Elementary School

Elementary School

Building on the foundation from our Early Childhood program, Elementary School (Grades 1 to 4) focuses on providing opportunities for academic, emotional and social growth, empowering children to become lifelong learners, inquisitive thinkers, and responsible citizens.

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Approach to Learning

The Elementary School program provides basic skill development across all subject areas, higher-level thinking, problem solving, a healthy balance of teamwork and independence, as well as creativity through an engaging, challenging, hands-on, and fun curriculum in which students are actively involved in their learning. Teachers are highly motivated, knowledgeable, and dedicated to providing an equitable learning experience for all students through compassion, encouragement, hard work and planning.

Curriculum

Grade 1

  • Students who enter first grade continue phonological development, making major growth in learning to read
  • They develop more advanced phonics skills and begin to build a bank of sight words
  • They read, listen to, and discuss more complex stories, and begin to make connectionswith their own experiences
  • They are able to begin to self-correct their reading
  • The students make major developments in their writing, learning to write a story that shows more focus and organisation
  • The conventions of language gain importance to first graders as they begin to desire neatness and correctness
  • They begin to learn the rules of language and spelling
  • First graders show evidence of expanding their language repertoire, including increasingthe appropriate use of more formal language
  • First graders are learning to read and write both for information and pleasure

Operations and Algebraic Thinking

  • Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding
  • Solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less that or equal to 20
  • Apply properties of operations as strategies to add and subtract
  • Understand subtraction as an unknown-addend problem
  • Relate counting to addition and subtraction
  • Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10
  • Understand the meaning of the equal sign, and determine if equations involving addition and subtraction are true or false
  • Determine the unknown whole number in an addition or subtraction equation relating three whole numbers

Number and Operations in Base Ten

  • Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120
  • Understand that the two digit s of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens and ones
  • Ten can be thought of a bundle of ten ones-called a “ten”
  • The numbers from 11 to 19 are composed of a ten and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine ones
  • The numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 refer to one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine tens
  • Compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of tens and ones digits, recording the results of comparisons with symbols <,>, and =
  • Add within 100, including adding a two-digit number and a one-digit number
  • Giving a two-digit number, mentally find 10 or more or 10m less than the number, without having to count; explaining the reasoning used
  • Subtract multiples of 10 in the range 10-90 from multiples of 10 in the range 10-90

Measurement and Data

  • Order three objects by length; compare the lengths of two objects indirectly by using a third object.
  • Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying multiple copies of a shorter object end to end
  • Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks
  • Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about total number of data points

Geometry

  • Distinguish between defining attributes versus non-defining attributes
  • Compose two-dimensional shapes or three-dimensional shapes to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from composite shape
  • Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, fourths, and quarters
  • Use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of
  • Animal Traits & Survival
  • Plant Traits & Survival
  • Day Patterns
  • Night Patterns
  • Light, Sound, & Communication
  • The Magic of Routine – Time & My School
  • Good CitizenshipThe Changing World – Seasons & My Home
  • Map Skills and GeographyMy Story, Your Story – Timelines & Families
  • Stepping Outside – My Neighbourhood
  • Character Education

Grade 2

  • Second graders begin a transition from learning to read to reading to learn
  • They begin to read more fluently. Having a firmer grasp on phonics, second graders beginmore complex word studies
  • They begin to read longer, more complex texts in a variety of genres
  • They continue to read every day and have books read to them
  • Writing becomes more independent, and they develop more conscientious skills about editing and revising their work
  • Conventions become part of the every day writing experience as they develop their understanding of the parts of speech
  • Second graders expand sentences and learn new sentence structures and the punctuations that occurs with them
  • Their written and spoken vocabulary becomes much more complex, including the use of a variety of language registers
  • They engage in a variety of language and literary activities as they gain independence and mastery of reading, writing, speaking and listening

OPERATIONS AND ALGEBRAIC THINKING

  • Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems
  • Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies
  • Determine whether a group of objects has an odd or even number of members
  • Use addition to find the total number of objects arranged in rectangular arrays; write an equation to express the total as a sum of equal addends

