Western Academy Joe Kolf 4th Grade Latin and Language Arts 713-461-7000 314-402-3491 joe.kolf@westernacademy.net

Course Overview Latin & Language Arts introduces students to the rich heritage of the Latin and English languages. By studying Latin side-by-side with English, students will gain fluency in grammar, vocabulary and spelling. Students will also work on their writing skills as part of the Language Arts class. As the sentence is the fundamental building block of all writing, our writing work will focus on constructing good sentences. Special attention is also devoted to penmanship, focusing on cursive. Objectives • To introduce Latin grammar and vocabulary • To use Latin to learn English grammar, spelling and vocabulary • To develop an appreciation for well-crafted sentences and begin practicing the art of the wordsmith • To develop a sense of pride in penmanship Texts Latina Christiana by Memoria Press English Grammar Recitation One by Memoria Press Traditional Spelling Book One by Memoria Press Writing: Structure & Style by the Institute for Excellence in Writing Assessments Grades will be based on daily homework, weekly quizzes, and cumulative tests. Boys who learn to do all of their work beautifully will be awarded a fountain pen in their house colors.

Western Academy Joe Kolf 4th Grade Math (Saxon 65) 713-461-7000 314-402-3491 joe.kolf@westernacademy.net

Course Overview This course seeks to help the students understand some of the fundamental concepts underlying the math they have learned previously and will learn in the future. The hope is to not simply teach the boys how to do the calculations that could be expected of a fourth-grader, but to lead them to understand why they can be done.

In addition to these conceptual objectives, the course seeks to instill in the boys both the organizational habits required to succeed in math and science as these subjects become more complicated and the understanding that in true mathematical activity, the process is even more important than the “final answer.” Therefore, the boys will be taught that they must elucidate through their written work how it is that they arrive at their answers, and that they must follow strict formatting requirements. When students fail to complete their work according to the class requirements, they may be required to redo the assignments.

The boys will also master the multiplication math facts up through 12x12. It often happens that boys initially find the format and the requirements of the class to be quite challenging and even very frustrating. It happens almost universally, however, that—if they learn to accept the challenge and do the work as well as they can—the boys come to enjoy math a great deal and be very proud of what they have accomplished. Objectives • To learn that the matter of primary importance in mathematics is the process, not the answer • To learn to enjoy discovering the “why” behind the “how” in math • To learn the habbits of good mathematics • To gain mastery over mathematical operations appropriate to a fourth grade student: addition, subtraction, multiplication, long division, basic work with fractions and mixed numbers, elementary geometry, basic work with decimal numbers • To come to enjoy math and take pride in the successful execution and presentation thereof Texts Math 65 by Stephen Hake and John Saxon Assessments Grades will be based on daily homework, cumulative tests given on roughly a monthly basis, timed multiplication tests, and possibly occassional brief quizzes.

Western Academy Joe Kolf 4th Grade Literature 713-461-7000 314-402-3491 joe.kolf@westernacademy.net

Course Overview Literature deepens the intellect and strengthens the moral imagination. Students become better readers by being guided into a world of great books. They gradually acquire the capacity to understand and enjoy them. They learn eloquence and love for culture by memorizing poetry and great speeches. Their study of literature trains them to be instinctively attracted to beauty, goodness and truth. Objectives • To train the mind and soul to apprehend the beauty and truth conveyed in literature • To develop the ability to deal intellectually with the ideas found in books • To cultivate the intellect and moral imagination through memorization and oral performance Texts Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling A Wonder Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne Memory work includes works such as: “Television” by Roald Dahl “If” by Rudyard Kipling “St. Crispin’s Day Speech” by William Shakespeare “The Rhodora” by Ralph Waldo Emmerson Assessments Grades will be based primarily on class participation and regular poetry recitation, and may be supplemented with occasional homework or quizzes.

4th Grade World History 2020-21 School Year Mr. Whitebread Mike.Whitebread@WesternAcademy.net

Course Description Beginning in 4th grade, boys leave the world of ancient history and enter the Middle Ages beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire and continuing to the Renaissance. World History is taught as literature with attention given to the great stories and folklore of the Middle Ages. The aim of this course is for our boys to learn and retell history as a series of stories in order to better understand our world within the context of its people, places and events. History and geography are learned together as the students traverse Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Textbook

• Story of the World Volume II, Susan Wise Bower Classroom Elements

• Reading aloud in class • Taking notes on identification terms, people and places • Discussions about textbook material

Grading

• Classroom participation • In-class written assignments • Art and craft projects • Quizzes and tests

Western Academy Joe Kolf 4th Grade Natural History 713-461-7000 314-402-3491 joe.kolf@westernacademy.net

