Elementary

Religion
In first grade, students continue to develop their understanding of our Catholic faith. We participate in Mass each month including a special Patriotic Mass that our first graders host. Prayers are learned and reinforced. Stories from the Bible are read and discussed. Sunday’s gospel is a weekly topic that is read and discussed at a first-grade level. Religion 1 focuses on the following:

• The Trinity
• The Church
• Baptism
• Scripture
• Worship
• Creation
• God sent His Son, the Savior
• Jesus’ Miracles

ELA
ELA in first grade utilizes the Wilson program “Fundations”.  Each week a variety of skills are introduced (phonics, grammar, and comprehension). Different literary elements are incorporated each week in small Guided Reading groups.  Students read books that are tailored to their reading ability to help enhance reading skills. Weekly dictation practice allows students to apply skills learned. 

Writing
Students in first grade are continuing on their writing journey.  Using the writing skills learned in Kindergarten and developing new skills acquired as the year progresses, students become avid writers. Every Monday students write a “Weekend News” which is developed throughout the year. The first grade uses a writing plan that incorporates personal narratives, informative writing, opinion writing, and how-to writing.

Math
The Math 1 program, Into Math, supports the New York State Standards. The program includes the following: Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Number and Operations in Base Ten, Measurement and Data, and Geometry. By year end, our 1st graders have acquired the following skills:

• Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction
• Understand and apply properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction
•  Add and subtract within 20
• Extend the counting sequence to 120
•  Understand place value
• Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add, subtract, and compare numbers.
• Add and subtract 2-digit numbers.
• Measure lengths indirectly and by using length units.
• Tell time to the hour and half hour.
•  Represent and read data through graphs and charts.
• Identify attributes of, combine, and take apart 2 and 3-dimensional shapes.

Social Studies
Students focus on “My Family and Other Families,” communities, and the world around them. Students examine families and develop an awareness of cultural diversity within American culture and world culture.  Students learn about maps. Students learn about holidays and seasons throughout the year.

Science
In first grade, students enjoy hands-on and engaging science experiments to learn and explore the world around them.  We focus on the following topics:

• Animal Diversity
• Properties of Matter
• Weather and Seasons
• STEM

Religion
Our Word of Life series introduces students to practical situations and tangible examples of virtuous and moral character. This program provides faithful teachings and explains why faith is relevant in our modern culture.  Students explore topics such as the Liturgical Year, the Ten Commandments, and the sacraments, which prepare them to receive the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion.

Reading
The HMH Into Reading program offers students the opportunity to develop their reading skills through a diverse range of print and digital resources featuring contemporary content. Students engage with various genres of text to enhance their reading abilities. Continuous writing projects encompass expository, narrative, and persuasive forms. The program is designed to foster confidence in reading and writing for every student. Additionally, it supplies resources that support whole class instruction, small group activities, and independent work. Key components of the second grade English Language Arts program include handwriting, phonics, Fundations, and guided reading.
                    
 Mathematics
Through the use of the Into Math series, we ensure alignment with the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Learning Standards. Students enhance their understanding and cultivate fluency in mathematics. They acquire essential math skills, such as counting up to 1,000 and comparing three-digit numbers, which support a deeper comprehension of regrouping. Additionally, students engage with concepts related to measurement, time, geometry, and data analysis, providing a solid foundation for further mathematical learning.
                    
Science
The Science Savvas Curriculum is designed to align with Next Generation Science Standards and promote STEM learning. Students will engage in the study of Physical and Earth Science. They will be exposed to grade-level content through various methods, including hands-on experiences, reading materials, videos, teacher presentations, and interactive digital activities.

 Social Studies
In our Social Studies Alive TCi curriculum, students will explore a wide range of topics including countries, government, culture, geography, and history. They will examine community life and the evolution of family structures over time. This interactive Social Studies program actively engages students and cultivates a passion for learning.

