The First Grade art program builds upon the elements of art: line, shape, color, texture, and form, which are embedded throughout each unit to ensure continual application and
understanding. The sequence of lessons has been carefully planned to accommodate the interests, skills, and abilities of all students. The following are included in First Grade
art:
- Looking Around: Seeing our world, students are encouraged to see the beauty in the world, in everyday objects, and in nature while creating artwork inspired by this universal
theme.
- People and Places: Seeing details and actions in which students create self-portraits, portraits of their friends, and people in action, as well as pictures of houses and rooms
where people live, using various art mediums.
- Colorful Stories: Students will use their imaginations to make color choices to paint, and illustrate stories and poems. Students learn to mix color palettes and develop painting
techniques; because “art is a way of experimenting with color.”
- Art and Nature: Fascinated and inspired by the natural world, students will learn to draw and imprint insects and plants, make cut-paper creatures, and create animal clay sculptures.
- Change: Students will demonstrate their understanding of change by painting their favorite seasons and showing changes in nature. Looking into the future with an artistic perspective,
students will design the evolution of robots and vehicles.
Every unit is enriched with images from art and the real world. References include Explorations in Art, Davis Publications, Inc. and Wilton Art Appreciation CD-ROM “Elements and
Principals of Design” and “Color.”
Our First Grade curriculum focuses on the many gifts of love provided for us by God. Emphasis is on creation, families, friends, possessions, Jesus Christ and God’s care for us.
Biblical integration is a vital part of our curriculum and is woven throughout all subject areas. The students memorize weekly Bible verses and character traits. Teaching all
subjects from a Christian worldview is the foundation of First Grade. Our experiential learning activities for Bible include students’ participation in a class chapel program
(presented to the entire lower school), as well as a Christmas service project at a local nursing home.
Our history curriculum, published by Pearson Learning, is rooted in Truth and historical facts. We identify landforms and continents, develop map skills and learn about the community
around us. First Grade students enjoy learning about Native Americans, Sacagawea, early explorers and settlers. Our students are introduced to life on the Mayflower and the many
hardships endured by the Pilgrims as God called them to settle America. The second half of the year is devoted to studying American symbols, leaders, and citizenship. Various
events and activities used to experience this learning include: Thanksgiving Feast, a patriotic program, Black History month, a United States presidential poster presentation,
and the study of cultures from around the world.
Our language arts curriculum creates a literature-rich environment that instills a passion for lifelong reading and a love of literature. Students will be exposed to many different
genres such as fiction, nonfiction, informational writing, photo essays and poetry. Through the use of our curriculum, Open Court, an anthology of rich children’s literature,
the students will learn comprehension strategies such as predicting, sequencing, drawing conclusions, inferring and summarizing. Student’s reading programs in First Grade include
both whole group instruction as well as tailored leveled “readers” based on individual diagnostic assessments (such as reading inventories, fluency rates and level of comprehension).
Vocabulary instruction is an integral part of the First Grade curriculum. Vocabulary is taught explicitly within the context of reading and within the units of study.
Orton-GIllingham is a multi-sensory approach to explicitly and systematically teach phonics, spelling and reading. Students are taught reading and spelling as an interrelated
discipline using all pathways to the brain. The disciplines are broken into three strands: word structure, syllabication and division rules; and 150 core First Grade words for
spelling. Students learn through a systematic approach of using phonograms and common spelling patterns. Towards the end of the academic year, students have an opportunity to
participate in a spelling bee competition with other Atlanta area schools.
The First Grade handwriting curriculum is also Orton-Gillingham and is taught explicitly and systematically. The students transition from Kindergarten wide-lined paper to First
Grade specific Riggs paper. Students review the basic strokes to form the 26 letters of the alphabet. Through daily handwriting activities, students are taught proper letter formation,
spacing, neatness, posture, correct paper position and proper adherence to margins.
During writing lessons, our students are taught written expression through a systematic format which includes sentence structure, grammar, capitalization and punctuation. Students
complete First Grade with a skill set which allows them to write a complete, eight-sentence paragraph that includes a topic sentence, major details, minor details and conclusion.
