Curriculum+Information



First grade is an amazing year. We learn and grows so much. We will have so many memorable experiences. My goal is for each child to grow academically and socially. I work hard to build a sense of community in our class based on mutual respect. I want each child to feel confident about their ability to succeed and be willing to take risks and learn from mistakes. Parents - I hope you will join me as a partner in your child's education. What you do at home with your child greatly impacts how well your child succeeds at school. I know we share a common goal for your child. I promise to always try to do what I think is in your child's best interest. I look forward to watching your child develop and grow!

Reading I will start working with your child at whatever reading level your child is on. I will use guided reading small groups to focus on reading strategies such as decoding. We will use readers' theater as a fun way to develop fluency and expression. We will read poetry throughout the year to build rhythm and fluency. I use a reader's workshop model called Daily 5 to allow students some choice and ownership in how they practice reading skills independently. We'll learn about the main parts of different genres of stories and story elements such as character, problem, setting, and solution.

Writing We will use a spelling program called Spalding Spelling. This program helps students commit to memory phonogram sounds, small sound chunks, that make up all spoken and written words. This will help your child grow in reading and writing. We will learn about the writing process including drafting, editing, and publishing. We'll focus on some grammar conventions, such as where capital letters go and where punctuation goes. We'll also work on writing complete stories with a beginning, middle, and end. We'll create many different types of writing such as personal narrative, fiction, non-fiction, letters, how-to, and poems. We'll also be learning about parts of speech, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.

Technology Technology will be incorporated throughout all subject areas. We will utifilize the SMART board, ipads, and computers in our classroom. The students will learn various functional computer skills. They'll learn how to use the internet to research self-selected topics. We'll use many Web 2.0 tools to learn and to publish our learning. We'll also have a lot of fun using technology throughout the year!

Math We will cover so many skills in math this year! Here's a list of some of the main concepts we'll learn about. Money - identifying names and values of coins and relationships between the coins, ie. How many pennies equal a dime? Fractions - parts of a whole & a set Patterns - repeating & growing Skip counting by 2's,5's,and 10's Shapes - 2-D and 3-D Odd and even numbers Greater than and less than Ordering numbers, or objects from least to greatest & vice versa Measurement- length, weight, capacity, area, temperature Calendar skills Telling time to the hour and half hour Graphs - make graphs and analyzing graphs - especially bar graphs Basic probability - certain, possible, impossible, likely, unlikely Fact Families Addition and Subtraction facts and story problems Your child will be expected to memorize addition and subtraction facts of sums up to 18. Your child will also work on explaining his or her thinking when solving math word problems.

Science We'll learn about seasons, life cycles of plants and animals, rocks and soil, living and non-living things, the scientific process, scientific tools such as a hand lens and microscope, fresh and salt water, weather, and how living things depend on each other on our planet.

Social Studies We will learn about maps, our community, rules and laws, who our leaders are, U.S. and Texas symbols, contributions of historical figures such as Christopher Columbus, George Washington, and Martin Luther King, Jr., inventors and how their inventions changed the way people live, landforms, needs and wants, goods and services, holidays, customs, and traditions of different people and different cultures around the world.