Religion
Third-grade Religion focuses on the importance of living in communion with God as it is the only source of true happiness now and forever. Third-grade students develop their understanding of what it means to be in communion with God by examining how communion with God was established, how it was broken, the role of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to restore it, and their ongoing mission to achieve it. Students explore how achieving communion with God involves living in communion with one another. A spotlight is put on applying their religious studies to practical situations found throughout their daily lives as concrete examples of how to make virtuous choices by emulating Jesus in their words and actions are emphasized. Students examine how God is love and how He shares His love with us. They learn about their faith through God’s Word, experiential learning activities, and studying the lives of numerous Saints. The role of worship in the Liturgy, the Sacraments, and daily prayers is explained thus enabling students to grow in understanding of their faith, identity, and purpose. In addition, as a school, we focus on a religious theme that is carried out daily throughout the school year. This year’s theme is, “Encounter Christ’s Presence!”

ELA
Third-grade ELA follows a comprehensive, standards-based curriculum. The development of skills is prioritized as students actively engage in learning experiences rooted in higher-level thinking. Students can make inferences, draw conclusions, generate questions, make connections, provide text evidence, and summarize, evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information provided in both literature and informational texts. Reading instruction is student-centered as it is based on individual reading levels thus allowing each student to further develop their foundational reading skills. Learning activities include phonics, word recognition, spelling, fluency, grammar, and vocabulary. The ultimate goal of reading, comprehension, is a focal point. The development of writing skills is another focal point. The five stages of the writing process are explored as students develop the multitude of skills needed to successfully navigate each stage thus enabling them to expand their sentence writing to create well-organized, descriptive paragraphs. A wide variety of writing tasks involving numerous writing genres are completed resulting in the advancement of each student’s written expression.

Math
Math in the third grade focuses on standards mastery through skill building. To achieve this, a better understanding of foundational math concepts is cultivated and multiple strategies for solving mathematical problems are illuminated. An emphasis is placed on solving multi-step word problems as students enhance their ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division operations fluently. Developing a full understanding of the fundamental concepts of fractions is a focal point. Additional topics covered over the year include measurement, area and perimeter, the representation and interpretation of data, time, money, and geometry.

Science
Third grade Science follows the learning-by-doing philosophy as it is rooted in investigations in the form of immersive learning opportunities. This philosophy not only empowers students but facilitates skill building. Students enjoy numerous experiential learning experiences in the state-of-the-art Monsignor Robert L. Hayden Innovations Center and Makerspace and complete the New York State Science Labs on life cycles and weather. The hands-on learning approach provided through STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, art, and mathematics) instruction allows for a deeper understanding of core content that ranges from the study of living things and their environments to forces and motion, and the impact of weather.

Social Studies
The four main topics covered in third-grade Social Studies are Geography, History, Economics, and Civics. Geography centers on communities and includes a unit on Native Americans. History concentrates on the characteristics of culture and includes the study of cultures around the world. Economics encompasses the exchange of goods and services, budgeting money, the U.S. economic system, and global trade. Civics is composed of the U.S. Government, citizenship and participation, and making a difference in the world. These subjects allow students to have a well-balanced understanding of social concepts that affect them individually and collectively as members of a global community.

Religion
Grade 4 religion focuses on developing various aspects of our Catholic faith including: 

• Present to your child the truths revealed by God and professed in the Creeds of the Catholic Church.
• The Creeds provide a “common language of faith” for Christians.
• Students will study these truths and develop a personal understanding of this language of faith
• Guidance for students on how to pray and how to be a virtuous witness of God’s love.
• Growing in Jesus Christ
• The Commandments help us to love God
• We are called to Holiness
• School theme “Encounter Christ’s Presence!”
• Students will have the opportunity to bring the Nativity to life for the St. William’s community during our school Christmas Mass.
  
  

ELA
Students  in grade 4 ELA  will develop and strengthen their reading and writing skills including:

• Identifying main ideas and supporting details, setting, and main events.
• Summarizing what they have read
• Comparing and contrasting novels, characters, and problems/solutions within a text(s).
• Students will learn to identify character traits, themes, points of view, inferences, figurative language, and graphic features while reading fiction and nonfiction text structures using novels and stories from HMH Into Reading.
• Working on improving the use of vocabulary to help students understand what is being read.
• Understanding the root words, prefixes, and suffixes to help understand the meaning of words. 
• Also, introducing new vocabulary paired with practice activities to reinforce vocabulary acquisition.
• Spelling- understanding how to spell the root words and using prefixes and suffixes (morphology).
• Grammar- utilizing the Voyages program to bolster and teach grammar skills to 4th graders.

