Lower School Academics

PRE-KINDERGARTEN

Pre-K at Cranston-Johnston Catholic Regional School is a wonderful adventure!

We promote spiritual, academic, physical and social/emotional development within a safe and nurturing Catholic environment.  The students participate in a variety of activities centered around monthly themes as part of an enriching curriculum geared to students at this age and developmental level. In addition, students have full participation in the daily school life of this exciting and vibrant school community.  Instruction in Spanish, Health and Physical Education, religion, art and music are included in the Pre-Kindergarten program.  A full-time Registered Nurse is an integral part of the program.

The program is fully approved by the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF).

Welcome to the wonderful world of Kindergarten - a fun place to learn, discover, experience and explore! Our full day program is tailored to the needs of five and six year olds and the emphasis is on the development of their social, emotional, intellectual, physical and language skills.

Our curriculum includes beginning reading and math concepts. science, religion and social studies. Kindergarteners also participate in the following “Specials”: music, art, library, computer, physical education and Spanish.

Our reading program combines shared reading, oral language, writing and phonics to meet the needs of all Kindergarteners.

Various hands-on activities are used to introduce the children to a variety of mathematical skills.

The spiritual development of each child is the main focus of our religion program.

The children learn about the world of science through observation, exploration and discovery.

Our social studies program provides a connection between the child’s family and home life experiences to those of the school, the community, and the world.

In our classroom, children enjoy learning and applying their skills at a variety of learning centers. We work, learn and play together because play is children’s work!

FIRST GRADE

Students in first grade at CJCR spend a great deal of time laying the foundation blocks for reading. Phonics skills, word study, and comprehension are a main focus. Religion lessons include daily prayer, lessons on becoming followers of Jesus and inspiring children to celebrate and live our Catholic faith. Main areas of concentration in Math are learning addition and subtraction facts to 18, telling time to the hour and half-hour, and counting money amounts to one dollar. Science lessons on various topics allow the students to learn through exploration and hands-on experiences. Social studies units include lessons on families and communities, simple economics, and historical people and events.

Students attend weekly classes in art, gym, library, music, computer, and Spanish.

SECOND GRADE

Second grade students at Cranston-Johnston Catholic Regional School learn in a relaxed, non-stressful, nurturing environment. Children study mathematics through hands-on manipulatives for concepts, computation and problem solving. Reading instruction consists of reading aloud, comprehension skills and recalling details of the story.

Reading also encompasses spelling, language arts and phonics, all dealing with sounds, vowels and parts of speech. The science program introduces children to the world around them and the world beyond. Social studies entails the study of communities both past and present, transportation and map reading. Religion classes deal with Christian values. Sacraments and Holy Eucharist. The highlight of our religion class is the Second grade Communion Mass held near the end of the school year.

Second grade students attend art, music, computer, library and Spanish classes weekly.

THIRD GRADE

Students in third grade learn in a traditional environment with innovative teaching. Students understand responsibility, organization and independence in a respectful Christian setting. As a result, students are busily involved each day in the learning process. Our classroom motto “Always try to do your best” exemplifies the patience and understanding that permeates our classroom setting.

Religion studies include the four Marks of the Church and the Seven Sacraments. Math instruction, through traditional methodology and hands-on problem solving includes multiplication and division. English lessons include units in literature, writing, research papers, book reports, oral presentations, journal entries and creative writing. The science curriculum allows students to explore the world around them and includes the basics of life and earth science and useful classroom demonstrations to help bring science inquiry alive. An example of our life science study is the popular unit on whales that culminates with a hands-on exploration of a giant 65 foot inflatable whale.

The social studies program in grade three includes map studies, local and national government, community life, states and capitals and a holiday unit on Christmas customs in other lands. This, our presidential election year, allows us to explore the presidential election process that will culminate in children being able to cast a straw vote for candidates of their choice. The third grade curriculum is made complete with students engaged in weekly classes in art, music, computer studies, library and Spanish.

FOURTH GRADE

The fourth grade experience has many interesting and exciting components. The curriculum follows the Diocesan approved grade four standards but is enhanced with challenging, hands-on, fun activities. Here are some of our featured events:

Estimation is one of the first mathematical concepts we address and, to get a real feel for the concept, students engage in a pumpkin seed estimation activity. The students get their hands dirty by estimating and then counting the seeds.

In our Religion curriculum we cover Holy Days of Obligation. We do an in depth lesson on All Soul’s Day by researching saints, dressing in representational garb, creating a presentation, and celebrating Mass by processing into church dressed as the saints.

Another highlight comes during the Christmas season. Students read Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol. This unit is packed with interesting, fun, educational activities and the unit’s highlight comes in December when we take a field trip to Trinity Repertory Company to see a live production of the Dickens’ work.

In addition to our Social Studies curriculum which focuses on the U.S. regions, students complete a unit on African-Americans/Civil Rights Movement. The students do research projects and presentations that enhance their appreciation of the Civil Rights Movement.

The students enjoy the unit on the solar system. Here they learn from each other. Each student is expected to become our classroom expert on some aspect of the solar system. Their study is followed by an educational trip to Roger Williams Park’s planetarium and museum.

During Lent, the fourth graders are privileged to put on a reenactment shadow presentation of the Stations of the Cross that is a poignant and moving experience for the entire school community. It is a fourth grade tradition that all students look back upon with fond memories.

Throughout the year we focus on creative writing with an emphasis on poetry. At the end of the year, we conclude our study with an exciting event. The students transform their room into a poetry café. We invite guests to dine and listen to our writing. I hope you have enjoyed reading about some of our grade 4 highlights with many, many more activities threaded throughout the year. They all make for a wonderful fourth grade experience.

FIFTH GRADE

The fifth grade curriculum at Cranston-Johnston Catholic Regional School includes many interesting topics and activities. The students are challenged to explore their own ideas and increase their understanding of the world around them.

The reading program offers the students exposure to diverse genres of literature that expand their reading comprehension skills. In language arts, fifth graders are provided with a variety of writing opportunities that allow them to share their ideas and knowledge. They build upon the basic rules of grammar with more advanced technical application. Similarly, the students build upon basic math skills and advance toward the skills they will need in middle school. Religion classes allow students to study the basic tenets of the Roman Catholic faith and encourage them to practice these tents in their daily lives.

Students gain an appreciation for America’s past as they participate in social studies activities. In order to make social studies relevant, activities that involve current events, such as this year’s presidential election, are interjected throughout the school year. The science program offers fifth graders the opportunity to explore systems and interactions in the world of nature. As students gain knowledge of the environment, they design projects that increase environmental awareness to those around them.

Throughout the curriculum the fifth graders are offered a variety of learning experiences and assessment methods to ensure that each student’s needs are met. Long-term projects that are an extension of the required curriculum offer a creative outlet and result in many memorable fifth grade events.