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ACADEMICS
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Academics

Mission & Vision

At Old St. Mary’s School, our mission drives all that we do.  Our dedicated teachers and instructional teams seek unlock our students' potential, prepare them to succeed academically, and stress the importance of using their gifts from God in service to our world community.

 

Old St. Mary's offers:

  • A well-rounded education rooted in Catholic values, social-emotional learning, and social justice that develops strong intellectual habits

  • Vertically aligned English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Religion curriculum

  • A commitment to developing children’s faith, character, integrity, and leadership skills

 

Old St. Mary’s School, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago and reflective of the Paulist Mission, is committed to prepare students to be productive, responsible and impactful members of the world community.

Lead through faith.  Grow in knowledge.  Serve with love.

English Language Arts

How does it connect with our mission?

  • At OSM we are committed to prepare students to be productive, responsible and impactful members of the world community. ELA is a large part of that preparation. 

“Our literacy curriculum is designed to help students develop and refine reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and  provide opportunities for problem-solving, collaboration, making connections, and reflection. Our aim is to develop learners who are capable of using and producing language effectively as they encounter an increasingly complex and information rich local and global community.”

ELA Standards

  • Aligned with Common Core Standards 

    • Reading in Literature

    • Reading in Informational Text

    • Writing 

    • Speaking and Listening

    • Language

Science Based Reading

  • Part of a well rounded Literacy education includes

    • Diverse and robust classroom libraries

    • Texts High level thinking and discussions 

    • Fostering self advocacy

    • Direct and Explicit Instruction 

    • Independent practice

ELA Routines & Practices

  • Print rich environment and word conscious classrooms

  • Focus on phonics and decoding in primary grades along independent reading and writing through the workshop model 

  • Fiction and Nonfiction reading and writing units are incorporated throughout the year in all grades to foster a well rounded ELA experience 

  • Vertically aligned rubrics and assessments

  • Leveled texts/book clubs to meet students on their level and foster discussions

Curriculum

  • Preschool:

    • Letter Study

    • Center Based Learning

    • Poetry

  • Kindergarten - Third:

    • Fundations (phonics)

    • Reading and Writing Workshop (Lucy Calkins)

    • Grammar

    • Author Studies (K)

    • Poetry 

  • Fourth - Middle School:

    • Reading and Writing Workshop (Lucy Calkins)

    • Grammar (Grammar for Writing)

    • Spelling (4th/5th)

    • Book Talks (Middle School)

Mathematics

How does it connect with our mission?

Our mathematics curriculum aims to develop mathematically proficient learners who can communicate using the language of math and understand the relationship between mathematical concepts and mathematical reasoning.

Mathematical Content Standards

  • Primary (K-2):

    • Counting and Cardinality (K only)

    • Operations and Algebraic Thinking

    • Numbers and Operations - Base Ten

    • Measurement and Data

    • Geometry

  • Intermediate (3-5):

    • Operations and Algebraic Thinking

    • Numbers and Operations - Base Ten

    • Numbers and Operations - Fractions

    • Measurement and Data

    • Geometry

  • Middle School (6-8):

    • Ratios and Proportional Relationships

    • The Number System

    • Expressions and Equations

    • Statistics and Probability

    • Geometry

Mathematical Practice Standards

  • Mathematical Practices

    1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

    2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively

    3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others

    4. Model with mathematics

    5. Use appropriate tools strategically

    6. Attend to Precision

    7. Look for and make use of structure

    8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

  • Mathematical Standards

    • Habits of Mind (1 & 6)​

    • Reasoning and Explaining (2 & 3)

    • Modeling and Using Tools (4 & 5)

    • Seeing Structure and Generalizing (7 & 8)

Highlights of Major Work

  • K-2:

    • Addition and subtraction - concepts, skills, and problem solving; place value

  • 3-5:

    • Multiplication and division of whole numbers and fractions - concepts, skills, and problem solving

  • ​6

    • Ratios and proportional relationships; early expressions and equations

  • ​7

    • Ratios and proportional relationships; arithmetic of rational numbers

  • ​8

    • Linear equations and linear functions

Required Fluencies

  • K​

    • Add/Subtract within 5

  • 1

    • Add/Subtract within 10​

  • 2

    • Single-digit sums and differences (sums from memory by the end of Grade 2)

    • Add/Subtract within 100

  • 3

    • Single-digit products and quotients (products from memory by the end of Grade 3)

    • Add/Subtract within 1000

  • 4

    • Add/Subtract within 1,000,000​

  • 5

    • Multi-digit multiplication​

  • 6

    • Multi-digit division

    • Multi-digit decimal operations

Science

Why do we teach science?

Students who are interested in science can:

  • continue to learn about science concepts outside of the classroom

  • gain the knowledge and skills to enter STEM careers of their choice

What about the kids who don’t want to go into a STEM career? 

  • ALL students at OSM should:

    • learn to be careful consumers of information

    • be able to intelligently engage in public discussions

    • be able to appreciate the beauty and wonder of our universe!

