First Grade

FIRST GRADE CURRICULUM

Religion (175 Minimum Weekly Minutes)

• Recognizes that God is the creator and nurturer of all things; learns that the Bible is Jesus’ way of teaching us about God and His love for us
• Realizes that we are God’s children
• Participates in worship individually and as part of a community through the Eucharistic celebration
• Recognizes that prayer is communication with God; sees that Mary is the Mother of God and our Mother, too
• Experiences liturgical season and their themes, feast days, and celebrations
• Learns that the Sacrament of Baptism celebrates our membership in the Christian family; recognizes our identity as Catholic Christians
• Beings developing personal responsibility, with decisions having consequences, living good lives with the help of the Holy Spirit
• Responds to the Christian message by serving others
• Plays our part as a member of a community within their home, school, parish, and world
• Learns basic formal prayers; experiences various formsof prayer on a daily basis; attends weekly Mass

Language Arts (900 Minimum Weekly Minutes)

Reading

• Recognizes words, phrases, short sentences with emphasis on literal meaning, including pre-primer words, primer words, word families, sequencing, cause and effect, and inflected endings
• Reads grade-appropriate material
• Gathers information from a variety of sources such as charts, word books, atlas, maps, and graphs

Writing

• Prints legibly, with correct size, shape, and spacing
• Begins to write two to three sentences on a topic
• Identifies and correctly uses contractions, present and past tenses
• Begins to edit for capitalization, punctuation, and subject-verb agreement
• Uses punctuation such as period, question mark, exclamation point, and comma
• Uses standard spelling for high frequency words

Listening and Speaking

• Listens respectfully and attentively, asks questions
• Uses complete sentences, appropriate vocabulary, and volume
• Recites poems, retells stories, and relates personal experiences

Book List

A variety of books are available in the school library. You may print out a list of acceptable books from the school website: http://www.stbarbara.com

Mathematics (225 Minimum Weekly Minutes)

Number Sense

• Writes, compares, and orders whole numbers to 100
• Learns place value of tens and ones
• Identifies and knows the value of a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter
• Recognizes wholes, halves, thirds, and fourths
• Memorizes addition and subtraction facts through 20
• Counts by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s with numbers to 100
• Solves addition and subtraction problems with one- and two-digit numbers without regrouping
• Finds the sum of three one-digit numbers
• Make reasonable estimates with quantities up to 100

Algebra and Functions

• Understands the meaning of the symbols +, -, =, >, <
• Begins to understand the concept of unknowns (1 + ? = 3)
• Creates, completes, describes, and identifies simple patterns

Measurement and Geometry

• Compares the length, width, weight, and volume of two or more objects using direct comparison
• Tells time to the hour and half hour, compares time related to events (before/after, elapsed time)
• Knows the days of the week and the months of the year
• Identifies and describes squares, circles, rectangles, and triangles
• Recognizes cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders
  Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability
• Sorts object by common attributes and describes the groups formed
• Begins to compare data using picture, bar, and real graphs as well as tallies

Mathematical Reasoning

• Begins to apply a variety of strategies to solve problems
• Begins to use appropriate mathematical vocabulary
• Explains the reasoning used and justifies the procedures selected

Social Studies (80 Minimum Weekly Minutes)

• Develops an understanding of social skills in school and in the family, with emphasis on Christian values and responsibilities
• Understands the growth, development, and differences of town and country, city, suburb, and neighborhood
• Understands the concept of the specialized work done in factories to manufacture, transport, and market goods and services
• Learns about the symbols and traditions of the United States
• Identifies national heroes from our country’s history
• Learns the location, environment, and some aspects of the people of Mexico, Canada, and California
• Learns about and celebrates national and cultural holidays
• Learns basic map skills and use of an atlas

Science (80 Minimum Weekly Minutes)

Physical Science

• Identifies different states of matter (solid, liquid, gas)
• Learns basic properties of light, heat, and sound

Earth Science

• Knows that weather can be observed, measured, and described
• Begins to understand our solar system, the planets, and the relationship of earth and moon

Life Science

• Identifies differences between living and nonliving things
• Learns basic parts of plants and the ways people use plants
• Identifies basic needs for survival of living things and that living things grow and change

Human Body

• Learns about the five senses
• Learns the function of the skeleton and muscles

Computer (30 Minimum Weekly Minutes)

• Demonstrates the ability to operate a computer
• Learns the ways technology helps us
• Uses a variety of software applications
• Interacts with math and language arts software
• Practices beginning keyboarding skills

Physical Education (60 Minimum Weekly Minutes)

Exercise, Calisthenics, and Sports Skills:

• Develops motor skills such as balance, endurance, strength, agility, and ball handling skills individually, with a partner, or in a group
• Continues basic coordination activities, simple calisthenics, and exercises
• Participates in the Presidential Physical Fitness Program
• Learns and practices self-discipline, self-control, and following rules, and appropriate behavior in winning and losing
• Develops an understanding for physical health and nutrition

Fine Arts (100 Minimum Weekly Minutes)

Art

• Develops visual and tactile perception through use of primary and secondary colors, drawing the human form, animals, seasons, self, and groups with emphasis on size and relationships
• Develops creative expression through use of a variety of media
• Develops visual arts while appreciating art work from different cultures and eras

Music Appreciation

• Recognizes tempo, melody, changes in rhythm, and dynamics in music while singing and performing
• Responds to mood of music, plays simple rhythms, and melodies on rhythm instruments
• Experiences multicultural, ethnic, and liturgical music
• Appreciates a variety of music for different occasions, including both classical and modern

Educational Field Trips