A major goal of the first grade is the acquisition of reading skills and the continued growth of mathematical skills. Children read in both a basal material and in appropriate trade books chosen because they help develop skills in decoding and contextual comprehension. The various books and stories selected are intended to motivate early readers and offer them information on a number of themes.
Writing is integrated across the curriculum.
For example, children create their own math word problems, imaginative stories, and social-studies and science reports. We augment the classroom library with books written and published by class members. First-grade science focuses on nutrition, body systems, animals, birds, and changing seasons. The curriculum deepens children's awareness of themselves, other animals, and the world in which we live. It also continues our work in developing an understanding of the similarities and a respect for the differences that make us human and make each of us unique.