Washington Jesuit Academy

Language Arts: Literature, Grammar and Writing

• Read aloud grade level appropriate narrative text and expository text fluently and accurately.
• Read and respond to grade level appropriate historically or culturally significant works of literature that reflect and enhance their study of history and social science.
• Discuss and keep a list of grade level appropriate writing ideas and use graphic organizers to plan writing, Students progressing through the stages of the writing process and proofread, edit, and revise writing.
• Continue to further develop grammar skills, reviewing rules and expanding their awareness of others, to include: identifying and properly use indefinite pronouns, present perfect, past perfect and future perfect verb tenses; ensuring that verbs agree with all subjects.
• Enhance vocabulary awareness and understanding through the use of varied word choices to make writing interesting.
• Use simple sentences, compound sentences, and complex sentences; use effective coordination and subordination of ideas, including both main ideas and supporting ideas in single sentences, to express complete thoughts.
• Write a well developed three paragraph essay, to include: a response to literature, a narrative and an essay question.
• Further develop punctuation skills, to include: Use colons after the salutation (greeting) in business letters, semicolons to connect main clauses and commas before the conjunction in compound sentences.
• Write grade level appropriate narratives (establishing plot, setting and point of view, and including sensory details to enhance plot and characters), responses to literature (developing an interpretation that shows careful reading, understanding, and insight, and proper organization of thought) and persuasive compositions (stating a clear position on a proposition or proposal and supporting the position with organized and relevant evidence.)

Math: Pre-Algebra, Linear Relationships and Geometric Measurement

• Develop an understanding of pre-algebra through an introduction to variables, tables, coordinate graphs and equations. Analyze and demonstrate the relationship between two variables, including a coordinate graph. Understand the steps in making a coordinate graph (identify variables, set scale, plot data). Analyze the pros and cons of tables and graphs. Write a rule for the relationship between two variables.
• Analyze ratio, proportion and percent as it relates to population density and strategies to use when solving different proportional-reasoning problems.
• Master the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of integers along with analyzing numbers by ordering, comparing and looking at their opposites.
• Describe linear relationships through tables, graphs and equations. Solve one and two step linear equations that have one variable. Be able to express a linear relationship with a table, graph and equation. Understand the constant rate of change and the y-intercept. Learn and understand the linear function of the standard form y=mx + b. Be able to determine the slope if given a table, a graph or two coordinate points. Recognize the direction of the slope, increasing or decreasing. Be able to write an equation for a line given the slope and y-intercept.
• Develop an understanding of three-dimensional geometric measurement to include the defining of volume and surface area of the dimensional shapes.

Reading: Advancing Understanding in Reading

• Further develop a sense for the significance of individual daily reading (DEAR) based upon grade level and personal readiness for books, exposing students to books of interest and grade level appropriateness.
• Advancing and refining the skills of summary, clarification, questioning, predicting and inference.
• Understand the variety in writing forms: fiction vs. non-fiction, novels, short stories and poetry.
• Expand vocabulary through regular practice of recording, defining, understanding part of speech and usage in a sentence.
• Daily Read Aloud to the students, using books that relate to themes throughout the curriculum.
• Further advance reading strategies to include: making connections, understanding context clues, awareness of setting and visualizing and evaluating a story.
• Use journal writing to express opinions and responses to readings.
• Using shared inquiry discussions to: present arguments clearly and persuasively, offer reasons for opinions and inferences, support ideas with evidence, analyze character motivation and development, learn to weigh merits of opposing arguments and to modify their initial opinions, gain confidence to shape and express own opinions of what they read and practice active listening and cooperative learning.

Science: Human Biology, The Cell and Motion and Electricity

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of the cell (plant and animal) structure and its processes, to include: mitosis, meiosis, DNA, cell structure and function, cell organization and cell energy. Further the study of the cell through an exploration of genetics and heredity.
• Further enhance the study of the systems of the body, providing greater analysis, through a more detailed understanding of their functions, the systems they operate and how they compare and contrast to one another.
• Understand and analyze the Periodic Table of Elements and its uses, along with an understanding of atoms and the elements that comprise the periodic table.
• Understand the science behind motion and electricity, with an emphasis on velocity, time, distance, Newton’s three laws of motion, forces, static and current electricity, conductors and insulators, circuit boxes and breakers. Incorporate the use of math and computation in order to calculate velocity, time and acceleration.
• Develop and awareness of the scientists (Newton, Franklin and Edison) behind the theories of motion and electricity.
• Develop writing skills through essay writing, article research and responses and begin to work on the critical analysis essay.
• Further the study of the scientific method and provide hands-on learning with the curriculum through regular scientific experimentation.

Religion: Jesus and the Early Church

• Develop an understanding of Jesus from the Christian and non-Christian historical records.
• Describe the corporal works of mercy and compare them to the values of democracy.
• Understand the formation of the New Testament and its different components, with an emphasis on the four Gospels, the writers and the differences.
• An awareness of Jewish history and culture from the foundations in the Old Testament to the everyday life and times during the life of Jesus.
• Study the early life of Jesus: His birth, baptism, time in the temple, temptation in the desert and the calling of His disciples.
• Describe the parables of Jesus (Good Samaritan, Ten Virgins, The Prodigal Son, The Talents, The Rich Fool and The Great Feast) and understand them in the context of the time of Jesus as well as the modern world.
• Develop an awareness of the miracles of Jesus, their purpose and meaning.
• A study of the Beatitudes and the Golden Rule and how they apply in the modern world.
• A study of the passion, death and resurrections of Christ and the rituals associated with Holy Week.
• Develop and understanding of the early church, its formation, Peter as the first Pope and the travels of St. Paul to spread Christianity.
• A study of the life of Ignatius of Loyola and the founding of the Society of Jesus.
• Develop writing skills through essay and research based writing.
• An emphasis on social justices through classroom dialogue of the following topics (but not limited to): death penalty, health care, abortion, political candidates stances on moral issues, cloning, race, defining our own morals, distribution of wealth and poverty)

History: The Explorers and Early American History

• A study of the early American and Native American people and cultures of the various lands (northwest, southwest, the plains, eastern woodlands and the early Americans who crossed from Beringia).
• Understand the age of explorations, the individual explorers, the reasons for the quest for new lands and the ways in which culture was shared and spread.
• Describe the birth of the American colonies and the reasons why Europeans settled the land known as the original 13 colonies, emphasizing the differences and similarities among the colonies.
• Analyze the growth of the colonies and their rise towards independence, focusing on: the French and Indian War, the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies and the problems that arose and the reasons for war.
• Comprehensive understanding of The Revolutionary War, its central figures and the conflicts that led to the war with Great Britain and the establishment of the Declaration of Independence, ultimately defining the birth of the United States.
• Understand the foundations of the American government, the three branches of government, the Bill of Rights and the establishment of the Constitution.
• Incorporate note taking skills (cornell notes) and writing skills with a focus on essay writing (analytical, expository, compare contrast and essay response).
• Develop an understanding of research and the role/use of primary sources.