First Grade
Your teacher, Ms. Mills, welcomes you to First Grade!
Curriculum
READING, LANGUAGE ARTS, and WRITING
The Open Court Reading Program continues from Kindergarten into First Grade. It is a research-based comprehensive reading, writing, and language arts program, which uses systematic, explicit instruction, this program helps all students master the foundational skills needed not only to move to proficiency, but also to achieve greater goals of reading independently with confidence inside and outside the classroom with full digital/web-based access. The Grade 1 Student Anthology includes a variety of narrative and informative texts to help students understand concepts such as: key ideas and details; writing as a craft; and the integration of background knowledge and ideas. Student Anthologies are available digitally with audio for fluency and vocabulary support.1st Grade Themes include: Back to School, Be My Friend, Science Cycles, Light and Sound, Around Our Town, Around Our World, Roots and Seeds, Animals from Head to Toe, Red, White and Blue, Stars and Stripes, and Art for All.
MATHEMATICS
Math Expressions uses hands on manipulatives and teaches students to solve addition and subtraction problems using a variety of strategies and techniques. At the beginning of first grade, the students practice building and solving number sentences using the math partner strategy. As these skills develop throughout the year, first graders are able to apply partner strategy to solve two-digit addition and subtraction problems with regrouping. By the end of First grade, students are expected to be able to solve story problems, identify 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional shapes, measure objects using nonstandard units of measurement. Graph and comparing data. First grade units include topics covering the following core concepts: Early Number Activities; Operations and Simple Equations; Story Problem; Strategies; Basic Ten-Structured Concepts; Ten-Structured Applications; Comparisons and Data Formats; Fractions, Circle Graphs, and Clocks; Money and 2-Digit Addition; Analyze Story Problems; Measurement, Rounding, and Shapes. Students will use iPads daily to access and practice core concepts.
SCIENCE
Inspire Science is designed to spark student interests and empower them to ask more questions, think critically, and maximize their ability to creatively solve problems. Inspire Science’s instructional model contains comprehensive learning experiences to pique the interest of our students. The program will be used to help inspire the next generation of innovators, visionaries, and inventors. Through user-friendly experiences, students will be exposed built-in literacy and math connections, including full STEM opportunities, containing web-based, digitally accessible content promoting a hands-on program, that will allow students to explore the concepts of energy, light and sounds, plants and animals, and earth and space through simulations and hands-on learning experiments. Students will be able to solve science and engineering challenges using math skills including: analyzing data and creating graphs. Students will be able to achieve and demonstrate greater understanding through hands-on science and engineering activities using the engineering design process. Students will be able to continue to build close reading, writing, and communication skills while learning about exciting science ideas and developing presenting solutions to real-world challenges.
SOCIAL STUDIES
First Grade students will learn about the United States and the people that make it great through the Impact Social Studies Curriculum. They understand how to learn about history, move into geography and where we live. Discovery continues with the people who make our country, from the founders to the many cultures that shaped our nation. Finally, students learn about the economics of work and trade. First Grade Chapters/Themes include: What Are the Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens?; How Can We Describe Where We Live?; How Do We Celebrate Our Country?; How Does the Past Shape Our Lives?; and Why Do People Work?
TECHNOLOGY / S.T.E.M.
First grade engineers will work, plan, build and dream, in that order. First graders will learn the importance of using technology safely by becoming a digital citizen. Students will work on the beginning stages of coding by creating mapping puzzles and learning terminology. First grade students partner with Kindergarten students as STEM Buddies to work weekly to design, create, build and test different structures focused on themes within our curriculum and US calendar. A PROMETHEAN Touch Screen is integrated daily to enhance instruction. First grade participates in Engineering Week.