NUMBER AND OPERATIONS IN BASE TEN

  • Understand that the three digits of a three-digit numbers represent hundreds, tens, ones
  • Count within 1000; skip-count by 5s, 10s, and 100s
  • Read and write numbers to 1000 using base-ten, number names and expanded form
  • Compare two three-digit numbers using comparison symbols
  • Use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract
  • Add and subtract within 1000
  • Add up to four two-digit numbers using strategies based on place value and properties of operations
  • Mentally add and subtract 10 or 100 to a given number 100-900
  • Explain why addition and subtraction strategies work, using place value and the properties of operations

MEASUREMENT AND DATA

  • Measure the length of an object by selecting and using the appropriate tools
  • Measure the length of an object using length units of different lengths; describe how they relate
  • Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters and meters
  • Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another
  • Use addition and subtraction within 200 to solve word problems involving length
  • Represent whole numbers as lengths from 0 on a number line diagram
  • Tell and write time from analog and digital clocks to the nearest five minutes using A.M and P.M.
  • Solve word problems involving money
  • Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of objects; who data on line plots
  • Draw picture graphs and bar graphs to represent a data set with up to four categories

GEOMETRY

  • Reason and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as number of angles and faces
  • Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons and cubes
  • Partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares
  • Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, four equal shares and describe them using the words halves, thirds, etc
  • Animal Biodiversity
  • Plant Adaptations
  • Erosion & Earth’s Surface
  • Material Properties
  • States of Matter
  • Measuring Time & Moving in Space
  • Shifting Perspectives & Meanwhile Time
  • The Timeline of Me & The Landscape Split
  • Change Over Time & The Rules of Space
  • Character Education

Grade 3

  • Third graders are able to read much more widely on a variety of topics with more complex texts
  • They enjoy a variety of genres, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry
  • They further develop their skills to read aloud with ever-increasing fluency and comprehension
  • Third grade students read more thoughtfully, discover more details and extract deeper meaning in what they read
  • They are able to work more independently on research projects, producing more meaningful writing
  • With guidance, they use all steps of the writing process in their own compositions and reports
  • They are becoming more adept in identifying the main points from fiction and non-fiction texts, and are introduced to more abstract skills of synthesis and evaluation in writing
  • By the end of third grade, they are aware of the importance of correct spelling and the conventions of language
  • Third graders respond more logically to questions with increased vocabulary and wider range of language structures
  • They are aware of different registers of language, and are able to vary language patterns in both speaking and writing
  • Represent, compare and order whole numbers to 1000, using a variety of tools
  • Read and print in words whole numbers to one hundred
  • Compose and decompose three-digit numbers into hundreds, tens, and ones in a variety of ways, using concrete materials
  • Round two-digit numbers to the nearest ten and hundred
  • Divide whole objects and sets of objects into equal parts, and identify the parts usingfractional names
  • Estimate, count, and represent (using the euro symbol) the value of a collection of coins and bills with a maximum value of 10 euro
  • Solve problems that arise from real-life situations and that relate to the magnitude of whole numbers up to 1000
  • Count forward by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, and 100’s to 1000 from various starting points, and by 25’s to 1000 starting from multiples of 25, using a variety of tools and strategies
  • Count backwards by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s from 100 using multiples of 2, 5, and 10 as starting points, and count backwards by 100’s from 1000
  • Solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of two-digit numbers, using a variety of mental strategies
  • Add and subtract three-digit numbers, using concrete materials, student generated algorithms, and standard algorithms
  • Use estimation when solving problems
  • Add and subtract money amounts, using a variety of tools
  • Multiply to 12x12and divide to 49 -: 7, using a variety of mental strategies

Measurement
by the end of grade 3, students will:

