Grade 1

In our First Grade reading curriculum, we elevate the love of reading. The reading workshop unfolds as an exciting journey where students learn explicit strategies employed by skilled readers and actively apply these skills during independent reading time, each with their personally selected “just right” book.

Our approach involves dynamic partnerships, small group interactions, and one- on-one teacher sessions strategically tailored to enhance each student’s reading proficiency and address individual needs. With a focus on phonics skills, students are adeptly taught to reread for clarity and self-correct for accuracy, honing various essential skills that contribute to text comprehension. First Graders not only discover a passion for beloved authors but also practice the art of retelling stories and articulating key story elements. Our comprehensive approach ensures that First Grade
students not only become strong readers but also relish the joy and purpose embedded in the wonderful world of literature.

The First Grade writing curriculum uses the workshop model to guide students through the entire writing process multiple times across many genres. It begins with students channeling their excitement as growing readers and writers into writing personal narratives and stories from their own lives. Students are guided to focus on the story and add details to their characters and settings. During the nonfiction study, students learn to write all about a topic they know and care about, becoming teachers through their writing skills. First Graders hone their persuasive writing skills by writing reviews to convince an audience to do, see, or experience things the students love.

The study of poetry teaches students about the tools poets use to write short and accessible poems. Each poet writes poems that are added to an elementary compilation of poetry. The year wraps up with a fiction unit in which students work on bringing life to their stories to “show, not tell,” the action, dialogue, and feelings of the characters.

Word Work Phonics

First Grade phonics builds on the knowledge from the previous year, reviewing those skills while making new ones. Instruction continues to be explicit, solidifying the foundational skills necessary to become proficient readers. Students grow in their automaticity and confidence as readers as they apply these skills in reading and writing.

Word Work – Vocabulary

First Grade vocabulary curriculum follows the same structure as Kindergarten, explicitly teaching rich vocabulary words through whole class read-alouds, group discussions, and direct instruction. Students continue to be exposed to various words that are specifically chosen based on the frequency and importance of understanding the text. Teachers present the words in a child-friendly context, using examples, comparisons, and real-world scenarios to guide students to understand the words more deeply. Students participate in drawing pictures and writing sentences to represent each word.

Word Work – Handwriting

The First Grade handwriting curriculum builds on the letter knowledge from Kindergarten and continues it, reviewing explicit instruction for proper letter formation and ample practice opportunities. The repetition helps solidify student skills as they apply this handwriting in everyday writing.

Word Work – Grammar

The First Grade grammar curriculum explicitly teaches basic sentence structure, inviting students to notice and apply standard grammar conventions. Students learn about proper capitalization, specifically beginning sentences and proper nouns. They also focus on appropriate sentence endings, using periods, question marks, and exclamation marks. Students are introduced to parts of speech and begin to identify nouns, verbs, and adjectives correctly.

First Graders will transform into budding entomologists during the Insect Study. Their mission? Unravel the mysteries of biomes, environmental resources, insect life cycles, and their impact on humans. Throughout this engaging project, students will cultivate fundamental research skills and immerse themselves in hands-on exploration, focusing on the intriguing journey of various bugs as they undergo mesmerizing transformations. Not stopping there, the curious entomologists will discover a perished insect within their community, taking the initiative to preserve it for an in-depth study spanning the duration of the unit. This immersive project won’t just be about insects; it will be an exciting journey of discovery, learning, and scientific exploration.

This project is designed to immerse students in the impactful and purposeful realm of expressing opinions through writing. Through engaging activities such as ranking, categorizing, explaining, and convincing, students gain a profound appreciation for the influential nature of writing. They discover techniques to make and defend critical decisions, utilize writing as a tool for introspection and communication, and craft insightful reviews spanning a range of topics, including artwork, music, food, and movies. Culminating in a collaborative effort, students unite to publish a class newspaper, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to share their thoughts and creations with their families.

This immersive reading and writing project is crafted to deepen students’ understanding of both classic and contemporary authors. Guided by their personal preferences, students select a favored author to delve into, explore multiple works, conduct research, and craft insightful reflections on the author’s literary craftsmanship. As budding author experts, students meticulously plan and compose an original narrative, drawing inspiration from a mentor text by their chosen author. They skillfully develop characters, establish a setting, introduce conflicts and resolutions, and culminate the project by presenting their final creations in a captivating presentation for their parents.