First Grade Curriculum
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Our Language Arts has a strong foundation in phonics and writing. Daily the students attend the Computer Lab. We use the Writing to Read Program. This program combines phonics with writing. The students spend 15 minutes at each station-computer, work journal, writing or typing, make words or tape library. Students develop a solid base of “sounding out “ words to become strong spellers. They begin to blend their spelling skills with “book spelling” and start self-editing their own work. In the Computer Lab students are encouraged to write creatively and independently allowing them the self-confidence they need.
The students have a Language, Speller, Phonics and Reading book used in class. Grammar rules and Parts of Speech are taught. They learn how to write a story with a beginning, middle, and an ending. We read and discuss stories to help develop their comprehension skills. The concepts and skills master here are combined with their writing skills in the Computer Lab. All books are State Standards based.
Mathematics combines the State Standards and everyday Math concepts.
Every morning a student leads them the class in Math activities-calendar, telling time, counting money, the number line, tallies, place value sticks, measuring, temperature, etc. They keep a Math journal, where daily they solve a few problems to assess their progress.
In Math we cover addition and subtraction facts to twenty, turnarounds, family of facts, data and graphing, money, word problems, etc. We have interactive lessons to emphasize certain Math concepts with role-playing for word problems, Math manipulatives, and individual white boards. Every Friday, a timed test is given on basic addition and subtraction facts.
Religion is a major part of our First Grade curriculum and daily life. The children learn your faith is not just a subject, but relates to every aspect of their lives. They learn how Jesus loves them, daily prayers, the Rosary, what Advent and Lent mean, and the major religious holy days. They are taught to act like Jesus would when they are on the playground, interacting with friends, and respect for adults and each other. First graders also take part in presenting prayer services for the school. The class presents Stations of the Cross that is age appropriate and hosts an All School Mass with the Second Grade class.
Social Studies and Science are included in the curriculum. In Social Studies we study communities and neighborhoods, customs of our diverse cultures, national holidays, famous leaders of our country, and current affairs. In Science, we learn about plant and animal life, animal habitats, weather and seasons, the Earth, rocks, recycling and how to treat the environment.
Included also in our studies is Health and Safety. We learn about eating nutritious foods, good hygiene, and staying healthy through good habits. “Manners Mattter” teaches manners, politeness and good etiquette. We study Safety Rules to follow, and what to do in case of a fire or earthquake. We have a firefighter demonstrate Fire Safety for us. Also, the Burbank Mounted Police come and teach the children about safety from strangers.
There are many opportunities and places where children can learn outside the classroom. Field trips are important to the curriculum. We visit a working farm for our unit on plants. The Long Beach Aquarium is a hands-on lesson for our animal habitats. A tour of the Cathedral enhances our Religion lessons on our faith. We also have included a trip to a restaurant, a live performance at a theater, the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, the local library, and an Art museum.
The First Grade has an aide assigned to the class. She assists with classroom management and with any students in need of extra instruction.
The Resource teacher assists in the Computer Lab with First Grade daily. She also tutors once a week for an hour, to any First grader below grade level in Reading or Math.