To be certain individual needs are being met, particularly for higher and lower readers, Cooper first graders carry with them nightly Phoenix Reading, a solidly phonetic reading program once published by McGraw-Hill. Phoenix Readers take students from pre-reading through the end of third grade, and are particularly useful for home reading work. Early levels include action picture sequences. These are especially helpful to our second language learners, who comprise an increasing segment of our school population. The first grade classroom has a wide variety of primary grade literature, from new to classic.
Students check out a different picture story book daily.
From large charts, they memorize numerous songs and poems throughout the year. These are integrated with various seasonal and holiday studies. First graders enjoy frequent writing in journals. These are divided into Fall, Winter, and Spring-Summer formats. Journals change with the students, ability to write smaller words and longer sentences.