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I am so excited to be a part of the St. Joseph School community as a first grade teacher! I was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and attended National-Louis University where I received my degree in education with a concentration in psychology. I am also a certified Orton-Gillingham tutor and teacher, a multi-sensory approach that is very explicit in teaching reading to beginning readers.

I have spent the last 25 years teaching at a Catholic school- the last 18 years in first grade! I fell in love with teaching at a Catholic school because of the loving family atmosphere it provided. I enjoy inspiring children to learn and strive for their goals. I am committed to ensuring each child feels successful, capable, and celebrated while they are in my class. I love and enjoy learning, and I want to share, with my students, this passion and show how fun and exciting learning truly is!

When I am not teaching, I enjoy spending time with my husband and our two sons. I love to read and spend time outdoors.

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Week at a Glance

ELA

To blend and read three-sound short vowel words
To segment and spell three-sound short vowel words
To understand sentence dictation procedure: capitalization, punctuation (period), and proofreading
To understand the concept of the bonus letter spelling rule: ff, ll,ss, and sometimes zz
To understand the glued sound: all
To read with accuracy and prosody
To read and spell trick words: I, they
To retell Waiting for the Biblioburro, including key details about characters, settings, and major events
To identify and generate verbs
To analyze the main character’s dreams using key details in Waiting for the Biblioburro
To compose a sentence in their Response Journals
To identify root words and the inflectional ending -ing

MATH

To count and write numbers 11 to 19
To count groups of 10
To use dimes to count by tens
To make groups of ten and some more

RELIGION

To demonstrate a way to show respect for Jesus’ name
To tell the story of Jesus’ birth
To identify Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the Holy Family
To define angel, Holy Family, Joseph, Mary

Week at a Glance

ELA

To blend and read three-sound short vowel words
To segment and spell three-sound short vowel words
To understand sentence dictation procedure: capitalization, punctuation (period), and proofreading
To understand the concept of the bonus letter spelling rule: ff, ll,ss, and sometimes zz
To understand the glued sound: all
To read with accuracy and prosody
To read and spell trick words: you, your
To retell Waiting for the Biblioburro, including key details about characters, settings, and major events
To identify and generate verbs

MATH Unit test on Wednesday

To find related addition and subtraction facts
To determine whether math statements are true or false

SCIENCE

To use a model to investigate why the stars are visible at night but disappear when the Sun comes out during the day. In the activity, Star Projector, students use paper cups to project stars onto a sky picture, and observe what happens to these stars when a flashlight acts as a model of the Sun.

Week at a Glance

ELA

To blend and read three-sound short vowel words
To segment and spell three-sound short vowel words
To understand sentence dictation procedure: capitalization, punctuation (period), and proofreading
To understand the concept of consonant digraph, keywords and sounds: wh, ch, sh, th, ck
To use the punctuation: question mark
To read with accuracy and prosody
To read and spell trick words: for, or
To generate and answer questions about Waiting for the Biblioburro
To identify and generate verbs
To retell events of the story through the lens of character and setting
To use key vocabulary in sentences to demonstrate understanding
To create Tableaux for the problem and resolution of the story
To add -ed to verbs to make them past tense

MATH

To subtract numbers from six and seven
To subtract numbers from eight
To subtract numbers from nine
To subtract numbers from ten

SCIENCE

To use a model to investigate why the stars are visible at night but disappear when the Sun comes out during the day. In the activity, Star Projector, students use paper cups to project stars onto a sky picture, and observe what happens to these stars when a flashlight acts as a model of the Sun.

RELIGION

To identify psalms as songs and poems of prayer
To explain that Ordinary Time is a time to show our thanks for God’s creation and for the gifts God gives us
To discuss the images of God’s creation- especially wheat and grapes that become bread and wine- displayed during Ordinary Time
To define celebrate, liturgical year, and Ordinary Time

Week at a Glance

ELA

To blend and read three-sound short vowel words
To segment and spell three-sound short vowel words
To understand sentence dictation procedure: capitalization, punctuation (period), and proofreading
To understand the concept of consonant digraph, keywords and sounds: wh, ch, sh, th, ck
To use the punctuation: question mark
To read with accuracy and prosody
To retell with picture notes and visualization
To understand narrative story form: character, setting, main events
To read and spell trick words: as, has, to, into, we, she, he, be, me

MATH

To subtract across and down
To draw a diagram to solve problems
To compare groups of up to nine objects
To subtract numbers from four and five

SCIENCE

To explore all of the different shapes of the Moon that can appear on different nights. In the activity, My Moon Book, students observe photos of the Moon taken over the course of four weeks and draw pictures of the Moon's phases in their book. They use these observations to discover patterns in how the Moon’s shape changes and predict when the next full moon will appear.

