Our curriculum is focused on meeting and exceeding the Minnesota academic standards set by the Department of Education. Our teachers find innovative and creative ways to teach to those standards while making each day exciting and building a love of learning in each child. Check each class page for more information about the specific class curriculum.
Students at Our Lady of Peace attend daily Mass on Wednesday morning with Our Lady of Peace parishioners.
Beginning in fourth-grade students are able to train as altar servers and serve for our school Masses as well as weekend Mass. OLP students starting as early as Kindergarten take turns bringing up the gifts and reading at Mass.
Students are able to sing in our Mass choir once they are in second grade.
Kindergarten through eighth- grade students use the Alive in Christ curriculum to learn about their faith in the classroom setting.
In cooperation with Faith Formation at Our Lady of Peace Parish, our second-grade students prepare for the sacraments of Frist Penance and First Eucharist.
Students in eighth grade prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation.
All students participate in service throughout the school year.
The Kindergarten program at Our Lady of Peace School is designed to build the foundation for future learning. This is a wonderful year of development, discovery, and delight as we explore the world around us and the talent within us. We provide a safe, nurturing and challenging environment for growth not only intellectually, but socially, spiritually and physically.
Kindergarten Curriculum
Religion
As a Catholic community of learners, we strive to live our faith in the classroom. Kindergarten students attend mass monthly with the entire student body, participate in service projects to reach the broader community, and learn about the life of Jesus and the gifts that God has given us. Christianity is a theme that is integrated into all the curriculum areas in kindergarten at Our Lady of Peace.
Language Arts
Kindergarteners are active learners. We use music, movement and our sense of touch to learn to skills we need to read and write. Kindergarteners are introduced to 24 high-frequency words and all consonant and short-vowel sounds. Small-motor skills are developed as we practice printing. Listening skills develop through daily Read Aloud time when students are introduced to many forms of literature.
Math
Patterns, shapes, measurement and number sense are all important parts of the Kindergarten Math curriculum. Students begin by sorting and classifying common items noting similarities and difference, move on to counting and gradually learn to add and subtract. Additional skills include telling time, identifying coins by name and value, and printing numbers through 31.
Science
Through inquiry and experimentation, students learn about the practice of Science. Students learn about Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science and the nature of science and Engineering. The culminating activity of the Life Science unit is the incubation and hatching of chicken eggs which usually produces a lot of excitement in addition to chicks!
Social Studies
Social Studies are addressed daily as we discuss current events, significant dates and people in history. We also compare the life of a Minnesota family today to the lives led by the early settlers and natives of Minnesota. Cultural similarities and differences among the settlers of North America are discussed and read about and our own family traditions and countries of origin are mapped.
First grade is a year full of learning and growth accompanied by excitement and fun. Students are engaged in standards-based curriculum across all subject areas while individual learning styles and needs are reached through differentiated instruction. Every year it is a true joy to see how much first graders grow and progress, especially in the areas of reading and writing. Along with the core subject areas, our PeaceBuilders curriculum strives to create a peaceful, productive and safe place for all members of the OLP community. First grade is a year where independence, social skills and responsibility are stressed and foundations are set for upcoming years at Our Lady of Peace.
First Grade Curriculum
Religion
OLP’s standards-based religion curriculum is taught throughout grade levels. Within this curriculum, first graders study feasts and seasons, our church community, our loving God, God’s son, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus’ church of followers. Students are involved in school-wide service projects throughout the year and attend monthly all school Mass as a school community.
Language Arts/Reading
A variety of standards-based curriculum is used to cover reading, language, comprehension and writing skills in first grade. Students study various genres and focus on phonics skills, vocabulary, grammar and comprehension skills through these texts. Spelling skills, including word origins, usage, and spelling patterns, are emphasized. Students read and progress at varying paces and instruction is guided by authentic assessments throughout the year. Guided reading, fluency assessments, and running records are some examples of such assessments. STAR Reader and Accelerated Reader allow students to independently read at their own reading levels as well. Writer’s Workshop, focusing on the Six Traits of Writing, allows for individual writing conferences and differentiated writing instruction.
