ELA (English Language Arts)

Reading 

We will be using the Journeys reading series, along with picture books, during Reading Workshop.  We will read stories together, focusing on fluency, comprehension, and expanding vocabulary.  These skills will carry over into our small group lessons, where children are instructed on their individual reading levels. Children will also be self-selecting "good fit" books to keep in their book boxes for independent and partner reading. 

The single most important thing you can do to help your child be successful in first grade is READ. Even as your child becomes more independent as a reader, it is still important for you to continue to read aloud to them.  Our goal is for families to try to read together for 20 minutes each night, or as often as possible. 

Spelling (FUNdations)

For word work and handwriting, we will be using a program called Fundations, which provides a systematic and explicit approach to reading and spelling. Your child will be learning about spelling patterns, word structure, and sentence structure.   

Each Monday, we will send home a Fundations word grid which will let you know the phonics/spelling pattern(s) and any "trick words" we will be working on for that week. This is not a list of words to memorize, but gives examples of words to practice. Our goal is for children to be able to apply these patterns and spelling skills to any new words they encounter.  You can help your child practice in a variety of ways (spelling aloud, writing with fun markers, writing in shaving cream in the bathtub, writing in sand or salt on a cookie sheet). 

Writing

We will use the Lucy Calkins writing program to introduce children to many genres of writing, including personal narratives, nonfiction writing, opinion writing, and poetry.  Your child will be encouraged to take risks and write the best they can. We will be writing with our audience in mind, and will share our pieces regularly with our peers and others. 

math

The Baldwinsville Central School District uses the NYS math modules to teach math in grades K-6.   The modules address the Common Core Learning Standards and follow a clear sequence for teaching mathematics concepts. The modules encourage students to think deeper about math, by building concepts from concrete to abstract. 

 Your child will NOT receive math homework each night. Much of our learning is done with the children engaged hands-on, applying their learning mentally, on personal white-boards or expressing their thoughts with words.  We will be doing daily problem sets to practice skills and concepts, and these packets will be sent home occasionally.  Sometimes they may be incomplete.  Feel free to use these problem set packets to review math with your child.

Math facts are an important part of becoming fluent in math!  You can help at home by practicing flash cards with your child to help learn addition and subtraction math facts.  

Science

We will be using Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and Smithsonian science this year for teaching science. Our units of study are:

Social studies

In Social Studies this year we will learn about:

Second step

Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps students develop the skills they need to thrive in school and in life. Through SEL, students can build their competence and confidence to take on learning challenges, make good decisions, manage strong emotions, and get along with others. We will be using the Second Step program to support SEL.