Class Overview

Welcome to First Grade!  Our program builds on skills and knowledge children have learned in Kindergarten and at home. It encourages critical thinking, creativity, and respect for self and others.

Expectations:
I expect that all students come to school ready to learn.  Together we will build a classroom environment that is warm, welcoming and engaging for all.  Everyone in this class is expected to learn and abide by our classes five core values: Respect, Responsibility, Compassion, Fairness and Honesty.

Rules:
Every student in my class will have Rights and Responsibilities.  Students will also be involved in creating the rules in our classroom.  Research has shown that when students are involved in creating rules, they are motivated to follow them.  Attached is a PDF of the Classroom Rules and Discipline in my wife's first grade class that I hope to adopt and use with my own students.

School Calendar:
Here is a link to the School Calendar.  This calendar will be constantly updated with upcoming events, but please check our classroom webpage for updates for our class!

Common Core Standards:
Common Core is all about having students explain their thoughts and ideas in more detail.  Simply coming up with the right answer is not good enough, you need to be able to explain how you got your answer and/or be able to defend your strategy.  Here is a great link for parents explaining the benefits of Common Core.

First Grade is a pivotal year when students learn the basic strategies for how to read, add, subtract, answer questions and form opinions.  They also begin to develop their social skills and realize there is a lot they can learn from their peers.

Literacy/Reading:
First grade is when most students "crack the code" and begin recognizing that letter form words and words can be read.  Not all students become fluent readers in first grade but leveled books combined with reading programs/incentives like Accelerated Reader, help kids and teachers set goals for each individual student.

Math:
First graders begin to grasp and understand mathematical concepts. Children are introduced to time, money, and realize that counting is a life skill that they will use everyday.

Science:
First graders are encouraged to make predictions and find their own answers to questions about the natural world.  They may be introduced to concepts like weather, the parts of the human body, and identifying characteristics of plants and animals. Children may also experiment with matter and motion and how pushing and pulling forces affect an object.

Social Studies:
First grade social studies concentrates learning about the family, school, and community. First graders learn to tell the difference between events that happened in the past, present or future. Students also learn about maps, citizenship, symbols, customs and cultures.  Customs and Cultures is very important, as our classroom is a diverse community and it is essential that students learn, cherish and respect their own culture and others!