Intermediate Grades
Grade 3
Third grade marks an important time in children’s education as they are learning to become more independent and mature learners. In 3rd grade students progress from practicing basic skills to mastering them and moving on to further developing more complex skills. Technology is integrated into lessons across the curriculum with the use of Chromebooks.
Religion
In third grade our daily religious life is focused on learning and practicing virtues. We learn about and memorize the Apostles Creed and host a Living Saint Museum on All Saints’ Day.
Language Arts
Third graders become more advanced readers and thinkers, digging deeper into topics and to analyze what they learn while using a variety of novels including Stone Fox, Charlotte’s Web and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
Math
Major math concepts emphasized in third grade are multiplication and division facts, measurement, geometry and fractions.
Social Studies
Units of study include the Native American Indians, and the U.S. government.
Science
We study units of the life cycle, force and motion, magnetism, and the water cycle using Mystery Science. The students also experience being the Scientist of the Week in which they demonstrate the scientific method while performing an experiment in front of the class.
Parent Overview Common Core State Standards | Grade 3
Grade 4
Fourth Grade students are S.T.A.R. students - Students Taking Academic Responsibility
As students enter upper elementary, they are challenged to become independent.
Religion
Daily religious instruction in fourth grade focuses on the following units: The Goodness of God, Jesus as the Son of God, The Holy Spirit, The Church, and Social Justice. The fourth graders experience weekly Mass with the parish community. The students use personal Bibles to gain a basic understanding of its structure, and that it is the foundation for our Catholic teaching.
Language Arts
We read a variety of novels to study the elements of a story. Following the California Common Core Standards, we use interactive notebooks to reinforce our learning. In our weekly writing assignments, we are able to master paragraph form and practice our creative writings. Students are challenged to read.
Math
The concepts are multi-digit Multiplication, Division, Fractions and Geometry. We use our knowledge to tackle word problems to bring math into our everyday lives through exploration and cooperative groups.
Social Studies
Our class focus is all things California. From the history to the present day, we study the regions, the California Missions and the Gold Rush. Through our study of the Missions, we learn to write reports and give oral presentations.
Science
Through STEM, we learn about living things, the earth’s crust and electricity and magnetism.
Parent Overview Common Core State Standards | Grade 4
Grade 5
Fifth Grade is a special year as students become more independent as they prepare for Middle school.
Religion
As a class we guide, inspire, and pray with each other as we study the life and teachings of Jesus. The students study scripture, the parts of Mass, Saints, and The Sacraments.
Language Arts
The students begin their day with Daily Oral Language, where they sharpen their basic skills in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar, and usage. The class also has the opportunity to read novels, and stories while working on their comprehension and reading level. We strengthen our writing skills through a variety of activities. Writing is practiced throughout the fifth grade curriculum.
Social Studies
Students learn about the United States, and how it came to be what it is today. Students create presentations, projects and research to increase their American knowledge.
Science
Students have an opportunity to read and learn about life and earth Science, they also participate in STEM activities and labs to meet the needs of all learning styles.
Mathematics
The focus is on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with whole numbers, decimals, and fractions. Students are also introduced to algebra and geometry concepts that will continue throughout their middle and high school education.
Extra Curricular
Throughout the year students also participate in the several fun and exciting interactive programs such as the Southwest Adopt-a- Pilot program, and a visit from the Sons of the American Revolution.
Technology
In 5th grade, technology is integrated into lessons with the use of Chromebooks to complete assignments. Students learn how to use and create assignments with the use of Google Docs and Google Presentations. This use of technology expands the knowledge of students by allowing them to have instant access to research and resources for each subject. It also allows for collaborative learning through group sharing.
Parent Overview Common Core State Standards | Grade 5
