First Grade Curriculum Skills
Reading
In first grade your child will…
…learn that print has a message.
…listen to stories and recognize when text does not make sense.
…make personal connections to text.
…begin to use pictures as clues to story meaning.
…know the difference between letters and words.
…begin to read and spell sight words and environmental print.
…explore punctuation concepts.
…learn how to retell and predict using oral and written language.
…begin to read orally with fluency “like we talk”.
…begin to use prior knowledge to understand text.
…use one to one matching while in the beginning stages of reading. (You may know this as pointing to words. After a student has mastered this skill, I will ask them to pull their fingers away and use their eyes to point.)
…begin to show an interest in word play. (sort, match and make words)
…read familiar text on a daily basis.
…begin to establish a high frequency word bank “known words”.
…listen to a variety of genres.
…participate in author studies.
…read poems and songs on a daily basis to support rhyming skills and fluency of our language.
…begin to select books based on familiarity, curiosity, and interest during silent reading.
…view self as a reader!
Important Reading Classroom Procedures…
1. Your child will be bringing home books on a weekly basis.
2. Books will come home in a 2 gallon bag with a spiral.
3. Inside you will find:
a. A book or books that your child should read to you that night
b. An assignment notebook with today’s date at the top and one activity number, question or assignment to complete that night. (Please note that you will only be asked to complete one activity. The list of activities posted inside the folder is a guide. The assignment number written on today’s page will correspond with the number on the activities page.) Please email me if you have any questions.
c. You may at times find additional letter identification or word building activities inside. These activities were performed that day and will be review for your child.
4. Book bags, books and assignment notebooks must be returned to school the following day. Please take this time to listen to your child read. They will be looking to you for encouragement.
A few popular questions:
Q What do we do if my child didn’t complete to homework on time?
A: Return it to school anyway. We will need the books during our daily lessons. I will send the folder home again that day.
Q: What if we lose or damage a book?
A: Replacement costs are $6.00. If a book is not returned by the end of the year a bill will be sent home with your child.
Q: Why is my child bringing home easy books?
A: Your child has just mastered this book. It has become too easy. Easy books are sent home to share in the celebration of reading. Instructional text is kept at school where your child and I work on reading skills and strategies together.
Q: Where should my child be reading at in first grade?
A: First grade benchmarks are as follows; November: level E, March: level G and June: level I.
Spelling
*Our Goal is for every child to become a successful and confident speller and writer.
Throughout the year your child will have opportunities to:
*understand the reasons why we study spelling as an application to writing.
*experience spelling through other integrated activities.
*learn words that are meaningful and useful in his/her writing
*learn letter/sound associations, word patterns and useful spelling rules.
*learn strategies to improve their spelling skills.
*increase their enthusiasm and desire to become good spellers.
Skills taught for mastery:
*Initial and final consonant sounds
*Medial short vowels
*Consonant blends (sp, sl, fl, cl, bl, st)
*Consonant diagraphs (th, sh, ch, wh)
Skills taught for exposure:
*Vowel diagraphs (ae, ie, oe, ee)
*R-controlled (ar, ir, er, ur, or)
Writing
· Your child will participate in daily writing lessons delivered from the Six Traits of Writing Curriculum.
· The Six Traits include: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions.
· Aside from our daily writing lessons, your child will be keeping a monthly writing journal.
· Writing letters and sending mail to classmates through our Wee Deliver school mail will also begin around Thanksgiving.
· All students will be working towards publishing a story at the Husmann Publishing Center.
Handwriting
District 47 has adopted the D’Nealian format. Our focus in first grade will be to review formation and letter size.
Important Spelling Classroom Procedures:
First grade classrooms will begin our Rebbecca Sitton’s Spelling Curriculum in October.
Each Unit will begin with a parent letter that includes current skills we are working on. Activities will also be included in the letter for students to complete at home with a parent. These activities are important practice for securing spelling strategies and skills throughout the year. Please take time that evening to complete the tasks assigned as they will serve as preparation for or follow up for class lessons.
*Our first grade spelling program is set up into a Three Unit format that spans through Twenty One Units.
The first two units in each set are dedicated to Building Skills and Word Experiences.
*Building Visual Skills *Build Spelling and Language Skills
*Build Basic Concepts *Build Assessment Readiness
*Build Reading and Writing connections
*Build Proofreading Skills
The third Unit in each set focuses on Assessing Words and Skills.
*Students do not pre-study for these unit assessments.
*Our goal is to assess students on their long-term mastery of Core Words rather than short-term memory of words recently studied
(Hence this is not a program that pre-tests on Monday; students receive a list of words to memorize, and then a test on Friday to assess mastery)
*Assessments may occur on any day throughout the week. It will not be important for you to keep track of when assessments are occurring in the classroom.
Math
First Semester Skills:
*Counting up and back by 1’s to 100
* Counting by 5’s and 10’s to 100
* Counting by 2’s to 20
* Understands the concept of more than and less than
*Telling time to the hour
*Writing and counting Tally marks
*Begins to read bar graphs and Tally charts
*Identifies and draws the four basic shapes: circle, square, rectangle, & triangle
Second Semester Skills:
In addition to first semester skills students should be able to…
*Write and orally count numbers to 100+
*Tell time to the hour and half hour
*Begin to add and subtract number facts to 10
*Begin to solve simple number stories
*Identify and draws additional shapes: oval, trapezoid, hexagon, octagon, rhombus, or parallelogram
*Identify and count combinations of pennies, nickels and dimes
*Identifies and counts pennies and nickels
Third Trimester Skills
*Tell time to hour, half and quarter hour
*Identify and count pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters
*Interpret data from a bar and tally graph
*Add and subtracts number facts to 10
*Solve simple number stories
Important Math Classroom Procedures:
Every day your child should bring home their take home folder.
