Catawba County Schools

Students entering their educational journey in Kindergarten are very curious about the world around them. Our teachers channel this enthusiasm by creating innovative learning opportunities centered around the whole child. 

The initial kindergarten step introduces students to the formal classroom setting.  This is the foundational year for students to gain an understanding of classroom routines and times for learning, centered around basic literacy, math,  science, and social studies. 

Our kindergarten students are immersed in learning situations to support strong social skills and ways to make new friends.  Our goal for kindergarten students is to develop long-lasting relationships and a love for learning.

Academic Subjects

English Language Arts

• North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.  Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency.
• Our teachers engage students in reading through interactive, hands-on, literacy-rich activities using research-based materials. Letterland, our core phonics program, offers systematic learning that teaches the progression of phonics - sounds, letter names, word building, word structure and meaning, and reading for understanding.  
• Teachers utilize authentic text to model and guide the reading process in classroom and small group settings. Students have opportunities to read simple text with independence and to retell events in a story.
• In kindergarten, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Mathematics

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Know number names
• Know the count sequence
• Count to tell the number of objects
• Understand addition as putting together and adding to
• Understand subtraction as taking apart and taking from
• Work with numbers 11-19 to build the foundation for place value
• Identify and describe shapes

Science

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

Forces and Motion

• Position of objects
• Motion of objects

Matter: Properties and Change

• Classify by physical properties
• Compare objects by physical properties

Earth Systems, Structures and Processes

• Understand change and patterns of weather
• Summarize daily weather patterns
• Compare weather in different seasons

Structures and Functions of Living Organisms

• Compare different types of the same animal
• Compare characteristics of living and nonliving things

Social Studies

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our early social studies lessons.

History

• Understand change over time

Geography and Environmental Literacy

• Use geographic representation and terms to describe surroundings

Economics and Financial Literacy

• Understand basic economic concepts
• Understand interactions between humans and the environment

Civics and Government

• Understand the roles of a citizen

Culture

• Understand how individuals are similar and different

First grade is an important year in your child’s development as they begin to develop deeper academic skills. Your child will progress from beginning reading and writing skills to becoming a more independent reader and writer.

Your child will engage in positive learning opportunities that encourage him or her to be a critical thinker and problem solver in reading, math, science and social studies.

Academic Subjects

English Language Arts

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.  Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency

Our teachers engage students in reading through interactive, hands-on, literacy-rich activities using research-based materials. Letterland, our core phonics program, offers systematic learning that teaches the progression of phonics - sounds, letter names, word building, word structure and meaning, and reading for understanding.  

Teachers utilize authentic text to model and guide the reading process in classroom and small group settings. Students have opportunities to independently read and make meaning of text.

In first grade, writing and grammar are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Mathematics

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Solve problems with addition and subtraction.
• Extend the counting sequence, counting beyond 100.
• Understand place value.
• Measure lengths with non-standard units.
• Tell time to the hour and half hour.
• Identify coins.
• Build and identify shapes.
• Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares.

Science

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • How pushes and pulls affect motion.
  • How pushes and pulls make things move without touching (magnets).
  • Predict how forces will affect motion.
• Earth in the Universe
  • Differences in the day or night sky.
  • Patterns of change in the moon’s appearance.
• Earth Systems, Structures and Processes
  • Summarize the physical properties of earth’s materials (rocks, soil, water, etc.).
  • Compare the properties of soils.
• Ecosystems
  • Recognize that plants and animals get what they need from their environments (air, water, space, etc.).
  • Understand how human behaviors enable plants and animals to survive.
• Molecular Biology
  • Summarize the basic needs of plants.
  • Summarize the basic needs of animals.

Social Studies

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Understand that history tells a story of how people and events changed society over time.
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Use geographic representations, terms and technologies to process information from a spatial perspective. 
  • Understand how humans and the environment interact within the local community.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand basic economic concepts.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the importance of rules.
• Culture
  • Understand the diversity of people in the local community.

Second grade students are prepared for a more rigorous learning environment to deepen and expand their skills and knowledge. They engage in more complex and comprehensive learning opportunities to become more experienced writers, readers, and mathematicians. 

Your second grader will begin to develop research skills and critical thinking as they create individual and group projects in reading, math, science and social studies.

Academic Subjects

English Language Art

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.  Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency

Our teachers engage students in reading through interactive, hands-on, literacy-rich activities using research-based materials. Letterland, our core phonics program, offers systematic learning that teaches the progression of advanced phonics - word building, word structure and meaning, and reading for understanding.  

