Classes K-8

Introduction

Our Lady of the Lake is a special place, a community of parish and school families, alumni, grandparents and others who believe in children and their future. OLL graduates are grounded in Catholic values with successful professions. They understand each person is sacred, God's creation must be preserved, all people have rights and obligations, and the vulnerable are entitled to respect and dignity. They are academically strong. Test scores rank OLL in the top 10% of all private schools and OLL graduates attend the best high schools in Seattle and the finest public and private universities in the United States. OLL students are prepared to take their place in the world. They feed the homeless, prosecute lawbreakers, defend the indigent, serve in the armed services, care for the sick, create new national wealth in the business world, and serve the public. OLL inherits a great school legacy and its students, parents, and teachers pass it on.
 

The Students

The early years are exciting times. Typically aged between five through seven, these students move fully into childhood from infancy. They often enter kindergarten expecting immediate gratification and finding it hard to share, but leave grade 2 capable of self-monitoring, respecting rules, and expecting group give-and-take. They are ready to begin the search for friends that will mark grades 3 through 5.
 

Student Learning Goals

The Archdiocese of Seattle requires parochial school curriculum to track archdiocesan learning goals, which exceed state standards.  OLL's program matches these goals.  Every student is different.  Some read by first grade; others not until third.  Some like math; others prefer music.  Respecting these differences, parents can expect students to move from relatively straightforward decoding of text, spelling, arithmetic, and some memorization to oral and written fluency, algebraic and geometric concepts and the first signs of quite sophisticated critical thinking.
 

Other Program Emphases

OLL offers individual attention from a reading specialist, foreign language instruction outside school hours, band for students in Grades 5 - 8, a focus on music, physical education, public speaking, and drama, the "Steps for Respect" anti-bullying program, and athletic opportunities through the Catholic Youth Organization.

Reading stresses

• Concepts of print
• Phonological awareness
• Letter-sound relationships

• Initial sounds
• Ending sounds
• Segmentation of sounds

• Blending sounds
• Pre-primer vocabulary
• Oral story elements

Writing emphasizes

• Manuscript handwriting
• Directionality
• Printing own name

• Dictating ideas
• Beginning phonics
• Invented spelling

• Sound symbol relationships
• Conventions awareness
• Alphabet sequence

Oral Communication focuses on

• Listening
• Recognizing rhyming
• Following directions

• Building grade level vocabulary
• Retelling stories
• Solving problems

• Speaking in complete sentences
• Working as a group
• Classifying sounds

Math examines

• Matching colors, shapes, forms
• Order
• Sorting and classifying

• Position
• Number concept
• Money concept

• Numeral writing
• Counting to 30
• Time to the hour

Social Studies investigates

• Families
• Farms and cities

• Special days
• Rules

• Maps
• Comparing & contrasting

Science explores

• Seasons
• Cooking/measuring

• Senses

• Body parts

Reading stresses

• Concepts of print
• Rhyming
• Blending sounds
• Reading aloud

• Segmenting sounds
• Short vowels
• Initial/ending consonants
• Comprehension skills
• Vowel concept

• Consonant blends/diagraphs
• Suffix concept
• Story elements
• First grade sight words
• Grade level vocabulary

Writing emphasizes

• Manuscript handwriting
• Capital letters
• Ending punctuation

• Dictating stories
• Story elements
• Spelling grade-level words
• Short vowels

• Complete sentences
• Singular and plural nouns
• Beginning editing skills

Oral Communication focuses on

• Listening for information
• Identifying long and short vowels
• Recall main idea and details

• Following directions
• Retelling stories
• Appropriate questions

• Giving information
• Using correct grammar
• Sustaining 1:1 conversations
• Oral presentations

Math examines

• Number and patterns
• Adding/subtracting to 18
• Concept of 2-digit numbers

• Number facts to 20
• Counting and recognizing coins
• Shapes

• Identifying fractional parts
• Time to half hour
• Measurement

Social Studies investigates

• Where we live
• Mexico

• Celebrations
• America's past
• People at work

• Problem solving
• Families around the world

• Earth's land and water
• Rainforest environment

• Personal hygiene

• Kinds of living things
• Problem solving

Reading stresses

• Phonetic principles
• Complex letter patterns
• Multi-syllable words
• Summarizing

• Alphabetizing
• Grade level vocabulary
• Identifying main idea and details
• Suffixes, prefixes

• Fluency in oral reading
• Reading for information
• Variety of reading genres
• Figurative language

Writing emphasizes

• Upper/lower case differentiation
• Sentence variety, structure
• Conventions and punctuation

• Spelling grade level words
• Sequencing stories
• Steps of the writing process
• Writing for different purposes

• Non-fiction prose
• Paragraph concept
• Present and past tense
• Nouns, verbs, adjectives

Oral Communication focuses on

• Listening skills
• Interpreting information
• Questioning strategies

• Forming conclusions
• Finding clarification
• Following 2-3 step directions

• Retelling stories
• Effective delivery techniques
• Problem-solving
• Oral presentations

Math examines

• Place value to hundreds
• Two-digit addition/subtraction
• Summing coins, making change

• Time to the quarter hour
• Geometric shapes
• Fractional parts

• Measurement
• Concept of multiplication
• Probability
• Graphing

Social Studies investigates

• Map reading
• Chinese culture

• Citizenship and government
• Communities

• Flow charts, graphs
• People at work

• Rocks, soil
• Weather

• Nutrition
• Weather

• Flow charts
• Graphs

Introduction

Our Lady of the Lake is a special place, a community of parish and school families, alumni, grandparents and others who believe in children and their future. OLL graduates are grounded in Catholic values with successful professions. They understand each person is sacred, God's creation must be preserved, all people have rights and obligations, and the vulnerable are entitled to respect and dignity. They are academically strong. Test scores rank OLL in the top 10% of all private schools and OLL graduates attend the best high schools in Seattle and the finest public and private universities in the United States. OLL students are prepared to take their place in the world. They feed the homeless, prosecute lawbreakers, defend the indigent, serve in the armed services, care for the sick, create new national wealth in the business world, and serve the public. OLL inherits a great school legacy and its students, parents, and teachers pass it on.
 

The Students

The intermediate school years are a time of great individual change. These students between ages 8 and 11 are moving from childhood to adolescence. They start in Grade 3 as children, interested in parallel play and the give-and-take of the group. They leave Grade 5 on puberty's doorstep, intensely interested in making close friends. The maturation occurs at varying rates.
 

Student Learning Goals

The Archdiocese of Seattle requires parochial school curriculum to track archdiocesan learning goals, which exceed state standards.  OLL's program matches these goals.  Every student is different.  Some are reading short books; others are reading chapter books.  Some are adding and/or subtracting 2 digits; others are performing multiplication.  Some like science; others prefer music.  Respecting these differences, parents can expect students to move from relatively straightforward decoding of text, spelling, arithmetic, and some memorization to oral and written fluency, algebraic and geometric concepts and the first signs of quite sophisticated critical thinking.
 

Other Program Emphases

OLL offers individual attention from a reading specialist, foreign language instruction outside school hours, band for students in Grades 5 - 8, a focus on music, physical education, public speaking, and drama, the "Steps for Respect" anti-bullying program, and athletic opportunities through the Catholic Youth Organization.

Reading stresses

• Building vocabulary
• Word recognition and meaning
• Reading to learn
• Finding main idea and details

• Spelling
• Comprehension
• Dictionary skills
• Using charts, graphs, tables

• Synonyms and antonyms
• Story mapping
• Cause and effect
• Reading for enjoyment

Writing emphasizes

• Learning cursive handwriting
• Spelling grade level words
• Paragraph construction
• Note taking

• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Drafting and revising
• Beginning research skills

• Letter writing
• Steps of the writing process
• Writing for different purposes
• Understanding audience

Oral Communication focuses on

• Listening and observing
• Use of media/visuals
• Working in groups
• Oral summaries

• Checking understanding
• Connecting ideas
• Analyzing mass media
• Fluent verbal expression

• Requesting explanations
• Posture/body language
• Respectful language
• Oral presentation

Math examines

• Arithmetic
• Inverse relations (add/subtract)
• Surface and volume measures
• Algebraic sense

• Numbers and place value
• Intro to fractions and decimals
• Shapes, grids, & maps
• Elementary probability

• Addition/subtraction-thousands
• Beginning multiplication
• Beginning division
• Estimation

Science explores

• Life Cycle of Animals

• Life Cycle of Plants
• Force, Motion, Machines

• Matter
• Energy & Change

Texts: DiscoveryWorks Science, Hougton Mifflin

Social Studies investigates

• People and environment
• Government and citizenship
• Continents, hemispheres

• Comparing communities
• Washington geography
• Economic systems

• Communities yesterday and today
• Maps and globes

Reading stresses

• Interpreting charts/graphs
• Exploring different genres
• Main idea/details
• Building grade level vocabulary
• Reading for enjoyment

• Compare/contrast
• Setting
• Character analysis
• Sequence and order
• Finding information

• Using a variety of sources
• Inference
• Story mapping
• Characteristics of fiction vs. non-fiction

