First Grade Curriculum Overview

At the beginning of each school year, students are tested utilizing Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) to determine the course of curriculum for each individual child for the upcoming year. Testing is done again in the middle and end of the year to determine if we are meeting the needs of each student.

Using students’ DIBELS benchmark assessments and the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) results from the end (spring) of the previous year, we focus on creating differentiated curricula and custom learning programs for each child.

To this end, our curriculum pulls resources from a variety of sources depending on the student’s needs. Below is an overview of materials and resources we use during the year:

Religion

Textbook: Blest Are We: Faith In Action, RCL Benziger

  • Creation, Jesus, and the Church
  • Knowledge of Faith
  • Liturgical Education
  • Moral Education
  • Teaching to Pray
  • Educating for Life, Community, and History of the Church
  • The Church’s Missionary Life and Service
  • Theology of the Body - The Body Matters

Language Arts

Textbook: Benchmark Advance

Reading Literature and Informational Text

  • Key Ideas and Details
  • Craft and Structure
  • Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
  • Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Reading Foundational Skills

  • Print Concepts
  • Phonological Awareness
  • Phonics and Word Recognition
  • Fluency

Writing

  • Text Types and Purposes
  • Production and Distribution of Writing
  • Research to Build and Present Knowledge
  • Comprehension and Collaboration

Math

Textbook: Saxon Math Level 2

  • Operations and Algebraic Thinking
  • Numbers and Operations in Base Ten
  • Measurement and Data
  • Geometry

Social Studies

Textbook:  Families Living and Working Together, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  • Catholic Identity/Culture
  • History
  • Geography
  • Government
  • Economics
  • American Symbols and Traditions

Science

Textbook: Science Dimensions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  • Engineering and STEM projects
  • Waves: Light and Sound
  • Space Systems: Patterns and Cycles
  • Structure, Function, and Information Processing
  • STEM Projects

Technology

Our classrooms are equipped with 1:1 Chromebooks and a OneScreen touchscreen. We used the following technology-based programs in various subjects:

  • IXL (reading and math)
  • Xtramath (math facts)
  • Accelerated Reader

Discipline with Purpose Skills

  • Listening
  • Following Instructions
  • Asking Questions
  • Sharing
  • Social Skills

Student Learning Expectations (LASER Skills)

  • Life Long Learner
  • Active Catholic
  • Self-Aware Individual
  • Effective Communicator
  • Responsible Citizen

Enrichment

Students attend at least one of the various enrichment classes each day:

  • Physical Education
  • Library
  • Music
  • Spanish
  • Art

Diocesan Standards