Curriculum Night Handout

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Listed below are some suggestions and reminders to help ensure that your child has a happy and successful year in Grade One.

Your child will also be bringing home the following resources at various times throughout the school year:

A.  Sight Words

B.   Baggie Book (this will be assigned according to your child’s reading level)

C.   Homework Folder

Please check your child’s baggie each night, and remove any corrected work.  Baggie books are to be returned to school daily.  Please have your child return homework promptly.

Occasionally, your child may be asked to complete some work at home that was not finished during regular class time.  Please finish the work at home and return it as soon as possible.  Occasionally, text books from other subject areas may be sent home.  Please return these the following day.

Your main focus at home should be to read to your child and to have your child read to you.  Also encourage your child to write words as they think they are spelled (i.e. inventive spelling and sounding out.)

Your child will be learning to create sentences and then stories.  Please have your child write notes or sentences at home as well.  This will give them the extra practice they will need.  From your child’s “creative writing” at school, you may notice that many words are spelled incorrectly and that correct spelling may not always be given.  As mentioned previously, we encourage children to spell words as they sound.  This will allow your child to become a risk taker and have more confidence when writing in school.  This also will help develop your child’s ability to hear letter sounds.  The stages of writing are as follows:

1.    Random letter (O P D K L)

2.  Some letter-sounds

3.  Some beginning and ending sounds. (I ik mi skl)

4.  Conventional (I like my school.)

As the school year progresses, your child would be expected to spell many of the most common words correctly.

Please encourage your child to print neatly and to form the letters properly.  Attached, you will find a copy of how to teach letter formation.  Also, you should encourage your child to use uppercase letters only when needed.  Spacing between words is very important as well.  Your child should recognize the sight words listed on the sight words page by the end of Grade One.  (This list is for ‘reading’ purposes as opposed to ‘spelling’.)

The curriculum’s overall purpose is to help children to:

1.    Communicate

2.  Solve problems

3.  Think critically and creatively

4.  Grow cognitively, socially, physically and spiritually

Course of Studies

 Language Arts

        Language is the major way in which children learn.  It is comprised of six interrelated areas:

·       listening         

·       speaking

·       reading

·       viewing

·       writing

·       other ways of representing

The program is based on a Whole Language Approach.  This simply means that we use language purposely and meaningfully for communication, learning and enjoyment.

Language Arts Materials:

·       Big Books, Independent Readers, informational texts

story books, e books

·      Literacy Block

·       Sight words

·       Guided Reading

Language Arts Materials continued:

·       Baggie Books (Leveled independent books)

·       Poetry

·       Library Books

·       Language Experience Charts

·       Children’s Literature (fiction and non-fiction)

·       Creative Writing Journals

·       Class Created Books

·       Computer/I pad activities

·       Partner Reading

·       Word Wall

Mathematics

        Text:  Math Makes Sense

This subject area is activity based.  Much of the concept learning is achieved through ‘hands on’ materials.  The following concepts and skills are covered:

·       Numbers to 100

·       Representing numbers to 20

·       Addition and subtraction to 20

·       Geometry, shapes and solids

·       Measurement, problem solving, pattering, sorting and graphing

Science

Text:  Let’s Do Science

·       Daily and Seasonal Changes

·       Materials and Our Senses

·       Properties of Objects and Materials

·       Needs and Characteristics of Living Things

The science program provides children with a variety of experiences such as: observing, measuring, predicting, classifying and recording.  Whenever possible, science activities are integrated with other areas.

Social Living

        Texts:     Discovery Links (Social Studies)

                        Health and Wellness

                        Religious Education – Come Along With Me

                        Explorations in Art (Art)

 Physical Education

 Music

               

Your child’s awareness and understanding of the world is expanded through the study of the six subject areas noted above.  These areas share many common ideas and objectives and they are intended to help your child gain an understanding of self and their relationships with others.  This occurs with a focus on family and friends. 

Methods of Evaluation

Observation                                            Checklists

Group Participation                                 Portfolios

Anecdotal Recordings                             Journals

Homework                                               Work Samples

Student – Teacher Conferences

                        Other Things to Note

Your children may be borrowing books from the Resource Centre.  As these books are costly, we ask that the students be particularly careful with them, and return them on their scheduled Book Exchange day. A regular day of the 7 day cycle will be assigned to your child’s class for “Book Exchange.”  Further information will come home to you as to when their day will be.

It is very important that all School lunch envelopes be returned on the scheduled day.  Remember to write your child’s name and grade on any envelopes that are sent into school.

Pizza day is every Friday.  For $3.00 you child receives a slice of pizza and a white milk.  All orders must be in Thursday morning.

We encourage the students to independently dress themselves.  As the weather grows colder there will be more clothes to put on and take off.  Please practice this at home with your child to ensure success. 

The supplies that came with your child are considered community supplies in Grade One.  We encourage sharing, turn-taking and cooperation.  Community supplies is one way we teach this.  As the students have no desks to put their things in communal supplies are housed in specific locations and the teacher is able to replenish as needed.  The supplies last longer and the teacher does not have to continuously send home for extras.  We do try to provide students with their own supplies when using scissors, scrapbooks, exercise books and duotangs.  Thank you for your understanding.

*** The supervision of students will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the opening of the school doors.  Please do not bring your child early to his/her classroom as there is no teacher on duty until 8:30a.m.

I look forward to getting to know your child and helping them grow academically and socially.  We are going to have a wonderful year in Grade One!!