Dedicated to Inquiry-Based Academic Excellence, Developing

ST. MARY'S

An IB World School

LOWER SCHOOL

CURRICULUM

GUIDE

2017 - 2018

St. Mary's is an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School

dedicated to inquiry-based academic excellence, developing

well-rounded, conﬁdent children who ﬂourish in a creative

environment founded on Christian values.

ST. MARY'S SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Sharon Taylor

St. Mary's School – 7 Pursuit, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

(949) 448-9027 -

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OVERVIEW

International Baccalaureate...... 4

IB Learner Proﬁle...... 5

Primary Years Programme...... 6

Service Learning ...... 7

LOWER SCHOOL

Kindergarten Curriculum...... 9

First Grade Curriculum...... 12

Second Grade Curriculum...... 15

Third Grade Curriculum...... 18

Fourth Grade Curriculum...... 21

Fifth Grade Curriculum...... 24

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

Fiftyyears ago, a group of talented teachers from international schools around the world created the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. What started as a single programme for internationally minded students has today grown to be three programmes for students aged 3 to 19, experienced by over a million students from state and private schools in 147 countries.

As the only private school in Orange County to offer the IB Programme from Preschool through Eighth Grade, St. Mary's mission embodies the importance of developing strong and capable leaders through programs that prepare students for positive interaction in a global setting. Through experiences in the classroom, ﬁeld studies, participation in arts, music and athletic programs, and engagement in community service activities, students experience the fundamentals of leadership.

St. Mary's is authorized as An IB World School and offers the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP). The PYP and MYP both emphasize the dynamic combination of knowledge, skills, independent critical thinking, and the appreciation for the richness of life through international awareness.

Primary Years For students aged 3-12, focuses on the development of

Programmethe whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.

Middle Years For students aged 11-16, provides a framework of academic

Programmechallenge that encourages students to embrace and understand theconnections between traditional subjects and the real world, becoming critical reﬂective thinkers.

Both programmes:

have a strong international dimensional.
draw on content from educational cultures around the world.
require study across a broad range of subjects.
include both individual subjects and transdisciplinary areas.
give special emphasis to learning languages.
focus on developing the skills of learning.
provide opportunities for individual and collaborative planning and research.
encourage students to become responsible members of their community.

IB LEARNER PROFILE

The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME

The IB Primary Years Programme, for students aged 3 to 12, focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.

The programme:

encourages international-mindedness in IB students.
encourages a positive attitude to learning by engaging students in inquiries and developing their awareness of the process of learning so that they become lifelong learners.
reﬂects real life by encouraging learning beyond traditional subjects with meaningful, in-depth inquiries into real issues

In Kindergarten through Grade Five, students explore six units of inquiry each year. These six to eight-week transdisciplinary units are investigations into important ideas and require a high level of involvement on the part of the students. In each grade level, the themes revolve around the following topics:

Who we are
Where we are in place and time
How we express ourselves
How the world works
How we organize ourselves
Sharing the planet

Since these ideas are related to the world and beyond school, our students see the relevance of the content and connect with it in ways that are engaging and challenging. This helps them to reﬂect on their responsibility as learners and become actively involved with their learning.

In addition to the critical thinking skills developed through these transdisciplinary units, students also learn all the skills necessary to effectively communicate their understandings. Reading, writing, mathematics and information skills are embedded into the entire program. The school also offers exploratory classes in music, language, physical education, art and technology. By blending IB learning and traditional skills learning in the classroom, our Early Education and Lower School students are well prepared to transition into the Middle School at St. Mary’s.

SERVICE LEARNING

The St. Mary's Service Learning programs foster the development of an intrinsic mindset in each student to connect and engage with communities, locally or globally. As students identify and work to address a given community’s needs, they grow socially, spiritually, and develop strong leadership skills.

Through instruction and guidance in the classroom, Early Education through Fifth Grade teachers provide the initial introduction for students’ connectivity and related responsibility to their community. Teachers actively connect curriculum with community projects in order to provide meaningful and relevant learning experiences for all students. Through role modeling from teachers and members of the community, students learn concrete examples of the processes involved in creating, planning, promoting, and executing a project or service.