Students will also be immersed in the writing process:

• The writing curriculum follows a series of mini-lessons that help guide the students through each step of the writing process.
• They will learn brainstorming, prewriting, drafting, conferencing, revising, and publishing.
• Lastly, students will learn cursive handwriting. Once we finish learning all letters of the cursive alphabet, the students will choose whether they want to use print or cursive writing in the classroom.

Math
Math focuses on Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Numbers and Operations in Base Ten, Numbers and Operations- Fractions, Measurement and Data, and Geometry, utilizing The HMH Into Math Program in conjunction with the New York State Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards. Skill-building and analytical thinking are stressed in fourth grade as students use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with whole numbers to solve problems, analyze and generate patterns, problem-solve using measurement and conversion, represent and interpret data, extend understanding of fraction equivalence and ordering, and understand angle measurements and concepts.

Science
Science topics include Animals and Plants in their environment, Electricity and Magnetism, Properties of Water, and Interactions of Air, Water, and Land. Topics are reinforced through readings, labs, workbook instruction, assessments, and hands-on experiments.

Social Studies
The fourth-grade Social Studies curriculum focuses on the history of New York State and its involvement in the development of the United States in conjunction with the NYS K-12 Social Studies Framework. 

• Students will study state government, geography, location, climate, resources, and landforms. 
• Students study the early peoples of New York, primarily the Iroquois and Algonquian tribes. 
• Students will also learn the three branches of government and the national, state, and local levels. 
• We will also tie in the presidential election that is taking place this November.
• Students will tie in the writing process during social studies lessons and projects. 
• Students will read nonfiction novels and choose an important person in N.Y.S. history to research. 
• They will also dress up like this person and the children will give a short speech about the person of their choice.

Religion
The 5th grade Religion curriculum includes studying the Word of God; Liturgy and Worship following the standards set forth by the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The students will study and understand the purpose of liturgy and worship in the Catholic Church. Students will learn about the life of Christ and how He fulfilled the Old Testament and instituted the sacraments and the Church’s worship of God. (Word of Life intro)
 Throughout the year we will make it our goal to “Encounter Christ’s Presence”  which is our school theme! Students will be encouraged to make connections as we encounter Christ through Liturgy, Scripture, Sacraments, Prayer, and Community.
We will study the Liturgical Year (Ordinary Time, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Holy Days) and Feast Days as we participate in God’s work for salvation and live out the Beatitudes and Ten Commandments.

English Language Arts
In aligning with the DRVC Curriculum map and the Priority Standards, students in Grade 5 ELA continue their journey through the HMH Into Reading program to bolster their prior reading knowledge and experiences while learning and adding new content and elements to their repertoire. This year’s curriculum taps into all aspects of ELA- reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. Students read a combination of fiction and nonfiction texts as well as novels. While doing so, they learn to identify such literary elements as central idea, theme, author’s purpose, cause and effect, character, questioning, predicting, and inferencing among many others. Fifth graders also use Sadlier’s Vocabulary Workshop program to foster the acquisition of new vocabulary and use the words in practice and context activities. Students also engage in writing activities throughout the year in a writing workshop format. Lastly, the curriculum employs the Voyages in English program to teach grammar concepts such as types of sentences, different parts of speech, and diagramming sentences. 

Math
Grade 5 Mathematics follows the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards and Mathematical Practices using a variety of tools for instruction and discovery such as HMH Into Math, interactive notebooks, digital resources, and hands-on centers. Students will have opportunities to apply the skills they have learned and use them in real life situations such as shopping, baking, data collecting and organizing, and building. Individualized instruction is given through small groups using data collected from classroom assessments and i-Ready diagnostics and weekly lessons. 


Students are accessed throughout the school year using benchmark assessments, chapter quizzes and assessments, and formative assessments (exit tickets, small group meetings, math reflections) 



Science
The 5th grade Science curriculum consists of a combination of Earth Science, Physical Science and Life Science.
Listed below are the individual topics that are covered.


Social Studies
The 5th Grade Social Studies curriculum enhances students' understanding of New York State's history and connects it to the broader context of United States history. Students explore the various regions of the United States, highlighting their distinctive characteristics. The curriculum also includes a focused study of key historical events, with particular emphasis on the Constitution and the American Revolution.