Grade 1 Students will learn and practice foundational skills of reading, writing, speaking, listening and language arts.
Science
In grade 1, students have more fluency with language, number sense, and inquiry skills. This allows them to describe patterns of motion between the Sun, Moon, and stars in relation to the Earth. From this understanding they can identify seasonal patterns from sunrise and sunset data that will allow them to predict future patterns. Building from their experiences in pre-K and kindergarten observing and describing daily weather, they can now examine seasonal data on temperature and rainfall to describe patterns over time. Grade 1 students investigate sound and light through various materials. They describe patterns in how light passes through and sounds differ from different types of materials and use this to design and build a device to send a signal. Students compare the ways different animals and plants use their body parts and senses to do the things they need to do to grow and survive, including typical ways parents keep their young safe so they will survive to adulthood. They notice that though there are differences between plants or animals of the same type, the similarities of behavior and appearance are what allow us to identify them as belonging to a group. Grade 1 students begin to understand the power of patterns to predict future events in the natural and designed world.
Math
In grade 1, students' learning time will focus on four critical areas:
developing understanding of addition, subtraction, and strategies for addition and subtraction within 20;
developing understanding of whole number relationships and place value, including grouping in tens and ones;
developing understanding of linear measurement and measuring lengths as iterating length units; and
reasoning about attributes of, and composing and decomposing geometric shapes.
History and Social Science
In first grade, children listen to and read folk tales and true stories from America and from around the world. They learn about major historical events, figures, and symbols related to the United States of America and its national holidays and why they are important to Americans. The grade 1 curriculum continues to strengthen children’s identity as American citizens.