Math
Basic math skills, including number concepts, operations, and addition and subtraction facts are introduced within our standards-based math curriculum. Graphing, geometry, and fractions are also introduced. Students study basic time and money skills as well. Problem-solving is emphasized throughout the year and students learn to approach math concepts in various ways.
Science
First graders are exposed to units within Life, Physical, and Earth science. A favorite unit in first-grade science is always the study of the monarch. Within this life science unit students study the life cycle of the monarch with live monarchs in the classroom. Through a website called Journey, North students have the opportunity to experience a symbolic migration and track the monarch’s migration to and from Mexico. Within life science, students also study animals and their homes, and plants. Physical science in first grade focuses on states of matter and motion and energy. In earth science, students are introduced to our earth, weather and the sky.
Social Studies
First graders are introduced to basic geography skills as well as basic civics, economics, and history. Units include All About Families, Where We Live, Good Citizens, All Kinds of Jobs and Americans Long Ago. OLP also invites Junior Achievement volunteers into all classrooms, grades K-8.
Second grade is a time of growth and maturity. The children learn to be more responsible and organized in the classroom. They become more independent readers and use their reading skills to learn content in other areas such as social studies, science, and religion. They build on their basic math skills when they are introduced to concepts such as two-digit addition and subtraction. Receiving the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist is something that the children look forward to with excitement. Second graders grow in their friendships and use their PeaceBuilder skills to help make the classroom a wonderful place!
Second Grade Curriculum
Religion
Second grade is an important year in the development of our Catholic faith. We prepare for the sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist in the classroom along with participating in parish activities organized by our Director of Religious Education. Second graders learn about the parts of the Mass and the order they follow.
Language Arts
Grammar, spelling, writing, and reading make up the language arts curriculum. We read literature stories along with leveled reading stories each week. Students continue to use the Accelerated Reader program. The Six Traits of Writing are taught to help the children become strong writers.
Math
Second graders practice numbers through 100 using addition and subtraction. We practice graphing, measurement, geometry and fractions. We learn more about telling time and counting money. Two-digit addition and subtraction are an important part of second-grade math.
Science
Plants and animals are covered in our life science unit. The Earth and space science unit covers the Earth and weather. Matter and motion/energy are covered in the physical science unit. Both a science text and hands-on activities are used in our science curriculum.
Social Studies
Second graders learn about American history and government. We study different types of communities and their characteristics and the responsibilities that go along with being a good citizen. Economics, geography, and map skills are also covered in our curriculum.
With third grade comes exciting learning and growth accompanied by increased responsibility. It is a joy to see third graders grow into responsible students that keep track of assignments and projects using their own assignment planners! Students are engaged in a standards-based curriculum across all subject areas while individual learning styles and needs are reached through differentiated instruction. Along with the core subject areas, our PeaceBuilders curriculum strives to create a peaceful, productive, and safe place for all members of the OLP community.
Third Grade Curriculum
Religion
Students attend all school masses; learn about prayer, scripture, church community and how the church has a mission to the world. The PeaceBuilders curriculum is taught school-wide.
Language Arts/Reading
Our Lady of Peace believes the study of language arts teaches students how to effectively communicate and how to use related knowledge and contexts to synthesize information in meaningful messages. A wide variety of formative and summative assessments are used throughout the year and guides instruction. The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in English Language Arts, which use the Common Core State Standards, is the base for our ELA curriculum. Through the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Journeys textbook the following standards are taught:
Math
The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Mathematics serves as the base for our math curriculum. Through the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Expressions textbook the following concepts/skills are taught:
Science
The Minnesota Science Standards serve as the base for the science curriculum. In science the students learn about Earth Science; How the Earth Changes, Using Earth’s Resources, Changes in Weather and Planets, Moon and Stars. To wrap up the Planet Unit, the students worked in cooperative groups to create the solar system. In Physical Science, the students learn about Forms of Energy like heat, sound, light, and electricity. To wrap up this unit, the students put together their own battery operated car kit. In Life Science, the students learn about living things and how they grow and change. They also recognize the adaptations that allow organisms to survive in certain environments.
