Our Kindergarten program is based on the Archiocesan curriculum, which correlates with State of Illinois standards. For more information, please visit http://schools.archchicago.org/Academics/Curriculum/

We use the following programs to provide the best instruction of that curriculum.

Using the Everyday Math program, a comprehensive math curriculum developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project, children develop an understanding of math principles through hands-on activities, games, real-life problem solving, school-family cooperation and an appropriate use of technology.

Kindergarten uses two literacy programs Storytown and Reading Mastery which addresses all 5 essential components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

StoryTown Kindergarten Program includes a variety of materials to support a rigorous academic curriculum, as well as the creative resources to supplement instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, robust vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension. Through a variety of methods, students gain mastery of kindergarten standards as they become involved, investigate, select, and engage in literacy activities.

Reading Mastery Signature Edition uses the highly explicit, systematic approach of Direct Instruction to accelerate reading and help students achieve a high rate of success. Three strands address Reading, Language Arts, and Literature through a common instructional design that helps students learn more efficiently. With the addition of technology-based resources for both additional practice and professional development, Reading Mastery Signature Edition helps teachers optimize each minute spent in the classroom. 

The Reading Strand:

• Provides spelling instruction to help students make the connection between decoding and spelling patterns.
• Develops decoding, word recognition, and comprehension skills that transfer to other subject areas.

The Language Arts Strand:

• Teaches the oral language skills necessary to understand what is said, written, and read in the classroom. 
• Helps students communicate ideas and information effectively.
• Develops the ability to use writing strategies and processes successfully.

 The Literature Strand:

• Supports the reading strand by offering a wide variety of literary forms and text structures.
• Provides multiple opportunities for students to practice vocabulary and comprehension strategies and write for authentic purposes.
• Gives ample opportunity for students to read at their independent level.

Each strand can be used as a supplement to the core curriculum for targeted intervention, or combined for use as a comprehensive, stand-alone reading and language arts program that meets rigorous state standards.

THE RESEARCH BASE FOR READING MASTERY, SRA
Bonnie Grossen, Ph.D. University of Oregon

To read with joy and understanding, to learn and grow through reading, to read critically and thoughtfully are the goals of all reading programs. The way different programs approach these goals are what distinguish one program from another. Reading Mastery incorporates perhaps the largest variety of instructional techniques of any commercially developed reading program available. Some programs provide a set of instructional techniques for building comprehension skills, but omit specific phonics instruction for decoding. Other programs feature a set of techniques to teach decoding, but omit comprehension instruction. Reading Mastery, on the other hand, incorporates techniques for teaching both comprehension and decoding and integrating them into successful reading. The large research base of Reading Mastery distinguishes it from all other currently available commercially developed reading programs. The specific instructional techniques, as well as the program as a whole, have proven superior in extensive research involving students of all ability levels. These studies have generally found that the more Reading Mastery differs from a comparison program, the better it accelerates the acquisition of reading competence and improves the quality of reading for all students.