Course Overview The purpose of Natural History class is to help the boys learn to be observers of and wonderers at the natural world we live in. Classroom learning about a selection of the plants and animals found on campus and elsewhere in Texas is followed by time outdoors to locate, observe, and thoughtfully journal about both the creatures studied in class and those of the greater environment in which they are found. Several field trips throughout the year are highlights of the class and provide culmination points at the end of sections of study. Natural History related side activities will be inserted when possible, such as caring for classroom creatures, planting trees and gardens, raising chicks, and tending chickens, bees, and pigeons. Our study of a creature will typically include several of these elements: note taking in class, drawing a picture using a drawing guide, outdoor observation and journaling, writing or learning a poem, building a habitat, listening to a story, watching a short documentary video. The boys will take occasional quizzes covering simple, straightforward facts about the creatures we study (eg. "Make a list of the things needed to make a good toad habitat", "What are the qualities that nearly every reptile has?", "What are the differences between reptiles and amphibians?”) These quizzes will most often be preceded by a homework assignment asking the same questions. Goals By the end of the year the fourth grade students should have a basic familiarity with a handful of the most common plants and animals found at Western Academy, and a few of their relatives in the plant and animal world. The prime candidates for study in the 4th grade are the following: • Gulf Coast Toad • Tree Frog • Hog Nose Snake • Texas Brown Snake • Ribbon Snake • Green Anole • Brown Anole • Mediterranean House Gecko

• Little Brown Skink • Snapping Turtle • Soft Shell Turtle • Red Eared Slider • Live Oak • Resurrection Fern • Spanish Moss • Ball Moss

• Loblolly Pine • Brown Widow • Garden Spider • Spiney-Backed Orb-Weaver • Fire Ant • Bats • Geology • Astronomy

We hope that the boys will leave the year with a robust nature journal that they take pride in and look forward to expanding through continued patient, detailed, quiet, and humble observation, regularly renewing their sense of awe and wonder at the mystery and power of creation. Assessments The boys will be graded primarily on class participation. Other grades may come from their notebooks and nature journals (neatness and completeness—no doodling, labeled and dated neatly, pencil only) and occasional homework and quizzes.

Western Academy Joe Kolf 4th Grade Religion 713-461-7000 314-402-3491 joe.kolf@westernacademy.net

Course Overview The purpose of Religion class is twofold: to teach students the fundamental truths of the Faith and to help the boys learn how to live it in their daily lives, developing and deepening their personal relationship with God. Themes that pervade the religion curriculum include the recognition of being a loved child of God and the beauty of living in accord with this truth, a more personal knowledge of Jesus, and the understanding of religion and worship as our just and proper responses to the Creator. The main textbook used in the class is part of the Faith and Life series published by Ignatius Press. Use of the textbook is supplemented with selected narratives from the Old and New Testaments, weekly attendance at Mass, as well as chapel service every three weeks and occasional devotional practices such as reciting the Rosary and reading meditations on the mysteries. Objectives • To learn the basic outline of Salvation History as revealed through the Old and New Testaments • To become familiar with the 10 Commandments, the foundation of the Church, and the 7 Sacraments • To grow in love for our Lord and the desire and ability to converse with him in prayer Students will also memorize several basic prayers, including the Apostles’ Creed, the Morning Offering, the Act of Contrition, the Memorare, and the prayer to St. Michael. Text Jesus Our Guide, from the Faith and Life series of Ignatius Press Assessments Grades will be based primarily on class participation and may be supplemented by assessments of memorization of prayers and occasional homework and quizzes.

Western Academy Rafael Bello

4th Grade Art rafael.bello@westernacademy.net

Fridays, 1:30 PM

Description:

Art is taught one day a week for a period of forty minutes. Students in all grade levels will learn

basic drawing and color fundamentals. They will also be taught the fundamentals of calligraphy.

Other projects include learning about and coloring heraldic shields and some light craft projects

connected with various school events throughout the year. An occasional study of masters’ work

will provide a deeper insight into the purpose of art and lay a solid foundation from which the

budding artist may draw much inspiration.

Goals and Means:

The boys will develop their ability to see reality more clearly through personal creation.

Texts:

We will be working from several drawing and calligraphy textbooks. The primary drawing

textbook is the following:

McIntyre, Bruce. Drawing Textbook: The teaching and utilization of drawing for educational

purposes. Las Vegas, NV: Audio-Visual Drawing Program, LLC, 2016. (Bruce McIntyre was an

artist with the Walt Disney Studios from 1927 until 1949; this textbook was originally published

in the ꞌ50s.)

Supplemental Material:

We will also utilizing various resources from the Internet including Youtube.com. These videos

shall be prescreened and viewed offline to maximize your child’s learning capabilities and to

ensure his viewing safety.

Grading:

Homework completion and daily classroom participation.