Teachers utilize authentic text to model and guide the reading process in classroom and small group settings. Students are reading longer, more complex text while analyzing, comparing and contrasting along with other metacognitive skills. 

In second grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Mathematics

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency.

• Solve problems with addition and subtraction.
• Work with equal groups of objects.
• Understand and use place value to add and subtract.
• Measure and estimate lengths.
• Work with time and money.
• Recognize and draw shapes
• Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, and four equal shares.

Science

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Illustrate how sound is produced.
  • Summarize the relationship between sound and body parts that vibrate (ear drum, vocal cords).
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Give examples of matter that change from a solid to a liquid and from a liquid to a solid by heating and cooling.
  • Compare the amount of water in a container before and after freezing.
  • Compare what happens to water left in an open container over time as to water left in a closed container.
• Earth Systems, Structures, and Processes
  • Summarize how energy from the sun serves as a source of light that warms the land, air and water.
  • Summarize weather conditions (temperature, precipitation, etc.).
  • Compare weather patterns that occur over time and relate observable patterns to time of day and time of year.
  • Recognize the tools that scientists use for observing, recording, and predicting weather changes.
• Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
  • Summarize and compare the life cycles of animals
• Evolution and Genetics
  • Identify ways in which many plants and animals closely resemble their parents.
  •  Recognize that there is variation among individuals that are related.

Social Studies

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Understand how various sources provide information about the past.
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Use geographic representations, terms and technologies to process information from a spatial perspective. 
  • Understand the effects of humans interacting with the environment.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand basic economic concepts.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the purpose of governments.
  • Understand the roles and responsibilities of citizens.
• Culture
  • Understand how various cultures influence communities.

Third grade is a fundamental year in your child’s educational career.  Students are becoming more independent and mature learners as they transition from mastering foundational skills to developing more complex skills as advanced readers, writers, mathematicians, and thinkers. 

It is the goal of North Carolina schools to have all students reading on or above grade level by the end of third grade.

Academic Subjects

English Language Arts

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.  Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency

Our teachers engage students in reading through interactive, hands-on, literacy-rich activities using research-based materials. Letterland, our core phonics program, offers systematic learning that teaches the progression of advanced phonics - word building, word structure and meaning, and reading for understanding.  

Teachers utilize authentic, complex text to engage students in reading literature and informational text in classroom and small group settings.

In third grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Mathematics

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Solve problems with multiplication and division.
• Understand place value and properties of operations.
• Develop understanding of fractions as numbers.
• Solve problems involving measurement.
• Understand concepts of area.
• Understand perimeter.

 
Science

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Infer changes in speed or direction resulting from forces acting on an object.
  • Compare the relative speeds of objects that travel the same distance in different amounts of time.
  • Explain the effects of earth’s gravity on the motion of an object on or near the earth.
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Recognize that air is a substance that surrounds us, takes up space and has mass.
  • Compare solids, liquids, and gases.
  • Summarize changes that occur to the properties of materials when different degrees of heat are applied to them.
• Energy, Conservation and Transfer
  • Recognize that energy can be transferred from one object to another by rubbing them against each other.
  • Recognize that energy can be transferred from a warmer object to a cooler one and the cooler object gets warmer.
• Earth in the Universe
  • Recognize that the earth is part of a system called the solar system that includes the sun (a star), planets, and many moons.
  • Recognize that changes in an object’s shadow indicate the changing position of the Sun during the day. 
• Earth Systems, Structures and Processes
  • Compare Earth’s saltwater and freshwater features (oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and glaciers).
  • Compare Earth’s land features (volcanoes, mountains, valleys, canyons, caverns, and islands). 
• Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
  • Compare the different functions of the skeletal and muscular system.
  • Explain why skin is necessary for protection and for the  body to remain healthy.
• Ecosystems
  • Remember the function of the following structures as it relates to the survival of plants in their environments: roots, stems, leaves, flowers. 
  • Explain how environmental conditions determine how well plants survive and grow.
  • Summarize the distinct stages of the life cycle of seed plants.
  • Explain how the basic properties and components of soil determine the ability of soil to support the growth and survival of plants.

Social Studies

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Understand how events, individuals and ideas have influenced the history of local and regional communities. 
  • Use historical thinking skills to understand the context of events, people and places. 
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Understand the earth’s patterns by using the 5 themes of geography: (location, place, human environment interaction, movement and regions).
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand how the location of regions affects activity in a market economy.
  • Understand entrepreneurship in a market economy.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the development, structure and function of local government.
  • Understand how citizens participate in their communities.
• Culture
  • Understand how diverse cultures are visible in local and regional communities.

