1st Grade

First grade at Kelly Primary is designed to help students grow as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and responsible learners. Our goal is to support students as they become more independent, cooperative, and confident while building strong academic, social, and emotional skills.

Curriculum Focus Areas

English Language Arts (ELA)

First grade focuses on building strong reading, writing, and language skills. Students will:

Read and Retell Stories: Children learn to read familiar stories with fluency and expressiveness, noticing punctuation and dialogue, and gradually moving from using finger tracking to smooth, independent reading.
Decoding and Sight Words: Students use letter-sound associations, word parts, and context to read new words and recognize an increasing number of high-frequency words by sight.
Writing: Students begin composing simple sentences with correct capitalization, spacing, and punctuation. They will practice writing narratives, informational texts, and opinions.
Phonics & Vocabulary: Students strengthen phonics skills through programs like Fundations, discuss the meaning of new words, and use them in meaningful sentences.

Math

In first grade, students build foundational math skills in four key areas:

Addition and Subtraction: Students learn strategies to solve problems within 20 and explore the relationship between addition and subtraction.
Place Value: Students understand numbers up to 120, grouping in tens and ones, and recognize number patterns.
Measurement: Students learn to measure lengths using standard and non-standard units and order objects by size.
Geometry: Students identify, describe, and compare two- and three-dimensional shapes, and explore fractions by partitioning shapes into halves and quarters.
Time & Data: Students tell time to the nearest half hour and represent and interpret data using charts and tables.

Science

First grade science encourages curiosity and hands-on learning. Students explore:

Sound and Light: Observing vibrations, pitch, volume, shadows, and how light interacts with objects
The Five Senses: Understanding how we perceive the world around us
Seasonal and Life Sciences: Learning about plant and insect life cycles, weather patterns, the solar system, animal adaptations, and hibernation

Social Studies

First graders learn about community, citizenship, and the world. Students will:

Read and use diagrams, calendars, timelines, and graphs to interpret information
Participate in activities like mock elections to learn about voting and civic responsibility
Explore maps and globes to understand geography and directions
Develop critical thinking by distinguishing fact from fiction, analyzing choices, and problem-solving
Build skills in cause and effect, categorization, sequencing, and recalling information

Skills Your Child Will Develop

By the end of first grade, students will:

Read independently with fluency and comprehension
Write complete sentences, short stories, and informational texts
Solve addition and subtraction problems, understand place value, and explore basic measurement and geometry
Conduct simple science investigations using observation and evidence
Understand citizenship, community roles, and map-reading skills

First grade at Kelly Primary lays the foundation for lifelong learning, encouraging independence, curiosity, and a love of reading, math, science, and social studies.