Specials Curriculum
Art Program
The Art Program follows the Archdiocese of Washington Schools Academic Standards for Art. Classes meet for 40 minutes on a weekly basis. The program is built on two goals: one, to open the children’s eyes and minds to God’s presence in His creation through observation; and two, to develop the creative mind. A sketchbook, to be developed at home, is maintained by each student. Class periods begin with a quick drawing made from direct observation. Grade-specific assignments introduce and develop skills in painting, sculpture, architecture, printmaking, and new media Assignments are often derived from topics in the other subjects. The Arts Festival, three days of arts-only workshops presented by guest artists, dancers and musicians, caps the year with students exhibiting their work on Gallery Night.
French Program
The HRS French program is designed to help students attain an exceptional pre-high school level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing-taught by a native French teacher. Classes are small and fun using the Symtalk Method of visual instruction (lower grades) and Discovering French Bleu Nouveau 1 program (middle school). Teaching emphasis includes teacher-pupil interaction, textbooks, workbooks, transparencies, videos, audiotapes and computer software in classes. Students are able to gain familiarity with new everyday life experiences as they relate to the language, culture, religion and geography of the French speaking world. The program stresses interdisciplinary skills by linking foreign language study with language arts, social studies, math and history. There is frequent role playing, field trips and confidence building exercises introduced throughout the lower and middle school class learning levels.
Library/Media Center
Students in Pre-K through Fifth Grade visit the Library weekly for a regularly scheduled class period that fosters appreciation of children’s fiction and nonfiction literature and media that includes digital resources. Students listen, view, and read for pleasure. Kindergarteners participate in a Library Train program that provides each student with a book to enjoy at home every school day. Students in Grades 1-5 select books to check out from the Library’s collection. Library activities implement the American Association of School Librarian’s standards-based information literacy curriculum and also integrate technology across each grade’s curriculum. Students in Grades 6-8 use the Library at the direction of their subject-area teachers.
Spanish Program
The HRS Spanish program, taught by a native speaker, is designed to enable students to apply age-appropriate listening, speaking, reading and writing languages skills for communication in every day situations, and to foster appreciation of the rich ethnic heritage of the Spanish-speaking world. Designed to allow students to speak and communicate in Spanish from day one, the students acquire oral proficiency before they write in the language, just as they do in their native tongue. The lower grades use the Symtalk Method which uses symbol cards, while the upper grades use the textbook, ¡Avancemos!. Engaging inter-disciplinary activities, supported by teacher-pupil interaction, feature songs, games, and videos. At each grade level, beginning in Kindergarten and continuing through Grade 3, students build vocabulary, acquire a growing foundation in grammar, and learn about culture, religion, geography and history. By Grades 4 and 5, students gain an understanding of how the Spanish language is structured and how they can use this knowledge to express their own needs and talk about the world around them while appreciating the diversity of cultures. Throughout Grades 6, 7 and 8, students develop increased proficiency in oral and written communication and cultural awareness.