We are an active classroom where learning is always happening. Because of the small size of our classroom, we are able to individual learning to what each child needs to learn next. We are not as worried about what grade level, as we are answering the questions, "What do you know?" and "What do you need to learn next?" We even have students who sometimes join us from other classrooms as we work together as a whole school to meet each child's learning needs. 

Our learning groups will be flexible and may change depending on the learning tasks. To start the year, we have have separated into two main groups. They have named themselves the Capybaras and the Golds. We are still working on a name for our class so that we aren't relying on grade levels for our identity as a classroom. We will keep you posted! 

St. Therese Catholic School uses the Core Knowledge Langauge Arts (known as CKLA) program from preschool to fourth grade. This research based approach to teaching is based on the most current research about how children learn to speak, read, and write and how those skills are intertwined. 

For both first and second grade instruction, CKLA is split into Skills and Knowledge instruction. The work we do together in the Skills section is designed to provide each child with core knowledge or how sounds and their symbols (letters) work together to represent words. We will be practicing both by using individual sounds to create words and working backwards to break words into individual sounds. 

Grade 1 Unit 1 Scope and Sequence
comprehensive assessment of reading skills 
• review of reading and writing CVC, CCVC, CVCC, CCVCC words 
• the Tricky Words a, I, no, so, of, is, all, some, from, word, are, have, were, one, once, do, who, two, the, said, says, was, when, where, why, what, which, here, there 
• oral blending and segmenting of sounds 
• chaining exercises 
• dictation identification 
• reading decodable stories 
• answering questions about stories in written form

You can read the entire Skills Scope and Sequence for First Grade here.

St. Therese Catholic School uses the Core Knowledge Langauge Arts (known as CKLA) program from preschool to fourth grade. This research based approach to teaching is based on the most current research about how children learn to speak, read, and write and how those skills are intertwined. 

For both first and second grade instruction, CKLA is split into Skills and Knowledge instruction. The work we do together in the Skills section is designed to provide each child with core knowledge or how sounds and their symbols (letters) work together to represent words. We will be practicing both by using individual sounds to create words and working backwards to break words into individual sounds. 

Second Grade Unit 1
• comprehensive assessment of reading skills 
• read one- and two-syllable words with basic code spellings for short vowels, all consonants, spelling alternatives for /s/, /j/, /w/, /r/, /n/, and selected tricky spellings ‘c’, ‘g’, ‘s’, ‘n’ • chaining exercises 
• the Tricky Words he, she, we, be, me, the, was, of, a, do, down, how, to, what, where, why, from, once, one, two, could, would, should, there, said, says, word 
• read decodable stories 
• answer text-dependent questions about stories in complete sentences orally and in written form 
• write words, phrases, and sentences from dictation using phonics knowledge including phonemically plausible spellings

You can read the entire Skills Scope and Sequence for Second Grade here.

Domain 2 The Human Body

Using an interactive approach, the first half of this domain will introduce the human body to students. They will explore and make discoveries about their own bodies. They will be introduced to a network of body systems, comprised of organs that, together, perform vital jobs. Students will learn the fundamental parts and functions of five body systems: skeletal, muscular, digestive, circulatory, and nervous. The narrator of these read-alouds, a pediatrician, will share rhymes that reinforce basic ideas about the human body that students will learn. 

The second half of this domain focuses on care and maintenance of the human body. Students will learn how germs can cause disease, and how to help stop the spread of germs. They will be introduced to Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur, whose discoveries aided in the cure of diseases. Students will be taught five keys to good health—eat well, exercise, sleep, keep clean, and have regular checkups. By using the food pyramid and MyPlate to create their own meals, students will also learn the importance of a well-balanced diet. This domain will provide students with the rudimentary lessons they need to develop healthy habits. They will review and extend their learning in future grades.

Students will: 

• Explain that the human body is a network of systems
• Identify the skeletal, muscular, digestive, circulatory, and nervous systems
• Recall basic facts about the skeletal, muscular, digestive, circulatory, and nervous system
• Explain that the heart is a muscle integral to the circulatory system
• Identify the brain as a body's control center
• Explain that germs can cause disease in the body
• Explain the importance of vaccination in preventing disease
• Explain the importance of exercise, cleanliness, a balanced diet, and rest for bodily health

Core Vocabulary of Domain 2
The following list contains all of the core vocabulary words in The Human Body in the forms in which they appear in the read-alouds. The inclusion of the words on this list does not mean that students are immediately expected to be able to use all of these words on their own. However, through repeated exposure throughout the lessons, they should acquire a good understanding of most of these words and begin to use some of them in conversation.

 Lesson 1human, network, organs, oxygen, systems
Lesson 2 joint, skeleton, skull, spine, support
Lesson 3 involuntary, muscles, tendons, voluntary
Lesson 4 digestion, esophagus, intestine, stomach
Lesson 5 ​blood, ​blood vessels, heart, pulse
Lesson 6 ​brain, nerves
Lesson 7 ​diseases, germs, immunities, pasteurization, vaccines
Lesson 8 ​exercising, healthy, nutritious
Lesson 9 ​nutrients, pyramid
Lesson 10 ​complicated

Domain 3 Different Lands, Similar Stories

Domain 4 Early World Civilizations

Domain 5 Early American Civilizations

Domain 6 Astronomy

Domain 7 The History of the Earth

Domain 8 Animals and Habitats

Domain 9 Fairy Tales

Domain 10 A New Nation: American Independence

Domain 11 Frontier Explorers