Welcome to
First Grade
Curriculum Night
School Hours
7:45—Warm-up begins
8:05—Tardy bell rings
2:55—Dismissal bell rings
Attendance
Please ALWAYS have your child in
class! Much of what is taught is done
hands on and can’t be made up.
If your child has a fever, please keep
him or her home for 24 hours. This is
requested by most doctors.
Transportation
Please let me know if your child needs
a transportation change.
This must be done through the front
office (fax) or a hand written note to
the teacher by 2:00pm.
We can NOT accept transportation
changes via email.
Lunch and Recess
Lunch: 11:05-11:35 and Recess: 11:35-11:50
Checks/Cash can be sent to school with child’s
name and ID number. Money can also be added
to account online using a credit card.
When visiting your child for lunch there is a
parent table for YOU and YOUR CHILD to sit
at. You may not invite other students to eat
with you.
Parents are not allowed to follow their child to
recess. It is a safety concern.
Snacks
If your child would like to have a snack
during the day please make sure to
remember:
It needs to be a healthy snack.
It needs to be something that does NOT
need to be eaten with a spoon or fork.
Water bottles may also be brought to
school. Please send in a spill proof water
bottle. Spills happen very easily!
Birthdays
Please provide two days notice of a
birthday treat being brought to school.
Treats are handed out at 1:45.
Invitations must be sent for the entire
class if handed out at school.
Grades
Language Arts (Reading, Writing,
Spelling/Word Study)—50% is DRA,
25% daily, 25% major
DRA grade is NOT included in the average
for progress reports!
Math, Science, Social Studies—50%
daily, 50% major
Literacy Assessment
DRA— Developed Reading Assessment
Assessed each marking period
50% of L.A. Grade
Beginning of the year: Level 4
Level 3 is at-risk
Middle of the year: Level 10
End of the year: Level 16
PAPI- Phonics Assessment
3 times during the year
Homework—45 minutes per night
(District Requirement)
Homework page will be found on the
classroom website.
Read 20 minutes EVERY night.
D3 Time-Dragons Digging Deeper
Students will participate in "D3 Time"
(Dragons Digging Deeper) for 45 minutes
per day. During this time, students will
enrich the learning from their classrooms
by working on targeted areas based on the
child's needs. Through data from common
assessments and benchmarks we are able
to identify areas that the children need to
fill in gaps, as well as areas that the
children need to extend their learning to a
higher level. All students will participate in
D3 time in order to advance their learning.
Reading
What can I expect my child to learn?
Recognize and use individual sounds to create words,
or phonemic awareness.
Understand the relationships between written letters
and spoken sounds, or phonics. This allows children to
recognize familiar words accurately and automatically,
and "decode" new words.
Develop the ability to read a text accurately and
quickly, or reading fluency.
Learn the meaning and pronunciation of words, or
vocabulary development.
Acquire strategies to understand, remember and
communicate what is read, or reading comprehension
strategies.
Reading
How can I help my child at home?
D3 Reading: What it looks like...
Students will read and respond to level
appropriate text based on students'
individual DRA score.
Students will strengthen skills by reading
poetry, acting out reader's theaters,
responding to literature, and increasing
fluency. Fluency is the speed and accuracy
at which your child reads out loud. An
exiting first grader should read at least 60
words per minute.
D3 Language: What it looks like...
Examples:
Students will create words in a word family.
– Ex: Generate words in the -at family.
Students will make new words using letters in
one longer word.
– Ex: Make as many new words as you can
with the letters in president.
Students will be engaged in activities based on
word ladders, word sorts, word wall games,
making big words, unscrambling words, word
crosswords, and vocabulary application.
Writing
Dear pair ants,
Ur stoodnt wil b bringing hom riting, doo not b skaird
ov the spelling. The inglish langwij iz kunfewzing two
lern. Cids uz “phonetic” spelling in thair wrk to
xpress thair thouts. Foursing cids too uz
cunvenshunal speling reedoss thair dezir and abillite
to right. It is mi joub to teech ur child 2 uz
reesorsis and lerning to beecum a “Smartie Writer.”
U can hlp ur child bi incoruging thim at eech
divelupmentil stag. Axk ur child to reed and esplane
thair riting to u. Az ur child lerns about the inglish
langwij tha wil mak the tranzishun to “adult writing.”
Thank u 4 ur saport!
Writing
What can I expect my child to learn?
Create IDEAS to write about
ORGANIZE writing to show a beginning,
middle, and end
Make decisions about WORD CHOICE
Use CONVENTIONS
Let me hear VOICE
SENTENCE FLUENCY
PRESENTATION of writing
Writing
How can I help my child at home?
Encourage writing at home
Allow children to sound out a
word and spell it the best they
can
Encourage writing using different
genres:
Nonfiction and Fiction
Making Lists and Letters
Fantasy
Math
What can I expect my child to learn?
Addition/Subtraction to 18
Patterns in numbers: odd/even, skip count by
2s, 5s, 10s
Place Value: compare and order numbers
Number Sense: order of numbers, greater
than/less than, locate on hundreds chart
Measurement: length, area, weight/mass,
temperature, capacity
Coins: name and value
Shapes: 2D (plane) and 3D (space)
Story Problems
Math
How can I help my child at home?
Weekly homework
Mathletics – mathletics.com (A letter will come home.)
Encourage your child to identify math in everyday
situations.
– Ex: Name 3D shapes while in the grocery store.
– Ex: Practice adding or subtracting groups of
objects.
Math Facts - We want your child to know those math facts
in a snap!
– Math Cafe
– Flashcards
Practice counting a large group of objects by skip counting.
Encourage your child to sort loose change by coin. Then,
identify the coin and how much it is worth.

D3 Math: What it looks like...
Example One:
Objective: Students will review value and
identification of each coin.
Activity: Students will find value of coin amounts
including combinations with pennies, nickels,
dimes, and quarters.
Example Two:
Objective: Students will demonstrate mastery
of basic addition and subtraction facts up to 18.
Activity: Students will calculate addition and
subtraction problems with regrouping. (Two
digit addition and subtraction problems.)
Science
What can I expect my child to learn?
properties of matter
heat energy
sound energy
light energy
motion
magnetism
weather (clouds)
seasons
moon and stars
soil and rocks
living vs. non-living
water
food chain
natural resources
pet care
life cycle of frog
life cycle of chicken
Science
How can I help my child at home?
Incorporate the use of non-fiction text as
part of your child's reading practice.
Visit your local library to supplement nonfiction reading material.
Keep a science fact journal or poster of
science topics. Your child may draw a
picture of new found learning and record
facts learned.
Visit Brain Pop Jr, accessed through the
Deretchin's website to reinforce key
topics studied at school.
Social Studies
What can I expect my child to learn?
Citizenship: What is a good citizen?
Geography: Landforms
Economics: Needs/Wants & Goods/Services
Government: Who are our public officials and
what do they do? What is voting?
Culture: How are people alike and different?
History: How have things changed over time?
Texas/U.S. Symbols, Aesop’s Fables
Resources
Social Studies
How can I help my child at home?
Practice reciting the U.S pledge and Texas Pledge
Expose your child to different Texas Symbols
Talk with your child about community helpers and their
roles
Talk with your child about what country, state, city,
street they live in/on
Practice reading a calendar and time line
Read about the contributions of Martin Luther King Jr.,
Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Garrett Morgan,
Sam Houston, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln.
Talk with your child about changes in technology
Discuss Needs and Wants
Discuss Goods and Services
Thank you for
coming tonight!