Social Studies
The Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies that define the knowledge and skills that students must achieve in civics and government, economics, geography, and history serve as the base for our social studies curriculum. The following concepts/skills are taught:
Intermediate and Middle School at Our Lady of Peace prepares students for the interdisciplinary subject matter of high school and college. Each year students are matched with an individual advocate /adviser for academic and personal development so that each student is accountable to that faculty member.
The curriculum is preparatory, but relevant to matters outside the classroom. Our faculty does an outstanding job of explaining the core curriculum as a building block to future learning while our specialists allow students to further develop the Spanish, Physical Education, Art, Music, and Technology skills that they have gained since primary school at Our Lady of Peace. Student evaluation is based on a set of clearly articulated standards and students are expected to achieve.
All students participate in the Middle School Leadership Program - a program that develops the interpersonal and compassionate gifts inside our students.
Coming soon...
In Middle School Language Arts, there is a strong focus on reading and writing, both in habit and in practice.
Students are encouraged and expected to implement the 6 + 1 Traits of Writing (Ideas, Organization, Voice, Sentence, Fluency, Word Choice, Conventions, and Presentation) in their own written work across the curriculum.
Students work toward individual reading goals each quarter based on student’s ability in order to develop the habit of reading.
Each class reads four class novels from a variety of genres per year with short stories, plays, non-fiction, mythology, and poetry interspersed.
Cooperative learning and cross-curricular learning experiences with Social Studies, Research and Library Skills, Art, and Health are integrated throughout the curriculum.
Students participate in National Novel Writing Month in November in order to develop creative writing and typing skills.
Students in Eighth grade produce the yearbook as part of the Language Arts Curriculum. Each student is responsible for designing at least one page for the yearbook, although many choose to do more than one. All designs and layouts are done digitally via an online program.
5th grade
Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions/decimals
Reading, writing and evaluating expressions
6th grade (Course 2)
Finding the surface area and volume of shapes
Writing and solving equations
7th grade (Pre-Algebra)
Writing and solving multi-step equations and inequalities
Graphing using intercepts and slope
8th grade (Algebra)
Solving, graphing, and writing linear equations
Applying Pythagorean Theorem and Distance/Midpoint formulas
Students are required to maintain a graded notebook that includes: vocabulary, complete sentence assigned questions and lecture notes. Corrections/additions are made during class discussions of the material.
Labs and Activities are performed to discover, assess and reinforce concepts. The five-step method lab report is used to prepare students for high school science.
Cumulative chapter assessments and notebook checks require a parent signature.
Middle School Science Curriculum
Physical Science
The study of Matter/Atoms, Motion/Forces, Work/Energy and Waves - Light/Sound.
Earth Science
The study of our Earth: Including Earth’s resources, mapping the Earth, shaping the land, weather, and climate.
Life Science
Sixth Grade Social Studies
Minnesota History is the focus of sixth grade Social Studies. The students analyze the change in environment, state government, industrial and economic growth, and animal habitats throughout our state’s history. The students also focus on community development, immigration push and pull factors, juvenile law, and Minnesota’s influence on federal policies. Each sixth grader receives a pass allowing them to attend over twenty Minnesota historical sites free of charge.
Seventh Grade Social Studies
The seventh graders study American History in social studies class this year. The time periods studied will be from the turn of the 20th century to present. We will focus on the development of American domestic concerns, America’s foreign policy, American ideology as it has developed throughout its short history and American pop culture during each decade. The students will also look at summaries of the presidents and analyze their position on domestic and foreign affairs.World Geography is the focus for seventh grade social studies. Throughout the year we will be studying countries around the world by looking at their landforms, climate, history, government, economics, traditions, and culture.
