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First Grade Content
First grade core concepts should be integrated across all curriculum areas. Reading, writing, and mathematical skills should be emphasized as integral to the instruction in all other areas. Personal relevance of content is always an important part of helping students to value learning and should be emphasized.
In first grade, students are immersed in a literature-rich environment to develop an awareness of phonemes and print materials as sources of information and enjoyment. They listen and speak to participate in classroom discussions and use a variety of strategies to read new words and familiar selections aloud with fluency and expression. Understanding the main idea and sequence of events in a story are important comprehension skills that are applied in all other content areas.
First graders continue their development of number sense. They learn basic addition and subtraction facts through joining and separating sets with twelve or fewer objects. Students draw and describe specified two-dimensional figures and use nonstandard units to measure length and weight. They are introduced to the idea of fractions and continue the development of sorting and patterning skills. While learning mathematics, students will be actively engaged, using concrete materials and appropriate technologies such as calculators and computers.
In first grade, students learn about themselves and their relationship to the classroom, school, family, and community. Students develop the skills of questioning, gathering information, making measurements using nonstandard units, constructing explanations, and drawing conclusions. Students learn about their bodies and the behaviors necessary to protect them and keep them healthy. They learn basic body control while beginning to develop motor skills and moving in a variety of settings. Students become aware of strength, endurance, and flexibility in different parts of their bodies. They express their thoughts and ideas creatively, while challenging their imagination, fostering reflective thinking, and developing disciplined effort and problem-solving skills.