Programs
TK and Kindergarten
1st Grade
Reading
We use Houghton Mifflin and Bookshop books and stories to guide students in whole group and small group activities. Reading activities include shared reading, small group reading, read to self, and read with a partner.
Phonics
Students receive daily phonics lessons to help them improve their reading skills.
Sight Words
Students practice learning their site words using Dolch lists.
Math
Students will practice counting to 120, learn how to add and subtract, learn a variety of techniques to help them solve problems, learn how to tell time, count money, create and extend patterns and solid shapes.
Science
Students will learn about solids, liquids, and gasses. They will learn about the weather and seasons. They will study life cycles and insects. Finally, they will learn about plants.
Social Studies
Students learn about different holidays, how to be a responsible citizen, and country symbols.
Field Trips
We usually go to Apple Hill, Galena St. Holiday Tapestry, and the Sacramento Zoo.
Projects
Oral Book Reports, Insect Reports, and Flat Stanley's Travels.
Performances
We put on a holiday show in December and a Fishy show in May.
2nd Grade
Second grade is an exciting year filled with rigorous academics and fun-filled learning. Reading fluency and comprehension skills, challenging math concepts, in-depth research and writing are aligned with our new Common Core second grade standards.Students will dive deeper into varied subjects, writing reports, and working together in collaborative teams. One of our three science units is on life cycles. Second graders will be raising our own salmon from eggs. We culminate this study with a field trip to our local Nimbus Fish Hatchery and release our "fry" to the river to grow into mature salmon.Social studies covers ancestors, North America, map skills and much more.We look forward to having the privilege of teaching your children and know they will enjoy a powerful, energy-filled education and exciting year!
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
Fifth grade at Twin Lakes is a very fun year for everyone. We have many exciting activities and lots of fun curriculum that we work on throughout the year.
Our fifth grade departmentalizes, which means that we go to three different teachers for Science, Social Studies and Writing. We have Reading and Math in our homerooms. We do experiments in Science and we learn about chemistry and the human body, we’re learning about American History in Social Studies, and we worked on Common Core writing during our Writing period.
Fifth graders have many exciting projects to look forward to. We started at the beginning of the year by writing our autobiographies. We chose our states on the first day of fifth grade. One of our first projects was to research… ourselves! We have researched all kinds of things about our states, including famous people, tourist attractions, an historical timeline, and state symbols. We also drew and wrote about our political and physical maps of our state.
Just a few of the exciting things the fifth graders do are a Patriotic Extravaganza, and a Naturalization Oath Ceremony for new citizens. We also participated in Jump Rope for Heart and San Juan Sings. We took field trips to the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley and to a River Cats game.
The Patriotic Extravaganza was a series of three plays done by each fifth grade class. The three classes performed two plays on the Revolutionary War, as well as one on the United States presidents from Washington to Lincoln. The three classes performed their plays on February 13th. The whole play is linked to American history and the Naturalization ceremony.
The Naturalization ceremony was fantastic for the 5th and 6th grade students as well as the 15 immigrants who became United States citizens on that day. The 5th and 6th graders sang three patriotic songs during the ceremony. We also said the Pledge of Allegiance, led by the youngest of the new citizens. It was a great opportunity to experience a Naturalization ceremony at our school.
Jump Rope for Heart is for everyone because it is important to have a healthy heart so that you can live a long and healthy life. All the students in grades 1-6 participate. Another rage about Jump Rope for Heart is the prizes that are awarded. Jump Rope for Heart is a great way to exercise your heart, but on the other hand, San Juan Sings is a great way to exercise your vocal chords.
San Juan Sings is in March . It is a full day for elementary, middle, and high school students in choir to meet new people and join together and sing.
5th grade also be participated in the Rock ‘n Roll show at the end of the school year. This show is the culmination of the year, with all of the 5th and 6th grade students participating. All in all, 5th grade has many exciting and fascinating events to look forward to.
6th Grade
Our sixth grade program at Twin Lakes is strong in both academics and in visual and performing arts. We have high expectations of our students' capabilities, which we believe facilitates growth in all curricular areas. We departmentalize for three subjects. This allows students to gain the confidence as well as the responsibilities necessary to be successful in Middle and High School. Our program gradually releases students from the homeroom rotations of fifth grade, to a mixed three-period class schedule in sixth grade, and on to their six periods a day in Middle and High School. Our Reading goal for our students is to read and comprehend both literary and informational texts independently and proficiently by the end of the year. Students read and analyze both fiction and non-fiction in class every day. This is done through our Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies curricula. Sixth grade Writing has three focus areas. Students write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, they write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, and they write narratives to develop real or imagined events using effective technique and details. Their December story is published, bound, and given to the student's kindergarten buddy. The Math program is of an Algebra preparatory structure. The sixth grade math program is structured to prepare students for seventh grade algebra. While the focus of Sixth grade Science is Earth Science, the Scientific Method is reviewed and practiced as well. Students generate an experiment from a question and present this project at our annual Twin Lakes Science Fair. A four-day Educational Science Camp at Sly Park is offered for sixth graders. Here, students experience natural science first hand in the Great Outdoors. Ancient History is taught throughout the year dating from 3500 B.C. to the Ancient Greeks. Art is infused throughout the study of these different civilizations. Performing Arts is honored in the sixth grade experience. From an Authentic Wax Museum, the holiday production of The Nutcracker, the Travel Faire Open House, to the Rock 'n Roll show, students are encouraged to release their inner thespians. Lastly, our unit on people with Special needs, referred to as "Challenges and Attitudes," is one we are most proud of. Many Guest Speakers are brought in every year to share their stories and experiences with our sixth graders. It's a lesson of compassion and empathy that the students rise up to meet.