The seventh graders participate in History Day each year. The students are able to choose a topic that goes along with the year’s theme to create a website, documentary, performance, exhibit, or a written paper. The students present their projects to a judging panel and can qualify for regional, state, and/or national competitions.
Eighth Grade Social Studies
World Geography is the focus for eighth grade social studies. Throughout the year we will be studying countries around the world by looking at their landforms, climate, history, government, economics, traditions, and culture.
Our specialists are content experts in the areas of Spanish, Art, Music, Library/Media, Physical Education, and Technology. They provide Our Lady of Peace students with knowledge that educates the whole student. By spending focused time with our specialists, our students develop advanced creative, quantitative, kinesthetic, and real, practical skills that could serve them for life. We are lucky to have these specialists and our students are fortunate to flourish from their knowledge.
Our Lady of Peace Catholic School believes that art is a life-long process of interacting with the environment, expressing values, and integrating various cultures while reverencing God, persons, and nature through creative expression. Fostering art develops creativity, builds self-confidence, provides for aesthetic experiences, and transmits cultural heritage. Art reaches students who may not be reached in other ways but also in ways that they are not being reached in other subjects. The teaching of art serves as an instrument for learning about life, for it represents the past, interprets the present, and imagines the future.
Students in ELP (Early Learning Program), Kindergarten, and First Grade will learn to use basic art materials correctly and to share art materials and supplies safely. They will be introduced to line, shape, color, texture, and pattern. Students will also be introduced to the concept of art as a means of expression.
Students in the Second, Third, and Fourth grades will be re-introduced to basic elements of design (line, color, shape, texture, and pattern) as well as being introduced to the principles of design (space, balance, repetition, scale). Students will learn to make decisions and modify their ideas as they make artwork and begin to judge when their artwork is complete.
Students in Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh grade will study the effect of cultural and temporal context on the appearance of artworks by analyzing pieces of art from various civilizations (Colonial and Early American; Ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Medieval European; African, Asian, and Middle Eastern). Students will also learn about creating depth and volume in two-dimensional artworks through contour lines, shading, scale, positioning, foreshortening, and linear perspective.
Students in Eighth grade will learn about the history of art by focusing on various art periods and movements throughout history. They will also examine and draw objects placed before them in an attempt to distinguish between the object as it is actually seen and the object as it is known intellectually. Eighth-grade students will create objects of sufficient complexity as to require task analysis, time management, experimentation and adaptation, communication, and self-evaluation.
The library is blessed to have many, many wonderful books. There are new releases, classics, picture books for everyone, graphic novels, early readers; popular series, non-fiction for all grades and many religious selections. Suggestions for book purchase are always welcome.
The library collection is made possible through two great fund-raising events:
It is through fund-raising and donations that we are able to keep the library current.
Students love to come to the library where we are WILD ABOUT READING! Our space is very relaxing and appealing to all our students.
These classes are introduced to library skills through the use of picture books and beginning chapter books. They learn how to select books, how to tell the difference between fiction and non-fiction and about different genres. Students in these grades may check out one book at a time and keep that book for one week.
These classes are introduced to various library skills through the use of a read-a-loud, either picture books or chapter books, and hands-on application. They learn about choosing just right books, how the library is organized, and how to use the library’s online catalog. Students in these grades may check out two books at a time and keep them for one week.
These students build upon skills they have learned in previous years. They will be using their iPads to search the OLP library’s online catalog, learn what resources are available through the local county-based library systems, access and search research databases and online encyclopedias (free resources available to OLP from the state of Minnesota), evaluate websites and use an online citation maker. Students in these grades may check out three books at a time and keep them for two weeks.
These students build upon skills they have learned in previous years. They will be using their iPads to search the OLP library’s online catalog, learn what resources are available through the local county-based library systems, access and search research databases and online encyclopedias (free resources available to OLP from the state of Minnesota), evaluate websites and use an online citation maker. Students in these grades may check out three books at a time and keep them for two weeks.
