First Grade Curriculum Mrs. Cronin The grade one curriculum at St. Mary of the Hills School promotes opportunities for the students to experience the world around them. The themes and units of study integrated within the curriculum often include activities on the same topic in math, science, art, music , religion, social studies, reading, writing, and language arts. These connections among the subjects allow the students to gain a deeper understanding of the skills and concepts. Religion - In the fall of 2016, the Archdiocese of Boston released detailed Faith Formation Standards for use in all Archdiocesan schools. St. Mary of the Hills is currently using these standards to evaluate the content and objectives of our current Religion curriculum to ensure alignment with these standards for Grade 1. See the curriculum page of our website for the Faith Formation Standards. Reading and Language Arts - To foster their love of, and skills in reading, the children will have access to our extensive collection of Fountas & Pinnell leveled readers. Phonemic awareness will be stressed through the use of Wilson Foundations instruction. Students will respond to reading through journaling with pictures and sentences. The children will improve their phonics skills through our new differentiated spelling program as well as interactive phonics notebooks, classroom activities and the use of Lexia on classroom iPads. Social Studies - Grade 1 students use Chromebooks and books to research various topics throughout the year including units on geography. This unit allows the students to explore topics such as the 1st Thanksgiving, and Christopher Columbus. American symbols and leaders are studied such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington. 1st graders create their own Classroom Constitution. The end of year project for Grade 1 celebrates the contributions made to society by our community helpers. Science - Using books, videos, and their senses students will engage in lessons to learn about the cycle of life through a unit on butterflies, apples, and pumpkins. Students will also learn about the weather and the seasons through units on the 5 senses, and nocturnal animals. Spanish - The Foreign Language offered at St. Mary of the Hills is Spanish. Spanish meets once per week for grades 1-4 and twice a week for grade 5. Students are introduced to basic vocabulary in Spanish using games, songs, and hands-on activities. Math - Using Common Core curriculum students will focus on number sense, addition and subtraction, geometry, and money and time. They will use classroom iPads to explore and practice concepts, use manipulatives, and interactive notebooks to excel.
