Grade I

List of 10 items.

• Thematic Study: Community

  The First Grade curriculum is constructed to meet the wide range of needs, knowledge and experiences of first grade learners. Students work to foster skills and values which will serve them their entire lives: a love for learning, an openness to new experiences, a sense of confidence and independence, and a respect for others. A primary goal in First Grade is to establish a community of learners in which children learn from one another as well as from their teachers. Teachers aim to help children achieve a greater sense and appreciation of who they are as individuals and as members within a community. Through this exploration of themselves, children become more aware of shared commonalities and unique differences between members of the classroom group.   
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• Language Arts in Grade I

  Speaking, writing, reading, and listening are all critical components of language development. Mastery of language exists on a continuum that extends over a number of years and happens for children at different ages. Early childhood learners can vary in their rates of language development depending on their chronological age, developmental level, experience, and language background. The reading and writing curriculum adapts to individual needs that range from emergent readers and writers to fluent readers and writers.
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• Mathematics In Grade I

  The goal of the first grade mathematics program is to help children construct their own mathematical knowledge. Through meaningful learning experiences in which they solve problems, reason about their mathematical thinking, and communicate their ideas in written and oral form, children make connections between mathematical ideas and real-life experiences. Students engage in high-interest mathematics activities while building their confidence and strengthening their skills.

  
  The ThinkMath! curriculum guides students’ work in the math classroom.  The curriculum focuses on specific experiences that are planned to help children understand the underlying structure of our number system. Children are introduced to new concepts through experiences with concrete materials – such as Unifix cubes, pattern blocks, and Cuisenaire rods — that help children make connections between concrete and abstract mathematical thinking. The content areas of mathematics covered during the year include number and operations, classification and comparison, measurement and data analysis, geometry and early algebra. Many experiences and lessons integrate several of these areas and there is an emphasis on children using multiple strategies when approaching problem solving.
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• Science In Grade I

  (Three 60-minute classes every 10 days)

  
  

  Students travel to the Lower School science lab in The Hub, two times per cycle, but there also is science learning centered in the gradehead classrooms. Activities and projects encourage the students to explore and discover. Lessons serve to introduce new ideas, materials and procedures, and to provide opportunities to ask questions, set up experiments, solve problems, analyze data, and make inferences. Central to our work is learning how to communicate our ideas effectively through collaboration, discussions, and drawing and writing in science journals. Projects and activities are rooted in the Thematic Study of community and include:  food growth and distribution, components of soil, beneficial insects, earthworms, composting, gardening, photosynthesis, pollination, cooking chemistry, weather, and related engineering projects.

   

• Library In Grade I

  (One 45-minute class per week)
  
  

  Library is an extension of the classroom literacy program as students begin to read independently.  First Graders receive their first Shady Hill Library cards and begin to check out books for home and classroom use. Classes come to the library in half groups for one period per cycle. Group time is spent listening to and talking about stories and learning about the organization and contents of the Lower School collection.  The remainder of the period is used for browsing, reading, and checking-out. Through exposure to a variety of different books students learn to use the library and develop a love of reading.

   

• Music & Performing Arts In Grade I

  (Three 40-minute classes every 10 days)
  
  

  First Grade students continue their exploration of and immersion in a wide variety of musical experiences including singing, dancing, listening and playing age-appropriate rhythm instruments, among many others. Students continue to be exposed to the tremendous cultural diversity in music, learning more songs in different languages and listening to selections from different cultures.  As the year progresses students become familiar and comfortable with new musical concepts and terms such as rising/falling, call/response, quarter, eighth, beat/rest, etc. For several weeks in the spring, students participate in acting out The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky with costumes, props and musical accompaniment. As in the other grades, repertoire is prepared for once-per-cycle lower school assemblies as well as holidays and special events including Thanksgiving, Winter Holiday, Black History, May Day and Closing Day.

• Art In Grade I

  Children participate in different art projects in their classrooms using a wide variety of materials. Students work with tempera paints, watercolors, collage materials, recycled materials and many other art supplies. Art areas are set up in classrooms to allow students access to materials for exploration and experimentation. The first grade curriculum, along with students’ individual passions, become the subject matter for their work. Through hands-on art experiences, classroom teachers help children develop a passion and respect for art.

• Woodshop in Grade I

  (One 60-minute class per week)

  
  

  First graders come to the woodshop in groups of 6 for an hour per week for a quarter of the year. They are natural designers and determined workers.  Each child creates an animal and works to bring it to life in wood.  Students are introduced to a wide variety of hand tools and are taught to use tools safely, effectively and confidently. They are guided in the construction of their creation and are encouraged to think spatially and to problem-solve.

   

• Movement Education In Grade I

  (Two 40-minute classes per week)  

  
  

  In first grade, students progress toward achieving mature form in more complex manipulative skills. Students continue to develop personal growth through exploration and repetition of basic motor skills including basic sports skills; this helps them learn the value of working hard and giving a full effort. As first graders mature cognitively, they begin to identify and perform movement concepts like spatial awareness, effort, and relationships to changing conditions and expectations. Our classes work with different forms of feedback as students learn to identify elements of correct technique for fundamental skills and use them in performance. We also begin our focus on nutrition and fitness in the first grade, with activities like Fitness Night. From there, we build upon students’ knowledge of the components of health-related fitness (e.g., cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility). Students develop and practice sportsmanship, and learn what it means to be a gracious winner and loser.

   

• Lower School Community in Grade I

  The entire Lower School (B-IV grade) will meet together in the Assembly Hall from 8:35 to 9:15 on Friday. The music component of assemblies includes community singing, performances by Shady Hill students and performances by outside musical groups. Music at the assembly extends the music curriculum and deepens students’ understanding of music as cultural expression. Classroom sharing is also an important focus of assemblies. The emphasis is on sharing works-in-progress from all areas of the Lower School. Preparation for sharing is part of the learning process and sharing in front of a larger group in a safe, supportive environment helps children develop confidence in projecting their voices and effectively presenting their work. Sometimes assemblies are used for performances, such as class productions, Visiting Artists or outside performers or speakers. Outside presenters come from the arts, sciences and humanities and make a connection to the wider world.