 5th Grade –

Literacy: Numbers from 0 – 100, Syllables Sounds, Basic expressions, body parts, Age, class objects, Days, months, Seasons, Articles, House words, Clothing, Classroom commands & objects.

Religion: Hail Mary prayer

Cultural: Holiday vocabulary such as Easter, Day of the Dead, Christmas & Cinco de Mayo.

6th – 8th Grade –

Literacy: Greetings & Farewells, Subject Pronouns, Ar, Er & IR verbs, Family members, To have, to be, to like & to go verbs, Emotions, Locations, Classroom Expressions, Reading comprehension, pronunciation.

Religion: Our Father prayer

Cultural: Spanish Speaking Countries, Hispanic Heritage, Day of the Dead, Three king’s Day, Holy Week & Cinco de Mayo.

Technology

Preschool – Students in Pre-K learn how to use a mouse and keyboard, and play games to learn counting, colors, and their alphabet.

K- Students in Kindergarten learn how to use a mouse, including double click and right-click. They illustrate ideas using the proper software, such as TuxPaint and PowerPoint, and learn the layout of the keyboard.

1st Grade – Advanced usage of the keyboard, including shift, ctrl, and alt will be used. We will learn how to navigate webpages, and use words and graphics to tell a story, using Word and PowerPoint.

2nd Grade – Typing skills are introduced in second grade. They also start basic skills in Word, as well as search skills in Google.

3rd Grade – Saving documents to their proper location, including flash drives, are a skill learned in third grade. Novice word processing skills, such as formatting and heading, will be taught as well.

4th & 5th Grade – Fourth and fifth graders use a Google account and Chromebooks. They will learn how to use Google apps, including the drive to save files. Copy and Paste skills are taught, and full document skills are learned. Proper methods of research, including simple citations, are taught. More advanced document formatting is learned, including proper name/date headings using tabs.

6th – 8th Grade – Middle school have “full-time” use of a Chromebook, and are taught how to use a variety of programs and apps, including Docs, Slides, Keep, Drive, Forms, and Sheets. In the Elective classes, the middle school students learn the history of computers and video games, as well as participate in coding lessons.