Writing emphasizes

• Clear and effective writing
• Resources and taking notes
• Writing for different audiences
• Use of own experience
• Monthly book reports

• Format and graphics
• Sentence variety
• Grammar
• Grade level spelling
• Small research paper

• Imaginative/figurative speech
• Prewriting process
• Drafting and editing
• Punctuation
• Narrative and expository writing

Oral Communication focuses on

• Respecting point of view
• Working with others
• Appropriate responses
• Building grade level vocabulary

• Posture/body language
• Seeing/offering feedback
• Checking understanding
• Separating fact vs. opinion

• Oral competence, confidence
• Using audio, visual aids
• Assessing own strengths

Math examines

• Numbers and place value
• Commutation and association
• Exploring probability

• Beginning fractions
• Length, perimeter, area
• Multiplication & division
• Mean, median, mode

• Solving word problems
• Geometry terms, models
• Algebraic sense
• Mastery of multiplication, division facts

Science explores

• Interdependence of creatures
• Salmon life cycle
• Water cycle

• Beach creatures
• Habitat
• Weather & climate

• Formation of landforms
• Natural resources/conservation
• Movement of Earth

Texts: DiscoveryWorks Science, Houghton Mifflin

Social Studies investigates

• Catholic social teachings
• Geography/use of maps
• Lewis and Clark

• WA nat. resources, geography
• Native American peoples
• People and culture

• Washington State history
• Oregon Trail
• The Pacific Rim

Reading stresses

• Story and word comprehension
• Mood, character, and theme
• Different genre each month

• Use of reference materials
• Story mapping
• Fact vs. opinion
• Inference

• Evaluating author's point of view and purpose
• Use of maps, tables, graphs
• Grade level vocabulary

Writing emphasizes

• Clear and effective writing
• Identify parts of speech
• Formal vs. informal styles
• Attention to mood

• Elements of grammar
• Generation of own ideas
• Punctuation
• Grade level spelling

• Writing conventions
• Computer keyboarding and publishing skills
• State and country reports

Oral Communication focuses on

• Focused attention
• Standards for listening
• Persuasive speech

• Standard grammar
• Requesting explanations
• Courtesy in a group

• Selecting data
• Posture/Body language
• Group discussions

Math examines

• Numbers through billions
• Solving word problems
• Use of data and statistics

• Factors
• Measurement
• Adding/subtracting fractions
• Multiplying whole numbers

• Geometry terms, models
• Algebraic sense
• Mastery of multiplication and division facts

Science explores

• Systems in living things
• Life processes
• Digestion & respiration

• Circulation & Excretion
• Life cycles
• Reproductive system

• Matter & energy
• Marine life and estuary

Texts: DiscoveryWorks Science, Hougton Mifflin ; Boeing engineer AWIM program; A World in Motion

Social Studies investigates

• US timeline
• US geography
• US natural resources

• US Constitution
• US maps
• Declaration of Independence
• Revolutionary war

• People and environment
• Catholic social teaching
• Democratic principles

Introduction

Our Lady of the Lake is a special place, a community of parish and school families, alumni, grandparents and others who believe in children and their future. OLL graduates are grounded in Catholic values with successful professions. They understand each person is sacred, God's creation must be preserved, all people have rights and obligations, and the vulnerable are entitled to respect and dignity. They are academically strong. Test scores rank OLL in the top 10% of all private schools and OLL graduates attend the best high schools in Seattle and the finest public and private universities in the United States. OLL students are prepared to take their place in the world. They feed the homeless, prosecute lawbreakers, defend the indigent, serve in the armed services, care for the sick, create new national wealth in the business world, and serve the public. OLL inherits a great school legacy and its students, parents, and teachers pass it on.
 

The Students

The middle school years are the period in which all the elements of an Our Lady of the Lake education bear fruit. Aged 12 to 14, these students are fully functioning early adolescents. Athletic competitiveness increases, keyboarding and rapid writing skills converge, and students worry consciously about building their reputations. In Grade 6, students tend to be concrete thinkers, and will interpret information literally. By Grade 7, some students have begun to transition to abstract thinking, a process that continues through Grade 8. They leave Grade 8 ready for the demands of the most competitive high schools in the Seattle area.
 

Student Learning Goals

The Archdiocese of Seattle requires parochial school curriculum to track archdiocesan learning goals, which exceed state standards.  OLL's program matches these goals.  Every student is different.  Some like math and/or science; others prefer reading or music.  Respecting these differences, parents can expect students to move from relatively straightforward decoding of text, spelling, arithmetic, and some memorization to oral and written fluency, algebraic and geometric concepts and continued signs of quite sophisticated critical thinking.
 

