Cheshire Public Schools
Curriculum Overview
Grade 1
The school district publishes this grade level curriculum overview to provide parents with information about
the major topics, concepts, and skills students study in Grade 1. This document also contains information
about the most recent curriculum revisions in various subject areas.
Please review this document and keep it handy. It can be an excellent reference when you meet with teachers
about your child’s academic progress. Ask to see your child’s class work for specific examples of assignments
collected over time. If you have questions or concerns about the information in this document, please do not
hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, principal, or the school district Curriculum Office (250-2439).
MEETINGS, REPORT CARDS, AND CONFERENCES
Teachers distribute report cards in December, March, and June. Each elementary school conducts parent
conferences in October and March. Consult your child’s teacher and the school calendar for specific dates and
times. During the conference the teacher will discuss your child’s reading level and skill strengths and needs,
and his/her writing and math strengths and needs. In addition, they will share several work samples and
assignments from various subject areas.
We encourage all parents to communicate their questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding the curriculum
or the needs and strengths of their child as they relate to the curriculum. These conversations can occur at any
time during the school year. Telephone, email, notes, and conferences also foster school and home
communication. We suggest that you arrange any conferences in advance to ensure the teacher’s,
counselor’s, or principal’s availability.
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TYPICAL DAY
The first grader’s typical day involves learning in many subject areas. During a routine day children spend
140 minutes studying language arts (reading, phonics, writing), one hour with math, and 25 minutes each
with social studies and science. Each school also provides 45 minutes of physical education, music, and art
each week. Students also have time for library and computer lab classes, health and guidance education,
and supervised recess. Ask your child’s teacher for more information about the specific schedule in each
classroom.
ASSESSMENTS
Teachers use a variety of informal, and commercial assessments to identify students’ understanding or
mastery of the knowledge and standards they are expected to learn as they progress through first grade.
Conferences, work samples, checklists, surveys, standardized assessments and observations are the most
common examples of these assessments. Teachers also use assessments to identify students’ learning needs
and to differentiate assignments, resources, and instruction. Parents can receive information about these
assessments during conferences, by written communication, or through the telephone or e-mail.
GUIDANCE
The school's counselor makes a few annual visits to each Grade One class. Students are taught interpersonal
communication skills to help them learn how to work productively in small and large groups and to respect
the rights of others. Students begin to recognize their own abilities and attitudes and become aware of
strategies for interacting successfully with others. The counselor also assists individuals and small groups as
needs arise. Individual appointments are also available for interested parents.
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HOMEWORK
Homework is a valuable instructional technique for fostering responsibility and independence and providing
additional practice opportunities. In Grade One we recommend a minimum of three reading assignments
weekly, each about 15 minutes in length. Parents can help by monitoring this reading time and by reading
to their child. Teachers may also assign one to three additional assignments per week, each lasting about 15
minutes. Students should read for pleasure each evening.
READING
First grade reading instruction is designed to address the individual strengths, interests, and needs of
students. Each daily reading block contains a variety of instructional pieces. One piece is the whole group
lesson where teachers use a common text with all students to introduce the Common Core State Standards
for ELA by modeleling, instructing, and providing guided practice. A second piece is the independent reading
time. During this time students read from a personalized selection of books that are at their independent
reading levels. Independent reading time helps students develop their reading stamina to be able to read
independently for longer periods of time. It also provides students with the opportunity to apply the reading
standards and skills they are learning to texts at their appropriate reading level. During independent reading
time, teachers conference with individual students to assess student’s work, identify personal learning
objectives, provide individual skill instruction, and monitor work habits. Teachers may also work with
students in small groups when similar needs are noted.
