Academics

Reading and Writing

Students’ reading skills become stronger as they move from learning how to read to reading to learn. The children are taught by using classic literature as well as modern pieces. Story themes are used to bridge language and reading lessons allowing students to fully comprehend stories and skills. Students are taught to write complete sentences and two to three well written paragraphs.

Journal work is completed on a weekly basis along with more formal writing assignments such as persuasive, narrative, and descriptive. Throughout the year, third grade students are responsible for completing a variety of book report assignments such as poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and biographies. Third grade is also where students will master cursive writing.

Students in Third Grade complete several book reports throughout the year. This helps strengthen reading comprehension skills as well as exposing them to different genres of literature. Book Reports are assigned with several weeks to read the book and complete the project. Students have the ability to choose books from the school, classroom or town libraries. For the book reports students utilize the skills they have learned in Grammar and Writing to describe details of the book.

Math

The Mathematics curriculum allows students to continue to practice and develop addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills. Through hands-on activities and repetition students will master these skills along with graphs, measurement, geometry, and fractions.

Social Studies

Social Studies focuses on the beginning of our beautiful country. Through a variety of projects and activities students will explore the Native American tribes and Pilgrims that inhabited our country so many years ago. Students will also be taught the roots of our government and how our country is still run today based on decisions made by our forefathers. These units are completed with either a trip to Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts, the Town Hall in Southbridge, Old Sturbridge Village or The Freedom Trail in Boston.

Grammar skills are reinforced throughout the year, including parts of speech and punctuation.  Students are taught how to write compound and complex sentences to form three to four well structured paragraphs.  Students are also given a variety of book reports assignments to demonstrate these skills throughout the year.

At Trinity Catholic Academy, Fifth Grade Science class is a brand-new experience. It is the first time that students are changing classes and have another teacher for a major subject area. This entails new expectations, traveling with their books, and answering to someone other than their homeroom teacher. It allows for a taste of the major adjustment next year as a part of the middle school.

Science is introduced as an area where we play and discover, an area where being wrong can lead to new discoveries, and an area where questions begin the scientific process. STREAM is integrated into the curriculum on a regular basis allowing students to problem solve in different ways.

Every other year we have a science fair where students may work by themselves or with a partner for several months on a project of their choosing. The project is based on the scientific method. The fair gives students an opportunity to work in an area of interest, work on a long term project and share their results with judges in order to gain public speaking skills and self-confidence.

READING:

The Reading Streets program presents a variety of literary genre, literary elements, vocabulary, and promotes critical thinking. The program lends itself to opportunities for the development of writing skills, mirroring the intentional and purposeful writing that is done in the fifth grade Language Arts grammar and writing program. Students also read novels during the year that aid in reinforcing the skills learned in the Reading Streets program. Additionally, book report projects are assigned that further expose students to a variety of literary genres.

LANGUAGE ARTS:

Voyages in English, published by Loyola Press, is implemented for our Grammar and Writing program. It is strong in teaching parts of speech, sentence structure, and writing skills. It is an irrefutable strength to be able to express oneself through the written word. To that end, much time is spent in developing a fifth-grader’s writing skills, and they are provided with many opportunities to do meaningful writing across the curriculum. In addition, we have a strong spelling and vocabulary program, Wordly Wise, that presents challenging words, not only for developing strong spelling skills, but also to provide opportunities to become familiar with synonyms and antonyms and how to use words in context.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

The Social Studies curriculum for grade 5 is American history, taught at a more simplistic level than it is taught in grades 7 and 8. The Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Timelinks The United States program is presented in two volumes. They include a history beginning with the Native Peoples of the North American continent and ends with the modern era. The series provides students with opportunities to learn about events, historical documents, important persons, geography, to practice critical thinking and to develop visual literacy. Every other year, a school-wide Social Studies Fair is held that enhances our students’ understanding of history and geography.

RELIGION:

An integral part of attending Trinity Catholic Academy is spiritual formation. Through the Blest Are We text published by RCL Benziger, fifth graders examine sacraments as part of their curriculum. Students are taught how the seven sacraments operate in their lives and in the world at a level that they can understand. We examine basic precepts of the Church, scripture stories, the lives of important people within the Church and in the world, and then apply the lessons to be learned to our own lives. As students in a Catholic school, it is important for them to perform community service projects. There are events during the school year, such as Catholic Schools Week in the month of January, that present opportunities for students to carry out such a project. Students attend weekly Mass and lead a Mass or prayer service each year.