Other Program Emphases

OLL offers individual attention from a reading specialist, foreign language instruction outside school hours, band for students in Grades 5 - 8, a focus on music, physical education, public speaking, and drama, the "Steps for Respect" anti-bullying program, and athletic opportunities through the Catholic Youth Organization.

Exploring literature:

• Variety of genres
• Reading for a specific purpose
• Vocabulary development
• Authors tone, language

• Context
• Multiple viewpoints
• Theme, main idea, detail
• Literary/narrative text

• Time, order, and sequence
• Organizational structures
• Synthesis, analysis
• Literary devices

Writing emphasizes

• Humor, tension
• Attention of mood
• Use of specialized vocabulary
• Not-taking skills

• Elements of style
• Generation of own ideas
• Technology as a tool
• Writing conventions

• Introductions/conclusion
• Revising and editing
• Organization strategies
• Summarizing, outlining

Oral Communication focuses on

• Formal expository presentations
• Role playing

• Drama
• Small and large group discussions

• Courtesy in a group
• Standards for listening

Math examines

• Statistics and graphs
• Problem-solving using patterns
• Lists, tables, diagrams

• Equations
• Operations with fractions
• Place value systems
• Geometry-shapes, planes

• Application of decimals, percents
• Intro to algebraic concepts
• Questions and probability

Science explores

• Plate tectonics, earthquakes
• Earthquakes, tsunamis

• Solar system
• Stars, space, constellations

• Volcanoes
• Scientific inquiry process

Social Studies investigates

• Sumerian, Egyptian cultures
• Greek, Roman cultures

• Medieval Europe
• Major research project

• Group work
• Use of multiple resources, visual aids for project

Exploring literature:

• Apply dictionary skills
• Grade level vocabulary
• Comprehension strategies for literal and inferential text

• Connecting to prior knowledge
• Prediction, conclusion
• Summarizing grade level text
• Understanding author's style

• Use of graphic organizers
• Understanding different text features
• Similarities/comparisons

Writing emphasizes

• Writing for a variety of purposes and audiences
• Persuasive writing
• Conveying deeper analysis

• Drawing conclusions
• Elements of style
• Technology as a writing tool
• Formal grammar

• Formal writing structures
• Organizing and articulating ideas in a multiple page format
• Making connections

Oral Communication focuses on

• Audience participation
• Focused attention
• Courtesy in groups

• Skits and role playing
• Presentation skills
• Professional appearance

• Sincerity of purpose
• Content and organization
• Use of gestures
• Language for emphasis

Math examines

• Problem-solving using tables, graphs
• Statistics
• Graphs

• Operations with fractions
• Number sense
• Ratios and proportions
• Geometry

• Probability
• Operations with decimals
• Percentages

Science explores

• Motion
• Force
• Work, energy, power

• Botany
• Biology
• Anatomy
• Physiology

• Matter, changes in matter
• Periodic table
• Carbon chemistry
• Chemical reactions

Comments: Major research project each year

Social Studies investigates

• Fall of the Roman empire
• Rise of Byzantine empire

• Washington State history
• Islam

• Small research projects
• Group work

Exploring literature

• Apply dictionary skills
• Grade level vocabulary
• Analyzing recurring themes

• Functional documents
• Technical/non-technical documents
• Understanding author's style

• Use of graphic organizers
• Understanding different text features
• Exposure to great literature

Writing emphasizes

• Connection between writing & thought
• Writing to a variety of audiences
• Production of persuasive and expository projects

• Following formal structures
• Elements of style
• Technology as a writing tool
• Formal grammar

• Connections between writing & other fine language arts
• Organizing and articulating ideas in a multiple page format
• Making connections

Oral Communication focuses on

• Audience participation
• Focused attention
• Courtesy in groups

• Skits and role playing
• Presentation skills
• Professional appearance

• Sincerity of purpose
• Content and organization
• Use of gestures
• Language for emphasis

Math examines

• Exploring patterns
• Investigations in algebra
• Modeling integers

• Properties of real numbers
• Solving linear equations
• Graphing linear equations

• Language of algebra
• Data and graphs
• Number theory

• Writing linear functions
• Solving/graphing linear inequalities
• Quadratic equations

• Proportion, percent, probability
• Real numbers and percents
• Geometry concepts

• Systems of linear equations and inequalities
• Exponents & exponential functions

Science explores

• Physical sciences

• Biological sciences  (alternating yr)

• Chemical sciences  (alternating yr)

Social Studies investigates

• Mixing past and present events
• US Constitution

• US history
• US government structure

• American society