The literacy curriculum emphasizes the process of reading, writing, grammar and composition. Spelling, reference and study skills, and oral expression are included in the curriculum. Our curriculum has newly been revised to align with Common Core Standards. This curriculum has been done in conjunction with Notre Dame University through the ACE initiative. We incorporate language arts and reading throughout the subjects.
IHM has been awarded "Star School" status in the Diocese of Paterson for its Improvement in Writing Skills program which places particular emphasis on the ability to communicate through writing. Communication skills, introduced at the primary level, are reinforced at the elementary level through oral presentation and the use of technology. Skills are refined further in Middle School by putting communication and leadership to work through activities like the school newspaper and Student Council.
At IHM, reading is ultimately linked with every subject in the curriculum. A variety of reading experiences provide the means by which each student can develop and master skills at a personal rate of progress. The curriculum stresses reading of quality literature selections coupled with a balance of sight word and phonics instruction. This approach is intended to provide students with the opportunity for both discovery and systematic learning that will enable them to construct, critically examine, and apply meaning as they develop into readers and writers. Recreational reading, book reports and instruction in literary technique supplement and enrich the reading program. In the Middle School, the students study literature with the goal of developing their comprehension though critical analysis of the works read.
Each grade has weekly library time and the teachers use different approaches to develop and encourage a love of reading. The programs emphasize recreational reading by providing time both during and outside of school for students to read books and periodicals of their choice. Formal library skills are taught, including on-line cataloging skills, and the use of the dictionary, thesaurus and other research materials. Students are instructed in how to properly prepare a formal research paper in order to provide them with the skills they will need for higher education and beyond.