Fourth graders deepen their learning  as they transition to “upper grade” in elementary school. They enjoy learning through rich experiences as they are required to think, analyze and learn in more strategic and sophisticated ways.

Fourth grade students are encouraged to be more independent and accountable in their learning as they read, write with clarity, and delve more deeply into literature, math, science and social studies.

Academic Subjects

English Language Arts

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration.

 Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency.

Teachers utilize authentic, complex text to engage students in reading literature and informational text in classroom and small group settings.

In fourth grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Mathematics

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Use the four operations with whole numbers.
• Generate and analyze patterns.
• Understand place value and properties of operations.
• Understand decimal notation.
• Build fractions.
• Understand concepts of angle and measure angles.
• Apply understanding of area.
• Classify shapes by properties of their lines and angles.

Science

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Explain how magnets interact with all things made of iron and with other magnets to produce motion without touching them. 
  •  Explain how electrically charged objects push or pull on other electrically charged objects and produce motion.
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Compare the physical properties of samples of matter (strength, hardness, flexibility, ability to conduct heat/electricity, etc.).
  • Explain how minerals are identified using physical tests.
  • Classify rocks as metamorphic, sedimentary or igneous.
• Energy, Conservation and Transfer
  • Recognize the basic forms of energy (light, sound, heat, electrical, and magnetic) as the ability to cause motion or create change. 
  • Recognize that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels from one medium to another, and that light can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed.
• Earth in the Universe
  • Explain the cause of day and night based on the rotation of Earth on its axis. 
  • Explain the monthly changes in the appearance of the moon, based on the moon’s orbit around the Earth.
• Earth Systems History
  • Compare fossils to one another and to living organisms.
  • Infer ideas about Earth’s early environments from fossils of plants and animals that lived long ago. 
  • Give examples of how the surface of the earth changes due to slow processes such as erosion and weathering, and rapid processes such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.
• Ecosystems
  • Give examples of changes in an organism’s environment that are beneficial to it and some that are harmful. 
  •  Explain how animals meet their needs by using behaviors in response to information received from the environment.
  • Explain how humans can adapt their behavior to live in changing habitats 
  •  Explain how differences among animals of the same population sometimes give individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing in changing habitats. 
• Molecular Biology
  • Classify substances as food or non-food items based on their ability to provide energy and materials for survival, growth and repair of the body. 
  • Explain the role of vitamins, minerals and exercise in maintaining a healthy body.

Social Studies

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Analyze the chronology of key historical events in North Carolina history. 
  • Understand how notable structures, symbols and place names are significant to North Carolina. 
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Understand how human, environmental and technological factors affect the growth and development of North Carolina.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand how a market economy impacts life in North Carolina.
  • Understand economic factors when making personal choices. 
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the development, structure and function of North Carolina's government. 
  • Analyze the North Carolina Constitution.
• Culture
  • Understand the impact of various cultural groups in North Carolina.

Fifth grade is an essential time for students to apply and expand the skills they have gained up to this point. This year, students will have the opportunity to refine and grow their thinking skills as they engage in complex learning experiences.

While fifth graders require less guidance and support from teachers as they encounter independent tasks, teachers still set clear learning goals and provide structured instruction of new learning in reading, math, science and social studies.

Academic Subjects

English Language Arts

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration. 

Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency.

Teachers utilize authentic, complex text to engage students in reading literature and informational text in classroom  and small group settings.

In fifth grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Mathematics

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Analyze patterns and relationships.
• Understand place value.
• Conduct operations with multi-digit whole numbers, decimals and fractions.
• Understand volume of rectangular prisms.
• Write and interpret numerical expressions.
• Understand conversions using multiplicative reasoning.
• Graph in the coordinate plane.

