St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School is a child-centered Armenian Institution committed to academic excellence. At the Elementary level, the core curriculum subjects are taught in English. The Armenian language and history are taught in Armenian, with an emphasis on creating awareness and instilling an appreciation of Armenian culture and traditions.
The curriculum of St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School is comprised of literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education and the fine arts. The Learning Goals under each core area represent the school’s end of the year expectations for students in grade one. The first grade curriculum will include but not be limited to, these topics. The developmental level of students as well as their varying abilities and interests will be taken into account when designing and implementing instruction.
The purpose of the written progress reports is to inform families of students’ individual progress in the achievement of these Learning Goals. Progress Reports are supplemented by Fall, Winter and Spring parent/teacher conferences. We believe that a child’s success in school is enhanced by meaningful home/school communication.
Armenian
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School uses the Armenian language series entitled “Mer Lezoun”. This is a publication of the Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America.
Reading
Read fluently, paying attention to punctuation marks and making inferences
Vocabulary
Retell stories read out loud. Learn the synonyms and antonyms of vocabulary words
Writing
Answer the questions of the text in writing
Handwriting
Copy a paragraph from the text, forming upper case and lower case letters correctly
Spelling
The spelling homework for the weekly spelling test is to learn to write correctly the designated 3-5 lines of the text
Grammar
Use of upper case letters
At the beginning of proper names
After a period
At the beginning of a new sentence
Nouns
Singular-plural
Verbs
Conjugation (present, past and future tenses)
Adjectives
Articles
Synonyms and Antonyms
Recitation
Recitation of selected poems after reading and understanding the subject
History and Geography of Armenia
The origins of the Armenian Nation
Geograpy of Armenia (mountains, lakes, rivers)
Religion
Church
People in Church
Sharagans
Bible
Havadov Khosdovanim
Lent
Easter
Baptism
Feast Days
General Knowledge
Seasons
Plants (vegetables, fruits, flowers)
City, State, Country
Breakfast, Lunch , Dinner
Good manners (greetings)
Library skills
geography (map skills)
READING
Read regularly spelled one- and two-syllable words automatically
Recognize or figure out most irregularly spelled words and such spelling patterns as diphthongs, special word spellings and common word endings
Independently read aloud unfamiliar level (at least) 28 books with 95% accuracy or better
Independently read aloud from unfamiliar books that they have previewed silently on their own, using intonation, pauses and emphasis that signal the meaning
Use the cues of punctuation –including commas, periods, question marks and quotation marks – to guide them in getting meaning and fluently reading aloud, know when they don’t understand a paragraph and search for clues within the text
Examine the relationship between earlier and later parts of a text and figure out how they make sense together, recognize and be able to talk about organizing structures
Combine information from two different parts of the text
Infer cause-and-effect relationships that are not stated explicitly
Compare the observations of the author and their own observations when reading nonfiction texts
Discuss how, why and what-if questions about nonfiction texts
Discuss or write about the themes of a book – what the “messages” of a book might be
Trace characters and plots across multiple episodes, perhaps ones that are read on several successive days
Relate later parts of a story to earlier parts, in terms of themes, cause and effect, etc. read one or two short books or long chapters every day and discuss what they read with another student or group
Read good children’s literature every day
Read multiple books by the same author and be able to discuss differences and similarities among these books
Reread some favorite books or parts of longer books gaining deeper comprehension and knowledge of author’s craft
Read narrative accounts, responses to literature (pieces written by other students, book blurbs and reviews), informational writing, reports, narrative procedures, recounting, memoirs, poetry, plays and other genres
Read their own writing and the writing of their classmates, including pieces compiled in class books or placed on public display
Read functional and instructional messages they see in the classroom environment
Voluntarily read to each other, signaling their sense of themselves as readers
Have worthwhile literature read to them to model the language and craft of good writing
Listen to and discuss at least one text that is longer and more difficult than what they read independently or with assistance
Hear texts read aloud from a variety of genres
Use reading strategies explicitly modeled by adults in read-aloud and assisted reading
READING STANDARD 2: Getting the Meaning
Recognize genre features and compare works by different authors in the same genre
Discuss recurring themes across works
Paraphrase or summarize what another speaker has said and check whether the original speaker accepts the paraphrase
Sometimes challenge another speaker on whether facts are accurate, including reference to the text
Sometimes challenge another speaker on logic or inference
Ask other speakers to provide supporting information or details