Grade One reading standards focus on:
● Informational text
○ Key Ideas and Details
○ Craft and Structure
○ Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
○ Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
● Literature
○ Key Ideas and Details
○ Craft and Structure
○ Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
○ Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
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● Foundational skills
○ Print Concepts
○ Phonological Awareness
○ Phonics and Word Recognition
○ Fluency
For more specific information about grade one ELA Common Core Standards go to:
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/ Click on Reading
WRITING
Students and teachers use the Common Core State Standards to guide their work within the writing
curriculum. Essential Grade 1 writing standards include the following:
Argument Writing
● Write opinion pieces, introduce the topic, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and
provide some sense of closure.
Informative Writing
● Write informative texts, name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of
closure.
Narrative Writing
● Write narratives, recount two to or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details, use
temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
Production and Distribution of Writing
● With support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add
details to strengthen writing as needed. With support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to
collaborate and to produce and publish writing.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
● Participate in shared research and writing projects. With support from adults, recall information from
experience or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Conventions of Standard English
● Demonstrate use of grade level standards for grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
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Students participate in ten writing units each year, two for each of the basic genre (argument, informative,
narrative, research) and two units that teach students how to demonstrate their understanding of literature
and informative text through writing. Conventions (grammar, punctuation, and spelling) and technology are
incorporated in all genre. Students conduct information research and use technology to collaborate, gather
information, write, revise, edit, and share their written work. Student work is assessment in the basis of five
criteria (purpose/focus; organization, elaboration, language and vocabulary; and conventions) using a four
level rubric.
Teachers spend approximately one half of each curriculum unit and lesson providing explicit,
standards-based instruction, modeling related writing strategies and skills, sharing exemplary adult and
student examples of specific standards, and offering specific and differentiated feedback as students practice
each standard in a supportive learning environment. During the second half of each unit and lesson, students
demonstrate their new learning by applying the related writing standards to an original piece of text in the
genre. As students plan, draft, edit, and revise their original writing, teachers conduct individual conferences
with students to guide their work and provide individual coaching. During the last portion of each unit,
students share their work with others and reflect on their learning and growth.
For more specific information about grade one ELA Common Core Standards go to:
http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/ Click on Writing
MATHEMATICS
The classroom environment supports the development of math concepts, skills, problem solving, and logical
thinking. During math class, students actively explore math concepts and problems, develop questions,
practice new skills, use reasoning and thinking skills, develop problem solutions, and communicate their
understanding of mathematical skills and concepts. The curriculum stresses students’ ability to apply
learned math facts, skills, and concepts to authentic math problems and situations. The Grade One math
curriculum is based on the Common Core State Standards and emphasizes four topics. Within these four
topics the students are expected to:
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction. Understand and apply properties of
operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction. Add and subtract within 20. Work with
addition and subtraction equations.
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Numbers and Operations in Base Ten
Extend the counting sequence. Understand place value. Use place value understanding and properties of
operations to add and subtract.
Measurement and Data
Measure lengths indirectly and by iterating unit lengths. Tell and write time. Represent and interpret data.
Geometry
Reason with shapes and their attributes.
For more specific information about grade one Math Common Core State Standards go to:
http://www.corestandards.org/Math/ Click on Math
SCIENCE
Our science program enhances students’ attitudes toward science and encourages their natural curiosity. It
provides students with a substantial knowledge base of facts, concepts, and principles. We also teach
students to use and apply science-related thinking and process skills (e.g. observation, questioning, data
gathering, note taking, analysis, and hypothesizing). During each curriculum unit in science, students learn to
work cooperatively in small groups with an emphasis on learning essential content and developing science
process skills.
The science curriculum provides lessons and curriculum units in all three science disciplines: earth science,
life science, and physical science. During the school year, parents can expect their children to study the
following units of study:
Earth Science
● Each student will investigate changes in the earth’s structure and explore the concepts related to soil.
Life Science
● Each student will observe and record differences between plant and animal life, and will predict,
observe, and measure seed and plant growth.
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Physical Science
● Each student will examine the properties of different materials by comparing their attributes such
as size, weight, and texture.
