ELA:

This year we will be using Collaborative Classroom for our ELA instruction. The program has been carefully designed to nurture students academically and socially, while providing rigorous instruction in early reading strategies including, reading comprehension, fluency, phonics and decoding, high frequency word recognition, vocabulary, spelling and handwriting.   

This year our units will focus on: 

Unit 1- The Classroom Community (Fiction, Non- Fiction, and Poetry) 

Unit 2- Making Connections (Fiction and Poetry)  

Unit 3- Retelling (Fiction)  

Unit 4- Visualizing (Poetry and Fiction) 

Unit 5- Wondering (Fiction and Non-Fiction)  

Unit 6- Making Connections (Non-Fiction and Fiction)  

Unit 7- Wondering (Non- Fiction and Poetry)  

Unit 8- Using Text Features (Non-Fiction and Poetry) 

Writing:

During writer’s workshop, first grade students will engage in producing various written pieces. They will write opinion pieces, informative pieces, and narratives. They will also participate in shared research! When spelling, we encourage the children to stretch out the sounds they hear as they write. We will also focus on handwriting.

Math:

In first grade, we will have a strong focus on the exploring number sense and operations.

Our main units are: 

• Operations and Algebraic Thinking (Addition and subtraction within 20)
• Number and Operations in Base Ten (Using place value understanding to add and subtract within 100)
• Measurement and Data
• Telling time to the hour and half hour
• Identifying coins, and counting dimes and pennies up to 100 cents
• Geometry
• First grade students will also focus on counting, reading and writing numbers up to 120, and we will work on fluently adding and subtracting facts within 10. 

Writers Workshop:

We will follow the Being a Writer Curriculum, which is part of Collaborative Classroom. The lessons will consist of a whole group activity, and then the students will work on writing, at their own pace and level. As this occurs, I will meet with individual students to provide support at their level. At the end, the children share their work with each other and discuss the new strategy we learned. Our writing units will focus on narrative, informative and opinion writing, as well as writing poetry.  

Social Studies:

 Social Studies introduces young learners to the foundational concepts of identity, community, and citizenship.  Aligned with the NYS K-8 Social Studies Framework, the units will help students explore their roles within families, schools, and communities.  

The units covered will be: 

•  Past,Present, and Future 
• Community and Maps 
• Earth Day
• Economics 

Science:

First Grade science builds upon students natural curiosity and introduces them to the practices of scientific thinking through hands on exploration and observation. 

We will explore 2 science kits this year:

       Sky Patterns 

       Light and Sound