Curriculum

Christ the Redeemer Catholic School offers Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds. Each of these classes has a full-time teacher and a full-time teaching assistant. The curriculum is developed each year with the guidance and scope of the Curriculum Guides provided by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston and includes time in their day for fine and gross motor skill development, reading and math centers, small group instruction, music and movement, and religion.

During reading centers, students are taught fundamental reading skills, such as print awareness, letter recognition, and phonemic awareness. We use Heggerty for whole-group phonics instruction, which incorporates movement with our direct instruction. Currently, we use FrogStreet Press and Singapore Math, plus a variety of supplemental resources for reading, math, science, and social studies. RCL Benzinger’s Stories of God’s Love is used to address religion instruction. The daily routine in Pre-K includes snack, nap time, uninterrupted play and centers.
 

In Kindergarten, each class has a full-time teacher and a full-time teaching assistant. Students in Kindergarten are taught through the use of thematic units, where reading, writing, science, and social studies are integrated through weekly units. We also introduce the Reader’s Workshop model. In this model, children are taught daily mini-lessons and then given a chance to read independently or work in small groups with the teacher or stations with peers. During small group time, students are taught phonics lessons, spelling rules, and writing skills, assessed individually for strengths and weaknesses, and taught skills to enhance fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Our students in Kindergarten are taught whole-group phonics with the use of Heggerty’s Kindergarten Phonics Curriculum. 

For math, Sadlier’s Progress in Mathematics is used to help develop number sense, addition and subtraction. Students are also given time to explore math manipulatives, work in small groups, and utilize technology to help practice skills and math facts.  

The Stories of God’s Love series is continued in Kindergarten and students attend Mass once a week. In addition to their religion resources, our handwriting curriculum, Writing Our Catholic Faith, also reinforces religious content.

In 1st grade, students are really starting to shift their focus from learning how to read to being able to read independently. Our first graders continue to use the reading and writing workshop model, where students are taught a mini-lesson in whole-group format and then able to read independently at their own reading level or engage in reading stations with their peers. The teachers will meet with students for reading and writing conferences, small group instruction, and individualized assessments of fluency and comprehension. Students are also introduced to Sadlier’s Vocabulary Workshop.

For math, first-grade students use Envision Math 2.0 to continue instruction in addition and subtraction and can apply those skills to real-world problems. During their math block, students rotate through hands-on learning centers where they use manipulatives, play math games, receive small group instruction, and use technology to reinforce math concepts.

In science and social studies, students explore their communities and the world around them. STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math) projects are completed in the classroom using PebbleGo, BrainPop and Discovery Streaming.

During religion, students use Blest are We, a curriculum that focuses on belief statements, prayer, worship, and morality and they attend Mass weekly. Students will have a digital portfolio to showcase all their work.
 

Second-grade Crusaders are becoming more aware of what qualities create strong readers and writers.  In second grade, students continue with reader’s and writer’s workshop, growing in comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary. Students are explicitly taught reading comprehension skills to help when they are struggling to read texts. They are given time to write about personal experiences, nonfiction texts, and responses to their reading, and continue to grow their spelling and vocabulary through Scientific Spelling and Sadlier’s Vocabulary Workshop.

Students in 2nd grade also use the Blest Are We series, which includes instruction in worship, prayer, morality, and the Catholic belief statements, in addition to attending weekly mass. Our handwriting curriculum, Writing Our Catholic Faith, focuses on building handwriting skills while reinforcing Religious content. Teachers and students utilize a number of resources for science and social studies to meet the objectives outlined by the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston,  such as PebbleGo, Discovery Streaming, and BrainPop.  

Students’ math blocks are composed of teacher-led instruction with small group centers that allow students to explore math concepts through games, hands-on activities, small group instruction, and skill practice stemming from Envision Math 2.0. Students actively work to build their online digital portfolios to showcase their work with Seesaw.
 

Third-grade Crusaders are making the transition from learning to read to reading for learning. Our third graders start to focus their reader’s workshop time toward greater comprehension and increasing their vocabulary, fluency, and accessibility. We continue to implement Sadlier’s Vocabulary Workshop, Scientific Spelling, and begin to utilize novels and book clubs for teaching units. Our religion studies are focused on the Blest Are We series, which includes instruction in worship, prayer, morality, and Catholic beliefs. Students in third grade attend weekly Mass.  

Students meet their social studies objectives through Savvas’ Texas Social Studies consumable text, a resource that focuses on community, geography, different cultures, and public service roles. For science, students use Savvas Interactive Science to explore topics such as animal habitats and different ecosystems, matter, the earth’s various cycles, and many others, while also completing several STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math) projects throughout the year.

Students’ math blocks are composed of teacher-led instruction with small group centers that allow students to explore math concepts through games, hands-on activities, small group instruction, and skill practice. In addition to our standard curriculum resource, Envision Math 2.0 (TX), students have access to online content through Savvas, Discovery Streaming, PebbleGo, BrainPop, and IXL. Students in 3rd grade work to build their online digital portfolios through Seesaw.

Fourth-grade students enhance their reading and writing skills through reader’s and writer’s workshops by having ample time to read independently, conference with their teacher, complete novel studies, and write stories. Crusaders in fourth grade access Sadlier’s Vocabulary Workshop online and in print, and practice writing conventions through Sadlier’s Grammar Workshop. 

