First Grade
Ms. Ross & Ms. T
Mrs. Ali & Ms. Lopez
Ms. Thompson & Mr. A
Embedded Files
October 2025
Unit of Inquiry:
Who we are - What makes us special?
Central Idea:
Individual identities promote and foster a rich community.
Transdisciplinary Theme Focus:
What it means to be human
Beliefs and values, human relationships including families, friends, communities, and cultures
Rights and responsibilities
Learner Profile Attributes:
Open-minded
& Communicators
Pillar of the Month: Friendship
Pillar of the Month: Friendship
Learner Profile Attribute: Open-Minded
Our first graders are embracing the IB Learner Profile trait of being Open-minded as they explore new perspectives, ideas, and ways of learning each day. During reading and math lessons, students practice being open-minded when they turn and talk with partners, using accountable talk stems to agree or disagree respectfully and to explain their thinking or problem solving strategies. They are learning to listen carefully to others, consider different viewpoints, and reflect on how new ideas can help them grow as learners. By sharing their thoughts and learning from one another, our first graders are building a classroom community that values curiosity, respect, and understanding.
Our Language Policy
In first grade, language is at the heart of everything we do. We help students grow as confident speakers, listeners, readers, writers, and thinkers. This month, we’re working on sharing our ideas, opinions, and feelings, and building our stamina during turn and talks to have deeper conversations with our partners. We’re also learning greetings in different languages to share with other classes, celebrating the many ways people communicate and connect around the world.
In math, students are given different challenges to solve on their whiteboards. After working through the problem, they share the different ways they solved it and talk about the strategies they used. During turn and talks, students use accountable talk stems to explain their thinking, agree or disagree with their partners, and help each other find new ways to solve problems. Through this process, they are practicing being open-minded by considering different strategies and perspectives, and developing their communication and collaboration skills. It’s been wonderful to see them learning from one another and discovering that there’s more than one way to solve a math problem!
Our first graders worked with partners to organize words and build complete sentences. After putting the words in order, they wrote their sentences and worked together to read them, check for capital letters and ending punctuation, and make sure each sentence had a complete thought. As they collaborated, students practiced being open-minded by listening to their partners’ ideas and trying out different ways to make the sentences sound just right. They also showed friendship and caring by helping each other, taking turns, and celebrating their partners’ successes. It was such a fun way to learn and grow together!
Our first graders used mirrors and their tappers to practice tapping out the sounds in words and blending them together to make one word. They watched their mouths in the mirrors to see how each sound is made and how the sounds come together when we read. This was such a fun and hands-on way to practice phonics skills! Students supported one another during partner reading, helping each other sound out tricky words and celebrate progress. This connects to our Language Policy, as students are growing as confident readers who understand how language works, not just in their home language, but in other languages too!
During Hispanic Heritage Month, our first graders and their families shared special dishes connected to their heritage. Students had the chance to taste a variety of delicious foods together while learning about the different cultures and traditions in our community. By listening to each other’s stories, asking questions, and trying new foods, students practiced being open-minded and showing caring for one another. We celebrated our differences, shared family traditions, and learned how special it is to appreciate and respect celebrating the diversity and richness of our classroom community.
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