Technology
Classroom teachers provide weekly instruction in the computer lab. Their lessons assist students in learning
how to use computers, software, and the internet to acquire and communicate information. First grade
classes also share iPads which students use for reinforcement of skills in reading and math as well as research
for writing. First grade students learn how to:
● Open and exit programs. ● Navigate with programs. ● Locate and use appropriate keyboard characters. ● Participate in computer based assessments and surveys . ● Use a play list with links to articles and activities to research curriculum topics or topics of choice. ● Publish writing by creating a Google Doc with graphics, and print the document. ● Save and share documents within Google Drive. ● Create a Google Presentation to share information with teachers and peers. ● Use coding programs such as Code.org to create and run simple codes. ● Use curriculum-related software. ● Access and navigate bookmarked sites on the internet. ● Demonstrate understanding of the responsible use of policy.
HEALTH/GUIDANCE
Classroom teachers provide the majority of the weekly thirty-minute health lessons. At times, students also
receive lessons from the district health teacher, classroom teachers, nurses, and guidance counselors.
Teachers use discussion, role-playing, examples, stories, videos, and pictures to teach students about:
nutrition; safety; accident prevention and disease; and human growth and development. First grade students
learn about:
Personal Health and How to Stay Healthy
● Why it is important to keep teeth clean, how to keep teeth clean and describe the proper way to brush their teeth.
● How germs spread from person to person and how to protect the body against germs. ● What a virus is. ● Why adequate sleep is important for physical, emotional and intellectual well being.
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● What skills used for good personal hygiene and the importance of those skills.● What being responsible is and how that relates to making good choices (hygiene choices).
Mental and Emotional Health
● Distinguish between comfortable and uncomfortable feelings
● Identify positive ways to deal with uncomfortable feelings.
● Identify conflicts and demonstrate conflict resolution techniques
● Explain what it means to be a friend and identify characteristics of a friend.
Physical Activity ● What physical fitness is, distinguish between activities that are physically active and are not.● What fitness activities students participate in.● How physical activity help a person.
The social studies curriculum in Cheshire provides students with a foundation of facts, concepts, and skills that
enhance their understanding of the major ideas and generalizations in history, physical geography, cultural
geography, political science, and economics. Each grade level studies different topics in each of these five
disciplines. Teachers use discussions, primary source documents, stories, pictures, videos, role playing, and
simulations to foster learning during small and large group learning activities. Parents support the curriculum
by discussing family history, maps, geography, appropriate newspaper articles, and current events with their
children.
Children participate in the following curriculum units:
Physical Geography
● Students learn about basic landforms and place names on maps and globes. They create and read
simple maps. They practice direction words such as north, south, east, and west.
Comparative Cultures
● Students compare and contrast the lifestyle, shelters, food, transportation, and family structures of
people living in the United States, Kenya, and China.
American Symbols
● Students learn about some of the important symbols and places related to United States government.
Economics
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● Students investigate the economic concepts of wants, needs, resources, good and services. They
identify and compare these concepts across and within various communities.
LIBRARY/MEDIA
Grade One students participate weekly in library classes and lessons. Students learn to select and enjoy
fiction and nonfiction selections. Teachers introduce many new books and genre. At the end of first grade,
most students should be able to:
● Select library materials for personal enjoyment.● Check out and return materials from the library appropriately.● Recognize that libraries organize books according to the author’s name and the book’s title.● Use the automated circulation system correctly.● Identify a book’s format and back cover and spine.● Recognize the differences between factual and fictional materials.● Understand that reading is a worthwhile activity.● Understand that there are award-winning books that other people accept as examples of quality
literature.● Ask informational questions and work together to find answers within library resources.
MUSIC
In partnership with families and communities, it is the mission of the Cheshire Public Schools Music
Department to instill in each student the inspiration for a lifelong participation in music. The ability to create,
perform and respond to music emotionally and intellectually is an integral part of a student’s overall
education. The skills, knowledge and habits acquired through the study of music enrich students’ lives and
prepare them to live and work in a culturally diverse society.
