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CURRICULUM AND METHODS |
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CURRICULUM AND METHODS |
Iona Grammar School is a private, Catholic elementary school for boys in Westchester County, New York. Iona Grammar was established in the tradition of the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1916. Iona Grammar follows the teachings of Blessed Edmund Rice, the New York State Standards, and the Essential Learning’s from the Archdiocese of New York. It has a Kindergarten and goes through the 8th grade. There is one class section in grades K - 5, which are all self-contained learning environments. In grades 6th - 8th there are two sections of each class and students are exposed to a departmental program in preparation for high school.
At Iona Grammar School we are committed to foster academic excellence within a loving, Catholic, Christian environment. Iona Grammar School has adopted a curriculum that promotes the harmonious growth of the whole person, fosters the development of higher-order thinking, and prepares its’ students for lifelong learning. Our recently adopted Strategic Plan has further committed us to meet the varying needs and learning styles of our students. Iona Grammar School incorporates specific teaching strategies that develop appropriate grade level thinking and literacy skills. These essential thinking and literacy skills are coordinated in a spiral curriculum, indicating that the skills will be developed at the Kindergarten level and expanded and refined throughout the grades. When a child completes eighth grade and graduates, these skills will be firmly established. The faculty and administration at Iona Grammar have adopted this approach with great enthusiasm.
Religion –
Kindergarten
Iona Grammar School focuses on teaching the whole child in a student centered program, which starts in our earliest grades. Our Kindergarten students celebrate holy days and the seasons of the Church, and the focus is on the love that God has for each of us and the many gifts that He gives us.
Grades 1-2
The first grade religion program continues the theme of God’s love for us and how we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ. Second grade students prepare for the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.
Grades 3-5
In third grade, students study Catholic beliefs. The fourth grade studies God’s Laws – the Ten Commandments. Students in the fifth grade focus on the theme “We meet Jesus in the Sacraments”. Students learn about the seven sacraments. Students in grades three through five take the Archdiocesan Religion Exam in June.
Grades 6-8
The sixth grade Religion program is a concentration on the Old Testament. The students learn about God’s plan to save all people beginning with Genesis and the fulfillment of this plan through the birth, death and resurrection of Christ. The seventh and eighth grade courses deal with the New Testament, with a study of Church history, and the importance of morality.
Language Arts –
Kindergarten
The language arts program includes reading, writing, listening and speaking. In Kindergarten students focus on phonemic awareness skills and letter/sound relationships. Sight words are introduced along with a weekly spelling program.
Grades 1-2
Consonant and vowel sounds are concentrated on in the first grade, as well as increasing the sight-word vocabulary. In the second grade, students study the function of words in a sentence. Phonics, vocabulary and spelling are taught. Manuscript writing is taught in first and second grade.
Grades 3-5
Third grade students continue to learn phonics, vocabulary and spelling patterns. Rules of grammar are taught. Students in the third grade advance to writing sentences and paragraphs. Fourth grade students continue to practice fundamental grammar rules and learn to write for a variety of purposes. Fifth grade students continue the writing process and concentrate on developing the elements of writing. Students write in journals and collaborate on published books in each of the grades. Cursive writing is taught in grades three through five.
Grades 6-8
All three grade levels stress the fundamentals of basic grammar. There is an emphasis on different types of writing, the writing process and creative writing. Students continue to work on their communication and organizational skills.
Reading –
Kindergarten
Students in Kindergarten begin to practice the skills necessary to become active readers. Auditory discrimination skills, along with daily read-alouds help students prepare to become life long readers. Students also sharpen phonemic awareness skills and begin to recognize the conventions of print through shared reading and reading leveled readers.
Grades 1-2
High-frequency words, along with decoding skills, are continued in the first grade through leveled readers and daily read-alouds. In the second grade, a concentration on vocabulary and reading strategies help students continue to comprehend their reading.
