Throughout the school year, 1st grade students will spend the most time working on the following topics. They should understand them well by the end of the year. 

• Solving addition and subtraction word problems starting within 10 and progressing to within 20. (For example, “Five apples were on the table. I ate some apples. Then there were three apples. How many apples did I eat?”)

• Adding with a sum of 20 or less, and subtracting from a number 20 or less. A common strategy for these problems is based on the  number 10. (For example, to add 9+4, a student might first add 1 to 9, making 10, then add the remaining 3 to 10, making 13.) When subtracting,a student may use their addition knowledge. (For example, to solve 12-8, if a student knows that 8+4=12, then taking 8 away from 12 would mean 4 remain.)

• Mentally adding with a sum of 10 or less (2+5). Mentally subtracting with a sum of 10 or less (8-4). Students may also come to know some of these sums and differences from memory. 

• Understanding and practicing adding two, two digit numbers by adding tens and tens and ones and ones. (41+27=60+8=68).

• Measuring lengths of objects by using a shorter object as a unit of length. (For example, “How many pencils long is this table leg?”)

• As children engage with their world, ask addition and subtraction problems within 10. For example:

  1. “You have three pencils in your bag, and I have six pencils in my bag. How many pencils do we have altogether?”

  2. “There are six birds on the sidewalk. Some flew away. Now there are only four birds. How many birds flew away?”

  3. “There are seven cookies in the green package and four cookies in the blue package. Which package has more cookies? How many more cookies does that package have?”

• Practice addition. Add ones and ones and add tens and tens for problems like 39+14. Do the same thing for problems like 38+25 that require making a ten using the ones. (Since 8+5 is 13, the problem is the same as 30+20+13). 

• Read books that include measurement as a topic or theme (https://earlymath.erikson.edu/4-childrens-books-explore-measurement-concepts/). Have your child lay objects down to compare their length. (For example, “One edge of the paper is longer than the other edge. If I place paper clips end to end along the one edge I have (this many) paper clips. That is more than when I place paper clips along the other edge. Then I need only (this many) paper clips.”)