Religion

In First Grade, the children will gain a basic understanding of the one true God and his unconditional love for them. The children will learn about the complete life of Jesus and his teachings. They will become aware of the three persons in the Holy Trinity. They will learn that Mary is the Mother of God. First graders will be exposed to the basic understanding of the Mass and some simple prayers. The children will be attending grade-level mass on Tuesdays, all-school mass on Fridays, occasional Friday Benediciton, and Stations of the Cross during Lent. The various liturgical seasons of the year, including Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter, will also be studied. Every year, Catholic Schools Week will be celebrated. 

Language Arts

During first grade, CKLA focuses on building foundational literacy skills including phonics, reading comprehension, spelling, grammar, and writiing. Students will learn to decode words, understand sentence structure, and begin to read and write different text types. The CKLA curriculum program also integrates knowledge-building across various subjects like literature, history, and science. 

Math

Our First Grade math curriculum relies on many learning tools, such as games, manipulatives, worksheets, and assessments. The major math standards for first grade include numeric relationships, addition and subtraction operations, algebraic relationships and processes, geometry and measurement, and data analysis/probability concepts. Math skills will be assessed twice a year with the STARS Assessment. 

Handwriting

The D'Nealian style of printing is utilized at St. Stephen the Martyr. The children learn how to place their paper properly on their desks and to hold their pencils in the correct manner. Learning proper slant and spacing between words is an important skill. At the close of the year, the students should will know how to accurately print numerals, as well as lower and upper case letters. 

Social Studies

The series 'My World' has five units. Unit 1 is titled My School, My Community. The curriculum covers school and community rules and the issue of citizenship. It also examines American symbols, holidays, heroes, and some of our Presidents. Unit 2 is titled Work in the Community. It covers the topic of needs and wants. It touches on different occupations and how to deal with money. Unit 3 is titled Looking at Our World. The children will learn how the Earth is made up of land and water. It covers different types of transportation as well. Unit 4 is titled Traditions We Share. This unit talks about culture. All cultures have a past and a present. They are alike and different in many ways. Unit 5 is titled Our Past, Our Present. The text compares and contrasts schools now and then. Also, we have a Junior Achievement Course at St. Stephen the Martyr. The course focuses on wants and needs. It is taugh by a parent volunteer. 

Science

Throughout the school year, the first grade students will participate in an inquiry based science program. The main activities for first grade are: Spinning Earth, Animal and Plant Defenses, and Light and Sound.