Literacy! Literacy! And more Literacy!
Grade one is when we focus greatly on the development and continued acquisition of Language and Literacy. Students begin to expand on sound formations, stringing alphabets together to form words. Our grade 1 students become very familiar with high frequency words, as they transition through leveled reading books. Students are encouraged to read regularly at home for 20 minutes a day, practice for spelling tests, and write as much as possible. The more creativity you have in reading with your child, the more interested they will be. A good rule of thumb is to read the same book 5 times, each time withdrawing your guidance and giving your child more independence.
Numeracy
Number sense is a very important part of the grade one math curriculum. Students learn to count forwards, backwards, skip count, add and subtract. Familiarizing students with the number line and showing them what it means to have more or less, are the key foundations they need to move on to the other topics. We also learn about patterning, telling time, how to collect and plot data, and much more.
Science
In grade one student’s explore Needs and Characteristics of Living Things, Material Objects and Everyday Structures, Energy in Our Lives, and Daily and Seasonal Changes. To teach science we use many cross curricular activities that involve language, math, and even art. Science is so much fun!
Social Studies
Grade one’s are introduced to Our Changing Roles and Responsibility as well as our Living Community. Students will get a sense of what communities are and how they play a vital role in our society. In addition they will learn the roles and responsibilities of those communities.
Islamic Studies
Students continue to build on their Qaida and eventually transition to higher learning. This year they will begin the My Faith Islam series which is constructed to have teacher, student and parent involvement. Students are encouraged to still attend madressa during these beginning stages.
Keep encouraging positively learning for your grade one child! Remember all students progress at their own pace, so give them time to adapt to the new expectations of grade one.
