First Grade Curriculum

Religion

OLP’s standards-based religion curriculum is taught throughout grade levels.  Within this curriculum, first graders study feasts and seasons, our church community, our loving God, God’s son, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus’ church of followers.  Students are involved in school wide service projects throughout the year and attend monthly all school Mass as a school community.

Language Arts/Reading

A variety of standards-based curriculum is used to cover reading, language, comprehension and writing skills in first grade.  Students study various genres and focus on phonics skills, vocabulary, grammar and comprehension skills through these texts.  Spelling skills, including word origins, usage, and spelling patterns, are emphasized.  Students read and progress at varying paces and instruction is guided by authentic assessments throughout the year.  Guided reading, fluency assessments and running records are some examples of such assessments.  STAR Reader and Accelerated Reader allow students to independently read at their own reading levels as well.  Writer’s Workshop, focusing on the Six Traits of Writing, allows for individual writing conferences and differentiated writing instruction.

Math

Basic math skills, including number concepts, operations and addition and subtraction facts are introduced within our standards-based math curriculum.  Graphing, geometry and fractions are also introduced.  Students study basic time and money skills as well.  Problem solving is emphasized throughout the year and students learn to approach math concepts in various ways.

Science

First graders are exposed to units within Life, Physical, and Earth science.  A favorite unit in first grade science is always the study of the monarch.  Within this life science unit students study the life cycle of the monarch with live monarchs in the classroom.  Through a website called Journey North students have the opportunity to experience a symbolic migration and track the monarch’s migration to and from Mexico.  Within life science students also study animals and their homes, and plants.  Physical science in first grade focuses on states of matter and motion and energy.  In earth science students are introduced to our earth, weather and the sky.

Social Studies

First graders are introduced to basic geography skills as well as basic civics, economics and history.  Units include All About Families, Where We Live, Good Citizens, All Kinds of Jobs and Americans Long Ago. OLP also invites Junior Achievement volunteers into all classrooms, grades K-8.