St. Catherine’s Multigraded Classroom Grades 1-2

St. Catherine’s Multigraded Classroom Grades 1-2

Advantages of St. Catherine’s Academy Over Public School•Small class size•3 areas of growth are addressed 1. academics 2. discipline 3. spirituality•Boys only school 1. addresses the specific learning style of boys 2. curriculum is boy oriented•Military component important 1. discipline 2. honor 3. respect

Advantages of Multigraded Classroom•The learning level of each child is addressed. 1. They are not limited to one grade level. 2. They experience cooperative learning and peer tutoring. 3. The students are never bored.•Multiple Intelligence approaches are used in curriculum planning and evaluation.•Students will move on to a 3-4 combo classroom after 2nd grade.

Curriculum

• based on CA state standards and Diocese or Orange standards•Student Learning Expectations (SLEs) addressed in each lesson•Military component 1. Grades 1 and 2 are assigned to a company and a “Big Brother” 2. They are part of the morning formation. 3. They participate in Reports.•Religious component 1. Religion is taught every morning. 2. Mass is once a week. They are responsible for the Mass 4-5 times per school year.

Class Schedule

•Language Arts, Religion, and Math are taught in the morning before lunch (whenever possible).•Social Studies, Science, and Art are taught after lunch.•Spanish is taught twice a week.• Computer Lab is once a week.•P.E. is twice a week.•Library is once a week.•Music is once a week.

Discipline Structure

•Gold coins are given for good behavior , positive actions, and good work done. They can be traded in at the end of the week for rewards.•Class points (Marble Jar) are given when the whole class behaves well. 100 class points means a popcorn party with a movie.•Card pulling system is used when classroom rules are not followed. They have consequences that match the number of cards pulled per day.•Agendas are filled in each day and notations are made to parents to indicate when there is a behavior issue that day. They are signed and returned the next day.

Additional Classroom Activities•Birthdays of each child are celebrated in the classroom. Children wear a special birthday hat and receive a special birthday message on the Smartboard.•We have at least one class trip (or more) per year and also have classroom speakers.•There are many manipulatives in the classroom used at Math time and the Smartboard is used extensively.•Classroom helpers are chosen each week and students who display exemplary behavior are given the opportunity to be classroom leaders.

ConclusionIn our multigraded classroom, we address each child as an individual using positive motivation, multiple-intelligence approaches, cooperative learning, and challenging activities. We address 3 different aspects of each child: academics, discipline, and spirituality to produce a well-rounded and competent student with high self-esteem.