Grade 1 Curriculum

English/Language Arts

Language Mechanics

• Alphabetizing

• Contractions

• Quotation marks

• Nouns, verbs

• Practice oral communication skills.

• Use active listening skills.

• Contribute facts of impressions to class discussion.

• Be able to tell or retell a story.

• Participate in reciting poems and songs and performing small group plays.

Writing

• Contribute to group stories.

• Practice letter writing skills.

• Know and use the alphabet and upper and lower case letters (begin each sentence with an upper case letter).

• Use phonetic spelling and begin to incorporate conventional spelling

• Write fictional and personal stories.

• Use proper spacing between words.

• Use a sentence ender (period, question mark, semicolon, exclamation mark).

Reading

• Know the parts of a book.

• Be exposed to different genres.

• Summarize or extend a given text.

• Understand the difference between fantasy and reality, fiction and non-fiction, story and poetry.

• Demonstrate an understanding of characters, events, settings, problems and solutions.

• Use picture cues to gain meaning.

• Know how to read and spell the top 130 high frequency words.

• Identify consonants and vowels and reproduce their sounds.

• Identify blends and digraphs and reproduce their sounds.

• Read successfully, employing the use of various strategies to decode new words.

• Using phonics skills to decode single-syllable and multi-syllable words

• Using known words and word parts

• Using illustrations

• Using context clues

• Searching for meaning

• Making predictions

• Rereading when needed

• Self-correcting

• Draw conclusions, predict outcome

• Increase vocabulary

• Sequencing events

Math

Number Sense and Operation

• Engage in problem solving, communicating, reasoning and connecting

• Build an understanding of numbers up to 100

• Demonstrate an understanding of addition and subtraction facts to 20, using manipulatives as necessary.

• Use strategies in addition and subtraction

• Number sequencing-before, between, after.

Patterns, Relations, and Algebra

• Describe and create number patterns.

• Write number sentences using (+/-/+) to represent mathematical relationships.

• Compare and order numbers.

• Identify place value to hundreds place.

Geometry

• Describe attributes and parts of plane figures (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, rhombus, trapezoid, and parallelogram).

• Recognize geometric solids (cone, cube, cylinder, sphere, rectangle, and prism).

• Recognize equal parts of whole.

• Recognize whole, half, thirds, fourths.

Measurement

• Measure, weigh and compare common objects using non-standard and standard units of measurement.

• Explore concepts of time.

• Comfortably recognize and use pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.

Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability

• Use interviews, surveys, and observations to gather data about themselves and their surroundings.

• Organize, classify, represent and interpret data using tallies, charts, and pictographs, tables, and bar graphs.

• Interpret the representations.

Religion

The Religion Curriculum focuses on the theme of Growing in God’s Love.  Lessons are based on:

• Creating an experience of the love of Jesus through community.

• Fostering growth as a member of the Church community.

• Facilitating how to express the love of Jesus in the Christian community.

• Enabling students to understand that Jesus’ mission of Peace and Justice is their mission.

• Learning traditional prayers and those of the Liturgical season.

• Helping children understand that they are responsible for conservation of natural resources.

Science

Earth and Space Science

Life Science

• Describe animal life cycles.

• Understand that people and other animals interact with the environment through their senses.

• Realize changes in appearances that animals and plants go through as the seasons change.

• Observe and discuss attributes and adaptations of pond creatures.

• Study various animals and their habitats.

• Realize that human beings know and care for themselves through proper hygiene and nutrition.

Physical Science

• Describe and explore the various ways that objects can move.

• Demonstrate that the way to change the motion of an object is to apply force, and that the greater the force, the greater the change.

• Recognize that under certain conditions objects can be balanced.

• Recognize that simple machines can make work easier.

• Explore states of matter—liquid, solid and gas.

Social Studies

Focus is on Self and Family

Geography

• Draw simple maps of classroom and playground.

• Locate north, south, east and west.

• Locate major features such as oceans, continents, and cities (such as Boston).

Individuals and Systems

• Identify community people and services.

• Recognize changes in society and technology.

• Identify character values and terms.

History

• Identify days, weeks, months, years and seasons; place them on calendar.

• Explain the need for laws and basic rights and responsibilities.

• Identify the current President of the United States.

• Explain the role of the President and his authority.

• Identify and explain the meaning of national symbols, such as the Statue of Liberty.

• Identify and describe U.S. holidays such as Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Civil Rights Day, Memorial Day, etc.

Spanish

Introduction to Beginning Spanish

One-half hour per week

Introduce:

• Colors, numbers 1-15, days of the week, months, and seasons

• Simple vocabulary and sentences

• Songs such as Happy Birthday

• Special projects for Holidays

• Read stories depicting various Hispanic cultures

• Prayers and Sign of the Cross

Recognition of:

• Family member names

• Words describing parts of face and classroom items

Art

The Art Curriculum includes the following:

• Studying the meaning and mixing of the full spectrum of colors.

• Introducing pencil, water color, opaque paints, crayon resist, pastels, printing, collage and other mixed media for 2-D works.

• Introducing skills and techniques for 3-D media including clay, wire, paper and soft sculpture.

• Developing fine motor skills.

• Developing observational and analytical skills.

• Learning about cultures and history through artwork.

• Encouraging the individual expression of the students.

• Art skills are also integrated into the regular classroom curriculum.

Music

The Music Curriculum focuses on the following five standards:

• Students will sing a varied repertoire of music alone and with others.

• Students will improvise melodies, variations and accompaniments.

• Students will understand music in relation of history and culture.

• Students will evaluate music and musical performances.

• Students will understand relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

Physical Education

The Physical Education Curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the students.  Through a variety of activities, the children will grow physically, cognitively, and socially.  Every child will be given the opportunity to experience success and the joy of movement as they:

• Develop body awareness, spatial awareness, and motor coordination.

• Improve fitness and muscular strength.

• Understand vocabulary and concepts related to movement.

• Use critical thinking to solve problems and create new ways to move.

• Develop listening skills.

• Learn cooperation.

• Improve self image and increase self-esteem.

Computer

The Computer Curriculum includes the following:

• Use of proper computer terminology.

• Learning proper care and use of computer equipment and respect for technology property of others.

• Introduction to word processing and keyboarding skills.

• Creating and editing graphics.

• Opening, saving and printing documents.   

Library

Children come to the library weekly.  They learn to explore the reading materials and find books to take home.  Library and listening skills are introduced.  Children learn the responsibility of borrowing and returning books on a weekly basis.

The Librarian works in conjunction with the classroom teacher on class projects.  Children are guided to select appropriate materials at their level.