2020-2021 Lower School Music Course Descriptions

General Approach Engagementintheartofmusiccontributestotheintellectual,moral,spiritualandphysicaldevelopmentofouryoungmen.Ourstudentsdevelopthegiftofsingingandplayinganinstrument,whilelearninginturntosharethegiftofmusicwiththecommunityinfamilyeventsandschoolgatherings.Diversemusicalworksaredrawnfromclassicalpieces,traditionalfolksongs,sacredhymnodyandmedievalchant,modernpopularmusic,andoriginalmusiccomposedandarrangedbyourfaculty.Atthelowerlevels,curriculumisdesignedtohelpstudentsgrowapersonalloveformusicandartwhilephysicallyplayingandexploringarangeofinstruments.Atthehigherlevels,curriculumaimstogivedepth,range,andsubtletytoaformedhabitofmusicianshipandexpression. Course Content and Philosophy Toputitsuccinctly,ourstudentslovetoplayandsing.Theactofphysicallymakingmusicbecomesadoorwayintotheunderstandingofthevocabularyandmechanicsoftheart,aswellasthebroaderunderstandingoftheworldandculturethatcreateseachstyleofmusic.Thisengagestheheartandopensthepersontobeautyandwonder,whilerequiringpersonaldiligenceandperseverance.Throughchoralandinstrumentalensembles,soloperformance,classroomlistening,andappliedmusicinstruction,WesternAcademy’smusicprogramteachescoremusicfundamentalswhileengagingthenaturalhumanenjoymentofmusicandsong.Musictheory,eartraining,sightsinging,andmusicappreciationdovetailaprogramdesignedtosparkalife-longloveofmusic. Dailyclassesincludeamixtureofthiscontent,whilestudentsareissuedpersonalinstrumentsthattheyplayinclassandcancheckoutforat-homepracticeandenjoyment.Classworkincludes:

• Studyingmusicbyplayingmusicinclassandinpublicperformances.

• Learningrhythmandcountingthroughreadingandeartrainingondrumsandpercussion

• StudyingtheFundamentalsofMusicTheoryingame-basedlearningcoveringthemusicalstaff,rhythms,keys,andbasicterminologywhilelearningtoreadmusiconxylophones,harps,ukuleles,anddrums.

• EarTraining&SightSingingbylearningtosingselectionsofclassical,folk,sacred,andpopsongs.

• Listening&AppreciationinstudyingaselectionofpiecesrepresentingtheMedieval,Baroque,Classical/RomanticandModernmusicaleras

Year Overview, 4th Grade Ingrade4,studentsbuilduponthemusicaloverviewoftheirpreviousyearofpercussion,singing,andxylophone,whileprogressingtomorechallengingmusicandinstruments.FourthgradersthisyearwillfocusonhoningtheirskillsontheCelticHarp:adiatonicinstrumentthatallowsforlearningtoreadmusicandmelodiesthatcanbeperformedforthecommunity.4thgraderswilldeepentheirunderstandingofscales,chords,theory,andmoreadvancedconceptsinharmonyandmusicalstructureastheylearnaninstrumentandtraintheirearsthroughsinging.Studentshavetheopportunitytoplayandrehearseinaharpensemble,aswellasexpandtheirknowledgeofsacredhymnody,traditionalfolksongs,ancientchant,andevenmoremodern20thcenturypop/jazzmusicinsinging.GreenJaystudentsalsocontinueexploringtheerasofwesternartmusicwithlearningexemplarsofeachtimeperiodandhistoricalbackground.TheyearbuildstowardsperformancesinDecemberandMaywherestudentscanchoosemusicalselectionstheywouldliketoperformforapublicconcert. 2020-2021 Western Academy Music Faculty Mr.MikeWhitebread(MiddleSchoolGuitar,LowerSchoolMusic,Choir)mike.whitebread@westernacademy.netMr.MichaelBlattel(MiddleSchoolPercussion,LowerSchoolMusic)michael.blattel@westernacademy.netMr.RafaelBello(LowerSchoolMusic,Choir)rafael.bello@westernacademy.net

(

Physical Education 3(M-F 11:05), 4(M-F 11:35), 5(M-Th 12:45)

6(M-Th 2:10), 7(M-Th 2:40), 8(M-Th 1:25)

2020-21

Instructor (3rd-8th) Mike McBride E-Mail: mike.mcbride@westernacademy.net Office: 713-461-7000

Instructor (3,4,6,7,8): Charles Collins E-Mail: charles.collins@westernacademy.net Office: 713-461-7000 Instructor(5th): Rafael Bello Email: Rafael.Bello@westernacademy.net Office: 713-461-7000

Overview

Physical Education allows kids to exercise and have fun in a more controlled environment than recess. We focus on sportsmanship, competitive spirit, hard work, and discipline. Our setting is the great outdoors that Western has to offer.

Objectives

• Learn to follow directions in large groups. • Learn the value of sportsmanship in team settings. • To learn to cooperate with and elevate others to achieve

common goals. • Respect for others and oneself.

• Learn rules of common and uncommon games.

Assessments

Boys will be graded based on PE uniform and participation. They receive a 50 – point grade per day. 30 points will be for wearing complete PE uniform and 20 points for participation. Boys will have a 2 week grace period at the beginning of the year to get their PE uniforms in order. They need to wear them now if they already have them.

Items Needed

Third and Fourth grade boys wear PE shirts only. Fifth through Eighth wears both PE shirts and PE shorts. Athletic shoes (not cleats) are recommended and the older boys can bring them in their book bags and change into them for PE.