1st Grade

First Grade

A. Course Description:

First Grade establishes the foundation of mathematics, spelling, reading, writing, and grammar skills.

B. Course Objectives and Methods:

We use Spell to Write and Read to develop students' language abilities to spell, write and read 640 of the most common 1,000 words. We also use oral dictation, chanting, and the Progymnasmata to develop understanding of grammar and composition. The student will learn to read and comprehend selected pieces of literature. Further, the student will be able to write paragraphs and fables, per the Progymnasmata.

We use Math manipulatives to help explain place value. Students will compute sums and differences of two digit numbers, and identify the place value of a digit in the ones, tens, and hundreds place.

C. Course Goals:

Students will be able to:

from dictation, write the 70 basic phonograms of the English language;
spell, write and read, with 80% mastery, 640 of the English language's 1,000 most common words;
recite the Shurley Grammar jingles for nouns, verbs, sentences, adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, and pronouns;
write paragraphs and fables, per the Progymnasmata;
identify key historical figures and events in Missouri history
read selected pieces of literature (see sample book list, below);
compute sums and differences of two digit numbers, and identify the place value of a digit in the ones, tens and hundreds place;
write a number sentence to a simple story problem;
study the different parts of God's physical creation, organized around the six days of Creation, e.g. Day 1, light; Day 2, water, etc.;
recite the Lord's Prayer, Psalm 8, 100, 23, 103 and 121;
recall main characters of the Old Testament and recognize how the Old Testament stories point to Christ;

D. Sample Books used in First Grade:

Read Aloud Books: The Mouse and the Motorcycle, James and the Giant Peach, the Trumpet of the Swan, the Little House books, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Laike version), the Tale of Despereaux, and Aesop's Fables.

Student Texts: Corduroy, Madeline, Stone Soup, Curious George, Make Way for Ducklings, Peter Rabbit, Aesop's Fables, The Frog Prince, The Ugly Duckling, the Magic Fish, the Emperor's New Clothes, etc.