First grade

Reading and writing are integral parts of all curricular areas in first grade. Reading is taught daily, with guided practice in developing successful decoding and spelling through the Orton Gillingham progression of phonetic concepts and sight words. During dictation exercises, children are taught to form letters accurately and apply phonetic skills. Guided reading time provides small group guided practice in oral reading fluency and comprehension. 

Students continue to develop as writers, bringing the association between sounds and symbols, and their knowledge of word families and sight words to their written work. Using Lucy Calkins’ Writing Workshop as a framework, students explore different genres of writing. They participate in one on one conferencing with the teacher to deepen their understanding of the writing process. Throughout first grade, students focus on writing habits, the writing conventions for personal narratives they call “small moment stories,” as well as the writing conventions for nonfiction chapter books, poetry, persuasive writing and fiction writing. 

As their writing skills develop, students expand their writing with details, learn to revise to include appropriate punctuation and capital letters, and build stamina to write longer pieces. As authors, students are encouraged to share their written work with classmates. They learn how to be writing partners by giving and receiving feedback on each other’s writing.

All first grade classroom teachers are trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach, a direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy.
 

Mathematics is frequently integrated with metacognitive hands-on experiences through the Math in Focus curriculum. In first grade math, students explore a variety of topics such as calendar skills, number writing, patterns, and word problems. As in Kindergarten, students tally the days in the school year until they reach one hundred, moving beyond the simple counting they did in the year before to explore the many ways to add and subtract their way to one hundred. There is a focus on regrouping, number bonds, and fact families, as students explore place value and learn multiple strategies for addition and subtraction. Mathematical thinking is encouraged through the use of tangible manipulatives like balances and blocks, as well as mental arithmetic. Daily lessons include independent and small group work, allowing teachers to meet the needs of a range of learners.
 

Through hands-on investigation, first graders gain a sense of ownership over their understanding through observation and inquiry. They observe, ask questions, and record results as they engage in the scientific method and investigate their world.

A unit on trees and leaves has students practice sorting leaves based on their attributes, learning what it means to have a specimen and how to preserve those specimens. As first graders mix substances and observe the reactions, they begin to recognize the difference between physical and chemical reactions. Students work through the engineering process to design shelters for specific needs and delve into questions about light and the reflection of light. First graders continue to develop their programming skills through the exploration of Scratch Jr and their creation of a one-of-a-kind digital fairy tale. They have an in-depth investigation of animal adaptations that begins in the classroom and takes them to the Roger Williams Park Zoo for their very first Gordon field trip.

In first grade social studies, students build on conversations they had in Early Childhood about their role in building a classroom community of belonging. Through picture books, class discussion, and writing, students continue to explore their connections with each other in relation to their own classroom, their school, and the community outside of Gordon. Students are immersed in conversations, lessons, and reading and writing activities that help them consider race, culture, gender, family structure and socio-economic class from multiple perspectives. 

The curriculum aligns with the national social studies standards and addresses some questions such as: How do we take care of our communities? How do we stand up for ourselves and others in our community? What is a bystander? Who am I and how do I see myself? Embedded in the daily life of students, these questions ensure that social studies work is a part of every day in first grade, sparking relevant conversations in a variety of classroom and playground contexts.

First grade continues the work begun in Early Childhood using the Open Circle curriculum to provide students with practice speaking, listening, asking questions, and problem solving. Children have an opportunity to learn more about each other as an important aspect of empathy and building community.

Planning, working, and social development skills are essential components of the first grade social studies experience. Students explore their understanding of their personal identity through an investigation of families that plays out in assignments throughout the year. As part of writers’ workshops, students write and publish vignettes of family life that tackle personal relationships from a variety of angles.
 

Students continue to build vocabulary through songs, games, stories and hands-on activities as they explore cultures, literature and practice basic grammatical structures. Students practice their Spanish by playing games, singinging, and communicating with their classmates and teacher in Spanish. They see how many families shift seamlessly between Spanish and English in books such as: “I love Saturdays and Domingo.” Throughout the year students will gain more vocabulary as they talk about their families, feelings, traditions and food.
 

