In English language arts, students will be exposed to both fiction and nonfiction texts. Students
also practice vocabulary, spelling, grammar, phonemic awareness, and writing skills. Reading
Street is supplemented with additional phonics and writing programs. The course is also integrated
with other subjects such as math, social studies, and science whenever possible.
The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts for K-5 offer a focus for instruction
each year to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and
applications. Each year, students should demonstrate increasing sophistication in all aspects of
language use, from vocabulary and syntax to the development and organization of ideas, and they
should address increasingly demanding content and sources. Rigor is also infused through the
requirement that students read increasingly complex texts through the grades. Students advancing
through the grades are expected to meet each year’s grade-specific standards and retain or further
develop skills and understandings mastered in preceding grades. A sample standard can be seen
below:
All grades use Reading Street from Pearson, which includes authentic literature, vocabulary,
comprehension, research, grammar, and writing instruction. The program features award-winning
literature at every grade level, alongside a collection of leveled readers. Daily and weekly writing
tasks encourage students to use text-based evidence to support their writing. These writing tasks
are scaffolded, starting from sentence construction to paragraphs and eventually essays, where
students are directed to use evidence from multiple texts. Each week includes a literature selection
aligned with the unit theme.
However, Kindergarten and Grades 3, 4, and 5 are transitioning to the Wonders Curriculum by
McGraw-Hill, while Grade 1 and Grade 2 continue with Reading Street.
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
The goal of our elementary math curriculum is to develop students who can understand mathematical
concepts and become skilled mathematical thinkers. Our teachers differentiate instruction to a
range of learners in understanding mathematics while focusing on computational fluency and
efficient strategies. Our program utilizes best practices in math education including math
manipulatives, math centers, and technology integration. The program uses cooperative learning
strategies and allows students to make real-life connections. Also, instruction is scaffolded, so
students develop and deepen their understanding of math from kindergarten to grade 5.
Math is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. These standards, developed by a coalition of
US states, detail what K-12 students should know in math at the conclusion of each school grade.
Topics covered in elementary include Counting & Cardinality, Operations & Algebraic Thinking,
Number & Operations, Fractions, Measurement, Data, and Geometry. The standards are widely used and
align with a variety of resources. A sample standard can be seen below:
We have recently adopted the Everyday Mathematics program from McGraw Hill. This program was
developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project to offer students a broad
background in mathematics. The program takes a problem-solving approach based on everyday
situations. Students have the opportunity to practice basic skills in a variety of engaging ways
including mental math challenges, fluency exercises, and educational games. Lessons are arranged
to take advantage of previously learned concepts and skills and to build on them throughout the
year.
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
At St. Paul American School, we believe that providing students with an engaging and stimulating
science curriculum is a pathway to developing a student’s curiosity and understanding of the world
around them. Through our science program, we hope to develop our students’ skills as scientists
and enable them to investigate and solve a scientific problem. We utilize a student-led inquiry
based learning method where students engage in a topic with questions and prior knowledge, explore
a problem together, explain scientific concepts in their own words, extend their skills to a new
problem, and evaluate their learning.
In science, we have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards, or NGSS. The standards were
developed by a consortium of 26 US States and by the National Sciences Teachers Association, the
American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the US National Research council to
create new science education standards that are rich in content and practice. The students build
on skills learned throughout elementary school. The standards have three dimensions that are
integrated in instruction at all levels:
Crosscutting
- Crosscutting Concepts help students explore connections across the four domains of
science, including Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering
Design.
Practices
- Science and Engineering Practices describe what scientists do to investigate the natural
world and what engineers do to design and build systems.
Core Ideas
- Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) are the key ideas in science that have broad importance
within or across multiple science or engineering disciplines.
St. Paul American School utilizes Interactive Science from Pearson. Interactive Science includes
strong literacy connections for elementary learners. Students are introduced to STEM content,
skills, and practices and explore real-life STEM issues through hands-on, investigative, and
collaborative activities. Teacher-directed science inquiry leads to open inquiry in every lesson.
Scaffolded instruction within the program includes models, prompts, and think-alouds to challenge
learners to become independent. The worktext allows students to keep a record of their study while
serving as a great reference tool. For more information about the program, please visit Interactive Science.
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Being an international school, social studies is a great time for students to learn about their
classmates’ cultures and share their own. In class, students explore topics in Time, Continuity,
and Change; Connections and Conflict; Geography; Culture; Society and Identity; Government;
Production, Distribution, and Consumption; and Science; Technology, and Society. Our social
studies program also integrates social and emotional learning. SEL is the process through which
children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show
empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible
decisions.
The AERO (American Education Reaches Out) Social Studies Standards reflect AERO’s special mission:
supporting schools around the world that are (1) independent and (2) international while,
simultaneously, serving (typically) a largely American student population. Any set of standards
and benchmarks that would be meaningful to these schools have to be sufficiently flexible to
appeal to a diverse group of schools with widely different histories, geographic locations,
cultural traditions, and student bodies. That’s why second-tier content integrates both local and
American history and culture, while the learning standards focus on skills and depth of knowledge.
