Programs\Lower School
Second Grade
Fifth Grade
Kindergarten Curriculum Overview
Language Arts: The language arts program for Kindergarten nurtures
oral language
skills, emphasizes the value of print and offers a wealth of
reading and writing opportunities. The development of strong foundational
skills is a priority as students practice rhyming, segmenting, and blending
sounds and participate in a variety of phonemic awareness games and
activities. The retelling and creation of stories through drama encourages
Kindergarteners to understand elements of literature and organize ideas.
Cross-curricular literature compliments the Open Court reading
selections and provides the students with an integrated approach to
learning. Kindergarteners study a variety of genres, including picture
books, poetry, folk tales (with an emphasis on fairy tale literature) and
non-fiction.
Instruction in written language enables students to understand the connection between oral and written language. Activities encourage purposeful writing experiences such as composing letters and creating lists. Kindergarteners learn to communicate ideas by drawing, labeling, and composing simple sentences. Through handwriting instruction using the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum, students systematically develop the fluency and legibility needed to communicate written thoughts.
Math: The kindergarten math program emphasizes the use of concrete experiences to develop an understanding of number relationships, algebraic thinking, statistics and probability, measurement and geometry. A cross-curricular approach motivates students to use mathematical thinking as they process information. Math Their Way and Everyday Mathematics curriculum materials support this Constructivist approach to learning.
Activities encourage skill development in the following areas: sorting and comparing, patterning, counting, measuring, problems solving and interpreting data.
Science: The kindergarten science curriculum encourages students to question, observe, investigate and problem solve using a hands-on discovery approach to learning. Kindergarteners use the scientific method and learn basic science terminology through experimentation. The program's emphasis on integrated curriculum underscores the importance of using a scientific perspective to understand art, math, and social studies. SCIS3 resources provide instructional guidance in the study of the following life science and physical science topics: the five senses, nutrition and healthy habits, skeletal system, life cycles of people, plants and animals, the seasons, pond life and insects, shadows, sound and vibration and polar and desert biomes.
Social Studies: Social studies activities help children develop an
understanding of themselves in the context of family, school and nation. Students examine the geographic, economic and socio-political
characteristics that define local and world communities. An integrated
curriculum nurtures an appreciation of the diversity of talents and cultures
that comprise a community. Themes of study in kindergarten include:
community helpers, safety, introduction to geography tools, our Country,
artic communities and Mexico.
First Grade Curriculum Overview
Language Arts: The language arts curriculum of first grade
introduces and offers practice in identification and use of spellings of
phonetic sounds though reading, writing and listening in order to build
fluency in reading and writing. Development of strategies for reading
comprehension occurs concurrently with skills for successful listening and
oral communication. Students gain confidence in identifying the main
character, the plot, resolution, and summarizing stories, recognizing the
main idea and supporting details. They will be able to tell from whose
perspective the author writes a story or poem. Throughout the process,
students nurture an appreciation for and an ability to differentiate among
the literary genre, conscious of the characters of each.
Written communication skills grow as the students build an intense awareness of sentence boundaries and structure. In First Grade, students identify nouns and pronouns, verbs and describing words (adjectives and adverbs). They practice correct use of end marks for sentences, commas, capital letters and contractions. They improve their handwriting skills through drill and practice, and creative narrative and expository writing. Over the course of the academic year the students become aware of a variety of correspondences and develop the ability to write a thank you note, a friendly note, an invitation and a list. As writers, the students identify the audience for whom one writes to insure clarity of communication.
Math: The objective in first grade math is to develop a solid conceptual foundation on which to construct and expand computation and problem solving. To that end students engage in teacher directed instruction, hands-on activities, and drill and practice, to confidently embrace skills including: number sense, counting and writing numbers by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's to 999, sorting and classifying by multiple attributes, addition and subtraction facts through 19, adding and subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers with and without regrouping, time, money, estimation, measurement, and geometry. The Everyday Mathematics curriculum is used and supplemented by a variety of other materials.
Science: Science in first grade is active and participatory. Students engage in experiments that involve materials found in the home and with which they are very familiar. Using objects from their environment students become very familiar with the steps of the scientific method and use this approach as they investigate and learn foundational facts through experiments. Topics of investigation begin with matter and move onto simple machines, muscles, the solar system, light and weather. To assess their mastery of information presented, students weigh, measure, and classify, build simple machines, exhibit and describe examples of the topic they are studying, create student models, author and present dramatizations incorporating vocabulary and facts, record and share observations, create, read or interpret graphs and play games using their acquired knowledge.