The use of grammar is reinforced throughout the writing process. By writing “thank you” notes to volunteers and parents, the First Grade students are challenged to practice these
skills.
Grammar is taught explicitly within the context of composition writing. Students identify and appropriately use nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Writing dictated
sentences is a daily part of our curriculum. Students can identify four types of sentences: declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamatory. Students learn to use apostrophes
in both contractions and possessive nouns. They also master the use of commas-- in dates, to separate ideas in a sentence and within the body of friendly letters.
In the First Grade, students are introduced to the Dewey Decimal System of Classification. They learn about the different sections of the library and that books are shelved according
to the author’s last name. Fiction and non-fiction is differentiated through various books and sections of the library. As individual reading skills expand, students are guided
to books they are able to read on their own that will challenge their reading level. Students begin transitioning from easy books to chapter books.
Houghton-Mifflin math is a proven, scientifically based research curriculum. Our program builds math concepts by going from the concrete to the abstract in a very systematic,
hands-on approach. Skills covered in First Grade include number concepts through 20; addition and subtraction concepts; data graphing, classifying and sorting objects; spatial
sense and patterns; fractions and probability; solidifying place value, ordering and comparing numbers; time and calendar; using money, length and weight, capacity and temperature,
and two digit addition and subtraction. Our students master math facts 0-18 by learning strategies and applying these on timed tests. Each student utilizes a math journal that
includes the following sections: story problems, application of concepts and math vocabulary. Students participate in hands-on learning via educational games and math workshops.
Students are expected to learn and apply rich mathematical vocabulary in class discussions.
Students begin their journey to music literacy, in First Grade, by learning how to read and perform rhythm patterns both by themselves and with others. Much time is spent developing
basic singing skills and kinesthetically feeling musical concepts with body rhythms and motions. Additionally, learning about instruments and their families through discussion
and multimedia examples is a large part of the First Grade curriculum.
The goal for our First Graders is to improve locomotor movements and begin to develop non-locomotor skills such as throwing, catching, kicking, paddle striking, etc. These movements
are the building blocks to more complex motor movements that will be needed in future skills. First Grade nutrition education incorporates introducing students to the food pyramid.
The goal of the nutrition program is to equip students with the knowledge and ability necessary to make health-wise choices.
All of science is taught in the context of integrating our Christian faith into science education. Our science curriculum is entitled Science Discovery Works, Concordia Edition.
This series helps the teacher point students to evidence in creation of God’s love, wisdom, power and majesty. Connections made between the concepts of science and the Word of
God will enable each student to respond with love, gratitude, awe, and reverence toward the Creator.
Developing scientific thinking in students is an important part of science education. To learn how to think this way, students need opportunities to develop the science process
skills, critical thinking skills, and scientific reasoning skills that support scientific inquiry. Therefore we provide students with many opportunities to construct their own
knowledge of science through hands-on activities. We study the life cycle of plants and animals, investigate weather, explore the planets and examine and classify rocks. Experiential
learning, relative to science, typically includes a day at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, a visit to the Tellus Museum, a trip to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Pet Day, an
in-school day with High Touch, High Tech and a science day.
First Grade students open each class with “Buenos días, Maestra. Que Dios le bendiga” (Good morning, Teacher. May God bless you). Three volunteers then lead the class in the steps
of Total Physical Response (TPR), a multi-sensory approach to language learning. The first step is for students to imitate gestures related to the teacher’s words or phrases,
followed by a closed-eye check, then the favorite ‘tricking step’ where the volunteers must do what the teacher says and not what she does. The ‘Hola Niño’s’ story series are
presented visually and orally in past and present tenses to continue student’s exposure to whole language. First Graders comprehend interrogatives (who, what, why, when, how,
how many) in the context of stories related to greetings, the body, food and family. They master elements of Spanish by playing ”left hand, right foot” while singing Father Abraham
and playing the Spanish version of Twister. They craft a ‘caterpillar’ and perform La Oruga Hambrienta (The Hungry Caterpillar) in small groups on video.