The Lower School physical education curriculum includes an introduction to fitness activities, locomotor and manipulative skill work, and cooperative games. Students engage in conversations about inclusivity, gender, gender roles, and the impact of gender stereotypes. The primary objectives of the physical education program in Lower School is to reinforce fitness and wellness goals that encourage healthy lifetime decisions and to provide opportunities for students to improve their psychomotor development. Each class presents students with appropriate warm-up, fitness, instructional and closing activities while also challenging children to become self-motivated, reflective and responsible regarding their individual participation. Ultimately, Lower School physical education students should become aware of their movement potential, move competently and confidently and learn to value healthy play in cooperative and organized settings.
 

The National Wellness Institute explains wellness as “an active process of becoming aware and making choices toward a more successful existence.” This definition of wellness anchors and guides Gordon’s health curriculum from third through eighth grade.

In Lower School, health classes focus on foundational skills of social emotional learning. Throughout the year, students explore, practice, and develop strong interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Through conversations, experiential games, role-plays, movement, mindfulness activities, guided imagery, and guided inquiry that facilitates self and group reflection, students explore a range of health topics such as body systems, nutrition, stress, and social emotional skills. Students gain a more comprehensive understanding of themselves as learners, friends, and self-advocates capable of navigating the ups and downs of their daily experience and making healthy decisions. 

In the Lower School, students continue to meet twice within the eight day schedule with the librarian to explore the collection and discover the variety of genres, authors, and texts. Gordon’s collection of multicultural fiction, nonfiction, multilingual and bilingual books provide entry points for students of a variety of backgrounds, interests and experiences. Students are introduced to the language developed by literary historian Rudine Sims Bishop, in which books are described as windows, mirrors or doors, depending on how the reader identifies with the worlds depicted in each book.

The library supports first graders as they continue their discovery of the world of fiction and nonfiction.  During each visit, students meet in the Story Grove for a read-aloud period relating to topics being discussed in the library or the classroom. Individual book selection of two titles per student focuses on supporting, sustaining and nurturing emerging readers and newly independent readers as well as confident readers. In addition to their scheduled library time, students visit the library with queries and requests for books that inform their growing curiosity about the world around them.

First grade music is full of singing, instrument playing and folk dancing. First graders have music three times in an eight-day cycle. Children review the difference between steady beat and rhythm, as well as reading simple rhythmic notation. Students quickly learn to sing, read and identify higher and lower pitches.

First graders become confident musicians, learning to read, write, sing and play increasingly difficult songs. They build an extensive repertoire of songs, games and folk dances. Rhythmically, students can read, write, compose and play simple rhythms of quarter notes, paired eighth notes, half notes and rests. Students explore rhythmic and melodic improvisation on drums, boomwhackers and xylophones. Melodically, students read, write, identify, sing and play do, mi, so and la patterns. Exploring musical form, the first graders move and improvise while listening to several classical music examples. First graders also explore and categorize orchestral and world instruments through hands-on experiences, listening examples.
 

The Lower School visual arts program presents students with a series of experiences that develop their abilities in a range of media, skills, and concepts. In a studio environment that fosters creativity and independence, children are nurtured perceptually and aesthetically. They are taught skills in a variety of materials and techniques. The understanding of the elements and principles of design are developed as the basic formal ingredients for creating images and objects. Drawing from observation, memory and imagination requires looking for subtleties and details. An exposure to the works of artists in world history provides students with rich inspiration and knowledge of the artistic heritage of many cultures.

First graders explore line, shape, form, and color by exploring visual problems with pencils, paints, and cut paper over several assignments. Students are introduced to the concepts of found objects, color, and transformation. They are challenged to create a relief sculpture using cardboard and small wooden objects. Every student has their artwork presented in the annual art show.