Curriculum by Grade Level

1st & 2nd Grade

Phonics/Fónico:  Modern Curriculum Press Phonics Level A and Phonics Level B, plus Kolbe Academy Phonogram Cards

Reading/Lectura:  Catholic National Reader, other readers such as Faith & Family series

English/Inglés:  Kolbe Academy English 1 and English 2

Religion/Religión:  Two-year rotation of Faith and Life series—Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Our Life

Science/Ciencias:  Harcourt Science (2nd Grade book used over two years)

Math/Matemáticas:  Modern Curriculum Press Math Level A and Math Level B

Spelling/Ortografía:  various lists

Handwriting/Escritura:  Universal Publishing Manuscript Review and Enrichment Book M and Intro to Cursive Book MC

Geography/Geografía:  Map Skills

 

3rd and 4th Grade

Phonics/Fónico:  Modern Curriculum Press Phonics Level C and Word Study Level D

Reading/Lectura:  Catholic National Reader, other readers such as Faith & Family series, and books such as Sarah, Plain and Tall, Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, Charlotte’s Web, The Trumpet of the Swan, and The Borrowers

English/Inglés:  two-year rotation of Loyola Press Voyages in English 3 and Voyages in English 4, supplemented by Exercises in English

Religion/Religión:  Two-year rotation of Faith and Life series—Our Life with Jesus and Jesus Our Guide

Science/Ciencias:  Harcourt Science (4th Grade book used over two years)

Math/Matemáticas:  Modern Curriculum Press Math Level C and Saxon Math 54

Spelling/Ortografía:  Everyday Spelling

Handwriting/Escritura:  Universal Publishing Handwriting C & Handwriting D

History/Geography / Historia/Geografía:  Two-year rotation of California History and World Geography

 

5th & 6th Grade

Literature/Literatura:  various age-appropriate books such as lives of the Saints, The Hobbit, The Bronze Bow, The Children’s Homer, White Fang, and A Wrinkle in Time

Vocabulary/Vocabulario:  Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop

English/Inglés:  two-year rotation of Loyola Press Voyages in English 5 and Voyages in English 6, supplemented by Exercises in English

Religion/Religión:  Two-year rotation of Faith and Life series—Credo:  I Believe and Following Christ

Science/Ciencias:  Harcourt Science (6th Grade book used over two years)

Math/Matemáticas:  Houghton Mifflin California Math (5th) and Holt California Mathematics Course 1 (6th Grade); advanced or remedial Math as necessary

History/Historia:  Two-year rotation of U.S. History with Our Pioneers and Patriots and Ancient History with various sources, including Famous Men of Greece and Famous Men of Rome

Forum/Foro:  public speaking program

 

7th & 8th Grade

Literature/Literatura:  various age-appropriate books (including lives of the Saints), such as Johnny Tremain, Kidnapped, Robinson Crusoe, I Am David, The Red Badge of Courage, The Yearling, and The Merchant of Venice, plus short story and poetry components in a two-year rotation

Vocabulary/Vocabulario:  Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop

English/Inglés:  Two-year rotation of Loyola Press Voyages in English 7 and Voyages in English 8, supplemented by Exercises in English

Religion/Religión:  Two-year rotation of Faith and Life Series—The Life of Grace and Our Life in the Church

Science/Ciencias:  Two-year rotation of Physical Science and Life Science

Math/Matemáticas:  Holt California Mathematics Course 2 (7th Grade) and Holt California Mathematics Course 3 (8th Grade); advanced or remedial Math as necessary

History/Historia:  Two-year rotation of U.S. History with Sea to Shining Sea and World History/Geography with All Ye Lands

Latin:  Henle Latin 1

Forum/Foro:  public speaking program

Art/Arte:  once per week

 

9th & 10th Grades

Theology/Teología:  two-year cycle of:

  • Sacred Scripture—Didache series Understanding the Scriptures from Midwest Theological Forum and the Ignatius Bible
  • Sacramental Life—various sources, including Fr. Laux’s Mass and the Sacraments
  • In both years, original Church documents are read, primarily relating to the Early Church in the Scripture year and the Medieval Church in the Sacramental Life year

 

Literature/Literatura:  two-year cycle of:

  • Ancient Literature—The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Greek plays such as Antigone and Oedipus Rex, Platonic dialogues, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, and more
  • Medieval Literature—varies, but generally includes such works as Beowulf, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Dante’s Inferno, Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard III, and Paradise Lost

 

History/Historia:  two-year cycle of:

  • Ancient History—Herodotus’ Histories, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, Livy’s Early History of Rome, Plutarch’s Lives, and more
  • Medieval History—Medieval Europe—A Short History, various original sources including Procopius’ The Gothic Wars, Gregory of Tours History of the Franks, Bede’s History of the English Church and People, Einhard’s Life of Charlemagne, Froissart’s Chronicles, and writings of Popes and Kings

 

Latin:  Wheelock’s Latin

Math/Matemáticas:  Grade-level Math, generally Algebra 1 in 9th Grade and Geometry in 10th, both from McDougal Littell

Science/Ciencias:  Two-year cycle of Physical Science and Biology, both from Holt

Forum/Foro:  Public speaking program (once per week)

Seminar/Seminario:  Seminar program utilizing original source materials; this year, the text is Plato’s Republic (once per week)

Elective/Electivo:  Intensive Composition (9th), choice of Fine Arts electives (10th—this year, choices are Art, Choir and Drama); one double period per week

 

11th & 12th Grades

Theology/Teología:  two-year cycle of:

  • Apologetics—Handbook of Catholic Apologetics by Peter Kreeft
  • Morality— Didache series Our Moral Life in Christ from Midwest Theological Forum
  • In both years, original Church documents are read

 

Literature/Literatura:  two-year cycle of:

  • Modern European Literature—varies occasionally, but generally includes Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, Crime and Punishment, Brave New World, 1984, and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
  • American Literature—varies, but texts this year include The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a selection of works by Edgar Allan Poe, Grapes of Wrath, and Fahrenheit 451

 

History/Historia:  two-year cycle of:

  • Modern European History—utilizes a textbook entitled Sources of Modern Europe, plus original source materials such as Machiavelli’s The Prince, Rousseau’s The Social Contract, Locke’s Essay on Human Understanding and Second Treatise on Government, Newton’s Principia Mathematica, Marx’s Communist Manifesto, excerpts from Kant and Hegel, Lenin’s State and Revolution, Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil, and various Church documents addressing many of the issues raised, e.g., Rerum Novarum and Humani Generis
  • American History— utilizes America—A Brief Narrative History, plus original source materials such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, The Federalist Papers, Washington’s Farewell Address, Jefferson’s Inaugural Address, writings and speeches of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, etc.

 

Spanish/Español:  Ya Veras Gold

Math/Matemáticas:  Grade-level Math, generally Algebra 2 from McDougal Littell in 11th Grade and Pre-Calculus from Houghton Mifflin in 12th; each year, some advanced students generally take Calculus from Wiley Higher Education

Science/Ciencias:  Two-year cycle of Chemistry and Physics, both from Holt

Forum/Foro:  Public speaking program (once per week)

Seminar/Seminario:  Seminar program utilizing original source materials; this year, the text is Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (once per week)

Elective/Electivo:  choice of Fine Arts electives (for 2011-2012 school year, choices are Art, Choir and Drama)