Grade 6 English Language Arts is divided into four major components: grammar, vocabulary, writing and public speaking. A study of the eight parts of speech and sentence construction provides the opportunity for students to improve their written and oral communication skills. 

The year begins with identifying basic parts of speech and diagramming simple and compound sentences. The Wordly Wise Vocabulary Series is used to build vocabulary and enhance reading skills. A focus on proper sentence and paragraph structure, in conjunction with the use of transitions, provides a foundation on which students gain confidence in their ability to write. Independent and peer evaluation gives students the freedom to discover growth in their writing skills. To that end, they produce early writing samples and monitor their language development throughout the year. Final writing samples are composed at the end of the year and evaluated by the student to reveal his/her progress. 

The MLA Handbook Ninth Edition supplies pertinent research information and guides students throughout their academic writing journey. A three-page research paper is assigned during the second trimester to introduce internal documentation and the Works Cited Page. Teacher and peer conferencing enhances this process. The subject of the paper coincides with our schoolwide Science or Social Studies Fair. 

The theme of ELA is communication. While intellectual prowess is important, it is useless if students are unable to effectively communicate with fellow humans. A Public Speaking Unit centers on a narrative speech, an informational speech, a “how to” speech and a persuasive speech. These speeches inspire confidence and equip students with an important life skill.  

Application of conventional English grammar, elevated vocabulary, the Writing Process and effective oral communication are essential tools needed for students to become leaders and citizens of an increasingly complex world. ELA 6 is the first of three classes designed for that purpose.   

Grade 6 is a big year for literature! There is a distinct shift from focusing on reading an anthology to analyzing whole novels and more complex works. Students are challenged to move beyond reading for understanding to reading to think critically and to analyze texts.

Our year begins with Summer Reading.  Students have a choice of seven, age appropriate novels from various genres of literature to read over the summer break. After completing a novel, they create an advertisement with the goal of encouraging other students to read the book they read. During the first week of school, students present their Book Talks to the class. This assignment is a perfect way to review reading for understanding and to introduce the basic structure of persuasive writing.

During the year, students learn about the elements of plot, how to summarize, and to recognize a variety of figurative language examples. They explore various types of poetry and the wonderful world of Fairytales. Texts are read both in and outside of class. As a class, students dissect Children of Terror by Inge Auerbacher and Bozenna Urbanowicz Gilbride, The Little Prince by Antoin de Saint-Exupery, Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys, and  A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. In addition, students experience a book read by the entire Junior High. This year’s STREAM novel is Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. The study of this text will occur across the curriculum and encompass a myriad of projects and experiences. Finally, students are encouraged to engage in their own independent reading and writing throughout the school year.

The year’s study is designed to provide students with the tools needed to experience a deeper appreciation and understanding of literature and to discern their independent genre preferences. This opportunity promotes the love of reading and opens the door for students to become lifelong readers.       

Grade 6 students will prepare for Pre-Algebra by becoming proficient in number sense, operations with decimals and fractions, interpretation of data, customary and metric measurement, perimeter, and area.

Key concepts introduced during the year will be expressions, equations and integers.  Students will learn the steps of how to solve equations and check their solutions

Periodic cumulative review assignments are given to ensure that students don’t lose the skills they have acquired while focusing on new skills.

Problem-solving and test-taking strategies are built into the curriculum, enhancing students’ critical thinking skills and their performance on standardized tests.

The curriculum for Grade 6 Social Studies at Trinity Catholic Academy is World Geography. The subject matter is presented in seven units: The World (which is an introduction to the world of geography), North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. Each of the seven units contains chapters that address areas within the units more specifically. Students examine the physical and cultural attributes of each region; are presented with essential questions that are used as a focal point for each lesson within a chapter; and exposed to robust visual literacy using colorful graphics– charts, graphs, photographs, sketches, and maps. There is plenty of opportunity for discussion and for ongoing development of critical thinking skills. Additionally, there are opportunities to integrate science and writing skills.

In grade 6 religion, students study our ancestors in faith and draw historical and thematic connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Each theme is then examined from a modern perspective, exploring the ways in which a particular value might be lived out in our lives today. Students also gain a deeper understanding of the sacraments and what it means to be a Catholic.