Social Studies: Community is the overall theme for the first grade study of groups of living beings, the structure in which they live, how the past has influenced them and some of their activities. The students compare and contrast various types of communities and the interaction of its members. The students build an appreciation for the likenesses shared within communities and the enrichment diversity gives communities. They develop an awareness of themselves as members of communities in which they live, learn and worship and nurture an obligation to contribute in a positive manner.
The curriculum consists of studies of Frederick as a larger community, of which families, schools, churches and neighborhoods and smaller communities. During a lengthy unit of study students grow to appreciate farming as a vital facet of Frederick, historically and economically. The students work cooperatively to follow codes and budget money to purchase farmland and animals to create model farms. Engagement in study of Argentina and China offer the opportunity to compare and contrast the arts, food, language geography, customs, and traditions of two other countries to the community in which the students are most familiar. First grade studies six different penguins and their cooperative interactions as a rookery (community) for survival. The students develop pride in their community and participate in activities that build consciousness of the need to give of themselves to it. Throughout the year, the first grade students construct map skills and geographical knowledge.
Second Grade Curriculum Overview
Language Arts: The joy of reading is contagious in the second grade
classroom! During Reading Workshop students can be found reading
independently in cozy bean-bag chairs, on the sofa, and even in the class
teepee. Students share their enthusiasm for reading by suggesting favorite
books and authors to each other, peer buddy-reading, and reading with their
middle-school reading buddies. Second grade students are guided to
self-select chapter books from the classroom and school library, read
independently and keep a literature journal. In addition, students read
extensively as a class from a wide range of literature including the Open
Court reading anthology for second grade. Strategies for decoding and
development of reading comprehension skills are taught through directed
instruction and class activities. Novels related to classroom curriculum are
read aloud to the class. There are many opportunities to develop comfort
and skill speaking in front of a peer group through the presentation of
monthly book reports and original poetry, participation in Readers' Theatre
and acting in the class play. The second grade class treats Trinity
families to a dinner-theatre performance integrating literature, music,
drama, Spanish, and art.
Writing workshop focuses on developing the steps of the writing process: pre-writing (brainstorming), first draft, editing, revising and presentation of final written product. Second graders gain experience in writing for a variety of purposes including original stories, letters, and poetry. Grammar, spelling and mechanics are strengthened through daily Mountain Language activities, guided exercises, and directed instruction.
Math: Math in second grade continues to build number and numeration concepts, addition, subtraction and multiplication facts, story problem applications, algebraic thinking, identification, and classification. Focus is placed on the development of strategies for problem solving that encourage thinking and reasoning. Students learn to tell time to the nearest minute, correctly count money and use linear measurements while applying math to the real world. The Everyday Mathematics curriculum is used and supplemented by a variety of other materials. Making connections that link math concepts and processes to content areas and the real world are consistently integrated into the math curriculum.
Science: Second grade science is “hands-on”; students learn through experimentation. Students may be seen painting with pinwheels to explore wind energy, using water in its different forms to study kinetic energy and making clay models to observe energy movement. Solar, nuclear and electric power sources are also explored. The study of digestion and the food pyramid presents many opportunities for experimentation. How far down the esophagus would an ice pop be felt? Student use the scientific method to generate a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, then record and illustrate their findings. During an exciting study of the rain forest students investigate aspects of regional climate, animals, plants and conservation. Students focus intensely on the scientific observation of plants, making predictions, taking measurements, varying growing conditions and gathering, recording and interpreting data. Field trips, guest speakers, and class projects make science something to be explored not just learned.
Social Studies: Students in Second grade study American Indians, concentrating on the Iroquois, the Navajo, and the Chinook. Students are divided into tribes and cooperatively construct an item to represent each tribe, such as a tepee, a pueblo or a totem pole. Hands-on activities including making jewelry, clothing and other items deepen the student's understanding of American Indian homes, food, music, transportation and trade, communication, clothing and games of the various tribes. Second graders learn the elements that define culture and apply that knowledge to an in-depth study of Japan. They have the opportunity to learn calligraphy and origami, use Japanese words and phrases, read Japanese stories, and even participate in a Japanese tea service. During the study of Costa Rica the aspects of culture, education, food, language, religion and landforms explored are compared and contrasted with those of Japan and the Native American tribes previously studied. Cross-content activities are included, such as individual research reports on a specific endangered species. Second graders use a wide variety of materials including library and internet resources to research, compile, compose and present their findings.
