First grade is an important year for student growth.  This is a year where students make great strides both academically and socially.  We strive to create a warm and safe learning environment where students are able to take academic risks and succeed. Students begin to gain independence in their school work and start to construct their problem solving skills. 

First Grade Curriculum

Religion
Students learn about God’s love through classroom experiences, weekly attendance at Mass, weekly participation in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, daily prayer, and using 'Blest Are We' (daily religion program and student materials).  The first graders focus on the liturgical seasons.  In the spring, students participate 'Child Lures School Program' which helps to foster child personal safety by teaching children skills to protect themselves.

Language Arts
We use the SRA Imagine It Reading Program which is a researched based, comprehensive program.  The program includes daily activities in phonemic awareness, comprehension and language arts.   The phonemic awareness component includes understanding how to use the sound spelling cards along with building on the childs' knowledge of rhyme and letter sound fluency.  In this section they are introduced to blending and making words.  The comprehension component gives the students wonderful literature that enables them to learn several strategies that will help them to understand how to ask questions, make predictions and understand author’s craft.  The language arts component includes grammar, writing and spelling.  However, students do not start the spelling component until spring after students have a strong grasp of sound spelling cards.

Math
We use Pearson’s enVisions Math Program.  This program uses a wide variety of hands-on materials and resources such as manipulatives, scales and center games.  It also uses online visuals and interactive stories to help students understand the different math concepts being taught along with writing.  The first grade focuses on adding and subtracting fluently, measurement, time, geometry and an introduction to fractions.

Science
In first grade, science concepts include plant life cycles, animal life cycles, patterns of sun/moon as well as seasonal patterns.  The wave properties of light and sound are explored, including shadows.  Students conduct simple experiments in class and take relevant field trips to give them real life examples.

Social Studies
Students are introduced to four main topics: history, economics, geography and government.  In History, students learn to look at how people live through the past, the present and the future.  Economics gives students the chance to understand how people earn money through goods and services, wants and needs, and the connection between producers and consumers.  Constructing maps, understanding the different land masses, and the physical/human characteristics are topics explored in Geography.  In Government, the students will learn how decisions are made and conflicts are resolved along with being able to recognize our country’s symbols.

Handwriting
The Handwriting Without Tears program teaches students how to form letters correctly. The program introduces letters to students in a developmental order, thus ensuring mastery of each skill.

Workshop
This is a learning opportunity during the day that is student driven and reinforces skills learned in the lessons taught during the day.  It provides the teacher an opening to meet with students and work on individual MAP asssesment goals.

Gain and retain word knowledge through practice with engaging spelling and language arts activities.