What is my child learning in 1st grade? 

"When you ask me what I've done at school today, and I say that "I just played", please don't misunderstand me. For, you see, I'm learning as I play. I'm learning to enjoy and be successful in my work. I'm preparing for tomorrow. Today, I'm a child and my work is my play."

When your child is engaging in morning work, he/she is: 

*independently practicing and reviewing fundamental grammar (and sometimes math) skills that spiral throughout the year to gain understanding and mastery of grade level skills

When your child is engaged in calendar time, he/she is: 

*practicing fundamental math skills such as rote counting, one-to-one correspondence, place value, telling time, patterns, number sense, addition and subtraction, and greater/less than concepts.

*identifying and correctly writing the days of the week, months of the year, and the date

When your child is engaged in writer's workshop, he/she is:

*writing to communicate to an audience.

*developing and refining grade appropriate writing skills such as basic capitalization, correct punctuation, and spelling 

*working on the writing process (plan, draft, revise, edit, publish)

*improving his/her fine motor skills and handwriting 

When your child is receiving guided reading instruction, he/she is: 

*learning various reading strategies needed to become a fluent, independent reader         

*building his/her fluency and comprehension 

*practicing phonemic and print awareness

*rotating through various literacy-based activities that provide him/her with opportunities to explore and practice writing, manipulating sounds and spelling patterns, reading, developing vocabulary, retelling and summarizing stories, and building fluency and comprehension.

When your child is in math, he/she is: 

*working cooperatively and independently 

*developing and honing fundamental skills in addition and subtraction, patterning, problem solving, estimating and predicting, graphing, telling time, counting coins, comparing, measuring, numeral recognition, one-to-one correspondence, sorting, sequencing, and number sense. 

When your child is learning about science and social studies, he/she is: 

*making connections through knowledge, strategies, skills, and vocabulary to other learning areas reading, writing, and math concepts. 

When your child is at specials, he/she is: 

*involved in physical activities, and developing an awareness and appreciation for the arts

When your child is engaged in religion, he/she is: 

*developing in areas such as oral and written language, spiritual understanding and growth, patience, self-reflection, and helping others 

When your child is at recess, he/she is:

*developing in areas such as oral language, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, spatial reasoning, interpersonal skills, self-confidence, sharing, and taking turns

As you can see, we'll be very busy this year!