Curriculum

Children will learn to compose and decompose numbers from 11 to 19 into ten ones and additional ones, utilizing methods such as objects, drawings, or verbal explanations to demonstrate and understand this decomposition.

Children will write narratives in which they recount at least two sequenced events, include details about what happened, use temporal words to indicate the order of events, and conclude their story with a sense of closure. For example, they might write a story about a trip to the zoo by stating, "First, we saw the lions sleeping under the trees. Next, we watched the monkeys swinging. We had fun at the zoo."

Children will write informative/explanatory texts where they clearly state a topic, provide relevant facts, and conclude with a sense of closure. For instance, if they are writing about butterflies, a child might start by saying, "I am going to tell you about butterflies." They could provide facts such as, "Butterflies start as caterpillars and they can be very colorful." To close, they might add, "Now you know why butterflies are interesting."

Children will write opinion pieces in which they introduce a topic or name a book they are writing about, express their opinion with a supporting reason, and conclude with a sense of closure. For example, they might write about "Charlotte's Web" by stating, "My favorite book is 'Charlotte's Web' because it is very exciting, especially how Charlotte helps her friend. Everyone should read this book to learn about the value of friendship."

Children will learn to gather and recall information with the help of adults to answer specific questions. For instance, a teacher might ask a group of 5-year-olds, "What are some ways animals stay warm in winter?" The children could then recall experiences, like seeing animals with thick fur at the zoo, or look at pictures in a book provided by the teacher showing animals in snowy environments. They can express what they learned through drawings or simple sentences like, "Bears have thick fur to stay warm."

Children will participate in shared research and writing projects to learn more about topics of interest, such as exploring books by a favorite author. For example, a group of 5-year-olds might choose to read several books by Dr. Seuss. Together with guidance from an adult, they can discuss each book, noting what they like about the stories or illustrations. They might create a collective chart of their favorite characters or plot moments, and then express their opinions through drawings or simple sentences like "I like the Cat in the Hat because he is funny."

Children will use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas. This means they will look at the pictures and read the text to understand the main points. For example, if they see a picture of a butterfly and read about how it grows from a caterpillar, they will use both the image and the words to explain the life cycle of a butterfly.

Children will identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text. This means they will read and find specific explanations or examples that the author provides to explain their ideas. For example, if they read that "eating vegetables is healthy," they will look for reasons like "vegetables have vitamins" and "they make you strong" to see why the author thinks eating vegetables is good.

Children will identify basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic. This means they will look at how the texts are alike and how they are different in their illustrations, descriptions, or procedures. For example, if they read two books about frogs, they might notice that both books talk about where frogs live (similarity) but one book has more pictures while the other has more detailed descriptions (difference).

With prompting and support, children will read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1. This means that with some help and guidance, they will read texts that are just right for their grade level, learning to understand new information and ideas. For example, an adult might help them sound out difficult words or explain tricky parts of a text about animals or weather.