Third Grade Curriculum Overview
Language Arts: Reading Workshop focuses on independent reading at
each child's reading level and includes maintaining a reading journal or
literature log and peer and teacher conferences. In addition, teacher
selected novels from different genres are read and explored as a class. Whenever possible, novels are selected that complement social studies and
science content areas. Spelling instruction is provided through daily
lessons with additional focus on vocabulary from current units of study.
Writing Workshop provides students with many opportunities for creative writing with development of each step of the writing process. Writing for a given purpose includes researching and composing a biography, monthly book reports, composing original poetry, and composition of personal narratives. Cursive handwriting is introduced in third grade.
Math: The math curriculum for Trinity School students in grades 3 through 8 encompasses six strands: number relationships and computation, algebraic representation, patterns, measurement, geometry, probability and statistics. Third graders begin to manage more complex mathematical operations such as multiplying two and three-digit numbers by two-digit numbers. They learn the process of long division, using accurate computation and multiple steps and solve real life problems that require them to think about using the remainder in a functional way. They learn to check long division problems using multiplication. The Everyday Mathematics curriculum is used and supplemented with additional materials. Problem solving, reasoning, communicating and representing mathematical concepts is emphasized as students are taught to justify approaches and solutions to math problems. Students use manipulatives to grasp and demonstrate understanding of concepts. Whenever appropriate, students use technology to explore and extend concepts and to examine their use in the world around them.
Science: Science in Grade Three continues to build on students' fascination with the world around them. Using the scientific method to conduct experiments and investigations, along with a variety of hands-on activities and field trips, students gather and record data upon which they draw their conclusions. Integrated into the discipline of science are the disciplines of math, art, reading, and writing. Grade Three students focus on Earth science as they study the effects of weathering, erosion, plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes on the changing Earth; as well as the identification, formation, properties, and cycles of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and crystal formations. Deserts form the basis of Grade Three's study of environmental science as students learn about locations, descriptions, and types of deserts as well as desert plants and animals and their necessary adaptations. The water cycle and its ramifications help students make connections with how activities and habits of individuals, businesses and industries, and farmers impact the Chesapeake Bay.
Social Studies: Grade Three students expand their understanding of their place in the world as they learn about continents, oceans, hemispheres, and begin exploring latitude and longitude. This study naturally leads to a study of the early explorers. Integrating math, science, art, and reading and writing skills, students learn to gather data from maps, charts, and timelines as well as from biographies and non-fiction text. Students include in their study the impact of early exploration on indigenous peoples, particularly the mutual influence of culture, slavery, trade, and economy. The early colonization of the Americas, including the geographical, political, economical, and social reasons for establishment, pave the way for an early study of our nation's history. Canada, its geography, history, traditions, governments, and diversity of culture, help students continue to expand their understanding and awareness of our place in the world.
Fourth Grade Curriculum Overview
Social Studies:
Grade Four students investigate the American colonies thoroughly in order to
understand the foundations of the independence movement and the causes of
the American Revolution. Students work to understand the creation of
government for our young nation and appreciate how the early founders'
wisdom, sacrifice, compromise, and understanding of the needs of a diverse
group of people helped provide the documents, practices, and traditions that
guide our government today. Students study the state of Maryland in depth,
including its history, economy, geography, and cultures. Students integrate
the disciplines of math, reading, writing, science, art, and music into
their investigations of social studies. Historical fiction, non-fiction
texts, biographies, original documents, maps, charts, timelines, and even
cookbooks serve as sources for students to gather information. A variety of
hands-on experiences help students learn and share what they have learned
with the entire school.
Fifth Grade Curriculum Overview
Social Studies:
Students in Grade Five continue with their investigation of the United
States and its development, history, geography, and diverse cultures.
Examining the diversity of the first states in terms of economy, geography,
and culture, students explore some basic causes and effects of the American
Civil War. As students focus on western expansion, they include studies of
regional immigration and its effect on the development of our country's
economy and cultures. Students make connections with the contributions of
diverse groups of people to our American culture, past and present.
Historical fiction, maps, timelines, original sources and documents,
photographs, non-fiction text, songs, and poems provide students with
opportunities to deepen their understanding of the history and development
of the United States