Curriculum Overview

1st Grade

Reading - Letter sounds (consonants, consonant blends, long and short vowels, diphthongs), blending sounds to form words, plural endings, rhyming words, alphabetical order to second letter. Accelerated Reader program is used to encourage reading and to improve reading comprehension.

Grammar - Capitalization, punctuation, contractions, simple sentence structure, recognizing nouns and action verbs, recognizing incomplete sentences, subject/verb agreement.

Vocabulary - Compound words, synonyms, homonyms, antonyms, dictionary skills.

Handwriting - Special emphasis on handwriting accuracy as an instrument to teach and reinforce concentration and self-discipline.

Writing Process - Listen to (1st semester) and write (2nd semester) stories having a beginning, middle, and end with subject/verb agreement, proper spelling, and punctuation.

Spelling - Teacher-created word lists which reflect the incremental phonics development of the Open Court reading curriculum.

Mathematics - Addition/subtraction 1-20, skip counting (by 2�s, 3�s, 5�s, 10�s, 100�s), tell time to the minute, word problems, comparison of numbers, writing word problems from number sentences, pairs, create/interpret graphs, recognize/count money, volume and measurement (metric and customary units), number families, place value, calendar skills, addition of 2 digit numbers without regrouping, add/subtract 10, create polygons, geometric shapes, fractions, ordinal numbers, congruency, patterns, number relationships, number order to 100, tally marks.

Science - Our bodies (senses, feelings, digestive and circulatory systems, skeletal system), gravity and magnetism, sink/float, temperature cycles, moon phases, animal kingdoms, plant life, water cycle, weather, Earth Day (conservation, ecology), eggs, growth, development, insects, pets. Supplemented with fiction and non-fiction literature, educational videos, and hands-on experiments.

Social Studies - All About Me, families, Columbus Day, Fire Prevention/Safety, Book Week, Government (voting, patriotism, laws), Pilgrims, map skills, Martin Luther King, Jr., Presidents� Day, bicycle safety. Supplemented by fiction and non-fiction literature, educational videos, demonstrations, and artistic modeling.

Weekly Enrichment Classes

Computer - The students are introduced to the Accelerated Reader program. Students read books and then take multiple-choice tests on the computer. Students use educational software which focuses on spelling and math skills.

Spanish - Continue listening and speaking skills, begin basic reading and writing skills. Respond to basic questions, learn courtesy phrases, read familiar vocabulary words and common phrases, label pictures.

Library - Story time; listening and viewing skills; story discussion; introduction of library terminology; parts of a book; periodicals; care and organization of library materials; weekly book check-out; library skills reinforced with audiovisual materials, puppets, fingerplays, and songs.

Music - Sing, move, dance, and play rhythm instruments to music; learn age-appropriate elements of music; read rhythms; introduction of the percussion family, learn Chapel songs and seasonal songs; prepare for performance on Mead Hall Sundays, at the Christmas program, and on May Day. Optional: beginning violin.

Physical Education - Preparation for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test, weekly physical fitness logs, loco-motor skills, eye-hand coordination, aerobic exercise, sports, games; introduction to tennis, soccer, whiffle-ball, jump rope; sportsmanship, fair play, and effort.

Sacred Studies - The Godly Play curriculum uses story figures and art materials to allow students to experience Bible stories, their characters and themes. The church calendar is introduced.