We attend Mass weekly and continuously develop our knowledge of the Catholic faith through Blest Are We. Our fourth-grade students utilize Savvas’ Social Studies resource: Building our Communities, TX ed, to learn about the regions, natural resources, and history of the Lone Star State. Students are exposed to Texas history by studying and performing the Texas Play: The Birth of the Lone Star State.

Through Savvas Interactive Science, students complete various labs to learn about the scientific process, energy, matter, the structure of living organisms and much more. Students’ math blocks are composed of teacher-led instruction with small group centers that allow students to explore math concepts through games, hands-on activities, small group instruction, and skill practice. In addition to our standard curriculum, students have access to online content through Discovery Streaming, PebbleGo, BrainPop, and IXL.

Fifth-grade Crusaders continue to build their comprehension and stamina in reading and writing through Reading and Writing workshop. Students continue to grow their vocabulary knowledge through the online and print components of Sadlier’s Vocabulary Workshop. In addition to their writer’s workshop period, students utilize Writing for Grammar to enhance their editing and revising skills.

Students in 5th grade attend Mass weekly and grow their faith through the implementation of service projects, alongside the Blest Are We resource. Students in 5th grade are taught math primarily through small group instruction and center activities. Savvas Envision 2.0 is utilized to focus instruction on various topics, but then students are given time to meet with the teacher individually and in small groups. Our 5th-grade students are blessed to attend Camp Kappe each year, a three-night retreat at the School of Environmental Education where they learn about ecosystems and how to be good stewards of God’s gifts here on Earth. 

Social Studies objectives are met through an online curriculum, TeachTCI, which focuses on America’s Past. This curriculum allows students to explore the past in an interactive, hands-on way. Students complete various partner and group activities to explore American History and understand past events and how those events have shaped our country today. In science, students use Savvas’ Interactive Science to complete various labs, conduct research, and learn about the world around them. Some of these topics include inherited traits, earth’s place in the solar system, and how to create and interpret different data. These skills come in handy when completing STREAM (science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and math) projects.  Finally, 5th-grade students learn how to be good digital citizens through the growth of their online digital portfolios.

Theology
The primary focus of CtR middle school theology is to help guide students to have an encounter with Jesus and to continue to cultivate a lifelong, loving relationship with our Savior. This is under the direction of the Archdiocesan Guidelines for Religious Education. The resources used are the Catholic Bible, Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the RCL Benzinger’s My Disciple textbook.

English Language Arts & Literature
Students in grades 6-8 enhance and deepen their understanding and application of reading, writing, and communication skills taught in earlier grades through an integrated, two-pronged learning approach where students participate in daily classes in both literature and English language arts. This approach allows students at this pivotal age to develop complex literacy and critical thinking skills needed to be successful in high school and beyond. In literature, students study various fiction and nonfiction genres and use mentor texts, book clubs, and student-selected novels as the basis for a focused study of literary terminology and critical analysis while fostering a love for literature in all its diverse forms. Additionally, literature students at CtRCS broaden their vocabulary through exposure to engaging texts coupled with Sadlier's Vocabulary Workshop Achieve series, which provides a rigorous, scaffolded approach to increasing a student's vocabulary.

In English language arts classes, CtRCS middle school students explore both the writer's craft and purpose through literary criticism and text analysis, writing with figurative and expressive language, and conducting research while differentiating between primary and secondary sources. Students are given daily opportunities to practice, polish, and perfect their writing craft through all stages of the writing process. As in the lower grades, middle school students grow their grammar skills through reading and writing, as well as the use of mentor sentences from literature and a focused study of grammar through the Voyages in English program. 

Math
Students in 6th grade follow a TEKS-aligned curriculum covering the 6th grade standards.  Students utilize guided notes supplemented with our textbook from Prentice Hall Pearson titled Course 2 Mathematics. The curriculum contains various physical and digital activities to keep students engaged, discussing their reasoning, and moving. 

Students in 7th grade will take either a 7th-grade math class covering the 7th-grade standards or a Pre-algebra class covering 7th and 8th-grade standards in preparation for taking Algebra 1 the following year.  Both classes use guided notes and activities from our TEKS-aligned curriculum and are occasionally supplemented with our textbook, Algebra Readiness. The curriculum contains a variety of activities, both physical and digital to keep students engaged, discussing their reasoning, and moving.  

Students in 8th grade will either take 8th-grade math covering the 8th-grade Texas standards or an Algebra 1 course following Texas standards for that course.  Both classes use guided notes and activities from our TEKS-aligned curriculum and are occasionally supplemented with our textbook, Algebra 1, from Prentice Hall. The curriculum contains a variety of activities, both physical and digital to keep students engaged, discussing their reasoning, and moving.  

All of our Middle School students have access to IXL, an online math practice platform, among others.  Students also receive a Simple Solutions workbook that continuously reviews math concepts and keeps skills fresh. 

Science
Students in middle school science utilize a lab-based, hands-on approach to study the objectives outlined in the TEKS. This approach focuses on labwork, note taking, and building understanding. Students are issued a consumable textbook, Savvas Interactive Science that is an integrated course of study, meaning the TEKs are embedded throughout the textbook across all three grade levels. In addition to their book, students have access to a variety of online resources that help them learn and complete projects, presentations, and assessments.

Social Studies
Middle school students meet their social studies objectives through TeachTCI Social Studies Alive!, an online resource that allows students to work in partners and small groups to learn and explore history and the current world around them. Students in 6th grade focus on World Geography, while students in 8th grade focus on American History, with a special trip to Washington D.C each year that helps them see some of what they are learning about up close and personal. 

Our 7th grade Crusaders study Texas History through Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Texas History (2016) textbook.