Through Service Learning, all of our students are given opportunities to use practical skills associated with higher order thinking such as analysis, synthesis, and critical thinking while developing character traits and leadership skills. Service Learning is an effective way of promoting higher levels of learning while simultaneously linking students’ academic and career goals with service to the community. The immediate result of the program is student interest and ownership, while the long-term effect is an increased level of citizenship, self-worth, character and leadership traits in the students.

St. Mary’s commitment to our Service Learning program allows students the opportunity to create a meaningful representation of their complete education while positively affecting the community and developing essential life skills.

KINDERGARTEN CURRICULUM

St. Mary’s Kindergarten students begin their journey through Lower School with a tremendous year of growth, development and learning. Students continue to develop social skills introduced in the Early Education Program, while being challenged to understand responsibilities within an elementary classroom.

Language Arts

Students in Kindergarten know letters, words, and sounds. They apply this knowledge to read simple sentences and by the end of Kindergarten readbooks at their independent level. They begin to understand what they are reading and can identify the basic facts and ideas in what they have read, heard, or viewed. They use comprehension strategies such as generating and responding to questions as well as comparing new information to what is already known. Instructional, guided practice is paramount at this level.

Kindergarten students begin writing to express themselves. They are able to write words and brief sentences that describe and explain familiar objects, events and experiences.Writing Workshop is used as a basis for the writing program. They experience writing three different types of texts at their developmental level: narratives, informational “how to”, and opinion pieces. Students are introduced to the concept of revising and editing their writing when conferencing with teachers. Vocabulary, conventions and word study are embedded into the program.

Math

In Everyday Mathematics and the PYP, students learn and master procedures, concepts, and applications in five content areas. Kindergarten emphasize the following content.

Data Handling: Learners develop an understanding of how the collection and organization of information helps to make sense of the world. They sort, describe and label objects by attributes and represent information in graphs including pictographs and tally marks. The learners discuss chance in daily events.

Measurement:Learners develop an understanding of how measurement involves the comparison of objects and the ordering and sequencing of events. They identify, compare and describe attributes of real objects as well as describe and sequence familiar events in their daily routines.

Shape and Space:Learners understand that shapes have characteristics that can be described and compared. They understand and use common language to describe paths, regions and boundaries of their immediate environment.

Pattern and Function:Learners understand that patterns and sequences occur in everyday situations. They identify, describe, extend and create patterns in various ways.

Number: Learners understand that numbers are used for many different purposes in the real world. They develop an understanding of one-to-one correspondence and conservation of number, and be able to count and use number words and numerals to represent quantities.

Mathematical Practices are also an important part of the math curriculum. These standards are based on the practices of mathematicians and are meant to develop powerful habits of mind. In Kindergarten through Grade 12, the Standards for Mathematical Practice are:

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Model with mathematics.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

IB Units of Inquiry

Students in Kindergarten explore six units of inquiry throughout the year. Each unit is approximately six weeks long and is transdisciplinary in that it incorporates all subject areas. These units are in-depth investigations into important ideas and require a high level of involvement on the part of the students.

The IB units of Inquiry for Kindergarten include the following:

•Who We Are: Central Idea: “Responsible citizens are active members of a community.” Students inquire into the make-up and building of a community, different types of communities, and roles within a community.

•How the World Works: Central Idea: “Animals, fish and plants have adaptations that help them survive in the ocean.” Students inquire into animals, fish and plants that live in the ocean. They discover the adaptations that allow these organisms to survive in their habitats. Finally, students discuss their personal responsibility in caring for the ocean.

•Where We Are In Place and Time: Central Idea: “Personal journeys lead to change and new opportunities.” Students inquire into important events that lead to change, how people change throughout the year, and how change leads to new opportunities.

•How We Express Ourselves: Central Idea: “People express themselves through a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts.” Students inquire into the author’s purpose and the features of fiction and nonfiction books.

•How We Organize Ourselves: Central Idea: “Numbers help us make sense of the world.” Students inquire into how numbers are used to record dates and times, problem solve, and used in our daily lives.

•Sharing the Planet: Central Idea: “Humans use the earth’s resources to provide for their needs.”Students inquire into the earth’s resources, types of farms and how resources are shared.

EXPLORATORY CLASSES

Spanish

Students attend Spanish three times a week. Kindergarten Spanish is an introduction to the wonderful world of Spanish. Students will begin to read, write and speak in Spanish, developing basic communication skills.

