First Grade

Academic Overview

First grade is primarily a self-contained classroom program. Daily classroom studies include: reading, language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, and study and research skills. In addition, students meet with enrichment teachers for the following subjects each week: art (every other week for 60 minutes), music (one 30-minute period), physical education (two 50-minute periods), computer (one 45-minute period), and library (one 30-minute period).

Students receive four report cards throughout the year. These report cards measure progress in academic skills, work habits and citizenship. At the end of the semesters in January and June, the assessments also include a fluency report. Teachers and parents meet for a conference at the end of the first quarter. Approximately 15 minutes of homework in reading, language arts or mathematics is expected each weeknight, plus 10 minutes of independent reading.

Your child will learn:
 

Bible: enjoying God’s gifts (creation, His promises, worship, a Savior, children, friends, and special blessings)

Reading: weekly stories with activities focusing on story elements and comprehension

Spelling: spelling patterns that coordinate with phonetic rules and high frequency words

Math: count to 120, comparing two-digit numbers with <,=,>, count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, addition/ subtraction facts, time, measurement, geometry, graphing, fractions and problem solving, number stories, fact families, using math manipulatives and pictures to solve problems, organizing and understanding data

Science: plants and animals as living things, sky and weather, caring for the earth, matter, force/motion

Social Studies: communities, government, being a good citizen, holidays, the way we live now and in the past

Writing: printing, writing process, short paragraphs, creative stories, letters, poems, reports, autobiographies, types of sentences, parts of speech, public speaking skills; foundational grammar skills are taught with a focus on sentence structure, subject verb agreement, and proper punctuation