Inside the folder you will find a Math Homelinks Log stapled to the inside.
As we introduce new skills throughout the year, your child will be asked to practice and review these skills by completing their math homework at home.
· Homelinks pages will be coming home almost every day.
· Please make sure to take time to sit down with your child and discuss the skills that were introduced that day.
1. Complete the homework page.
2. Sign the log next to that days date and lesson number indicated on the homework paper.
3. Keep the homework paper at home.
4. Return the folder the following day.
· Take home Folders will be checked first thing each morning. If the log is signed by an adult, I will know that your child has taken time that night to discuss and complete their homework with an adult.
· Throughout the year we will be using a number of supplies to complete each math lesson. Please send the following to school by next Friday.
*Real coins for counting money:
4 quarters, 10 dimes, 15 nickels, 25 pennies.
· Please note that we are asking for these materials in advance to prepare for the next day’s lesson. There will be several Homelinks assignments that will ask you to bring in coins. Please do not send any additional coins to school with your child if you’ve already done so in the beginning of the year. The above amount is all that we will need for the year.
A popular question:
Q: My child is involved with a number of extracurricular activities after school. What if we are unable to complete the math page that night?
A: I understand that many children are involved in activities outside of school. All that I ask is for the assignment to be discussed and completed within a few days while the skill is still fresh. Homelinks homework is an important component to the Every Day Math Curriculum. These activities only take a short time to complete and they serve as extra practice and review of our math skills.
Science
Air and Weather
*air is a gas
*measuring temperature
*measuring wind speed
*measuring wind direction
*cloud types
Solids and Liquids
*identifying properties of solids
*identifying properties of liquids
*using your five senses to
describe solids and liquids
Insects
*life cycle of insects
*learning how to care for classroom
pets
Students will be graded on participation and ability to demonstrate and apply knowledge of unit concepts.
Social Studies
Where do you live?
*learning your address and phone
number
Why do people move?
*exploring reasons where and why
people move
Needs and Wants
*what people need to survive
(food, water, shelter, air & space)
*what people want that makes
them happy
Parks
*learning to label and navigate
through park maps and landmarks
Going to the City
*sequencing events while
traveling to the city
Cities Now and Then
*comparing cities over time
Primary Atlas
*introduction to U.S. map skills
Young Geographers
*introduction to continents
Deserts, Grasslands and Forests
*identifying similarities and
differences
Last Minute Notes…
Beginning of the day:
· Students may be dropped off at 8:20 a.m. where they will be allowed to play on the playground until the 8:50 a.m. bell rings.
· Students will sit in the auditorium on rainy days or cold weather.
· If there are any special items that need to be dropped off before school, please leave them at the office. The item will be delivered to the classroom.
Lunchroom:
· Students will be eating lunch at 11:30. A healthy breakfast will be important to help them get through the morning!
· Lunch tickets may be purchased through the lunchroom. Daily lunch cost is $2.25, 10 day ticket is $22.50, and a 20 day ticket is $45. Tickets will be displayed in the classroom where students will have opportunities to see how many days are left on their ticket.
· If your child plans on buying lunch with cash, please send it to school in a plastic bag with their first and last name on it.
· Lunch boxes must be sent to school with your child’s name on it.
Recess:
· Recess games and toys are available for students to use on the playground. Please do not send any personal toys to school (dolls, game boys, playing cards, etc.). Personal jump-ropes or balls may be brought, but we will not be responsible for lost or damaged items.
· Students will be required to follow school playground rules while outside. Recess supervisors will handle any misconduct and problem solving with students. If you have concerns about your child’s social play, please feel free to send me a note, e-mail or call to discuss your concerns.
· Please send your child dressed and ready for the weather. Hats, boots, gloves, snow pants and jackets are required in order for students to play in the snow
Pysical Education Days:
· Class will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. Please make sure your child comes prepared that day wearing a pair of gym shoes.
Music Performance:
· Your child will have an opportunity to participate in a music performance as part of Mrs. Ladner’s Music class. The first grade performance is usually held in May. More details will follow in the spring.
Parent Helpers:
· If you are looking to get involved, there are several ways that you may help.
· I am searching for parent volunteers to help from home, in class, around the school and on field trips.
· Please sign up before you leave & fill out an Emergency Card for yourself.
· Volunteering times will be scheduled to begin in October. I will contact you once a schedule is created.
Birthday Celebrations:
· To celebrate your child’s birthday, your child will have an opportunity to say the pledge on the announcements, receive a birthday book, sticker and certificate.
· If your child’s birthday falls on a weekend or holiday break, a birthday celebration will be held on the following Monday.
· Summer birthdays will be celebrated as follows.
*June, July and August birthday will be celebrated in May according to the day they were born.
* Please note the change in our Husmann Birthday Treat Policy. Neither homemade or store purchased items are to be brought to school for birthday treats. In lieu of birthday food, please consider the suggestions below:
1. Donate a book to your child's classroom library, have your child sign and date the book.
2. A game for indoor recess. Place a sticker on the game with your child's name and date on it.
3. Pencils for each student in the class
· If you are planning a party outside of school. Please see the student directory for names and addresses of students in our class. We are not allowed to give out student information or pass out invitations.