Creative Arts Charter School
First Grade

First Grade

Language Arts

The 1st grade literacy curriculum builds upon the language-rich environment introduced in Kindergarten. Spoken and written language, with an emphasis on communication, sets the stage for emergent skills development. The process of public speaking, storyplays, writer's workshop journals and shared reading that began in kindergarten continues.

These skills are built upon through direct, whole group instruction for handwriting, consonant and consonant blend sounds as well as initial digraphs. In addition to whole group reading lessons, the students work in small, leveled reading groups. The students are expected to decode words with 2-3 phonemes, learn simple punctuation and begin to write sight words as well as use inventive spelling to reinforce phonics.

In addition to these expectations, there is a level of "the teachable moment" that occurs on a regular basis as children make natural connections to their world and the print around them. For instance, while the teaching of the "silent E" may not be on the 1st grade agenda, when a few students notice that it changes the sound of a word, the teacher will teach the whole class about the phonics rule. Assessment of language arts progress is made through direct observation and interaction, along with one-on-one meetings with the teacher.

Materials used for the teaching of language arts in 1st grade are the leveled reading programs of Wright Group and Rigby as well as a varied children's trade literature related to thematic explorations and a well stocked classroom library.

Thematic units tie language arts to the other subjects. During a social studies unit about geography and mapping, the children read literature that includes maps. They gain sight word familiarity with the signs and labels that appear in maps. Children then make their own maps, labeling and writing various features.

Mathematics

In 1st grade, students continue sequenced exploration of prior concepts and are introduced to new math concepts through development of the thematic curriculum as well as in directed whole group math instruction. The focus continues to be recognizing numerals up to 100 and making computations up to 20. Children begin to recognize place value in terms of ones and tens. Other math concepts taught in 1st grade are standard and nonstandard measurements, comparisons, patterns and estimation.

Through everyday experiences, the children are exposed to and have practice with mathematical concepts. These activities include the weather chart, calendar, counting 100 days of school, dice games, graphing and voting to make decisions.

Math instruction occurs daily in a whole group setting as well as individually and informally throughout the school year. For instance, during a board game, the teacher might ask a student how many more spaces he needs to win, while during a whole group math lesson, focus on addition with teddy bear counters.

In 1st grade, the math center consists of board games and concrete math manipulatives such as Unifix cubes, 1 inch wooden cubes, teddy bear counters, measuring links, pattern blocks, and geoblocks. While the emphasis is on the use of concrete materials, children are asked to think abstractly about math concepts as well.

Whenever possible, math is integrated into thematic units. For instance, in a unit about mapping, the children count and classify the objects in the classroom, measure the items in the classroom and explore concepts of scale based upon their exploration of the room. They use spatial relation skills and abstract thinking to draw maps of the classroom.

Social Studies

In 1st grade, the students build on concepts of community explored in kindergarten, such as interdependence, group responsibilities and individual responsibilities. Through an integrated curriculum, students study maps and begin to discover their place in the world. This concept is expanded to explorations of the way people throughout the world live and interact with their environment and each other.

Using a comprehensive and open-ended geography curriculum, children begin to recognize how a place can determine culture and how culture can affect place. Concepts of cultural difference and acceptance of those differences are highlighted for each child in the classroom and families are invited to come in and share their personal traditions.

Literature that ties into social studies thematically is utilized whenever possible. For example, during the geography unit, the teacher would read "My Father's Dragon" and "Flat Stanley," both of which prominently feature maps and locations.

Science

In 1st grade, the science curriculum continues to focus on the physical world with a greater emphasis on prediction and abstract concepts. Students study the physical world and learn about life cycles by making models of animals in their natural habitats.

Students also study maps. Students observe the weather and learn to read weather maps. They learn how weather affects various regions of the world and how to read measures of precipitation, temperature and wind. The students also study the properties of magnets and compasses and other items through the process of hands-on exploration.

Through the process of exploration and study, students begin to make connections between their understandings of the states of matter to the world around them. For instance, the ocean is liquid and the land is solid.