Science

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Explain how factors such as gravity, friction, and change in mass affect the motion of objects. 
  • Infer the motion of objects in terms of how far they travel in a certain amount of time and the direction in which they travel. 
  • Illustrate the motion of an object using a graph to show a change in position over a period of time. 
  • Predict the effect of a given force or a change in mass on the motion of an object.
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Explain how the sun’s energy impacts the processes of the water cycle. 
  • Compare the weight of an object to the sum of the weight of its parts before and after an interaction. 
  • Summarize properties of original materials, and the new material(s) formed, to demonstrate that a change has occurred.
• Energy, Conservation and Transfer
  • Explain the effects of the transfer of heat that occurs between objects at different temperatures. 
  • Explain how heating and cooling affect some materials and how this relates to their purpose and practical applications.
• Earth Systems, Structures, and Processes
  • Compare daily and seasonal changes in weather conditions and patterns. 
  • Predict upcoming weather events from weather data collected through observation and measurements. 
  • Explain how global patterns such as the jet stream and water currents influence local weather.
• Structure and Function of Living Organisms
  • Explain why some organisms are capable of surviving as a single cell while others require many cells that are specialized to survive. 
  • Compare the major systems of the human body.
• Ecosystems
  • Compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems 
  • Classify the organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve.
  • Infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their ecosystem.
• Evolution and Genetics
  • Explain why organisms differ from or are similar to their parents based on the characteristics of the organism. 
  • Give examples of likenesses that are inherited and some that are not.

Social Studies

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Analyze the chronology of key events in the United States. 
  • Understand the role of prominent figures in shaping the United States.
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Understand how human activity has and continues to shape the United States.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand how a market economy impacts life in the United States.
  • Understand that personal choices result in benefits or consequences.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the development, structure and function of government in the United States.
  • Analyze life in a democratic republic through the rights and responsibilities of citizens.
• Culture
  • Understand how increased diversity resulted from migration, settlement patterns and economic development in the United States.

The last year of elementary school marks an important year for sixth grade students to cement the skills they have gained since kindergarten.  In sixth grade, students will continue to apply and enhance their skills in preparation for middle school.

Rigorous expectations in all subject areas will set your student up for success, allowing him/her to move forward in learning new skills and content.

Real world applications and research projects will allow your student to experience critical thinking in areas of interest to them as they plan, research, write, revise, and present.

Academic Subjects

English Language Arts

North Carolina Standards are taught using a structured literacy approach through modeling, guided practice and independent exploration. 

Our teachers guide students through systematic, explicit instruction using the five national literacy domains: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics & Word Study, Vocabulary, Comprehension and Fluency.

Teachers utilize authentic, complex text to engage students in reading literature and informational text in classroom and small group settings.

In sixth grade, writing and grammar skills are taught through the three text types: narrative, informational, and opinion writing.

Mathematic

Elementary math builds a strong foundation of mathematical understanding that will be applied in later grades. Students develop number sense and fluency with operations using conceptual models. Students develop an understanding of properties of operations and apply the properties to problem solving. Students in elementary grades also develop an understanding of shapes and their properties; as well as collecting and representing data in various ways. Students will apply what they learn in elementary mathematics to middle school mathematics and beyond. The Standards for Mathematical Practice are habits that help students develop a sense of ownership and proficiency. 

• Ratios and ratio reasoning
• Fraction fluency*
• Use and apply rational numbers
• Reason with expressions, equations
• Calculate area of triangles and quadrilaterals
• Calculate surface area and volume of prisms and pyramids
• Statistical questions and univariate numerical data

Science

Our teachers seek to ignite a lifelong passion for learning about the world through scientific exploration and engaging activities. 

• Forces and Motion
  • Compare the properties of waves to the wavelike property of energy in earthquakes, light and sound. 
  • Explain the relationship among visible light, the electromagnetic spectrum, and sight.
  • Explain the relationship among the rate of vibration, the medium through which vibrations travel, sound and hearing.
• Matter: Properties and Change
  • Recognize that all matter is made up of atoms and atoms of the same element are all alike, but are different from the atoms of other elements. 
  • Explain the effect of heat on the motion of atoms.
  • Compare the physical properties of pure substances including density, melting point, boiling point, and solubility to properties that are dependent on the amount of matter present to include volume, mass and weight.
• Energy, Conservation and Transfer
  • Illustrate the transfer of heat energy from warmer objects to cooler ones using examples of conduction, radiation and convection and the effects that may result. 
  • Explain the effects of electromagnetic waves on various materials to include absorption, scattering, and change in temperature. 
  • Explain the suitability of materials for use in technological design based on a response to heat and electrical energy.
• Earth in the Universe
  • Explain how the relative motion and relative position of the sun, Earth and moon affect the seasons, tides, phases of the moon, and eclipses. 
  • Explain why Earth sustains life while other planets do not based on their properties and location to the Sun.
  • Summarize space exploration and the understanding gained from it.
• Earth Systems, Structures and Processes
  • Summarize the structure of the earth.
  • Explain how crustal plates and ocean basins are formed.
  • Explain how the formation of soil is related to the parent rock type and the environment in which it develops. 
  • Conclude that the good health of humans requires: monitoring the lithosphere, maintaining soil quality and stewardship.
• Structures and Functions of Living Organisms
  • Summarize the basic structures and functions of flowering plants required for survival, reproduction and defense. 
  • Explain the significance of the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration to the survival of green plants and other organisms.
• Ecosystems
  • Summarize how energy derived from the sun is used by plants to produce sugars and is transferred within food chains and food webs from producers to consumers to decomposers.
  • Explain how plants respond to external stimuli to enhance survival in an environment. 
  • Summarize how the abiotic factors of biomes affect the ability of organisms to grow, survive and/or create their own food through photosynthesis.

