Christa Godfrey, Corey Carbonneau, Anne Harrison Beck, Jana Ford, Melissa Crouch, Shannon McCullough, Shelley Davis, Gina Garner
Reading instruction will focus on readers as “meaning makers”. Through teacher-modeling during shared reading time, and student practice during guided reading, children will become masters of clarifying strategies. They will learn to monitor understanding of text and apply appropriate corrective actions when meaning breaks down. Once students are able to independently use these strategies, they will be able to focus on comprehension strategies.
In word study, students compare spelling patterns at their developmental level and apply learned patterns to new words. Students also develop instant recognition of sight words, which do not necessarily follow typical patterns.
First grade students continue to work on sentence fluency, word choice, voice, ideas, organization, and conventions while learning to extend their capacity for sustained writing. Teachers focus on using mini-lessons to introduce and model the writing process. Mentor texts and picture books are often used as students begin to develop their writing skills.
Kathy Richardson (1999) reports that “children’s first experiences with numbers will influence the way they deal with mathematics for the rest of their lives… Children develop an understanding of concepts through experiences with real things rather than symbols… Teachers [will] support the development of understanding by presenting planned and focused experiences and by interacting with children as they work.”
Our first graders will explore the following topics in social studies: