Curriculum Companion
1st Grade
What is Literacy?
Literacy is a term used to describe the components of reading
and writing at school. The components are guided reading,
writing, shared reading, read alouds, independent reading and
spelling.
What is Guided Reading?
Guided reading happens when a teacher works with a small
group of students (usually 3-5). The students in this group are all
reading at the same level and working on the same reading
strategies. In kindergarten guided reading begins after the
winter break for most students. In first grade, guided reading
begins in September.
During guided reading the students read the same book and
work on strategies to help them become better readers. Some
strategies include; pointing to each word in the text, looking at
the pictures for clues, predicting the story by looking at the
pictures before reading the text, saying the first sound of the
word, looking at the end of the word, looking through the word,
and looking for chunks (ch, sh, ing, ed, er, at, etc.) in words.
What is an Independent Reading Level?
A child’s independent reading level refers to a level that your
child can read with little teacher/adult prompting. It is an easy
read with fluency, and almost every word is read correctly.
What is an *Instructional Reading Level?
A child’s instructional reading level refers to a level above their
independent reading level because that levels offers
opportunities for the teacher to teach phonics, sight words, and
provide them strategies to solve difficult words.
*Please note: Homework that is typically sent home is at your
child’s instructional level.
What does Writing look like in kindergarten and
first grade?
The teacher begins each writing lesson with a focus she models
for the students. The class begins the writing time in a whole
group with the teacher modeling a part of the writing process.
Then the students go to their tables to write for 20-30 minutes.
At the end of the lesson, some students are chosen to share
their writing.
Some components of writing that the teacher models are;
where to begin writing on the page, that pictures match the
words, words tell a story, writing has to make sense, the
different writing genres, spacing, and punctuation.
Writing in kindergarten and first grade looks different for each
student. Some students are writing random letters, some begin
labeling pictures, some write words, and others are beginning to
write complete sentences and stories.
What is Shared Reading?
Shared reading is done in kindergarten and first grade every day.
It is a time when the students sit on the carpet as a group
and the teacher leads the group in reading poetry, messages
written by the teacher on large chart paper, and big books (oversized books all students can see from a stand). The teacher
reads to the students while pointing to each word with a pointer.
The students follow along and join in when they are able. After
reading, the class discusses the story or poem, rereads it
together, shows something they know (letter, word, rhyming
words, periods, etc.) with highlighting tape, or reenacts the
story by acting it out.
What is a Read Aloud?
A read aloud is when the teacher reads a book to the students.
The students sit on the carpet and listen to a story chosen by the
teacher. Before the story, the teacher tells the title, author and
illustrator and asks the students to share what they think the
story will be about by looking at the picture on the front of the
book. During reading the teacher stops to ask questions and has
the students make predictions about what might happen next.
After reading, the class shares their thoughts about the story.
What is Independent Reading?
Independent reading takes place when students read books
from their book box that are appropriate for their reading level.
In kindergarten, a majority of the books in the student’s book
boxes are from the classroom library and are chosen by the
student. The student looks at the pictures and tells their own
story. In first grade the students are reading their guided
reading books during independent reading. They only have
guided reading books in their book boxes to read at this time.
They have other times during the day to read and look at books
from the classroom library.
What does Spelling look like in kindergarten and
first grade?
When children are learning to spell in kindergarten and first
grade, they use invented spelling (made up words). Beginning
writers are asked to write the sounds they hear and they are not
expected to spell every word correctly. Spelling and hearing
sounds in words is developmental.
We use Spelling Connections as a foundation for teaching
students how to spell in Kindergarten and First Grade. In
Kindergarten, students learn about letters and sounds. They do
not take traditional spelling tests, but are expected to write
simple words from memory (the, at, is, to, etc.).
In First Grade, students take traditional spelling tests using the
Spelling Connections program. They are learning about chunks
of words (-en, ell, etc.) and they are expected to write many
simple words from memory.
What can parents do to help?
Reading aloud to your child at home is the single most
important thing you can do to help your child develop the skills
they need to be great readers and writers. Fifteen minutes a day
is the recommended amount of time parents should spend
reading to their child outside of the school day. Reading
different types of books to your child helps develop the wide
range of skills your child will need to learn to read
independently. Books you can read to you child include:
Storybooks, Poetry books, Rhyming books, Song books, ABC
books, I Spy books, Nonfiction (real life) books, the Newspaper,
etc.
To support your child's learning we are providing
bulleted list of the critical learning points that the
literacy curriculum will focus on throughout school year.
1st grade Reading/Writing expectations:
First Quarter
Reading:
o
o
o
o
Writing:
o
o
Masters letter/sound relationships
Recognizes beginning and ending sounds
Produces rhymes
Reads with fluency/expression
Uses appropriate spacing
Uses beginning/middle/ending sounds
Second Quarter
Reading:
o Recognizes beginning and ending sounds
o Produces rhymes
o Reads with fluency/expression
Writing:
o Writing begins to sound like a story
o Stays on topic
o Uses vowel sounds in words
o Adds length to story with details
o Begins to edit for capital letters
&conventions
o High frequency words spelled correctly
Third Quarter:
Reading:
o Retells information in stories
o Makes predictions and connections
Writing:
o Uses vowel / consonant sounds
consistently
o Writes a story with beginning, middle, and
ending
Fourth Quarter:
Reading:
o Uses information from text to explain
thinking
Writing:
o Begins to use spelling patterns
o Develops a plan for writing
o Uses descriptive words to add detail
o Uses an editing checklist
o Writes in different genres
Mathematics at MRH
Our goal in classrooms is for students to develop deep
understandings along with math fact fluency. Instruction
in a workshop approach allows for large group lessons,
small group sessions with the teacher, and an individual
practice. The students' abilities guide instructional
decisions. Each workshop session ends with a Math
Congress, which is devoted to conversation about
mathematics as students justify their thinking and ask
questions.
1st Grade Enduring Understandings
Fact Challenges
Automaticity vs. Memorization: At the ECC teachers
administer a weekly timed fact challenge with addition
and subtraction facts to build speed and automaticity.
Geometry
o Shapes can move, be composed and
decomposed
o Attributes are used to describe shapes
(face, base, edge, vertex, side).
Measurement
o The unit size affects the number of units
counted (nonstandard).
o We use different tools to measure length,
temperature, weight and time.
o Coins can be combined to make different
amounts of money.
Number and Operations
o Our number system is based on patterns of
tens and ones.
o We can use different strategies to add and
subtract.
o Addition and subtraction are related.
o We can group, share, or split to solve problems
(multiplication, division, and fractions)
Data and Probability
Data
o We ask questions about ourselves and our
surroundings and use data to answer
o We sort and classify objects by their attributes
and represent data with pictures and bar
graphs
Probability
o There is a way to describe whether situations
will happen or not happen.
Algebra
o We use information to make predictions about
growing and repeating patterns (functions).
o Math rules (commutative and associative
properties of addition) help us solve problems
more efficiently. The "equal sign: is used to
show "is the same as".
o For example: 5+3=8, 4+6=7+3,
o 3+3+3=9=4+5=8+1=0+9