First Grade

List of 5 items.

• Language Arts

  Reading

   

  Using HMH Into Reading, first grade students strengthen foundational reading skills while developing deeper comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. Through engaging literary and informational texts, students learn to think critically about what they read and communicate their understanding in meaningful ways.

   

  Students learn to:

   

  • Read and discuss a variety of literary and informational texts
  • Retell stories and identify key details
  • Describe characters, settings, and major events
  • Identify the main idea and supporting details
  • Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding
  • Compare and contrast texts and topics
  • Build academic and content-area vocabulary
  • Make predictions, connections, and inferences based on text evidence

   

  Daily phonological awareness and phonics instruction help students become accurate and confident readers by learning to:

   

  • Decode words using grade-level phonics patterns
  • Read words with short and long vowel sounds
  • Recognize consonant blends, digraphs, and common spelling patterns
  • Read and spell high-frequency words
  • Apply word-solving strategies when encountering unfamiliar words
  • Develop reading fluency through repeated practice and connected text reading

   

  Writing

   

  First grade students learn to communicate ideas clearly through a variety of writing experiences. Reading and writing are closely connected as students respond to texts, share personal experiences, and develop their own ideas.

   

  Students learn to:

   

  • Write narratives that recount events in sequence
  • Write informative pieces that teach about a topic
  • Write opinion pieces that state and support a preference or belief
  • Plan, draft, revise, and share their writing
  • Expand ideas with details and descriptive language
  • Use complete sentences to express their thoughts
  • Apply capitalization, punctuation, and spelling skills in their writing
  • Develop handwriting and presentation skills

   

  Students are encouraged to view themselves as readers and writers, building confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of literacy.

• Mathematics

  Using Big Ideas Math: Math & You, first grade students build number sense and mathematical reasoning through hands-on exploration, problem-solving, and real-world applications. Through interactive lessons, math discussions, games, and the use of manipulatives, students develop confidence and fluency as mathematicians.

   

  Students learn to:

   

  • Develop a deeper understanding of numbers and place value
  • Add and subtract within 20 using a variety of strategies
  • Represent and solve real-world mathematical problems
  • Count, compare, and order numbers
  • Explore patterns and relationships within numbers
  • Measure and compare length using standard and nonstandard units
  • Tell and write time to the hour and half-hour
  • Identify, describe, and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes
  • Collect, organize, and interpret data
  • Explain and justify their mathematical thinking using words, pictures, models, and equations

   

  Students are encouraged to explore multiple solution strategies, collaborate with peers, and persevere through challenging tasks, building a strong foundation for future mathematical success.

• Science

  First-grade science invites students to explore and investigate through hands-on experiments and observations.

   

  • Life science:
    
    
    • Plant and animal life cycles
      
      
    • Needs and habitats of living things
      
      
    • Classifying animals by characteristics
      
      
  • Earth science:
    
    
    • Landforms, bodies of water, and Earth’s resources
      
      
    • Weather patterns and changes
      
      
  • Physical science:
    
    
    • Exploring solids, liquids, and gases
      
      
    • Force, motion, and simple machines (like pulleys)
      
      

  Activities encourage curiosity and provide plenty of chances for students to predict, observe, and draw conclusions.

• Social Studies

  Using Studies Weekly, first graders learn about:

   

  • Being part of a community and what good citizenship means
    
    
  • Important figures in American history
    
    
  • Basic map skills and understanding geography
    
    
  • National symbols and holidays
    
    
  • Respecting differences and appreciating cultures
    
    

   

  The weekly format keeps lessons interactive and age-appropriate, helping students make connections to their own lives.

• Culminating Experiences

  The year concludes with the beloved first grade musical, Once Upon a Lilypad, where students perform for family and friends,  building self-confidence, teamwork, and presentation skills. Throughout the year, they also enjoy regular art and music classes that let them explore creativity and self-expression in many different forms.