Language Arts

In Language Arts a first grade student continues to develop oral language and communication skills and moves to become a more independent reader and writer. Many methods are used to accomplish this including guided reading and writing, reader’s and writer’s workshop, and phonics practice all to meet individual needs at appropriate levels. Our emphasis is Read! Read! Read!! Our home reading program is very strong. We encourage nightly reading of easy books to develop a love of reading. The students are quite successful in this program as evidenced by the number of students each year who become members of our First Grade 1000 Book Club!

Mathematics

Math is all around us and in first grade we try to help students realize this truth and begin to find ways to enjoy math everywhere. A first grade student develops an understanding of addition and subtraction number concepts using concrete objects and algorithms. Basic foundations of math concepts are built by using patterns, sorting, counting, and making math connections. Technology and math tools are integrated into our program. Problem solving is an important aspect of our daily class. Students are taught strategies to solve many kinds of mathematical problems.

Science

In first grade, science is a time of observations and explorations! Students use simple investigations to observe, measure, question, gather information, construct explanations, and draw conclusions about various subjects. Scientific topics explored in first grade are: soil, insects, liquids, solids and cycles. Several integrated units about habitats are tied to these topics to help the students understand cause and effect and inference. One of the students’ favorites is our study of the rain forest habitat.

Social Studies

A first grade student learns about social studies concepts through literature, discussions, and hands on exploration. The student develops patriotic identity through the study of historic figures, national anthems, state anthems, and mottoes. Development of cultural appreciation increases by describing the importance of family customs and traditions. A first grader creates and uses simple maps, explores the globe, and begins to draw conclusions about physical characteristics of places. First graders learn to recognize and locate ten of our United States: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, California, New York, Hawaii, Alaska, and Florida.