Grades 3-5
In third and fourth grade students’ vocabulary is enriched and students are challenged with meaningful reading projects. Both a reading anthology and trade books are used. In the fifth grade, reading is taught through author studies.
Grades 6-8
The reading program for each grade is literature based, incorporating both classic and contemporary works. Students discuss and write about themes and characters in literature and interpret the assigned novels. Critical reading analysis, comprehension and vocabulary are reinforced and expanded.
Mathematics -
Kindergarten
Mathematics in Kindergarten is presented in a multi-sensory approach. Students are introduced to basic math vocabulary and concepts through hands-on activities that help improve a student’s number sense.
Grades 1-2
First and second grade students continue to expand the elementary math topics of addition, subtraction, graphing, measurement, time, money, estimation, geometry, fractions, fact families, and problem solving. Working with math manipulatives helps the young learner see concrete examples in problem solving.
Grades 3-5
Students in grades three through five continue to expand and refine the elementary math topics practiced in previous years. The operations of multiplication and division are included in the third and fourth grade curriculums. Problem solving strategies are taught to help students solve word problems. In fifth grade, the curriculum includes fractions, mixed numbers, decimals, ratio, percent, and probability. Writing explanations of the process of solving problems is emphasized.
Grades 6-8
The math courses for these grade levels are broken into advanced and regular classes. The sixth grade reviews the previous year’s skills and expands to graphing; calculating mean, median, mode; decimals; adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions; estimation; geometry of polygons; integers; ratios; proportions. In seventh grade, students build on the previous year’s curriculum by continuing with proportions; ratios; probability and patterns of geometry; integers and real numbers. Eighth grade math stresses algebraic reasoning, statistics, probability, geometry and measurement. Students enrolled in the advanced eighth grade math class complete Algebra I.
Social Studies –
Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, students learn about important people in history and celebrate the holidays using picture books, stories and activities. The students also explore holidays celebrated in the United States as well as other countries. “Me and My Family” is also a kindergarten social studies theme.
Grades 1-2
In the first grade, students study the world they live in and their place in the world. Map and globe skills are taught. Living in a community is the theme in second grade. Students identify different communities and how people live in them.
Grades 3-5
World Communities is the theme in third grade. Map and globe skills are continued along with a study of the oceans, continents and landforms. In fourth grade, students study the history of the United States and the main regions of our country. The theme for fifth grade is “The Land and People of the United States”.
Students present research and mapping projects.
Grades 6-8
The sixth grade social studies curriculum concentrates on Ancient Civilizations. Students explore the time period from the Middle Ages through the Cold War. The seventh grade theme is Early America (1550-1850), which includes the early Native Americans, the American Revolution and the trials and tribulations of a young country. The eighth grade continues the study of American history (1850-1960). Emphasis is placed on the Civil War, Manifest Destiny and America’s development into the role as a world leader. Theme papers and reports are assigned. Magazines, newspapers, films, documentaries and trade books supplement the textbook.
Science –
Kindergarten
The seasons of the year are the topics focused on. Changes in the seasons and the weather allow for many outdoor and hands-on activities. Kindergarten follows the “Science 21” program theme of “Exploring Our World”. This inquiry based program-provides hands-on activities for students to explore their senses to learn more about themselves and the world.
Grades 1-2
The first grade and the second grade also benefit from the “Science 21” program which encourages self directed learning through hands-on student centered activities. First grade students follow the year long theme of “Order in Our World”. Skills of investigating, organizing, and identifying are emphasized. Second grade students follow the theme “Measuring Changes in Our World”, which includes measuring changes in energy, living things, and changes in the environment.
Grades 3-5
In third grade, students investigate the “Cycles in the Natural World”. The cycles of plants, electricity, water, and animals are explored. The fourth grade focuses on “Organization in the Natural World”. Units include the organization of the scientist, organization of the earth, simple machines, and the digestive system. The fifth grade theme is “Interactions in the Natural World.” Topics in the fifth grade include cells, controlled studies, the respiratory, circulatory, and muscular systems, genetics, and the transfer of energy. Units of study in each grade level are linked to the New York State learning standards for mathematics, science and technology.