A sample standard is below:
St. Paul American School utilizes Harcourt Social Studies from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. It is a
K-5 social studies curriculum that encourages active inquiry while introducing civics, economics,
geography, and history concepts. Students develop critical thinking, problem solving, and
communicating skills for engaged civic life. The program includes strong ELA instruction to
support social studies inquiry and new literacy standards. The program encourages students to
explore their world, expand their thinking, and engage their college, career, and civic awareness.
The curriculum is flexible and easily adapts to every classroom.
Kindergarten
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
St. Paul American School also offers a robust foreign language program in our elementary school.
From kindergarten to fifth grade, students are able to take Chinese language classes. They learn
how to read and write Chinese characters, practice speaking and listening in Chinese, and learn
about Chinese culture. In fourth and fifth grade, students have the option of taking Spanish
class. In this class, students begin to lay the foundation for Spanish language learning through
writing, reading, listening and speaking.
Our foreign language courses follow the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. The standards create a roadmap to guide learners
to develop competence to communicate effectively and interact with cultural competence to
participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world. The goal areas revolve
around communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities.
With the growing importance and need for students and future leaders to have strong technology
skills, Saint Paul American School provides Information and Communication Technologies class in
its elementary school. From kindergarten to fifth grade, students learn essential technology
skills. These skills include touch typing, creating spreadsheets and charts, coding, digital
citizenship, computational thinking, and collaboration. Additionally, students create digital
projects and research for a variety of topics.
ICT class follows two sets of standards, the ISTE Standards for Students and the CSTA K-12
Computer Science Standards. The International Society for Technology in Education lists skills and
attitudes expected of all learners when using or engaging in technology from K-12. The Computer
Science Teacher Association K-12 Computer Science Standards provide a core set of learning
objectives designed to give students a clear and understanding and the necessary skills for
computer use and application.
At Saint Paul American School, we believe in the development of the whole child. That’s why we put
a lot of emphasis and care into our physical education and dance programs. Elementary students
meet twice a week for physical education and once a week for dance. During physical education,
students learn fitness skills, sports, games, and activities. Students also learn about teamwork,
perseverance, effort, and always trying their best. In dance, students use dance to not only
express themselves physically but also to improve their ability to memorize, evaluate, and
analyze. The goal for both programs is to give the students the knowledge, skills, desire, and
confidence to pursue lifelong fitness and health.
For physical education, we follow learning standards from SHAPE America. SHAPE America's National
Standards & Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education define what a student should know and
be able to do as result of a highly effective physical education program. By the end of
elementary, the students will be able to demonstrate competence in fundamental motors skills and
selected combinations of skills; apply basic movement concepts to a variety of activities and
sports; identify basic health-related fitness concepts; exhibit acceptance of self and others in
physical activities; and identify the benefits of a physically active life style.
Our dance class follows the National Core Art Standards for Dance from the National Coalition for
Core Arts Standards. The National Core Arts Standards outline the philosophy, primary goals,
dynamic processes, structures, and outcomes that shape student learning and achievement in dance,
media arts, theatre, and visual arts. The standards revolve around the key traits of Creating,
Performing, Responding, and Connecting.
We feel that art is an important part of any elementary program. It allows students an outlet for
creative expression as well as developing problem-solving skills, motor skills, language skills,
and much more. Our elementary art program focuses on the visual arts like drawing, painting,
sculpture, and printmaking. Elementary students meet twice a week for art. During art class,
students work with a variety of mediums. They also learn about the different elements of art, art
history, cultures, and artists. The art program is integrated with core subjects and allows
students a creative outlet while developing social skills like cooperation skills, observation
skills, and discussion skills.
Our art class follows the National Core Art Standards for Visual Arts from the National Coalition
for Core Arts Standards. The National Core Arts Standards outline the philosophy, primary goals,
dynamic processes, structures, and outcomes that shape student learning and achievement in dance,
media arts, theatre, and visual arts. The standards revolve around the key traits of Creating,
Performing, Responding, and Connecting.
At St. Paul American School, elementary music is a class that studies many different aspects of
music foundations. The class focuses on music listening, discussion, evaluation, history, and
creation. Throughout elementary, the learning progresses from developing a sense of the steady
beat and matching pitch in kindergarten to ensemble singing and culminating music projects in
fifth grade. The ultimate goal for our elementary music program is to cultivate a life-long
enjoyment of, curiosity about, and appreciation for music in all of our students.
Our art class follows the National Core Art Standards for Music from the National Coalition for
Core Arts Standards. The National Core Arts Standards outline the philosophy, primary goals,
dynamic processes, structures, and outcomes that shape student learning and achievement in dance,
media arts, theatre, and visual arts. The standards revolve around the key traits of Creating,
Performing, Responding, and Connecting.