RELIGION

To demonstrate sharing a sign of peace
To tell that Jesus brings us God the Father’s love
To explain that the Holy Spirit brings us God the Father’s gift of peace
To define Holy Spirit and Trinity

Week at a Glance

ELA Unit 2 assessment on Tuesday

To blend and read three-sound short vowel words
To segment and spell three-sound short vowel words
To understand sentence dictation procedure: capitalization, punctuation (period), and proofreading
To retell a story in detail and sequence
To retell Tomas and the Library Lady
To identify common and proper nouns
To distinguish between what Tomas imagines and what is real in Tomas and the Library Lady
To develop vocabulary knowledge of the word imagination

MATH

To use models to represent and solve subtraction situations
To subtract parts from a whole
To write subtraction number sentences
To subtract 0 or find a difference of 0
To subtract across and down

SCIENCE

To explore all of the different shapes of the Moon that can appear on different nights. In the activity, My Moon Book, students observe photos of the Moon taken over the course of four weeks and draw pictures of the Moon's phases in their book. They use these observations to discover patterns in how the Moon’s shape changes and predict when the next full moon will appear.

RELIGION

To tell that God is Father to all of us
To explain that we show love for one another in many ways
To identify the Bible as God’s message to us
To tell that God the Father sent his only Son, Jesus, to teach us how much God loves us
To define Bible, Jesus, Scripture, and Word of God

Week at a Glance

ELA Unit 1 assessment on Wednesday

To practice letter- keyword- sound for all consonants
To practice letter- keyword- sound for all vowels
To practice correct letter formation
To practice sound recognition
To understand that reading a book multiple times for different purposes helps readers better understand and enjoy the story
To discuss that different readers enjoy different types of books

MATH

To use counters to make sums of 8 in different ways
To use counters to make sums of 9 in different ways
To use a ten-frame and counters to make sums of 10 in different ways
To identify missing parts of 10
To identify math statements as true or false

SCIENCE

To develop a model of the sun’s daily path across the sky, then use this model to help someone who’s lost. In the activity, Sun Finder, students create a mobile paper model of the sun and earth to illustrate the position of the sun throughout the day.

RELIGION

To explain that Jesus is both Son of God and Son of Mary
To tell the story of Mary’s saying yes to God
To explain that God gave Mary graces to become the Mother of God
To define grace

Week at a Glance

ELA

To practice letter- keyword- sound for consonants: l, h, k, v, w, y, x, z, q
To practice letter- keyword- sound for all vowels
To practice correct letter formation
To practice sound recognition
To understand that reading a book multiple times for different purposes helps readers better understand and enjoy the story
To discuss that different readers enjoy different types of books

MATH

To write addition facts horizontally and vertically
To write a number sentence to solve problems
To use counters to make sums of 4 and 5
To use counters to make sums of 6 and 7 in different ways

SCIENCE

In this Read-Along lesson, Jada explores why her shadow changes over the course of a day at the beach. The lesson includes a short exercise where students act out the movement of shadows with their bodies. Students will trace their shadows using colored chalk and track the shadow’s changes throughout the day.

RELIGION

To tell that Jesus is the greatest gift from God the Father
To explain that God wants us to help others feel welcome
To tell that we show our love for God when we care for others
To define liturgy, Mass, praise

Week at a Glance

Picture Day is tomorrow!

ELA

To practice letter- keyword- sound for consonants: g, d, s, r, p, j
To practice letter- keyword- sound for vowels: a, e
To practice correct letter formation
To practice sound recognition
To understand that reading a book multiple times for different purposes helps readers better understand and enjoy the story
To discuss that different readers enjoy different types of books

MATH

To use manipulatives to model addition stories
To add two parts to make a whole
To write addition number sentences
To find sums by adding zero

SCIENCE

To investigate what it takes to make a stationary object’s shadow move. In the activity, Moving Shadows, students use flashlights and paper gnomes to explore how moving the position of a light makes shadows move. Students relate these observations to shadows changing throughout the day and the Sun’s position moving across the sky

RELIGION

To identify things that God creates
To tell that God created everything out of love for us
To explain that we show our thanks and love to God by caring for his creation
To define or explain Amen, creation, Creator, God, and saint

Week at a Glance

ELA

To practice letter- keyword- sound for consonants: t, b, f, n, m, c
To practice letter- keyword- sound for vowels: i, u, o
To practice correct letter formation
To practice sound recognition

MATH

To count and connect with objects and numbers
To practice one-to-one counting with small objects

SCIENCE

To deepen understanding of two foundational scientific practices: making observations and asking questions. In the activity, Curiosity Challenge, students “train their brains” by observing an everyday object and asking questions like a scientist would
To investigate what it takes to make a stationary object’s shadow move. In the activity, Moving Shadows, students use flashlights and paper gnomes to explore how moving the position of a light makes shadows move. Students relate these observations to shadows changing throughout the day and the Sun’s position moving across the sky

RELIGION

To identify things that God creates
To tell that God created everything out of love for us
To explain that we show our thanks and love to God by caring for his creation
To define or explain Amen, creation, Creator, God, and saint

Week at a Glance

ELA

To read with accuracy and prosody
To write a complete sentence using capital letters and punctuation
To read words with vowel-consonant-e syllable
To understand long vowel sounds
To understand the difference between narrative fiction and informational books
To read and spell trick words: none, nothing

MATH

To partition shapes into two or four equal shares and identify how many parts there are in the whole
To partition shapes into two equal parts
To partition shapes into four equal parts
To look at attributes to identify cubes and rectangular prisms
To look at attributes to identify cones and cylinders

SCIENCE

To make observations to construct an explanation of why camouflage is helpful to animals. In the activity, Moth Hide and Seek, students test their ability to spot camouflage moths, and then design a camouflage pattern for a moth of their own and hide it in the classroom!

