Grade 1

The aim of first grade English Language Arts is to develop skillful readers and writers. The curriculum provides students with opportunities for personal and intellectual growth through speaking, listening, reading, and writing. First-grade students extend their knowledge of language arts in significant and exciting ways, learning skills that enable them to read and write more independently. By the end of first grade, students should read proficiently at grade level and have the ability to decode and recognize increasingly complex words accurately and automatically. Students increase their academic and content-specific vocabulary by reading a variety of literature and informational text. Students further develop their communication skills as they engage with peers and adults in collaborative conversations that provide additional opportunities to express their ideas and experiences. As first-grade students learn to write for different purposes, they apply their growing knowledge of language structures and conventions. In order to master the first-grade English language arts content, students need to practice decoding skills. To develop comprehension skills, students need exposure to a variety of high-quality literature and informational texts.

Students in Grade 1 use mathematics to model real world situations. The math program provides the following mathematical practices: make sense of problems and persevere in solving them; reason abstractly and quantitatively; construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others; model with mathematics; use appropriate tools strategically; attend to precision; look for and make use of structure; and look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. Lessons begin with context-based situations and then build to more abstract problems. Students use models, manipulatives, quick pictures, and symbols to build mathematical understanding.

The first grade science program offers students exciting and accessible standards-based lessons. Engaging activities promote curiosity and foster the development of science inquiry skills. Through a consistent and structured learning cycle, students confidently build upon their experiences to develop a lifelong understanding of science concepts!

The course of study for first grade includes an introduction to the lives of American leaders and their contributions to the United States. Students should recognize basic map symbols and construct a simple map of a familiar area. The students should study the economic concepts of goods and services, buyers and sellers, and making economic choices. Students should learn to apply the traits of a good citizen and recognize that communities in Virginia include people who have diverse ethnic origins, customs, and traditions, who make contributions to their communities, and who are united as Americans by common principles.

Physical Education (P.E.) is an integral part of the education program for all students. P.E. teaches students how their bodies move and how to perform a variety of physical activities. Students learn health-related benefits of regular physical activity and the skills to adopt a physically active, healthy lifestyle. The discipline also provides learning experiences that meet the developmental needs of students. With high-quality physical education instruction, students become confident, independent, self-controlled, and resilient; develop positive social skills; set and strive for personal, achievable goals; learn to assume leadership; cooperate with others; accept responsibility for their own behavior; and, ultimately, improve their academic performance.

Native Speakers

Students in Grade 1 will learn bopomofo in the first 10 weeks. They will use their learning to develop reading skills and enjoy reading. They will use parts, radicals, or simple word-making principles to develop literacy. They will know how to recognize basic strokes and stroke order, master the principles of stroke movement, and write correct and neat characters.

Foreign Learners

CFL Grade 1 is targeted at young students with no previous exposure to Mandarin. This course introduces students to Chinese language and culture in daily situations. Student-centric themes, a spiral-up approach, and motivational design encourage students to learn Chinese with enthusiasm. The 12 units build upon each other with comprehensive sentence patterns and syntax lessons.

Music

The Grade 1 music course consists of two main strands: Steps to Making Music (sequential elements, developmental skills) and Paths to Making Music (thematic explorations). Steps to Making Music (six units) provides students with a sequenced instruction in elements and skills, as well as connections to other disciplines. The music elements include expression, rhythm, form, melody, timbre and texture/harmony. Paths to Making Music explores coordinated unit themes which present a variety of performance opportunities, while building on the skills and connections found in the first six units.

Computer Science

Computer Science G1 offers computer science curriculum for beginning readers. Students will learn the basics of programming, collaboration techniques, investigation and critical thinking skills, persistence in the face of difficulty, and internet safety. At the end of this course students will create their very own custom game in Play Lab.

Visual Art

The arts show us who we are. Our standards provide a framework for learning how to use the elements and principles of art as a framework for creating, producing, responding, and connecting. Artistic Processes are the cognitive and physical actions by which arts learning and making are realized. Elementary Art begins with the basic building blocks of art elements used in developing, executing and presenting personal 2D drawings, designs, paintings, prints as well as 3-D objects and artistic creations using a variety of media. What is a shape and how is it made from lines? What kind of lines can we make? What are the three primary colors and what happens when we mix them? This is the science of art as we experiment and create playful opportunities to discover and develop our own visual vocabulary and its expression through individual approaches to using the materials, methods, and media of visual art.

Students are exposed to the artworks of famous painters, designers, animators, illustrators, sculptors, installation artists, and interactive media artists.

Digital Art

As digital technologies become increasingly prevalent in the lives of young children, there is a pressing need to understand how digital technologies shape important experiences in their education, including art. Digital Art brings imaginative possibilities to students, that anything can be possible and can be created in a virtual set. It helps them to try their ideas and see how it can be done without worry about chemical paints, expensive materials, and hygienic issues.