Sixth graders are very curious about how their faith relates to their lives. Questions about Church history, the life of Jesus, the theology of the afterlife, and modern morality are often asked at this stage of spiritual development. These topics are woven into the curriculum where appropriate, and added in where necessary, to allow each individual class the flexibility to explore the concepts of interest to them.

Welcome to Science in the Sixth Grade! There are so many wonderful and exciting things going on this year. We start off in the summer with reading There’s an Owl in the Shower by Jean Craighead George. This story leads us into our study of Earth Systems and owl pellet dissection. We discover how cool science really can be.

The highlight of this year is our weeklong excursion to Nature’s Classroom. We quickly come to realize that learning does not just happen in the four walls of a classroom or during the normal hours of a school day but that it happens everywhere and at any time. Students come back with a new sense of self, of others and some really cool stories about their adventures. Nature’s Classroom helps students discover their potential, bond with their classmates and have the experience of a lifetime!

Science is an area where we play and discover, an area where being wrong can lead to new discoveries, and an area where questions begin the scientific process.  STREAM is integrated into the curriculum on a regular basis allowing students to problem solve in different ways.

Every other year we have a science fair where students may work by themselves or with a partner for several months on a project of their choosing. The project is based on the scientific method. The fair gives students an opportunity to work in an area of interest, work on a long term project and share their results with judges in order to gain public speaking skills and self-confidence.

Grade six, beginning students will learn ABC’s, basic expressions, greetings, numbers, and some vocabulary.

Students in all grades will also be introduced to traditional Spanish celebrations like Dia de los Muertos at the beginning of November, Posadas at Christmas and Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 5th.

Student will have the basic knowledge to be able to succeed in Spanish I in high school.

The course of study for Grade 7 is Pre-Algebra Part I. Students will use their knowledge of decimals, fractions, and integers to solve for the variable in one-step and two-step equations and inequalities.  They will study ratio, direct and inverse proportion, and percents and their applications.

In the geometry unit, students will learn the basics in area, volume, surface area,and coordinate planes geometry.  

Periodic cumulative review assignments are given to ensure that students don’t lose the skills they have acquired while focusing on new skills. 

Problem-solving and test-taking strategies are built into the curriculum, enhancing students’ critical thinking skills and their performance on standardized tests.

Our course of study is American History covering the time period from early Western Hemisphere civilizations to Civil War. Reconstruction to modern day history will be continued next year in grade 8.

We begin our journey among the ancient advanced civilizations of the Aztecs, Incas, Mayans and Olmecs, learning that ancient does not mean “backward”. We next go into the Age of European Exploration and its implications for the Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere. European Colonization of the Americas is next on the agenda, leading into the Revolutionary War era and the development of the Early American Republic.

We will wrap up the year with events leading to dissent between the North and the South that ultimately leads to the American Civil War and its effect on our nation.

The textbook used in the study of American History is My World Interactive by Pearson Publishers. Students use the textbook in class and can access it online at home, and enjoy the online components to the series as well.

The 7th and 8th graders work together on Morality. It is a two year course that focuses on all the facets of morality. Many tools are used including class discussion, lecture, movies and student led questions.

As a group, they participate in The Stations of the Cross during Lent. They work together on the Stations Project which has the students recreating the Stations for the whole student body on Holy Thursday.

Prayer and a relationship with God are the goals for the students at the end of the course.

Science in the 7th grade is all about what is going on in our bodies. We start off with cells and move onto genetics and heredity. The majority of the year is spent on human biology and how the body works. We also talk about how wonderfully God made our bodies and the best way to take care of His precious gift.

Class time focuses on notes and discussion while the reading of the material is generally left to the students. This is the first time where students have pop quizzes and many announced quizzes to aid in the understanding of the material. Class participation is not only encouraged; it is vital to the students’ grasp of the subject matter.

Science is an area where we play and discover, an area where being wrong can lead to new discoveries, and an area where questions begin the scientific process. STREAM is integrated into the curriculum on a regular basis allowing students to problem solve in different ways.

Every other year we have a science fair where students may work by themselves or with a partner for several months on a project of their choosing. The project is based on the scientific method. The fair gives students an opportunity to work in an area of interest, work on a long term project and share their results with judges in order to gain public speaking skills and self-confidence.

Grade seven students will learn basic questions, adjectives, numbers from 1 -100, clothing, places, vocabulary and complete sentences using their newly learned lexicon.