Physical Education

In Kindergarten, students have Physical Education three times a week for 30 minutes. The program follows a unique blending of the California State standards and the I.B. Programs vision of a balanced program involving: Individual Pursuits, Movement Composition, Games, Adventure Challenges, and Health Related fitness activities. Kindergarten students focus mainly on Individual Pursuits where motor skill development is the emphasis.

Music

Students attend Music once a week. The program follows the PYP Music Standards, which concentrate on teaching fundamental music skills such as rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, and form. Students learn to read and respond to Western musical notation, and create music using both written and unwritten methods.

Visual Arts

Students participate in Visual Arts once a week for 45 minutes. The Kindergarten program, aligning with the PYP Visual Arts Standards, focuses on encouraging students to experiment with a wide variety of media in order to foster creative expression of ideas, while targeting the development of fine motor skills.

Technology

Students attend Technology once a week. The Kindergarten program allows students to learn new skills such as opening and closing programs, accessing online resources, basic keyboarding, and use of the mouse and toolbars. Students are introduced to basic programming concepts as well as creating digital presentations to show their learning.

Christian Enrichment

Students attend Christian Enrichment once a week. Curriculum revolves around the IB Learner Proﬁles and Attitudes and how they relate to spiritual and moral issues. Through regular weekly Chapel and an additional weekly meeting, students develop their themes interactively, using Bible references, the Character Traits, and class discussion to clarify. This program is intended to provide a solid base of character and spiritual education and is reﬂective, engaging, and supportive of Christian values. Students maintain a journal of their notes and reﬂections.

FIRST GRADE CURRICULUM

Our First Graders are conﬁdent learners, full of wonder and curiosity.As natural inquirers, they seek answers to their questions, thereby creating meaningful connections between their personal knowledge and classroom content. In First Grade, the reading process continues. The students’ literary worlds come alive, and they see it in a whole new way!

Language Arts

Students in First Grade begin to understand the basic features of reading. They recognize letter patterns and know how to translate them into spoken language by using phonics, syllabication, and word parts. They apply this knowledge to achieve ﬂuent oral and silent reading. They begin to use comprehension strategies to help them understand what they are reading. They respond to who, what, when, where and how questions. They predict what will happen next in a text by identifying key words. First Grade students are able to read independently and receive instructional guided practice daily.

Students in First Grade write on a regular basis. Writers Workshop is the foundation for the writing program.The students’ personal experiences and the IB Units of Inquiry provide the content for their writing. Throughout the year, First Grade students write narrative, information, and opinion pieces.They write brief narratives and descriptions about familiar objects, events, and experiences. By the end of First Grade, students progress through the stages of the writing process which includes prewriting, drafting, revising, and conferencing with teachers. Vocabulary, grammar, conventions and word study are embedded into the program.

Math

In Everyday Mathematicsand the PYP, students learn and master procedures, concepts, and applications in these five content domains. The First Grade emphasizes the following content.

Data Handling: Learners understand how information can be expressed as organized and structured data and that this can occur in a range of ways. They collect and represent data in different types of graphs, interpreting the resulting information for the purpose of answering questions. The learners develop an understanding that some events in daily life are more likely to happen than others and they identify and describe the likelihood using appropriate vocabulary.

Measurement:Learners understand that standard units allow them to have a common language to measure and describe objects and events, and that while estimation is a strategy that can be applied for approximate measurements, particular tools allow them to measure and describe attributes of objects and events with more accuracy. Learners develop these understandings in relation to measurement involving length, mass, capacity, money, temperature and time.

Shape and Space:Learners continue to work with 2D and 3D shapes, and develop the understanding that shapes are classified and named according to their properties. They understand that examples of symmetry and transformations exist in their immediate environment. Learners interpret, create and use simpledirections and specific vocabulary to describe paths, regions, positions and boundaries of their immediateenvironment.

Pattern and Function: Learners understand that whole numbers exhibit patterns and relationships that can be observed, described, and represented using numbers and other symbols. As a result, learners understand the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction, and the associative and commutative properties of addition. They use their understanding of patterns to represent and make sense of real-life situations and solve problems involving addition and subtraction.

Number: Learners develop their understanding of the base 10 place value system and model, read, write, estimate, compare and order numbers to hundreds or beyond. They will have automatic recall of addition and subtraction facts and be able to model addition and subtraction of whole numbers using the appropriate mathematical language to describe their mental and written strategies.

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Model with mathematics.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

IB Units of Inquiry