First Grade Expectations

Writing Expectations…

During the fall of first grade, children will be learning to:

*Write in lowercase letters.

*Place tall (sky), fall (grass), and small (plane) letters appropriately on the writing lines with assistance.

*Spell Word Wall Words correctly (AKA trick words)

*Utilize beginning, middle and ending sounds in most words.

*Capitalize names, the word I, and first letters in a sentence with assistance.

*Use ending punctuation with assistance.

*Utilize finger spaces between their words.

*Write 1-3 sentence about their lives in stories and on memory pages.

*Draw illustrations to match their writing.

*Utilize a minimum of 3 colors in their illustrations.
*Write science observations noting what they see.

By the winter/spring of first grade, children are expected to:

*Write in lowercase letters.

*Place tall, fall, and small letters appropriately on the writing lines.

*Spell Word Wall Words correctly.

*Spell 3+ letter short vowel words correctly

*Capitalize names, the word I, and first letters in a sentence with assistance.

*Use ending punctuation with assistance.

*Retell a story from their lives, in writing, across the pages of a book.
*"Teach" others about something they know with assistance
*Write their opinion about a topic and support their opinion with reasons
*Write 2 complete sentences about one topic on their memory pages
*Write 2+ sentence science observations noting what they see and utilizing taught science vocabulary

Math Expectations…

During the fall of first grade, children will be learning to:

*Work in their math book!

*Complete math HW assignments

*Read, write and count numbers from 1-20

*Count 1-20 objects with accuracy

*Discuss how they arrive at answers to math problems

*Solve simple math problems with numbers, pictures, and/or words

*Solve simple math problems in multiple ways

*Add and subtract numbers from 1-10

*Write addition and subtraction number sentences (i.e. 5+4=9)

*Read and interpret class calendar and timeline.
*Understand place value as it relates to the days of school.
*Read a calendar and recite the date in the following sequence: day, month, date, year.


By the winter/spring of first grade, children are expected to:

*Form all numbers from 0-9 correctly.  They are encouraged to use number models around the room to assist them with directionality.

*Count and write numbers by ones from 1-120.

*Count on and back in sequence from any number between 1and 120.

*Practice counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s to 120.

*Compute math facts with sums/differences to 20 by counting all, counting on (addition)/counting back (subtraction), or using known facts.

*Demonstrate how they arrive at answers to simple story problems with numbers, pictures, and/or words.

*Tell time to the hour and half hour 

*Interpret data represented on graphs, charts and tables
*Identify names and values of coins and count change up to $1.00
*Identify attributes of 2 and 3 dimensional shapes
*Understand the fractions one half and one quarter

Reading Levels…

Are you aware that all readers have 3 reading levels?  They are as follows:  independent level, instructional level and frustration level.  Within these levels fall the stages of emergent, developing and independent readers.  At each reporting period, I will identify for you the stage at which your child is reading INDEPENDENTLY.  Here is a brief description of each reading level:

*Your child’s book box (school reading)/book envelope (home reading) contains books at their current independent level.  When a book is at your child’s independent level, they should be able to read it themselves with only minimal support, if any, needed.

*Your child’s reading group books reflect their instructional level.  When a book is at your child’s instructional level, they will need support to read fluently and comprehend.

*Your child should never be asked to read at their frustration level.  When a book is at your child’s frustration level, they will not be able to read fluently or comprehend, even with support.  Please do not mistake needing to sound out/decode a lot of words when reading as evidence of a good challenge.  Think about how you would feel about reading a book this way.  Children become more fluent readers and comprehenders when reading books at their independent level.

It is important to keep in mind that your child’s independent reading level is usually lower than their instructional level.  This is why the difficulty of books found in your child’s book envelope varies.  Some of the books in the envelope reflect reading group books (instructional level) and others reflect books your child has chosen from our book cart (independent level). On the contrary, your child’s listening level is often several levels above their independent level.    Reading aloud books to your child that are above their independent level is recommended.  Reading aloud promotes attention, good listening skills and above all, comprehension.