First Grade Overview
First grade is a child’s introduction to the collective being of a class. We nurture a deep reverence for the earth, compassion for classmates and a healthy respect for every living thing. From knitting to numbers, folk music to the phases of the moon, we help first graders discover the wonders of our world and understand the rhythm of life.
1st Grade Curriculum at a Glance
MAIN LESSON BLOCKS
Form Drawing: Straight and Curved Lines
Language Arts: Learning the Consonants
Math: The Quality of Numbers & Writing Numbers
Language Arts: Consonants Continued & Introduction to the Vowels
Math: Basic Math Operation I: Adding & Subtracting
Language Arts: Phonics & Reading
Math: Basic Math Operations II: Multiplication & Division
Language Arts: Word Families, Reading & The Play
Math: Flexible Thinking/Problem Solving
1st Grade Curriculum in Detail
LANGUAGE ARTS
Learning the Alphabet: Imaginative introduction to letters through stories and images from fairy tales
Writing: Capital and lowercase letters, words, simple sentences, free renderings
Reading: Phonics, word families, sight words, first readers
Vocabulary: Building vocabulary from hearing and reviewing fairy tales and folk tales
Speech/Recitation: Rhymes, verses and tongue twisters, with hand and body movements
Drama: The First Grade Play
MATH
The Quality of Numbers, 1-12
Counting by 1s, 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s
Roman numerals and Arabic numerals
Forwards and backwards counting and writing numbers up to 100
Number Patterns, Story Problems & Math Games
Fact Strategies for Adding: count-on’s, doubles, neighbors, fast 10s, fast 9s, left overs, combinations of 10
Fact Strategies for Subtractions: count-backs, comparisons, zeros, doubles, tens, nines, neighbors, left-overs
Imaginative introduction to the 4 processes: addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division
FOREIGN LANGUAGE: SPANISH & CHINESE
Through songs, poems, rhymes, games and movements, children begin to build vocabulary, develop good pronunciation, and oral comprehension.
Speaking develops through repetition and recitations.
MUSIC
Unison singing with emphasis on the pentatonic scale
Seasonal games, music expressed through gesture and rhythm
Seasonal songs performed at assemblies
Pentatonic flute introduced mid-year
HANDWORK
Finger crocheting
Knitting-- cast on, knit stitch, cast off
Braiding
Simple hand-sewing
Projects: horse reins, flute case, tooth fairy pillow, and teddy bear
GARDENING
Introduction to science through experiencing nature
Observational skills honed through nature walks
Nature stories
Hands-on experiences through seed collection, bulb planting, and sustain
FORM DRAWING
Training hand-eye coordination through drawing of simple forms
Strengthening sense of spatial relationships and proportion through drawing of rhythmic running forms
Supporting handwriting skills through practice and mastery of straight and curved line formation
WATERCOLOR PAINTING & DRAWING
Introduction to watercolor painting through color stories
Relationships of primary and secondary colors
Instruction on the use of beeswax block crayons
Daily drawing of stories into main lesson books
CLASSES ADDED IN THE SECOND SEMESTER
GAMES
Cooperative circle and line games
Ball-handling skills
Motor skills and coordination through tumbling and balancing activities
Yoga
Continued work on social dynamics that arise through games
READING GROUPS
Class breaks up into small groups, each with a Reading Helper
Children take turns reading
Children deepen their understanding of phonics, word families, etc. introduced in first semester
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1ST GRADE YEAR
Receiving a 6th grade buddy; weekly buddy walks and outings, including to the pumpkin patch
Lantern Walk (November), Winter Assembly (December), Friday Assemblies with whole school, Thanksgiving and Advent Assemblies, Class Play, Grandparents’ Day, May Day; Friday walks, end-of-year class picnic.