Politely correct someone who paraphrases or interprets their ideas incorrectly (for example, “That’s not what I meant…..”) recognize when they don’t know what a word means and use a variety of strategies for making sense of how it is used in the passages they are reading
Talk about the meaning of some new words encountered in reading after they have finished reading and discussing a text
Notice and show interest in understanding unfamiliar words in texts that are read to them
Know how to talk about what nouns mean in terms of function
Learn new words every day from their reading and talk
WRITING WORKSHOP:
Write daily
Generate their own topics and make decisions about which pieces to work on over several days or longer
Extend pieces of writing by, for example, turning a narrative into a poem or short description into a long report
Regularly solicit and provide useful feedback
Routinely reread, revise, edit and proofread their work
Take on strategies and elements of author’s craft that the class has discussed in their study of literary works
Apply commonly agreed upon criteria and their own judgment to assess the quality of their own work
Polish around 10 pieces throughout the year
Incorporate some literary or “writing” language that does not sound like speech (“Slowly, slowly he turned,”)
Build and present a world, rather than simply recount a chronology of events, using specific details about characters and settings and developing motives and moods
Develop internal events as well as external ones; for example, the child may tell not only what happened to a character but what the character wondered, remembered, hoped
Write in first and third person
Employ the use of dialogue effectively
Establish a context for the piece
Identify the topic
Show the steps in action in enough detail to follow them
Include relevant information
Use language that is straightforward and clear
Frequently use a picture to illustrate steps in the procedure
PRODUCING LITERATURE:
Write stories, memoirs, poems, songs and dramas conforming to appropriate expectations of each form
Write a story using styles learned from studying authors and genres
Write poetry using techniques they observe through a genre study
RESPONDING TO LITERATURE:
Provide a retelling
Write letters to the author, telling what they thought or asking questions
Make a plausible claim about what they read (i.e. suggestions a big theme or idea offering evidence from the text)
Write variations on a text (retelling from a new point of view)
Make connections between the text and their own lives
Have an obvious organization structure (often patterned after chapter book headings)
Communicate the ideas, insights or theories that have been elaborated on or illustrated through facts, details, quotations, statistics, and information
Usually have a concluding sentence or section
Use diagrams, charts or illustrations as appropriate to the text
Use all sentence patterns typical of oral language
Incorporate transition words and phrases
Use various embedding (phrases and modifiers) as well as coordination and subordination
Use various sentence patterns and lengths to slow reading down, speed it up, create mood
Embed literary language where appropriate
Reproduce sentence structures found in various genres they are reading
Use discernible logic to guide the spelling of unfamiliar words, making incorrect spelling less random
Produce writing in which most high-frequency words are spelled correctly
Correctly spell most words with regularly spelled patterns such as CV-C, C-V-C-silent e, and one-syllable words with blends
Correctly spell most inflectional endings, including plurals and verb tenses
Use correct spelling patterns and rules most of the time
Use specific spelling strategies during the writing process (i.e., check the word-wall; think about bases, prefixes and suffixes they know)
Engage in the editing process, perhaps with a partner, to correct spelling efforts
Use words from their speaking vocabulary in their writing, including words they have learned from reading and class discussion
Make word choices that reveal that they have a large enough vocabulary to exercise options in their word choice
Make choices about which words to use on the basis of whether they accurately convey the intended meanings
Extend their writing vocabulary by using specialized words related to their topic or setting or their writing (i.e., the names of the kinds of trees they are writing about)
Use capital letters at the beginnings of sentences
Use periods at the end of sentences
Approximate the use of quotation marks
Use capital letters and exclamation marks for emphasis
Use question marks
Use common contractions
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking
- Apply Addition and Subtraction Concepts
- Number patterns
- Add Two-Digit Numbers
- Subtract Two-Digit Numbers
- Number and Operations in Base Ten
- Place Value to 1,000
- Add Three-Digit Numbers
- Subtract Three-Digit Numbers
- Measurement and Data
- Money
- Data Analysis
- Time
- Customary and Metric Lengths
- Geometry
- Geometric Shapes and Equal Shares
KNOWATOM: Second Grade Science System
The KnowAtom Second Grade Science system tells the big picture of science as it relates to life, earth, physics, chemistry and engineering. Students start the year building models to construct their understanding of the solar system and the seasons. They dissect flowers and owl pellets to understand the plant life cycle and predator-prey relationships. Near the end of the 12 units, students build devices to test forces and balance. Teachers receive non-fiction trade books and student readers to reinforce the units’ topics and activity sheets accompany most lessons to assess student understanding.