The OLP Technology curriculum is aligned with the McRel standards. Standards are achieved through in-class lessons and activities. In grades K-4, the focus is on mouse basics, computer basics, keyboarding, beginning graphics, visual mapping basics, word processing basics, database basics, computer navigation, spreadsheet basics, graphing in spreadsheets, email basics, presentation basics, web browsing basics, formulas in spreadsheets and database basics. Students also cover a unit on Cyberbullying.
The OLP Technology curriculum is aligned with the McRel standards. Standards are achieved through in-class lessons and activities. In grades 6-8, the focus is on more advanced skills and includes computer fundamentals, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, web browsing, multimedia, and databases, communicating online and basic HTML. Middle school students also cover a unit on Cyberbullying.
In the music classroom, we learn through modeling, cooperative learning, and sharing. Each of these processes when coupled with our voices, our bodies, props, pitched and non-pitched instruments may look a lot like play. Children learn best in a rich playful environment that does not include performance pressure. Rest assured, you will see and hear what we can do in the Advent Lessons and Carols program and the Spring Concert. We follow the Core Music Standards identified by the National Association for Music Education, therefore achieving the milestones of early childhood music. When it comes right down to it, we really just like to sing, move, play, and have fun doing it!
The OLP music curriculum is based on 4 thematic units. This year the units are 4 areas of music:
Goals
National Standards for Music Education
We are an active, energetic community. Physical Education at Our Lady of Peace helps us focus our energy.
Kindergarten through Fourth Grade
Our Lady of Peace Physical Education curriculum provides a wide range of opportunities for every student to participate in activities which encourage learning to move in addition to learning through movement. These experiences result in understanding concepts of cooperation, fair play, and lifelong health-related fitness and wellness through enjoyable physical activity.
Fifth through Eighth Grade
In grades five through eight the students will refine their motor skills specifically as they relate to team sports, individual sports, tumbling, rhythms, and physical fitness activities. Students are encouraged to appreciate the benefits of play and develop positive attitudes and behaviors that encourage a physically active and healthy lifestyle.
Seventh & Eighth Grade Health
The students will focus on life skills and activities that will increase their understanding of health concepts.
The focus will be to help them develop their listening and pronunciation skills, in preparation for reading and writing, as they grow. Music, stories, games, simple worksheets and activities “plant the seeds” for the love of the Spanish language.
The third and fourth graders begin with a review of previous learning, with the addition of verb conjugation and basic articles and nouns. Special projects are also included, to better our understanding of life in Spanish speaking countries.
In fifth through eighth grade, students study regular and irregular verb conjugations, learn how to express basic needs, give and follow directions, use good sentence construction, broaden vocabulary and complete various projects. There is an emphasis on the cultures of the native Spanish speakers. The students have ample opportunities to put into practice their vocabulary and grammar skills in real life “Situaciones”, impromptu skits that foster good communication in the Spanish language.
At all levels, the goal is to encounter a love for the Spanish language, its people, and traditions, with the hope for further study in high school.
PeaceBuilders is the research validated violence prevention and character education program that is a part of what makes Our Lady of Peace such a great place to learn and grow. The program has become a big part of what we do here and you can see it in action during lunch, on recess, in our classrooms and even at home. Our Power of Peace Day, Peace Circles, and PeaceBuilders bulletin board help reinforce the curriculum.
Created for the young child, child, pre-teen, and teen, PeaceBuilders addresses risk factors, which predict violence, bullying and drug and tobacco use. Participation in PeaceBuilders reduces aggression, promotes language development, and teaches pro-social skills.
I pledge. . .
To praise people,
To give up put-downs,
To seek wise people,
To notice and speak up about hurts I have caused,
To right wrongs,
To help others,
I will build peace at home, at school, and in my community each day.