English Language Arts (ELA) and Reading
The first grade literacy program guides students to become lifelong learners, focusing on a deep love for reading and the critical foundational skills needed for fluency and comprehension.
- Foundational skills: Students master phonics and word recognition, including decoding single and two syllable words, understanding vowel teams, and recognizing common blends, through the use of the Fundations program.
- Reading comprehension: Through a rich balance of literary (fiction) and informational (non-fiction) texts, students learn to identify the main topic, retell key details, and describe characters, settings, and major events.
- Writing with a purpose: First graders write each day, including opinion pieces with supporting reasons, informative texts that supply facts, and personal narratives that recount a sequence of events.
- Speaking and listening: Collaborative conversation is the cornerstone of the classroom. Students practice actively listening, taking turns, building on each other’s ideas, and asking questions to clear up misunderstandings and confusion.
Mathematics
Students transition from simply counting to truly understanding the relationships between numbers. The Next Generation Math Standards encourage students to “do math” by solving challenging problems and explaining their reasoning.
- Addition and subtraction (within 20): Students move beyond memorization to develop strategies for adding and subtracting, such as “making a ten” or counting on. They solve a variety of word problems using objects, drawings, and equations.
- Place value: A major focus is understanding that the two digits of the two-digit number represent amounts of “tens” and “ones.” This foundational concept is practiced by comparing two-digit numbers and mentally finding ten more or ten less than a number.
- Measurement and data: Students measure the length of objects using non-standard units (like paper clips or connecting cubes) and begin to organize, represent, and interpret simple data with up to three categories.
- Geometry: Students explore defining attributes of shapes (e.g., triangles have three sides) versus non-defining attributes (like color or size), and practice putting shapes together to create a new, composite shape.
Social Studies
New York State’s first grade social studies framework revolves around the theme “My Family and Other Families, Now and Long Ago,” helping young learners understand their place within the broader community and the world.
- Identity and culture: We celebrate the diverse language, beliefs, customs, and traditions that shape our community. Students learn that families are the basic unit of society and explore how different families celebrate and live.
- Civic ideals and practices: Students discover what it means to be a responsible citizen through rules and laws, respecting others, making positive contributions, and understanding the roles of community helpers.
- Geography: We introduce basic geography skills using maps and globes. Children learn to locate their own community, understand the difference between land and water masses, and recognize how humans interact with their environment.
- Economics: First graders learn the difference between needs and wants, how people work to earn money, and explore how tools and technologies help us meet our needs.
Science
The New York State learning standards for first grade focus on observing patterns in nature, the relationship between light and sound, and the needs of living things. Units include:
- From Darkness to Light: Students identify sources of light, how light waves work, and are introduced to the ideas of reflection and absorption.
- Fascinating Frogs!: This unit illuminates the life cycles of frogs and the physical adaptations that they need to survive in their environments.
- The Moon and Solar System: To help the students understand seasonal/sky patterns, they learn about the different phases of the moon, as well as a brief introduction to our solar system.
Hebrew Language Arts
First graders learn the fundamentals of the Hebrew alphabet, developing the ability to read phonetically and recognize key sight vocabulary in context. They build everyday classroom vocabulary and expressions, and by the end of the year, are able to speak and write simple sentences and questions using basic grammatical structures. They are also introduced to reading and writing the Hebrew script.
Judaic Studies
Jewish learning is woven throughout the year in meaningful and joyful ways. Students explore the cycle of holidays from Rosh Hashanah through Shavuot, learning key vocabulary, traditions, and blessings, and participating in celebrations that bring each chag (holiday) to life. A model Passover seder is a highlight of the year.
Students also begin developing a connection to Israel – learning about its symbols, including the flag and Hatikvah, and celebrating Yom Ha’Atzmaut. References to Israel are integrated throughout the curriculum, helping students build early familiarity and pride.
Tefillah is part of the daily rhythm, as students learn blessings for food and begin to understand the structure of morning prayers. A special milestone is the Siddur Party, where students celebrate their learning with their families and receive their first siddur.