Unit Topics
Unit 1: Our Solar System
Unit 2: Sun and Seasons
Unit 3: Living Earth
Unit 4: Flower Power
Unit 5: Grow a Garden
Unit 6: Predator and Prey
Unit 7: Moth vs. Butterfly
Unit 8: Forces
Unit 9: Simple Circuits
Unit 10: Inventions
Unit 11: Balancing Boats
Unit 12: Walls and Dams
E Pluribus Unum: From Many, One
Second graders study world and United States history, geography, economics, and government by learning more about who Americans are and where they came from. They explore their own family’s history and listen to or read a variety of teacher- or student-selected stories about: distinctive individuals, peoples, achievements, customs, events, places, or landmarks from long ago and around the world. Students learn more economic concepts by identifying producers, consumers, buyers, and sellers in their own communities.
CONCEPTS & SKILLS
Students should be able to:
Apply concepts and skills learned in previous grades.
History and Geography
Use a calendar to identify days, weeks, months, years, and seasons.
Use correctly words and phrases related to time (now, in the past, in the future), changing historical periods (other times, other places), and causation (because, reasons).
Explain the information that historical timelines convey and then put in chronological order events in the student’s life (e.g., the year he or she was born, started school, or moved to a new neighborhood) or in the history of countries studied.
Describe how maps and globes depict geographical information in different ways.
Read globes and maps and follow narrative accounts using them.
Civics and Government
Define and give examples of some of the rights and responsibilities that students as citizens have in the school (e.g., students have the right to vote in a class election and have the responsibility to follow school rules).
Give examples of fictional characters or real people in the school or community who were good leaders and good citizens, and explain the qualities that made them admirable (e.g., honesty, dependability, modesty, trustworthiness, courage).
Economics
Give examples of people in the school and community who are both producers and consumers.
Explain what buyers and sellers are and give examples of goods and services that are bought and sold in their community.
LEARNING STANDARDS
Building on knowledge from previous years, students should be able to:
On a map of the world, locate all of the continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica.
Locate the current boundaries of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Locate the oceans of the world: the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans.
Locate five major rivers in the world: the Mississippi, Amazon, Volga, Yangtze, and Nile.
Locate major mountains or mountain ranges in the world such as the Andes, Alps, Himalayas, Mt. Everest, Mt. McKinley, and the Rocky Mountains.
Explain the difference between a continent and a country and give examples of each.
On a map of the world, locate the continent, regions, or countries from which students, their parents, guardians, grandparents, or other relatives or ancestors came. With the help of family members and the school librarian, describe traditional food, customs, sports and games, and music of the place they came from.
With the help of the school librarian, give examples of traditions or customs from other countries that can be found in America today.
With the help of the school librarian, identify and describe well-known sites, events, or landmarks in at least three different countries from which students’ families come and explain why they are important.
After reading or listening to a variety of true stories about individuals recognized for their achievements, describe and compare different ways people have achieved great distinction (e.g. scientific, professional, political, religious, commercial, military, athletic, or artistic).
*Note-The SSAES Curriculum Guidelines for Social Studies is directly derived from the Massachusetts History & Social Science Curriculum Framework.
Learn songs by rote; echo singing; matching tones in appropriate range
Identify musical aspects of sound (1ong/short, up/down, high/low, soft/loud, fast/slow)
Create body movement to music and rhythm; dances; additional verses to songs; dramatizations of songs, moods, stories
Perform music alone and with others.
Improvise and create music.
Use the vocabulary and notation of music.
Respond to music with aesthetic judgments.
Continue the music learning experience independently.
Perform and/or respond to music of ever-widening variety.
Continue musical participation out of school as both a performer and a consumer.