  • Estimate, measure, and record length, height, and distance, using standard units draw items using a ruler, given specific lengths in centimetres
  • Read time using analogue clocks
  • Estimate, read and record positive temperatures to the nearest degree celsius
  • Estimate, measure and record the perimeter of two-dimensional shapes
  • Estimate, measure and record area- using grid paper
  • Choose benchmarks for a kilogram and a litre to help them perform measurement tasks
  • Estimate, measure and record the mass of objects
  • Estimate, measure and record the capacity of containers
  • Compare and order objects on the basis of linear measurements in centimetres and /or metres
  • Compare and order a collection of objects, using standard units of mass
  • Begin to solve problems involving the relationships between minutes and hours, hours anddays, days and weeks, and weeks and years, using a variety of tools

Geometry and spatial sense
by the end of grade 3, students will:

  • Use a reference tool to identify right angles
  • Identify and compare various polygons
  • Compare and sort prisms and pyramids by geometric properties
  • Construct rectangular prisms
  • Identify and describe the two-dimensional shapes that can be found in a three-dimensional figure
  • Describe movement from one location to another using a grid map identify flips, slides, and turns
  • Complete and describe designs that have a line of symmetry patterning and algebra

Patterns and relationships
by the end of grade 3, students will:

  • Identify, extend, and create a repeating pattern involving two attributes
  • Identify and describe and create, through investigation, number patterns involving addition, subtraction, and multiplication
  • Determine, through investigation, the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction
  • Determine, the missing number in equations involving addition and subtraction of one andtwo-digit numbers, using a variety of tools and strategies
  • Identify, through investigation, the properties of zero and one in multiplication
  • Identify, through investigation, and use the associative property of addition to facilitate computation with whole numbersdata

Management and probability
by the end of grade 3, students will:

  • Demonstrate an ability to organise objects into categories, by sorting and classifying objects using two or more attributes simultaneously
  • Collect data by conducting a simple survey
  • Collect and organise data and display the data in charts, tables and graphs
  • Read primary data represented in charts, tables and graphs
  • Interpret and draw conclusions from data presented in charts, tables and graphs
  • Predict the frequency of an outcome in a simple probability experiment or game
  • Fossils & Changing Environments
  • Life Cycles
  • Heredity, Survival, & Selection
  • Weather & Climate
  • Forces, Motion, & Magnets
  • Historian’s and Archaeologist’s Craft, Spaces and Persepectives
  • The Birth of the Earth and Early Life, Natural vs Human Modified
  • The Hominids & Paleolithic, Representing the Land
  • The Neolithic and Birth of Villages, Introduction to Ecosystems
  • Character Education

Grade 4

  • In the fourth grade, students expand and deepen their knowledge of reading, writing, and speaking, as well as their understanding of the connections among different types of communication
  • Fourth grade students read and comprehend texts from a variety of genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama), and they can understand and learn from texts without having a teacher preview the material for them
  • Students also read and understand informational texts from other subject areas in addition to language arts
  • Students are ready for opportunities to discuss books and to expand their vocabularies for deeper comprehension of texts
  • They understand and articulate how authors use a variety of techniques and craft in their writing, and they show evidence of the author’s craft in their own writing
  • Students participate in a cooperative learning environment, and they move independently around the room to gain information from other students
  • Fourth graders are also ready for more complex assignments that ask them to use sources to inform their oral and written discussions of topics

Number sense and numeration
by the end of grade 4, students will:

  • Represent, compare, and order whole numbers to 10,000, using a variety of tools
  • Demonstrate an understanding of place value in whole numbers and decimal numbers from 0.1 to 10,000 using a variety of tools and strategies
  • Read and print in words whole numbers to one thousand
  • Round four-digit whole numbers to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand in problems
  • Represent, compare and order fractions using concrete materials, words, and standard fractional notation
  • Demonstrate and explain the relationship between equivalent fractions
  • Solve problems that arise from real-life situations and that relate to the magnitude of wholenumbers up to 10,000
  • Add and subtract two-digit numbers, using a variety of mental strategies
  • Read and represent, add and subtract money amounts by making simulated purchases and providing change for amounts up to 100 euro
  • Multiply to 12×12 and divide to 81 by 9
  • Solve problems involving the multiplication of one-digit whole numbers
  • Multiply whole numbers by 10, 100, and 1000, and divide whole numbers by 10 and 100
  • Multiply two and three digit whole numbers by one, two and three digit whole numbers
  • Divide two and three digit whole numbers by one and two digit whole numbers
  • To begin to use estimation when solving problems and explain, through investigation, the relationship between fractions and decimals to tenths