Grades 6-8
The sixth grade science program also uses the “Science 21” program. Students learn by asking questions and discovering answers for themselves by following the scientific method. Students make discoveries while exploring earth science and energy topics. The seventh grade course explores human biology and ecology. Students in the eighth grade study earth science and basic astronomy. Students in both the seventh and eighth grade have hands-on experiences in weekly labs and supplement the curriculum with “Current Science” magazine.
Spanish -
The Spanish program at Iona Grammar School mirrors a FLEX (Foreign Language Exploratory Program). Flex programs aim to give students a foundation in the foreign language of choice. Our program also offers cultural information that helps students develop an appreciation of the Spanish culture and customs. Spanish is offered to students in grades two through eight. Students in grades two and three receive Spanish once a week in a combined class. Students in grades four through six take Spanish twice a week, and students in grades seven and eight receive it three times a week. Christian values are integrated into all level of instruction, and the curriculum for grades seven and eight aims to prepare students for intermediate level Spanish in high school.
Physical Education -
All students at Iona Grammar School participate in Physical Education class twice a week. The main focus for students in grades Kindergarten through second is the development of gross motor skills. The activities also promote the ability to follow directions, and good sportsmanship. Students in grades three through eight are introduced to soccer, basketball, hockey, softball, and football. The program is designed to develop a sense of self-worth, self-discipline, and fair play in a safe environment.
Art -
Art class is held once a week for all grade levels. The objective for students in grades Kindergarten and grade one is to introduce basic art elements. Examples include: the color wheel, paints, crayons, lines, texture, and shape elements. Students in grades two through four expand on these basic elements and are introduced to various works by many artists. When the children reach grades five through eight the painting and drawing process is developed to provide each student with the opportunity to expand creatively on his experiences. Most recently the Joseph P. Corpina Foundation has donated a kiln giving all students the opportunity to express themselves through pottery creation.
Technology -
Currently Iona Grammar has one main computer lab equipped with (25) IBM Net vista computers for student use and (3) Dell notebooks for teacher use. Every classroom has internet access and is outfitted with at least two computers with the exception of the science lab that has four workstations with the capacity to hold four additional computers. All workstations are networked and Iona Grammar utilizes a full point to point T1 line for Internet admittance. Our website has been recently updated to include teacher e-mails, weekly homework assignments, and monthly lunch and activities calendars. Our “Safe and Acceptable Use Policy” on the Internet is taught and reinforced. A weekly period is scheduled for each class in every grade level to use the computer lab under the supervision of the computer teacher. Students in Kindergarten through grade four are instructed in hardware maintenance, and use various software titles that reinforce skills taught in the classroom. Students in grade five through eight are instructed on how to use Microsoft Office 2000 which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access. Keyboarding skills are taught at every grade level. Iona Grammar hopes to move to a wireless environment in the future to provide the students with the opportunity to use the most current technology.
Music -
Iona Grammar School has recently made significant improvements to its music program. The current full time music teacher has introduced an instrumental program in grades four through eight, to complement the existing choral program in every grade level. A jazz theme permeates the curriculum, which introduces children to the language of music, music theory, and music appreciation Specifically music class is held twice a week for students in grades Kindergarten through six, and once a week for students in grades seven and eight.
Library -
The library is available for all students to use when supervised by a faculty member; however students in grade Kindergarten through five have a formal library class once a week. The objectives are as follows: To instill a love for reading and books at all levels; to encourage borrowing of library books; to demonstrate and encourage use of Westchester Library system and online catalog; to develop language skills that include interpreting and evaluation of stories for main idea, sequencing, predictions, genre characteristics, and themes; and to coordinate with classroom teachers lessons to expand knowledge of particular curriculum topics and foster a sense of comfort within a library setting.