First Grade Curriculum
First grade is a time of fun and adventure with an emphasis on a love
of learning and an “I know, I can” attitude. They become fluent readers
by developing phonemic awareness and comprehension skills.
Language Arts
The Language Arts curriculum collaboratively delivers composition, grammar, reading, writing, vocabulary, and spelling. Each of these components is organized to meet the unique needs of each student.
Reading
Open Court reading has been implemented at LaGrange Academy since the founding of the school. It continues to be a program that meets the needs and challenges our kindergarten students through our third grade. Open Court is a research-based program with the curriculum grounded in systematic, explicit instruction of phonemic awareness, phonics, word knowledge comprehension skills, and writing skills and strategies. The program creates a literature-rich environment that instills a passion for a lifelong love of reading and learning.
Reading fluency is strengthening through the use of individual storybooks. Comprehension strategies, such as clarifying, summarizing, predicting, and drawing conclusions are modeled, practiced, and review. Venn diagrams, sequencing charts, cause and effect charts, and webbing charts help students organize information that will strengthen and develop comprehension skills. At the same time, students increase vocabulary skills through careful presentation and practice using vocabulary from literature selection. The development of these skills and strategies build life-long confidence.
Analogies are part of the daily reading activities. Learning to solve analogies not only develops students’ logical thinking, but also builds visual awareness and verbal proficiency.
Spelling
A list of spelling words is selected weekly from the reading program or unit study vocabulary. These words reflect the strategies and patterns that will help develop spelling skills. Students engage in sound/spelling chains, and word building games. Spelling plays an important role in the development of vocabulary and the writing process.
Grammar
Open Courts provides a practical, working knowledge of grammar. Skills are developed through a grammar workbook and reinforced by the students’ own writing. Sentences structure, capitalization rules, and punctuation skills are developed.
A daily activity of editing sentences for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation reinforces grammar rules and skills. Developing a homophone word dictionary creates an enthusiasm for words and their meanings. Students will begin identifying nouns, possessive nouns, singular nouns, plural nouns, pronouns, verbs, and adjectives. They will participate in activities, such as, adding adjectives to simple sentences to extend the sentence therefore giving their reader more information.
Writing
Writing is integrated throughout the curriculum. A mastery of our grammar, spelling, and reading strategies and skills play an essential part in the development of our writing program. Our art journals help to create interest and become a place for students to retrieve information or spelling they may need in developing a story. After students complete their stories they have their own assessment guide to check and use for editing. Also, we use ‘study buddies’ to help with editing. A ‘study buddy’ is a peer that will point out areas that may need change and is a support person.
Mathematics
Saxon Math, a success-oriented program that enables all children to develop a solid foundation in the language and basic concepts in all areas of mathematics. Saxon builds on prior learning, with new skills presented in increments and time provided between increments for practice.
Each day, students participate in a beginning of the day math activity called ‘The Meeting’. At this time, they practice skills related to calendar, counting, patterning, and weather, reading a graph, time and money activities.
New objectives are introduced through selected group activity. These activities include: manipulative, working in cooperative groups, and engaging in discussions. Each lesson includes individual written practice, number fact practice and a daily problem-solving story. This helps students apply mathematics to real world situations and encourages them to become critical thinkers and problems solvers. Students learn to develop and write their own problem-solving stories.
Social Studies/ Science/ Health
Social studies, science and health are interrelated and taught through units. The units are developed around reading units, current events, map skills and life science. The units emphasize problem-solving, personal experiences, working cooperatively in groups and using comparison and contrast chart to organize information.
Units of study: Rain Forest, Arctic and Antarctic, North American Bears, Colonial States, Naming all 50 States, Life story of Lincoln, Washington, and Roosevelt Human Body and Nutrition, Weather, The Potato blight in Ireland, Christmas around the World, Comparing Deer, and Nocturnal animals