Students in all grades will also be introduced to traditional Spanish celebrations like Dia de los Muertos at the beginning of November, Posadas at Christmas and Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 5th.

Student will have the basic knowledge to be able to succeed in Spanish I in high school.

The focus of 7th grade Literature and Composition Class is to begin preparing students for high school and to supply tools they will need to be advanced, lifelong readers and writers.

The year begins with Summer Reading.  Students have a choice of seven, age appropriate novels from various genres of literature to read over the summer break. After completing a novel, they create an advertisement with the goal of encouraging other students to read the book they read. During the first week of school, students will present their Book Talks to the class.  This assignment is a perfect way to review reading for understanding and the basic structure of persuasive writing. 

Short stories, non-fiction selections, drama and poetry are read and analyzed throughout the year. Units featuring mystery, folk tales, and myths are highlighted. In addition, the audience, author’s purpose, and message are key components discussed in class. Texts for the year include Night by Elie Wiesel, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In addition, a STREAM novel is chosen each year to be studied across the junior high curriculum. This year’s selection is Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. Students are immersed in a myriad of experiences and projects centering around various aspects of this novel.

Students are expected to apply basic conventional grammar skills in all of their classes. A new format for academic writing is introduced honing on the analysis essay. Students annotate and dissect texts to achieve a deeper understanding of the works and identify practices to model in their writing.

Finally, students are given time in class for silent sustained reading and encouraged to read and share independent novel and poetry choices. This year provides an advanced perspective to the seemingly hidden aspects of reading and a solid understanding of the writing process.  Literature and Composition is designed to inspire students to move confidently into their final year at Trinity.

Grade 7 English Language Arts is divided into four major components: grammar, vocabulary, writing and public speaking. An intense study of the parts of speech and paragraph construction provides the opportunity for students to improve their written and oral communication skills.

 The year begins with a review of basic parts of speech and diagramming simple and compound sentences. It progresses to identifying phrases and clauses and diagramming complex sentences. The Wordly Wise Vocabulary Series is used to build vocabulary and enhance reading skills. The five-paragraph essay is introduced with a focus on introductory and conclusion paragraph construction. Students compose a variety of essays built on coherent thesis statements. Reinforcing these writing conventions provides a foundation on which students gain confidence in their ability to write for academic purposes. Independent and peer evaluation gives students the freedom to discover growth in their writing skills. To that end, they produce early writing samples and monitor their language development throughout the year. Final writing samples are composed at the end of the year and evaluated by the student to reveal his/her progress.

 The MLA Handbook Ninth Edition supplies pertinent research information and guides students throughout their academic writing journey. A four-page research paper is assigned during the second trimester to introduce internal documentation and the Works Cited Page. Teacher and peer conferencing enhance this process. The subject of the paper coincides with our schoolwide Science or Social Studies Fair.

 The theme of ELA is communication. While intellectual prowess is important, it is useless if students are unable to effectively communicate with fellow humans. A Public Speaking Unit centers on a narrative speech, an informational speech, a “how to” speech and a persuasive speech. These speeches inspire confidence and equip students with an important life skill. 

 Application of conventional English grammar, elevated vocabulary, the Writing Process and effective oral communication are essential tools needed for students to become leaders and citizens of an increasingly complex world. ELA 7 is designed for that purpose.

Eighth grade Science is a challenging curriculum that begins with discovering hurricanes and tracking their movements. The science of force and motion are introduced. The reality of hurricanes really makes science come alive for the students in a year where science is mostly microscopic. This year we will also study matter and elements, chemicals and what they do and how they work. All the components of energy are also discovered. Class time focuses on notes and discussion while the reading of the material is generally left to the students. Students have pop quizzes and many announced quizzes to aid in the understanding of the material. Class participation is not only encouraged; it is vital to the students’ grasp of the subject matter.

Science is an area where we play and discover, an area where being wrong can lead to new discoveries, and an area where questions begin the scientific process. STREAM is integrated into the curriculum on a regular basis allowing students to problem solve in different ways.

Every other year we have a science fair where students may work by themselves or with a partner for several months on a project of their choosing. The project is based on the scientific method. The fair gives students an opportunity to work in an area of interest, work on a long term project and share their results with judges in order to gain public speaking skills and self-confidence.

The 7th and 8th graders work together on Morality. It is a two year course that focuses on all the facets of morality. Many tools are used including class discussion, lecture, movies and student led questions.