Social Studies

Grounding students in foundational concepts is the goal of our elementary social studies lessons.

• History
  • Use historical thinking to understand the emergence, expansion and decline of civilizations, societies and regions over time. 
  • Understand the political, economic and/or social significance of historical events, issues, individuals and cultural groups.
• Geography and Environmental Literacy
  • Understand geographic factors that influenced the emergence, expansion and decline of civilizations, societies and regions over time (i.e. Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas).
  • Apply the tools of a geographer to understand the emergence, expansion and decline of civilizations, societies and regions.
• Economics and Financial Literacy
  • Understand how the physical environment and human interaction affected the economic activities of various civilizations, societies and regions.
• Civics and Government
  • Understand the development of government in various civilizations, societies and regions.
• Culture
  • Explain how the behaviors and practices of individuals and groups influenced societies, civilizations and regions.

Beyond Crayons and Paper

We offer a multi-step approach to our arts curriculum.  We give our students the opportunity to explore visual literacy, art history, hands-on art-making, collaboration with peers, and the function of art in today’s society. 

Through our art curriculum, our students will learn to: 

• Communicate ideas visually
• Create artworks using a variety of materials.
• Apply and use art vocabulary using creative and critical thinking skills 
• Recognize artwork from masters and multiple time periods
• Analyze and evaluate own work and those of others 
• Interpret the effect of technology on visual arts  
• Understand art’s function in society

Our music specialists provide quality music education to elementary students in a variety of ways. We work together in a Professional Learning Community to share ideas and methodology to enhance what we teach our students. Several of our educators are certified in Orff and/or Kodaly which are significant approaches to teaching music to young learners.

Throughout our elementary schools, you will find educators teaching a standards-based curriculum utilizing songs, folk dances, movement, chants/speaking, technology, and a variety of instruments including percussion, guitars, ukuleles, and recorders. If chosen, some students will have an opportunity to participate in an annual Catawba All-County Chorus music experience.

Drama class puts students front and center as they explore four key areas that will help them on the stage - and in life. Acting enhances communication skills by teaching students how to articulate ideas verbally, through facial expressions, via body language and through creative script writing. Everyone needs to learn how to be a better critic - and students strengthen their analysis skills by watching and reading diverse performances from around the world. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes of a performance, and our students get to understand the aesthetics behind creating props, sets and costumes. The theatre has its own culture; there’s etiquette involved in watching a live performance, and as students come together as an ensemble to create a class or school performance. 

Getting active is an important part of leading a healthy life. Our physical education programs are taught by highly qualified health and PE teachers who have a passion for what they do. Our standards-based curriculum is designed to develop fundamental motor skills, fitness, sportsmanship, team building, social and emotional skills - all while having fun and reinforcing behaviors necessary for a healthy lifestyle. 

Spanish lessons accelerate and make learning fun through the use of music, games, online activities, creative visual aids, and practical conversations. Students begin to speak real and useable Spanish!

Students will be able to:

• Talk about themselves in simple ways, including greetings and exchanging basic information like name, age, likes, and description
• Identify the colors, the numbers, the days of the week and the months of the year
• Talk about their families in simple ways, including naming and describing family members and pets as well as discussing likes and dislikes
• Use simple language to talk about activities around the house, including eating, playing games, and daily routine
• Talk about clothing, weather, seasons, and many outdoor activities
• Learn the culture of the Spanish-speaking countries

We use the NC Essential Standards in our lessons

• Use the language to engage in interpersonal communication. (Interpersonal Communication: Person-to-Person Communication)
• Understand words and concepts presented in the language. (Interpretive Communication: Listening and Reading)
• Use the language to present information to an audience. (Presentational Communication: Speaking and Writing)