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

  • Three Dimensions

    • Disciplinary Core Ideas

    • Corsscutting Concepts

    • Science and Engineering Practices

How We Teach

  • Through

    • Wondering​

    • Action

    • Writing

    • Observation

    • Traveling

Vertical Alignment

  • Preschool

    • Desert​

    • Ocean

    • Seasonal Scioence (weather, pumpkins, etc)

    • Senses/bodies

  • Kindergarten

    • Materials​

    • ​Motion​

    • Trees

    • Weather

    • Animals Needs and Behaviors

  • 1

    • Sound/Light/Communication​

    • Sun/Moon/Stars

    • Plants and Animals

  • 2

    • Solids and Liquids​

    • Pebbles/Sand/Silt

    • Insects and Plants

  • 3

    • Motion and Matter​

    • Weather and Climate

    • Structures of Life

  • 4

    • Energy​

    • Soils/Rocks/Landforms

    • Environments

  • 5

    • Mixtures and Solutions​

    • Earth and Sun

    • Living Systems

  • 6

    • Molecules/Matter/Chemical Reactions​

    • Force/Motion

    • Rocks/Mineral​​

  • 7

    • Cells/Disease​

    • Scientific Method

    • Plate Tectonics

    • Ecology/Adaptation

  • 8

    • Genetics​

    • Waves

    • Weather/Climate

    • Chemistry

    • Physics

Social Studies

How does this connect to our mission?

Through Social Studies, our students at OSM will learn to:

  • Make informed decisions 

  • Develop a real-world understanding

  • Apply primary source analysis strategies

  • Gain citizenship skills of a culturally diverse society

  • Prepare students to grow up as active, responsible citizens

Social Studies Practice Standards

  • Using TCI Textbooks

  • Standards center around key components 

    • Civics

    • Geography

    • History

    • Economics

    • Social Justice

  • Interdisciplinary Studies with the Social Justice     Standards-Teaching Tolerance Standards

Unit Topics by Grade

  • Kindergarten

    • Who am I?

    • What is a Family?

    • How do I be a good helper at school?

    • Where am I in the World?

    • What do People Need and Want?

  • 1

    • City vs. Country

    • Maps and Compasses

    • Important Events and People

    • Social Justice and Making a Change

  • 2

    • Geography

    • How do people use our Environment?

    • What does a good citizen do?

    • How do communities change?

  • 3

    • Compare how people adapt to their environment and culture in our community to other places

    • Identify major landforms and bodies of water

    • Civil Rights Movement

    • Identify three branches of state government

    • Chicago History

  • 4

    • States and Capitals

    • Construct and analyze maps

    • Effects of Geography on Life

    • Population Patterns

  • 5

    • Timelines and Primary/Secondary Resources

    • Native Americans/Europeans

    • Journey to the New World

    • Colonization

    • Birth of a New Nation/Revolutionary War

    • Our Government/Bill of Rights

    • Industrial Revolution 

    • Civil War

  • 6

    • Making Historical Inferences

    • Early Hominids 

    • Mesopotamia

    • Ancient Egypt

    • Ancient India

    • Ancient China

    • Ancient Greece

    • Ancient Rome

  • 7

    • Indigenous Peoples

    • Colonialism

    • American Revolution

    • Constitution and Civics

    • Westward Expansion

  • 8

    • Slavery

    • Civil War and Reconstruction

    • Gilded Age

    • WWI and WWII

    • Civil Rights Movement

How We Teach

  • Students use TCI textbooks in print or online

  • Note-taking skills

  • Use of maps and timelines

  • Simulations,  reenactments, hands on activities and projects

  • Students learn to be inquisitive and build upon our knowledge of family, community, nation and world

Religion

How does this connect to our mission?

As a unified Church and School community, Old St. Mary's Parish promotes the mission of the Paulist Fathers to welcome those who have been away from the church, to build bridges of respect and collaboration with people of diverse backgrounds and religions, and to promote justice and healing in our society.

Religion Practice Standards

  • Sacred Scripture - Who is God? 

  • The Creed: What the Catholic Church believes 

  • Catholic prayer, Liturgy, Sacramental Life 

  • Christian Living: How God wants us to live 

  • Living Discipleship

How to make each religion lesson come to life?

  • The Engage Step - the goal to hook the students with an image from their lived experience

  • The Explore Step - start with a prayer and introduce the main idea through the Bible and an activity

  • The Reflect Step - Guided reflection and quiet time with God to make connections with God by working in small groups or writing independently in their journals 

  • The Respond Step - reflective homework or Informal or formal assessments

Religion Curriculum by Grade Level

  • Preschool:

    • God knows & Loves Me - Jesus, the Good Shepherd

    • God gives us all that is good, Creation 

    • Jesus is God’s own Son, family & Christmas

    • Church

    • God & Prayer 

    • Holidays

  • Kindergarten - 5th:

    • Revelation 

    • Trinity 

    • Jesus 

    • The Church, Beatitudes 

    • Morality - Respect life 

    • Sacraments

    • Kingdom of God 

  • 6

    • The Old Testament​

      • Revelation 

      • God’s Plan for Salvation 

      • God the Father 

      • The Holy Trinity 

      • Creation & Adam & Eve

      • Covenants 

      • Patriarchs

  • 7

    • The New Testament​

      • The Bible - Gospels 

      • Acts of the Apostles 

      • The Gospel according to John 

      • The Letters  

      • Introduction to the Liturgy 

      • Sacraments 

      • Mary & Saints 

      • Confirmation preparation

  • 8

    • New Testament and Morality​​

      • Gospel according to Matthew 

      • Ten Commandments 

      • Catholic Virtues & Morality

      • Prayer and Early Church History

      • Confirmation

How We Teach

  • The textbook 

  • The Bible - students learn how to build upon their basic Scripture knowledge to have conversations and work on projects while relating the Scripture to their own lives. 

  • Videos 

  • Note Taking 

  • Small group discussions 

  • Hands on activities & projects

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