Thematic Units

• Each week, a different theme is used to explore and integrate concepts of intentional play, literacy, math, social studies, science, religion, music, and art.

World of Wonders

• The McGraw-Hill World of Wonders program is a developmentally appropriate, research-based early learning curriculum. It is designed to prepare 4 and 5-year-olds for the academic and social demands of kindergarten. In every unit, students will build familiarity with essential background knowledge and classroom routines.
• They will build a strong foundation for literacy.
• Focus on math, science, social studies, and music in every unit.
• Develop their social-emotional skills.

Handwriting

• We will be using Zaner-Bloser’s Handwriting: ABC 123 Just For Me! The handwriting readiness level takes a fun, playful approach to introduce young children to handwriting instruction. We will use the program to focus on letter and numeral formation. School Home Booklets will be sent home to provide additional handwriting practice. Each booklet will focus on one letter or numeral at a time and includes a variety of activities to be completed at home with the support of students' families.

Literacy Link

• Language development and reading readiness are taught by using a multi-sensory approach to help children make the connection between the sounds they hear and say in speech and how those sounds are represented in written language. This kinesthetic approach to phonics uses hand symbols to represent the alphabet letters and the sounds letters make. Students also develop the ability to rhyme and segment words into syllables and sounds.

Religion

• Our program develops religious awareness in children by capitalizing on their natural sensitivity and wonder. It is designed to help preschoolers know and love God by focusing on connecting the weekly Gospel and Doctrine. It helps the children to understand their Catholic faith, develop a relationship with Jesus and love the Gospel. We will also be participating in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. K4 students will be visiting the Atrium through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program every other week. The atrium, or sacred space for spiritual growth, allows opportunities for children to interact directly and intensely with materials to help them grow in their Catholic faith.

Technology

• The classroom Viewsonic television provides the teacher and students with an innovative tool that helps make subjects come alive, and captures the attention of learners by involving them in their learning in a dynamic and fun way.

Project Lead the Way

• This amazing program empowers students to adopt a design-thinking mindset through compelling activities, projects, and problems that build upon each other and relate to the world around them. As students engage in hands-on activities in which they become creative, collaborative problem solvers ready to take on any challenge. They are introduced to Mylo, Suzi, and Angelina, who introduce a challenge the children will work together to solve. Through hands-on activities, the children are challenged to become confident in trying new things, to learn from mistakes, and to apply what they know to find solutions. PLTW addresses Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core State Standards for Math and English Language Arts, and WMELS standards.
  

K5 Curriculum Philosophy

Academic excellence is a hallmark of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. St. Gabriel Catholic Parish School is committed to an environment in which each child’s God-given talents are fully developed within our faith-filled curriculum, focusing on acquiring knowledge through intentional play and exploration.

Reading / Language Arts

• Our kindergarten classroom utilizes the Wonders ELA program. This comprehensive Reading / Language Arts program offers high-quality literature instruction that ensures students will grow as life-long readers and writers. Wonders is a theme-based curriculum, which incorporates reading, math, science, and social studies in weekly themes. Each weekly theme provides a “word of the week”, based on Dolch sight words, and phonemic awareness of one letter of the alphabet.

 The Literacy Link

• Language development and reading readiness are taught by using a multi-sensory approach to help children make the connection between the sounds they hear and say in speech and how those sounds are represented in written language. This kinesthetic approach to phonics uses hand symbols to represent alphabet letters and the sounds letters make. Students also develop the ability to rhyme and segment words into syllables and sounds.

 Handwriting

• The Zaner Bloser handwriting book gives students the foundation they need to develop coloring, drawing, counting, and handwriting readiness. Children are taught these skills through music and multi-sensory learning materials.

Mathematics

• A hands-on approach is used to introduce and reinforce math concepts from the Reveal curriculum, based on the Common Core State Standards and Wisconsin Model of Early Learning Standards (WMELS). Through manipulatives, Interactive TV activities, and intentional play, students delve deeply into the concepts of counting and cardinality, algebraic thinking, measurement, and geometry.

Science

• Through exploration, hands-on experiments, and literature, children explore science topics and begin the development of science processing skills. Weather, space, water, animals, plants, and the human body are topics investigated throughout the school year. Our new curriculum PLTW Modules are: Sunlight and Weather & Pushes and Pulls.

Social Studies

• Children explore the world around them including identifying needs and wants, utilizing basic map skills, recognizing historical events and people, and distinguishing themselves as part of a group and family through the REVEAL social studies curriculum. These explorations are reinforced with SMARTboard lessons and weekly Let’s Find Out literature.

Religion

• The kindergarten religion curriculum develops religious awareness in children by capitalizing on the knowledge that God loves us. Through bible study, daily prayer, Mass attendance, and craft projects, kindergartners grow in their love for God and Catholic moral life. Kindergartners visit The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium every other week.

Technology

• The classroom Viewsonic television provides the kindergarten class with an innovative and interactive tool that helps make subjects come alive, and captures the attention of learners by involving them in their learning in a dynamic and fun way. Our SMARTboard is used throughout the day, in large-group activities, and individually during centers.

Centers

• Each day, children engage in cross-curricular learning centers. Center activities are designed to help advance the maturation of students by focusing on each child's social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development. Participation in centers encourages children to make discoveries that help build knowledge, awareness, and intellectual skills.