Language Arts
We will work on many skills in first grade. These include:
Basic phonic skills and letter sounds
Decoding and identifying letters and words
Reading skills including predicting, summarizing, retelling, and sequencing
Connecting reading and writing to self, world, and other texts, Study skills
Sight words and word families
Spelling, grammar, and handwriting
The writing process—from prewriting to publishing
Following directions and being active listeners
Sharing, contributing, and respecting ideas
The Phonics Dance (opens Adobe PDF document)

Language Arts Assessments:
We utilize a variety of assessments in first grade to record and observe the progress of each student.

Unit Tests: Following a book from our series in reading, students are tested over skills learned in the unit.

DIBELS Reading Assessment: This test is given individually to each student at three different times during the year (October, January and May). This test will help me determine your child’s ability to meet specific reading benchmarks for first grade. More information will be sent home following each assessment period.

Spelling Tests: These are administered weekly starting the third week of school. Typically there will be 5 sight words and 5 word family words. These words will be found each week in the newsletter and your child will write the words in his/her planner each Monday.

Selection Tests: These tests will be administered weekly beginning in the second semester. These tests allow us to monitor comprehension over the week’s reading passage, grammar, and vocabulary concepts. Selection tests are made of multiple choice and short answer responses.

Sight Word Testing: I will assess your first grader each Friday on the sight words that are sent home each week with the newsletter. Your child should be able to the words read immediately (within 3 seconds) without help or sounding them out.

Mathematics
Investigations Math uses a hands-on approach to make math more meaningful to students.

Students will play games almost daily to reinforce basic facts and math concepts. I will use observation to assess during periods of game play. I will let you know in my weekly newsletter when I have introduced a new game.

Students will not be bringing home many worksheets because a lot of time will be spent discussing as a whole class or in small groups. We have a workbook, Today’s Math that will stay in students’ desks rather than tearing out the pages. Your are more than welcome to look through your child’s book at any time.

Investigations Math looks different than what you might be used to seeing. Reading the Family Math Newsletters and Homework pages will help you understand the different strategies we are introducing. If you feel you need further explanation, feel free to contact me.

First Grade Investigations content emphasizes the following content strands, skills, and concepts:

Numeration: counting; reading and writing numbers; investigating place value of whole numbers; exploring fractions and money

Operations and Computation: learning addition and subtraction facts, fact families, and extended facts; beginning informal work with properties of numbers and problem solving

Data and Chance: collecting, organizing, and displaying data using tables, charts, and graphs; exploring concepts of chance

Geometry: exploring 2- and 3-dimensional shapes

Measurement and Reference Frames: using tools to measure length, capacity, and weight; using clocks, calendars, timelines, thermometers, and ordinal numbers

Patterns, Functions, and Algebra: exploring attributes, patterns, sequences, relations, and functions; finding missing numbers and rules in games like “What’s My Rule?” problems; studying properties of operations.

Math Assessments:
These assessments will be administered during first grade:

Investigation Tests: After completing each investigation unit, a test will be given to assess students’ understanding of the material.

Units Tests: At the end of each unit of study, a test covering all of the skills that have been learned up to that point will be given.

Other: Several other assessments may be given to the class, small groups or individually to check student understanding of concepts such as numbers to 30, writing numerals, etc.