As a group, they participate in The Stations of the Cross during Lent. They work together on the Stations Project which has the students recreating the Stations for the whole student body on Holy Thursday.

Prayer and a relationship with God are the goals for the students at the end of the course.

Grade 8 English Language Arts is divided into four major components: grammar, vocabulary, writing and public speaking. A rigorous study of grammar and writing for a variety of purposes provides the opportunity for students to improve their written and oral communication skills.

The year begins with a review of advanced parts of speech and diagramming simple, compound, and complex sentences. It progresses to evaluating the effectiveness of active and passive sentence structure and diagramming compound complex sentences. The Wordly Wise Vocabulary Series is used to build vocabulary and enhance reading skills. The five-paragraph essay is reinforced, and other writing formats are introduced. Students compose a myriad of essays focusing on point of view, purpose, and coherence. Honing these writing conventions provides a foundation on which students gain confidence in their ability to write for formal and in formal purposes. Independent and peer evaluation gives students the freedom to discover growth in their writing skills. To that end, they produce early writing samples and monitor their language development throughout the year. Final writing samples are composed at the end of the year and evaluated by the student to reveal his/her progress.

The MLA Handbook Ninth Edition supplies pertinent research information and guides students throughout their academic writing journey. A five-page research paper is assigned during the second trimester to practice internal documentation and the Works Cited Page. Teacher and peer conferencing enhance this process. The subject of the paper coincides with our schoolwide Science or Social Studies Fair.

The theme of ELA is communication. While intellectual prowess is important, it is useless if students are unable to effectively communicate with fellow humans. A Public Speaking Unit centers on a narrative speech, an informational speech, a “how to” speech, and a persuasive speech. These speeches inspire confidence and equip students with an important life skill.

Application of conventional English grammar, elevated vocabulary, the Writing Process and effective oral communication are essential tools needed for students to become leaders and citizens of an increasingly complex world. ELA 8 is designed for that purpose as well as to provide preparation for a successful high school experience.

This year provides a gentle but rigorous glimpse of high school Literature and Composition. Students engage in a variety of reading genres and write for numerous purposes. They perfect their understanding of English grammar and apply it in all subject areas.

Our year begins with Summer Reading.  Students choose one of seven young adult novels to read over summer break. Upon completion of their novel, they create an advertisement with the purpose of encouraging their classmates to read their book. Students utilize persuasive devices and are encouraged to be creative with their delivery method.  During the first week of school, students present their book talks to the class.

The 8th grade curriculum provides students with the opportunity to analyze and evaluate the value of a variety of texts. Critical thinking skills and the ability to support  opinions are fostered. To that end, students compose essays and practice effective modes of communication. Throughout the year, advanced literary terms are introduced and integrated into class discussions and written assignments. Works covered include The Diary of Anne Frank, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.  In addition, this year’s STREAM novel is Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. All junior high students are immersed in the study of this text and experience a myriad of projects and experiences in each of their classes.

A highlight of the year is the model construction of the original Globe Theatre. Teams of 8th grade students work cooperatively to create the most accurate replica of this historical structure. In conclusion,through the practice of student-led discussions, cooperative reading and writing instruction/practice, the use of effective communication skills, the integration of technology platforms, and consistent reinforcement of the importance of independent thinking, students receive advanced instruction equipping them for a successful high school experience.

Grade eight students will continue with vocabulary, questions, jobs, numbers past 100, body parts, and reading and writing complete conversations using their lexicon.

Students in all grades will also be introduced to traditional Spanish celebrations like Dia de los Muertos at the beginning of November, Posadas at Christmas and Cinco de Mayo celebration on May 5th.

Student will have the basic knowledge to be able to succeed in Spanish I in high school.

Grade 8 students will take Pre-Algebra Part II.  Students will study data analysis, two and three-dimensional geometry, probability, relations and functions, and polynomials. Periodic cumulative review assignments are given to ensure that students don’t lose the skills they have acquired while focusing new skills.

 Problem-solving and test-taking strategies are built into the curriculum, enhancing students’ critical thinking skills and their performance on standardized tests.

Grade 8 Pre Algebra is not a complete Algebra I course.  Graduates should expect to be placed in Algebra I or Algebra I Honors upon entering High School.

The Grade 8 Social Studies curriculum continues where 7th grade leaves off, beginning with Ancient Rome and continuing through to the Renaissance and Reformation.  Students study the growth of civilization and the themes and trends that affect its people.