RELIGION

To explain that God wants all people to be part of his Church
To describe how the Holy Spirit is with us
To explain that the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles courage
To define parish and Pentecost

Week at a Glance

ELA

To read with accuracy and prosody
To write a complete sentence using capital letters and punctuation
To read words with vowel-consonant-e syllable
To understand long vowel sounds
To understand the difference between narrative fiction and informational books
To read and spell trick words: friend, other, another

MATH

To use defining attributes to identify and describe squares and rectangles
To use defining attributes to identify and describe trapezoids and triangles
To use defining attributes to identify and describe circles
To compare two-dimensional shapes

SCIENCE

To make observations to construct an explanation of why camouflage is helpful to animals. In the activity, Moth Hide and Seek, students test their ability to spot camouflage moths, and then design a camouflage pattern for a moth of their own and hide it in the classroom!

RELIGION

To name ways to share God’s love with others
To identify holy water as the primary symbol of Baptism
To tell the story of how Saint Peter called others to follow Jesus
To define Baptism, godparent, holy water, and Original Sin

Week at a Glance

ELA

To read with accuracy and prosody
To write a complete sentence using capital letters and punctuation
To blend and read words with consonant blends and digraph blends
To blend and read words with up to five sounds
To add suffix -s to words with five sounds
To read words with vowel team sounds: oa, oe, ow, ou, oo, ue, ew, au, aw
To understand the concept of a closed syllable and an open syllable
To understand the difference between narrative fiction and informational books
To read and spell trick words: how, now, down
To generate and answer questions about Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea
To identify the main topic and retell key details of sections of Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea

MATH Unit test on Wednesday

To relate addition and subtraction facts to solve problems
To make and read a tally chart
To make a table to solve problems

SCIENCE

To identify ways to care for the Earth (reduce, reuse, recycle)
To understand that natural resources (water, air, plants) are important
To recognize how littering affects the environment

RELIGION

To read about Saint Therese of Lisieux
To tell that Jesus wants us to love one another as he loves us
To explain that the sacraments are signs of Jesus’ love for us
To describe how Jesus welcomed and blessed children
To define priest, sacrament, Sacraments at the Service of Initiation, Sacraments of Healing

Week at a Glance

ELA

To read with accuracy and prosody
To write a complete sentence using capital letters and punctuation
To blend and read words with consonant blends and digraph blends
To blend and read words with up to five sounds
To add suffix -s to words with five sounds
To read words with vowel team sounds: oa, oe, ow, ou, oo, ue, ew, au, aw
To understand the concept of a closed syllable and an open syllable
To understand the difference between narrative fiction and informational books
To read and spell trick words: any, many

MATH

To add tens and ones to find the sum with regrouping
To subtract tens to find the difference
To use a number line to count back by tens to subtract

SCIENCE

To carry out an investigation to determine the relationship between the shape of different bird beaks and the food each bird eats. In the activity, Find the Best Beak, students experiment with long pointy beaks that are great for picking up seeds and wide flat beaks that are good for scooping. They discover that different beaks are best for different kinds of food.

RELIGION

To tell the Easter story according to Luke
To explain that Easter is a time to celebrate how Jesus saves us all
To tell that God the Father raised Jesus from the dead
To define Easter

Monday, March 16

Dear Parents, I hope you will consider coming to the Stay & Chat on Monday morning to learn more about what's in store for our school with the new St. Joseph Parish Center. This new school space will impact every St. Joe's student, and I'm excited for what's in store for your children.

Week at a Glance

Monday is our field trip! Please have your child wear their gym clothes.

ELA

To read with accuracy and prosody
To write a complete sentence using capital letters and punctuation
To blend and read words with consonant blends and digraph blends
To blend and read words with up to four sounds
To add suffix -s to words with four sounds
To read words with vowel team sounds: ai, ay, ee, ea, ey, oi, oy
To understand the concept of a closed syllable and an open syllable
To understand the difference between narrative fiction and informational books
To read and spell trick words: say, says
To use the illustrations and details in Me…Jane to describe how Jane made discoveries about animals
To write a topic sentence for an informative paragraph about Jane Goodall’s discoveries about animals in the text

MATH Unit test on Wednesday

To add tens within 100
To count on by tens and ones to find sums within 100
To add tens and ones to find sums within 100

SCIENCE

To carry out an investigation to determine the relationship between the shape of different bird beaks and the food each bird eats. In the activity, Find the Best Beak, students experiment with long pointy beaks that are great for picking up seeds and wide flat beaks that are good for scooping. They discover that different beaks are best for different kinds of food.

RELIGION

To explain that God wants all people to be part of his Church
To describe how the Holy Spirit is with us
To explain that the Holy Spirit gave the apostles courage
To define parish, Pentecost

Name: Carrie Johnson
Position: 1st Grade Teacher