Curriculum

Children will use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish their writing with the help of adults. For example, a 6-year-old may use a simple word processor to type a story about a school field trip. An adult can help them insert pictures or change the font. The child can also collaborate with classmates by combining their stories into a digital class book, using software that allows multiple users to contribute.

Children will participate in shared research and writing projects, such as exploring a series of "how-to" books on a particular topic and using the information to write a sequence of instructions. For instance, after reading "how-to" books about gardening, a group of 6-year-olds, with guidance from an adult, could collaborate on creating a simple step-by-step guide on planting a seed. They might write instructions like, "First, dig a small hole. Next, put the seed in the hole. Then, cover the seed with dirt. Last, water it a little every day."

Children will recall information from their own experiences or gather details from provided sources to answer questions, with help and guidance from adults. For example, a teacher might ask a class of 6-year-olds, "How do plants grow?" The children can use their personal observations from a classroom plant-growing activity or refer to specific pages in a science book. They could then organize their findings into answers, such as "Plants need soil, water, and sunlight to grow."

Children will be able to relate counting to addition, such as counting by increments of 2, 5 or 10 to understand and apply basic addition concepts.

Children will learn to compare two two-digit numbers by examining the values of the tens and ones digits and will record the results of these comparisons using the symbols >, =, and <.

Children will learn to mentally calculate 10 more or 10 less than a given two-digit number without counting explicitly. They will also be able to explain the reasoning behind their mental calculations.

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).

Children will read prose and poetry that is suitably complex for their grade level with some prompting and support. For instance, in a grade 1 classroom, a teacher might introduce a simple poem like "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear and a short story such as "Frog and Toad Are Friends" by Arnold Lobel. The teacher could help the children through challenging words and phrases, guide them in understanding the flow of the poetry, and discuss the plot and characters in the story.

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.

Children will ask and answer questions about key details in a text, enhancing their comprehension. For instance, after reading "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss, a teacher might ask a 6-year-old, "What mess did the Cat make?" The child can respond based on the story. Additionally, the child might ask, "Why did the Cat come to the house?"