Dear Parents,

At age six, visual development is maturing, allowing for the introduction of beginning reading tasks.  Rapid physical growth is mirrored by rapid physical activity. 

Children love to do their assignments, but are more interested in the process than in the product. Teachers and parents need to provide guidance and time for practice in order to produce quality results.

First graders order and structure the world in new ways.  They can begin to see another's point of view and consider rules and conduct with greater objectivity.  First graders will be expected to sit at seats and complete work more independently.  Instilling a sense of self, as well as a sense of others, is important in developing a solid first grader.

      (adapted from Yardsticks by Chip Woods)

To make the most of your first grader's school experience, please ensure that your child is competent in the following areas:

• Raises her/his hand when s/he wants to speak and waits to be called upon
• Knows to look at the teacher, listen attentively, and follow directions
• Follows two and three part directions
• Uses books appropriately
• Knows and writes first and last name with lowercase letters after capital initials
• Uses a proper pencil grip and writes all letters and numbers 1-20
• Respects self, others, and property
• Independently toilets her/himself and washes hands 
• Independently fastens shoes and coats
• Covers mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, uses tissues appropriately
• Knows to follow through with adults' directions and requests
• Distinguishes between capital and lowercase letters
• Knows letter names and sounds
• Knows left to right progression for reading
• Recognizes and names shapes
• Recognizes patterns and knows how to sort materials
• Has 1-1 corespondence to 10
• Recognizes/Reads Anchor words

ANCHOR WORDS

I, a, is, am, come, see, my, and, here, up, go, it, in, to, like, the, we, at, on, look, this, me.

Your child is experiencing rapid physical and intellectual change, and is probably eager to explore the world in various ways.  Approach your child's exploration as a facilitator of his/her education.  Be an authority figure, and remember that children like to know where the boundaries are so that they can flourish within their comfort zone.

ACTIVITIES THAT CAN BE DONE ANY TIME

• Take conversation or discovery a step further by asking the deeper questions yourself.  If they ask why something is so, ask them why they think something may be so.
• Incorporate written language into their artwork.  Once the picture is done, ask them to write a sentence telling about that picture, just like they see in their storybooks.  Don't ask that they go too far too soon.  Children will take the intiative and write stories (with inventive spelling) about their own pictues once they are a little more comfortable exploring language.
• Use absolutely anything, anywhere, as an addition or subtraction opportunity, (e.g. There are two cars parked in your driveway and one parked on the street; how many cares are there altogether?)  The sooner children can grasp the concept of assembling and removing items; the sooner they will understand addition and subtraction.
•  Label parts of things.  Print out a list of components (e.g. of his/her room) that can be posted as large signs indicating what things are (window, closet, handle, etc.) and work with your child to figure out what goes where.  Work together to decode words and let them affix the signs appropriately.  Leave room below the label and make a game of it.  Each day after school, they have to hunt for a sign you've flipped over.  When they find it, they copy the word underneath the printed version.  When they're done with their bedroom, the sky's the limit.

                  compiled by the LaGrange Elem. School Action Team