Language Arts: We use Open Court which is a phonics and literature based reading and writing program that includes:
1. Phonemic Awareness (oral blending and segmenting speech sounds) 2. Phonics (connecting sounds and spellings) 3. Reading aloud from a variety of children’s literature 4. Independent reading at the child’s level 5. Reading comprehension strategies 6. Writing skills (including journal writing, report writing, narrative writing, and responding to literature)
We have a large collection of fiction and non-fiction books at all levels to reinforce these skills. Children build reading skills by reading extensively. We expect every child to spend a minimum of ten minutes reading at home each day.
We teach the D'Nealian style of handwriting.
Math: We use the Bridges math program that students began in Kindergarten. This program places a heavy emphasis on critical thinking and using manipulatives to demonstrate and reinforce concepts. Topics include: collecting and reporting data, working with patterns, solving word problems, , writing and solving equations, exploring numbers to 100, experimenting with probability and exploring geometry. We also teach beginning time telling and money skills. Social Studies: First grade social studies includes units on mapping, careers, communities, holidays, and basic history. Social studies is taught through a variety of learning experiences.
Science: First graders study life cycles, phases of the moon, solids and liquids, and force and motion. We include many hands-on experiments, a lot of writing and a ton of fun!