K4 Curriculum

Religion

Creed

Show basic understanding that God made me and loves me
State that I am a child of God
Show understanding that God made all that is
Describe God as good and loving
Describe how God cares for his creation
Show understanding that God is with me all the time
State that God is greater than all creation
State that God made me to be happy with God in this life and after I die
State that God's only son is Jesus
Show basic understanding that God's Son, Jesus, loves people, especially children
Show basic understanding that Jesus died for us
Show belief that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead

Christian Living

State that I am loved by parents/guardians, siblings, other family members
Build a capacity to share unselfishly with others
Distinguish between selfish and unselfish acts
Exhibit awareness that I interact with my teachers, classmates, and friends
Exhibit awareness that rules teach me how to act
State awareness that I can help take care of my environment
Develop awareness of being a cheerful giver of time, talent, and treasure

Sacred Scripture

Identify the Bible as a very special book that tells us about God
State that the Bible tells us that God created everything and it is good
Describe how God saved Noah, his family, and the animals from the flood and left the rainbow as a sign of God's promise never to destroy creation
Identify the story of the Good Samaritan
Describe Jesus as God's Son
State that God is our Father and we are brothers and sisters in God's family
Identify Mary as the Mother of God
State that Jesus taught us how to love one another

Liturgy

Recognize that we talk and listen to God together with the community
Know that when we make the Sign of the Cross we address God's holy name
Show basic understanding that in church we believe God is present in a special way
Demonstrate that the interior of the church is a place to show respect to God (genuflect or bow)
Recognize Christmas as the birthday of Jesus
Recognize Easter as the resurrection of Jesus Christ
State that Sunday is the Lord's day when we go to Mass and pray as a family

Christian Prayer and Spirituality

Describe prayer as talking and listening to God
State that we can pray silently and with others
Describe how I can talk and listen to God at the same time
Describe God as a loving Father who only wants what is good for me
Identify objects in the classroom that lead to prayer
State how I can pray as Jesus prayed when I say the words "Our Father" to God
Make the Sign of the Cross
Recite simple prayers used in the community (Our Father, Hail Mary, Guardian Angel Prayer, Meal Prayer, Glory Be, Act of Faith, Hope and Love)
Identify "Amen" as the word we use to end every prayer

Catholic Church

State that the Church is our special home
Recognize that many people are members of the church

Parish Life

Identify the parish church where I go to pray with my family and classmates
Identify the pastor as the leader of the parish community

Vocation

Show understanding that God chose to make me a very special person
State that my parents/guardians show their love for God by loving and taking care of me
State that my teacher tells me about God

Ecumenism and Dialogue

Show that I respect others in my class as children of God
Express basic understanding that God made us all different from each other

Language Arts

Word Attack Skills

Name upper and lower case letters (random)
Understand that letters represent sounds
Understand that letters are building blocks for words
Identify and verbalize letter sounds
Distinguish letters from words and sentences
Identify beginning consonants
Recognize rhyming words
Build word families
Use phonemic awareness to sound out words with a CVC pattern
Use phonemic awareness to sound out words with blends (CCVC pattern)
Use phonemic awareness to sound out words with "bossy e" (CVCV pattern)
Use phonemic awareness to sound out words with "transformer h"
Recognize popcorn words
Distinguish between vowels and consonants
Recognize sight words: (black, pink, gray, white, blue, green, brown, red, yellow, orange, color, cut, glue, name)

Verbal Language Skills

State first and last names
Can spell first and last names
Can state age and gender
Converse with others
Answer questions
Say "please" and "thank you"
Follow 3-step directions
Sing songs
Use language to communicate wants/ needs/ and ideas
Can state street address (number and street name)

Identification Skills

Identify shapes: square, circle, oval, triangle, rectangle, heart, star, cross, diamond, octagon
Identify colors: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, pink, black, white, brown, gray
Identify directional relationships: in, out, under, behind, beside, before, after, over, below, inside, outside, next to
Identify opposite relationships: up/down, left/right, in/out, before/after
Identify first name in manuscript form
Identify numbers 1 - 20

Reading/Literature

Pre-Reading Readiness

Use pictures and diagrams
Use clues from the story to read words
Develop print awareness
Make reasonable predictions

Literature Appreciation

Recite nursery rhymes and/or poetry
Write and draw about what is read
Distinguish between reality and make-believe
Recall plot in a listening selection
Identify characters
Develop awareness of different forms of literature

Comprehension Skills

Put three pictures in a sequence
Use pictures to predict story content
Retell familiar stories with a beginning, middle, end
Talk about characters, setting, events
Identify the main idea, problem, solution and characters in a listening selection
Draw conclusions from a listening selection
Relate a sequence of 3 events in a reading selection

Writing/Composition Readiness

Writing Readiness

Color within the lines in one direction
Color an area completely (no white space)
Hold writing materials correctly
Reproduce writing strokes and shapes from memory
Reproduce letters from memory
Place letters between appropriate line spaces
Write first and last name in manuscript form (Capital letter first, lower case for the rest)
Space letters and words correctly
Understand that a sentence conveys one complete thought
Draw a detailed picture (5 or more details) of the character and setting from a listening selection
Write or dictate a complete sentence to match a picture
Use inventive spelling to write an unfamiliar word
Use inventive spelling to write a phrase
Use inventive spelling to write a complete sentence
Understand each sentence begins with a capital letter
Understand each sentence ends with punctuation

Math Skills

Numbers and Operations

Count and understand how many are in a set (up to 20)
Connect number words and numerals to the quantities they represent (up to 20)
Understand the relative position and magnitude of whole numbers
Count to 100
Identify patterns on 100's chart
Skip count by 10's to 100
Count dimes up to $1
Skip count by 5's to 50
Count nickels up to 50 cents
Skip count by 2's to 20
Apply the concept of addition to create a number sentence

Algebra

Analyze how repeating and growing patterns are generated
Recognize, build, draw, compare, sort, and name 2-dimensional shapes
Recognize geometrical shapes in their environment
Sort, classify and order objects by size, number, and other properties
Observe quantitative changes, i.e. students growing taller

Measurement

Recognize the attributes of length, weight, time
Develop an understanding of time, and the use of time relationships (morning, afternoon, etc.)
Tell time to the hour
Compare and order objects according to attributes

Motor skills

Fine Motor Skills

String beads
Fold/Tear pieces of paper
Build with blocks
Complete a puzzle of 12 or more pieces
Draw a line and a ball shape
Cut paper with scissors
Move paper to follow lines while cutting with scissors
Shape clay
Trace lines
Freeform a 2-dimensional shape
Hold writing utensils correctly
Draw a person with 10 body parts

Gross Motor Skills

Walk in a straight line
Run smoothly
Jump with both feet off the floor
Catch a ball
Bounce a ball
Follow rhythm
Sit at a table
Stay within one's own space
Line up and follow a leader
Participate in group games and activities
Ascend stairs with alternating feet

Science

Life Science
Human Body

Recognize self as a living thing
Recognize the commonality and uniqueness of each individual
Classify things as living or nonliving
Identify various body parts
Identify body parts used in the five senses
Describe an object using all five senses

Animals

Classify animals by their similar characteristics
Observe that animals closely resemble their parents
Describe changes in animals as they grow
Identify ways in which people use animals for food, clothing etc.
Observe and describe behaviors of similar animals
Identify the needs of animals (food, water, air, shelter)
Explain how the needs of animals are met by their natural habitats

Plants

Identify plants as living things (can grow and produce new plants)
Describe ways in which some plants are alike/different
Identify the parts of a plant
Classify seeds by similarities and differences
Observe the growth and development of seeds
Measure plant growth
Discuss the uses of plants
Identify some foods that come from plants
Identify conditions plants need in order to grow

Physical Science
Matter

Observe and describe the properties of objects
Compare/contrast objects based on their properties
Sort and classify objects based on their properties
Describe and compare the capacities of various containers
Observe that water takes the shape of its container
Identify objects that float
Identify objects that sink

Energy

Observe what magnets do
Observe types of objects that are attracted to magnets
Identify sources of light
Demonstrate that light helps make shadows
Identify various sounds
Observe characteristics of sound (high/low, soft/loud)

Earth Science
Seasonal Changes

Identify the four seasons
Sequence the order of seasons
Describe weather conditions
Record weather conditions over a period of time
Interpret data on a weather chart
Compare weather to how people dress and activities they might do

Earth Past and Present

Classify rocks according to size, color, texture
Identify that dinosaurs are extinct
Identify that people were not alive during the time of the dinosaurs
Observe, compare and classify the characteristics of dinosaurs

Process Skills: Observe, Classify, Measure, Communicate

Observe - Use the senses to gather information about objects or events such as shape, size, color, texture, sound, position, and change (qualitative observations)
Classify - Compare, sort, and group concrete objects according to observable properties
Measure - Use standard and nonstandard whole units to measure mass, length, volume and temperature
Communicate - Use drawings, graphs, written, and oral language to describe objects and explain ideas and actions
Inquiry - Plan and conduct a simple investigation
Ask a question about objects, organisms, and events in the environment that could start an investigation and use simple equipment to gather data and extend the senses
** Process skills and inquiry are not isolated units of instruction but should be embedded throughout the content areas.

Spanish

Greet one another in Spanish: "Hola, ¿cómo estás?"
Ask one another’s names in Spanish: "¿Cómo te llamas?"
Ask one another's age in Spanish: "¿Cuántos años tienes?"
Name the colors in Spanish: rojo, verde, azul, amarillo, rosa, morado, café, negro, blanco, anaranjado
Name the shapes in Spanish: circulo, triangulo, cuadrado, estrella, rectangulo, corazon, ovalo, diamante
Name various animals in Spanish as presented
Name various fruits in Spanish as presented
Count to 10 in Spanish
Count to 20 in Spanish
Recognize the days of the week in Spanish
Recognize the months of the year in Spanish
Recognize the seasons in Spanish
Recognize some opposites in Spanish: grande/pequeño, arriba/abajo
Recognize some body parts in Spanish
Recognize some family relationships in Spanish
Sing songs in Spanish

Classroom Expectations

Wait for a turn to speak
Have age-appropriate control over feelings
Identify self with classmates
Treat others with respect
Stay on task

Music

Basic Skills

Be aware of different styles of music
Explore ways to make, move to and appreciate music through rhythm instruments, creative movements and singing
Begin building a repertoire of songs of worship and secular songs
Build connections between songs and weekly academic theme and the topic/letter week
Be aware of basic music theory: musical notes, rhythmic notation and sound notation
Be aware of various genres of music: blues, classical, calypso, etc.

Music Verbal Skills

State first name "loud and strong" to the group
Follow verbal instructions
Sing songs

Music Listening Skills

Stop and start along with the music being played
Develop awareness of musical variations (fast and slow)
Develop awareness of sound dynamics (loud and quiet)

Music Motor Skills

Move to music: dance, skip, march, jump, twist
Use scarves and ribbons in conjunction with music
Play rhythm instruments
Participate in action songs using hand gestures and foot movements

Music Social Skills

Share instruments
Take turns
Participate