Use variety of media to create 2-D and 3-D artwork
Demonstrate understanding of how to use materials appropriately
Express personal experiences in artwork
Use and understand the elements of design
Learn and use appropriate vocabulary related to methods, materials, and techniques
Technology Mission Statement
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School provides for the educational needs of all students through integrating technology-rich curriculum in the areas of basic skills and decision making and encourages a desire for learning, positive social interaction, and mutual respect. This mission is essential if our students are to become productive members of society with its ever-changing technology.
Computer Classroom Vision
St. Stephen’s students will use technology as a tool and resource to facilitate the development of lifelong learners who are equipped for the present and future world of higher education, work and personal pursuits. All students will have access to a technology-rich learning environment that supports and extends the school’s curriculum standards.
Goals and Objectives
St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School actively supports the use of technology to enhance learning and to prepare students for productive lives in the Twenty-first century. Through technology, students will have rich learning experiences as they strengthen skills and critical thinking to acquire, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information from multiple sources. They will also gain proficiency in communicating and conducting research electronically, enabling them to function effectively and productively in the Information Age.
The objectives are appropriate for each elementary grade level’s development readiness. They should be met by the end of the academic year. However, any of these objectives may be introduced earlier than the specified grade level, depending on students’ readiness. Formal keyboarding instruction will begin in Grade 3 with the use of a keyboarding curriculum and will be continued in succeeding grade levels to increase speed and accuracy. With this proficiency, students will use technology more efficiently and possess a vital skill for further education and future employment.
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
LEVEL 1 GRADES K, 1, and 2
By the completion of grade 2 all students should be able to perform the following tasks:
To identify the basic components of a computer system and how it operates.
To start and properly shutdown a computer.
To handle properly and care for hardware and software.
To be able to insert and eject a floppy disk.
To understand basic computer terms such as hard drive, icon, font, menu bar etc.
To use the mouse effectively.
To select and deselect an icon using the mouse.
To use the menu bar and pull down each menu.
To use the drag function of the mouse.
To open a file or document using the mouse.
To open, close, and re-size a window using a mouse.
To become familiar and use the keyboard. (Letters and numbers.)
To use general function keys namely, return/enter, delete/backspace, space bar, shift, tab, cap lock, arrow, escape, option and control keys.
To use basic keyboard shortcuts.
To develop keyboarding awareness.
To use informal keyboarding techniques.
To apply proper hand placement and finger usage on the home row keys.
To use a word processor effectively.
To understand insertion point and cursor.
To open and utilize an application.
To open a new document and enter letters and numbers.
To create a guided writing assignment.
To save and store files to the proper location.
To retrieve/open a saved file.
To edit a file.
To highlight (select) text for editing and customizing.
To use different font styles and sizes.
To combine text and a graphic within a document.
To print a file.
To access and use paint, draw or graphics programs.
To access and use the tool bar in a graphics program.
To create a simple graph.
To be able to locate the CD drive, handle a CD and load it.
To navigate through a CD program.
To quit and then eject a CD.
To use the resources of the internet in a controlled setting.
To use preselected sites to research a topic.
To work cooperatively on a curriculum related website.
To work on and complete a simple webquest.
To research a topic assigned by the classroom teacher.
To create a report using gathered research.
To create a slide show using gathered research.
To be aware of and to follow posted lab rules.
The Physical Education curriculum includes a balance of skills, concepts, game activities, rhythms and dance experiences designed to enhance the cognitive, motor, affective and physical fitness development of every child. Learning experiences encourage children to question, integrate, analyze, communicate and apply cognitive concepts. Activities that are taught in the curriculum allow children the opportunity to work together to improve their emerging social and cooperation skills. These activities also help children develop a positive self-concept. Ongoing fitness activities are part of the continual process of helping children understand, enjoy, improve and/or maintain their physical health and well-being. Grade decisions are based on ongoing individual assessments of children’s skill acquisition as they participate in physical education class activities and/or their effort to do their best while displaying cooperation and positive sportsmanship. The class is designed so that ALL children are involved in activities that allow them to remain active, successful and having fun.
Demonstrate mature form in locomotor skills
Combine locomotor patterns
Move in expressive ways
Kick, throw, catch and strike objects in changing environments
Use feedback to improve performance
Know the rules, procedures and safe practices for participation and respond appropriately
Share space and equipment with others