Measurement
by the end of grade 4, students will:

  • Estimate, measure, and record length, height, and distance, using standard units
  • Draw items using a ruler, given specific lengths in millimetres or centimetres
  • Estimate, measure and represent time intervals and elapsed time to the nearest minute
  • Estimate, measure and record the perimeter and area of polygons
  • Estimate, measure and record the mass of objects, using the standard units
  • Estimate, measure and record the capacity of containers, using the standard units
  • Estimate, measure using concrete materials, and record volume
  • Describe through investigation, the relationship between various units of length
  • Begin to determine, through investigation, the relationship between the side lengths of a rectangle and its perimeter and area
  • Solve problems involving the relationship between years and decades and centuries

Geometry
by the end of grade 4, students will:

  • Draw the lines of symmetry of two-dimensional shapes
  • Identify and compare different types of quadrilaterals
  • Identify benchmark angles using a reference tool and compare other angles to these benchmarks
  • Identify and describe prisms and pyramids, and classify them by their geometric properties
  • Construct three-dimensional figures from a picture or model of the figure
  • Identify and describe the general location of an object using a grid system
  • Create and analyse symmetrical designs

Patterning and algebra
by the end of grade 4, students will:

  • Create a number pattern involving addition, subtraction, or multiplication, given a pattern rule expressed in words
  • Determine through investigation, the inverse relationship between multiplication and division
  • Determine the missing number in equations involving multiplication
  • Identify, through investigation and use the commutative property of multiplication
  • Identify, through investigation and use the distributive property of multiplication over addition

Data management and probability
by the end of grade 4, students will:

  • Begin to collect and organize discrete primary data and display the data in charts, tables, and graphs that have appropriate titles, labels, and scales
  • Read, interpret, and draw conclusions from primary data and from secondary data
  • Compare similarities and differences between two related sets of data, using a variety ofstrategies
  • Demonstrate, through investigation, an understanding of median
  • Predict the frequency of an outcome in a simple probability experiment, explaining their reasoning; conduct the experiment; and compare the result with the prediction
  • Human Body, Vision, & The Brain
  • Animal & Plant Adaptations
  • Earth’s Features & Processes
  • Sound, Waves, & Communication
  • Energy & Energy Transfer
  • Electricity, Light, & Heat
  • Rivers of Life – Mesopotamia & Egypt
  • Seas of Commerce – The Mediterranean & the East
  • Early Italy & The Aegean Worlds
  • Connecting the Land – Coastlines & Legacy
  • Character Education

Meet the teachers

Activities

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Testimonials

Con la presente per esprimere la nostra sincera gratitudine e stima verso le insegnanti Ms. Emily e Ms. Rona. La professionalità e l’amore che nutrono per il loro ruolo viene percepito dai nostri figli in maniera evidente. Sono entusiasti della loro scuola ed i loro progressi sono sempre stati notevoli. P.S. Mia figlia Greta parla ancora con tanto amore delle sue ex maestre.
Martina M.Mother of Kindergarten and Elementary School children
Our wonderful travel in the magical world of Preschool and Kindy at Saint Francis has finished, and now our two children started the new one in Elementary with strong personal, linguistical and learning skills that Preschool and Kindy fantastic teachers had planted in their mind and soul! Thanks for these great unforgettable years!
PaolaMother of Elementary School children
I have been in Saint Francis since fourth grade; the teachers always find ways to make our lessons more entertaining with a variety of activities. Over the past five years, the teachers have helped me discover my passions for art, science, and literature. I enjoyed my time at St. Francis and wouldn't want it any other way.
Elisabeth C.Class of 2022
I spent 7 years in St. Francis International School. Here I found love, all teachers supported me everyday, inspiring me for an exciting learning and growing. I had lots of fun and I will remember my school forever. Yes, St. Francis will be always "MY SCHOOL", my big loved family
Simone D.Grade 5
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