Classrooms

• Pre-School

• Child Care

• Kindergarten

• First Grade

• Second Grade

• Third Grade

• Fourth Grade

• Fifth Grade

• Sixth Grade

• Library

• Music

• Physical Ed

Email Web Master

Updated: 6/10/2008

 The first graders are given ample opportunity to discover the joy of Reading.  They work on story writing, discuss ideas, explore poetry, check out books from the library, and produce book reports.  The students practice reading daily, refine their reading skill, and focus on reading comprehension.  For those students that qualify, the STAR Accelerated Reading Program is available too.  Phonemic awareness is a large part of the first grade Language Arts program.  This includes letter recognition and the corresponding sound, blends, and the introduction of high frequency words.  

The Math program includes an introduction to math terms and vocabulary, plus the basic math facts and fact families.  The children perform repetition of math facts in order to cement this most important foundation early on.  Our first graders are asked to do problem solving and analyze basic word problems. They begin math computation including addition, subtraction and grouping.  Holy Spirit first graders that qualify are also introduced to the Houghton Mifflin Accelerated Math program.

The first graders enjoy discovering the world of plants, animals, anatomy, space and the earth in their Science curriculum.  Through their Discovery Works curriculum, they complete the following segments: Magnets, Earth’s Land and Water, Keeping Fit and Healthy, Weather and the Seasons, and Living Things.  They read, discuss, and write about these topics both at school and at home.  Sometimes they even perform simple hands on experiments with plants, reptiles, and magnets.  They study bears and then put their own teddy bears into hibernation until spring when they wake up again. They also study a supplemental curriculum about the oceans and space.  This exciting segment includes a night class to observe the skies and a trip to the museum in Idaho Falls.  There are several field trips which fortify all of these units, including but not limited to a trip to the Museum of Natural History, McKee’s Pet Store, Marshall Public Library, and Town & Country Gardens.

With a budding sense of the larger world around them, the students in first grade study maps, foreign countries, and are introduced to all of the continents.  They are asked to do an oral history report from an older family member when they study family traditions. They learn the origins of certain holiday celebrations, new information about Native and African Americans, and learn to recognize different aspects of our civic duties.  Also in Social Studies, the Holy Spirit first graders are taught the Spanish language and culture three times a week.

The first grade class is allowed 200 minutes of Computer Technology each week per student.  They enjoy educational computer games and in general become more proficient with the mouse, the software, and the computer hardware in a supervised setting. First graders are assigned weekly homework packets that reinforce what they learn at school in math, reading and language arts, and involve their families in their education process.  They are expected to abide by the school Code of Conduct and treat all people with respect.  Also, the first grades participate weekly in P.E. and Music. 

Holy Spirit’s first grade Religious Ed is taken from the Christ Our Life Workbook and the focus is on the theme “God is Good”.  They learn new prayers, study the Saints, and gain a more meaningful understanding of the religious holidays.  The children learn the importance of community service with several outreach programs through the year.  For example, it’s a tradition for the first and second graders to visit the Veterans Center every year.