Mrs. Schneider

Reading  Our reading series is Scott Foresman.  This series provides differentiated stories and activities to meet the needs of students at various levels.  Other opportunities for more individualized instruction include leveled readers, SRA kits, books on tape, accelerated reader, and games.  The initial grouping of students is based on the series placement tests.  Grouping can change throughout the year.

Math  The focus in first grade is numeration, addition/subtraction facts to 12, place value to hundreds, counting coins to $1.00, telling time to the half-hour and hour, basic shapes, units of measurement, and introduction to halves, thirds, and fourths.  Beginning in January, the children will be given timed tests for the addition and subtraction facts.  By the end of the school year, the students are expected to be able to complete 36 problems in three minutes.

Religion  Religion is taught daily as a subject and is interwoven throughout the day in all subject areas.  The focus in first grade is getting to know God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  The children pray daily as a class.  Prayers the children are expected to know by the end of the year include:  The Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.  We will also continue to use the Second Step program beginning in October.  This program teaches ways to treat and respect others.

Language Arts and Spelling  The children will learn punctuation and capitalization rules, along with sentence structure and writing skills.  Each student will keep a writing journal for daily writing activities.

Spelling tests will begin the last week of October.  The tests are given on Fridays and consist of the unit words, bonus words, and a sentence dictation section.

Social Studies  There is an emphasis on map skills including cardinal directions, recognizing continents, and identifying the U.S. and Ohio on the map.  We also focus on the days of the week, months, communities, holidays, famous Americans, and national symbols.