It is the goal of the music department to instill in every student an appreciation for music, provide
opportunities for students to experience music as a listener, performer and composer, develop music literacy
skills and become independent learners. Our program is based on the National Standards for Music Education
found below.
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National Standards for Music Education
1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines
5. Reading and notating music
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
7. Evaluating music and music performances
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture
In Kindergarten through Grade Six general music classes, Standards 1 (singing), 3 (Improvising/Creating) and
5 (Read/Notate) have been designated as “Power Standards.” All Grade Two, Four, and Six students will be
assessed in these areas once yearly.
VISUAL ARTS
Teachers base the visual arts program on the National Standards for Arts Education/Goals 2000 and the
Connecticut Content and Performance Standards for the Visual Arts. The program uses the Discipline-Based
Art Education Model and encourages listening, problem solving, and decision- making.
Art is fundamental to the entire learning process and it contributes to the growth and development of the
whole child. Teachers design the visual art experience to integrate with the classroom curriculum. Students
develop skills and understanding as they achieve the following:
Content Standard One: Media
Students will understand, select and apply:
● Media (such as pencil, crayon, crapas, tempera paint, watercolor, clay and other materials, color chalk, mixed media);
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● Techniques (such as portrait/figure drawing, painting, brush control, mixing colors, creating washes, cutting on the fold, stamp printing, gluing, collage, stenciling, creating depth by using overlapping, size and placement on paper), and
● Processes (such as printing, additive sculpture, modeling, crayon resist, mixed media construction, rubbings, weaving).
Content Standard Two: Elements and Principles
● Students will understand and apply elements and organizational principles of art.
● Students discover, recognize and form discriminations in space, texture, pattern, shape, line, form,
contrast, creating tints and shades of colors, value, balance, symmetry and foreground/background.
Content Standard Three: Content
● Students consider, select and apply a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas.
● Students will understand that content for art comes from many different sources such as personal
experience, imagination, natural and man-made objects, environments, storytelling, children’s
literature, diverse cultures, historical periods, artistic styles, art and artifact reproductions, and
celebrations.
Content Standard Four: History and Culture
● Students will understand the visual arts in relation to history and cultures.
● Teachers introduce students to various types of art and a variety of artists specifically in the areas of
portraits, still lifes, printmaking, painting, collage and sculpture.
Content Standard Five: Analysis, Interpretation and Evaluation
● Students reflect upon, describe, and discuss their own and others’ work using a vocabulary of basic art
terminology.
Content Standard Six: Connections
● Students make connections between the visual arts, and other disciplines and daily life.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Physical education is an integral part of the total educational program. The physical education department
directs the student’s participation in a planned, sequential program. Realizing that children have varied
abilities, teachers make necessary accommodations to meet each individual child’s needs. National and state
standards guide the curriculum for this program. These activities are part of the Grade One program:
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● Review gross motor movements ● Participate in low organizational games and non-competitive games, ● Move to an uneven/even beat in various patterns with others ● Strike an object with a hand, foot, or a long or short handled implement ● Jump rope ● Enhance physical fitness ● Perform tumbling and mat skills ● Begin sport, leisure, and recreational activity units ● Participate in movement exploration activities ● Develop an understanding of physical fitness concepts ● Throw and catch a ball or other manipulative object
CURRICULUM INITIATIVES
Each year the district Curriculum Office works with grade level teachers to write or refine the grade level
curriculum. This year first grade classes will be implementing a new math curriculum which is aligned with the
Common Core State Standards for Math. The program is called Eureka Math.
PARENT COLLABORATION
We encourage parents to take an active role in their children’s education by:
● Communicating regularly with classroom teachers,
● Encouraging at-home use of skills learned at school,
● Supporting frequent recreational reading to and by children, and
● Making real-world connections to the subjects and topics studied in school.
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