First Grade (Thematic)
1.theme.V3.Bnet4copy
In this course, students will experience a thematic approach to developing first grade reading and math skills. The course encompasses a balanced literacy approach with math instruction that promotes conceptual, computational, and problem solving proficiency. The course fosters language and literacy growth in students while building procedural skills in the math instruction. The reading instruction provides opportunities for the student to participate in shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading approaches. The reading focus is on teaching comprehension strategies, phonics, and word structure skills. A variety of books will expose the students to all genres explicit, direct, and designed for authentic literacy experiences. The writing instruction incorporates writing activities that engage students as they learn the skills, strategies, and techniques of real writers, while each lesson further develops the phonemic awareness, phonics, and necessary spelling skills.
Enduring Understanding
The student will understand:
-
Reading:
- How the sounds of the language work together.
- How print works.
- The connection between sounds and letters.
- How to use sounds and letters to read and spell.
- How to get meaning from text.
- That some words are non-decodable (irregular) words and have to memorized.
- There are differences between fiction and nonfiction texts.
-
Writing:
- Audience and purpose (inform, persuade, entertain) influence the use of literary techniques.
- Punctuation marks and grammar rules guide readers through the text to help avoid confusion.
- A writer’s point of view is influenced by his experience.
- Conventions of language help readers understand what is being communicated.
-
Mathematics:
- There is a relationship between numbers and objects.
- Objects can be visually organized for instant recognition.
- Quantities can be combined.
- Numbers can be combined or separated to form new numbers.
- Numbers are sequential.
- Patterns repeat.
- Shapes have names.
- Shapes have specific attributes.
- Data can be collected, organized, and represented.
- Data can be interpreted.
- Objects can be sorted by their attributes.
- Quantities can be represented with a number sentence.
- Numbers are sequential.
- Coins have value.
- Time can be measured.
- Numbers can be combined or separated to form new numbers.
- Strategies can be used to solve problems.
- Objects can be measured by weight, capacity, and length.
Essential Questions
-
Reading:
- Why read?
- What can we learn from print?
- What do good readers do?
- What is a story?
- What is the author saying?
- How do texts differ?
- What is the main idea?
- Why is reading fluently important?
- Why is comprehension important?
- What are the differences between fiction and nonfiction?
- What do good readers do when they don’t understand?
- How should I read different types of texts?
- What are the elements of a narrative?
-
Writing:
- Why write?
- What if writing didn’t exist?
- How is the written language different from spoken language?
- What makes writing worth reading?
- How do writers express their thoughts and feelings?
- Where do ideas for writing come from?
- How do effective writers hook and hold their readers?
- What is the best beginning?
- What is the best ending?
- What is the best order (sequence)?
- What is a complete thought?
- Why am I writing?
- Who will read my writing?
- Why do we need grammar?
- Why do we need conventions?
- Is there a relationship between the reader and the writer?
Mathematics:
- What is a number?
- Can everything be quantified?
- In what other ways can we show the number?
- How do we best represent the part and whole relationship?
- Are numbers are sequential?
- Do numbers make patterns?
- What is a pattern?
- How do we find patterns?
- What can patterns reveal?
- What kind of operation is needed?
- What are the attributes of each shape?
- What is the relationship between each shape?
- How many ways can you fill this region?
- How can data be collected?
- How can data be represented?
- How can you compare the data collected?
- How can you sort & group objects?
- What attributes describe a group of objects?
- How might we record a given number? In what other ways can we record the number?
- How do we best represent the part and whole relationship?
- Can objects be organized into sets?
- Can sets of objects be organized so they can be counted efficiently?
- Are numbers sequential?
- What is the value of a given coin?
- What is used to measure time?
- What kind of problem is it?
- What strategy can be used to solve a given problem?
- What is the appropriate measurement tool used to measure an object given a specific condition?
Additional Resources Needed
APPLES
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Harpercollins Publishers)
I Am an Apple by Jean Marzollo (Scholastic)
Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg (Scholastic)
The Apple by Joy Cowley (Sunshine Books)
The Apple Pie Tree by Zoe Hall (Scholastic)
Apple Trees by Gail Saunders-Smith (Pebble books)
Apples, Apples, Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace (Scholastic)
The Apple Star by Cecilia Cortes (First Stories, Pacific Learning)
Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo Le Sieg (Dr. Seuss) (Random House)
AUTUMN
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert (Scholastic)
Autumn Leaves by Gail Saunders-Smith (Pebble Books, Capstone Press)
It's Fall! By Linda Glaser (Scholastic)
Animals in the Fall by Gail Saunders-Smith (Pebble Books, Capstone Press)
The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown (Scholastic)
I Am A Leaf by Jean Marzollo (Scholastic)
Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall (Scholastic)
Fall Harvest by Gail Saunders-Smith (Pebble Books, Capstone Press)
"The Surprise" from the book Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
Jog, Frog, Jog by Barbara Gregorich (School Zone Pub. Co.)
It's Pumpkin Time! By Zoe Hall (Scholastic)
COLORS
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do you See? by Bill Martin Jr. (Henry Holt and Co.)
Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell (Scholastic)
What is Red? by Pauline Cartwright (Literacy Tree, Rigby)
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister (North-South Books)
Mixing Colors (Rigby Literacy)
The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane De Rolf (Random House)
Colors (Outside the Box Publishing)
A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni (Scholastic)
I Love Colors (Hello Reader!, Scholastic)
FAMILY
My Great Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston (Harpercollins Publishing)
Our Families by Sally Young (Rigby Literacy)
The Baby Sister by Tomie dePaola (Scholastic)
Parents by Gail Saunders-Smith (Pebble Books)
Mouse T.V. by Matt Novak (Orchard Books)
Fingerprint Family by Isabel Bissett (Rigby Literacy)
The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flourney (Scholastic)
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant (Scholastic)
The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman (Scholastic)
Families (Pebble Books, Capstone Press)
Off to Grandma's House (Scott Foresman)
FIRE SAFETY
Fire Fighters A to Z by Chris L. Demarest (Scholastic)
Fire! Fire! by Beverly Randell (PM Rigby Collection.)
Stop, Drop, and Roll by Margery Cuyler (Scholastic)
I'm a Fire Fighter by Mary Packard (Hello Reader Scholastic)
Fire Fighters by Norma Simon (Scholastic)
Firefighter- People in my Community by Jacqueline Laks Gorma (Weekly Reader Early Learning Library)
FRIENDSHIP
Bootsie Barker Bits by Barbara Bottner (G. P. Putnam's Sons)
Friends by Margie Burton, Cathy French, and Tammy Jones (Benchmark)
May I Bring a Friend? by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (Atheneum)
We Can Share It by Sarah Tatler (Schott Foresman/Harpercollins)
Friends by Lesley Wing Jan (Rigby Literacy)
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox (Trumpet)
Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber (Houghton Mifflin)
My Best Friend by Deborah Sycamore (Scott Foresman)
Big Al by Andrew Clements (Scholastic)
Sam by Ned Jensen (Early Connections/Benchmark)
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester (Scholastic)
My Friends by Marcia Vaughan (Scott Foresman/Harpercollins)
PLANTS
The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss (Harpercollins Publishing)
How Do Plants Grow? by Virgil Franklin (The Rosen Publishing Group)
My Plant by Paula Barrios (Rigby Literacy)
SUMMER
Pig Pig Goes to Camp by David McPhail (Scholastic)
Emma's Vacation by David McPhail (Scholastic)
Jerome Camps Out by Eileen Christelow (Scholastic)
The Jungle Baseball Game by Tom Paxton (Scholastic)
The Bag I'm Taking to Grandma's by Shirley Neitzel (Scholastic)
THANKSGIVING
The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward
It's Thanksgiving Day! (Hello Reader, Scholastic Inc.)
Over the River and Through the Wood by Lydia Maria Child (Scholastic)
I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Pie by Alison Jackson (Scholastic)
Gobble Gobble Gone (Scott Foresman.)
Arthur's Thanksgiving by Marc Brown (Little Brown and Company)
Lunch Boxes (Hello Reading. Puffin Books)
Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey (Orchard Books)
WINTER/HIBERNATION
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
The Big Red Sled (Hello Reader!, Scholastic, Inc.)
The Mitten by Jan Brett (Putnam)
Warm Clothes (Pebble Books, Capstone Press)
Thomas' Snowsuit by Robert Munsch
The Jacket I Wear in the Snow (Scholastic, Inc.)
I Am Snow (Hellow Reader!, Scholastic, Inc.)
It's Winter by Linda Glaser (Scholastic, Inc.)
The Napping House by Audrey Wood (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishing)
Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky (G. P. Putnam & Sons)
Time to Sleep by Denise Flenning (Scholastic, Inc.)
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson (Scholastic, Inc.)
Let's Sleep (Sails, Rigby)
SPRING
It's Spring by Linda Glaser (Scholastic, Inc.)
Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens (Scholastic, Inc.)
A Day in the Life of Flippidy Frog by Betty Preston (Scholastic, Inc.)
The Very Hungry Capterpillar by Eric Carle (Philomel Books)
It's Spring (Hello Reader!, Scholastic, Inc.)
Butterflies (Sails, Rigby)
Frog (Sails, Rigby)
Spring (Pebble Books, Capstone Press)
CREEPY CRAWLIES
Miss Spider's Tea Party by David Kirk (Scholastic, Inc.)
Verdi by Janell Cannon (Scholastic, Inc.)
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose (Scholastic, Inc.)
Over in the Garden by Jennifer Ward (Scholastic, Inc.)
Miss Spider's Beautiful Web (PM Books, Rigby Literacy)
Spider's Web (Sails, Rigby)
I Love Bugs (Mondo)
Don't Stomp on That Bug! (Rigby Literacy)
WEATHER
What Will the Weather Be Like Today? by Paul Rogers (Scholastic, Inc.)
Little Cloud by Eric Carle (Scholastic, Inc.)
The Rain Came Down by David Shannon (Scholastic, Inc.)
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco (Scholastic, Inc.)
What Will the Weather Be? (Rigby Literacy)
Weather (Benchmark Education Company)
Changing Weather (Benchmark Education Company)
Rain (Sundance)
Content Topics
Unit 1
Apples
Unit 2
Autumn
Unit 3
Fire Safety
Unit 4
Family
Unit 5
Thanksgiving
Unit 6
Friendship
Unit 7
Winter/Hibernation
Unit 8
Colors
Unit 9
Weather
Unit 10
Spring
Unit 11
Plants
Unit 12
Creepy Crawlers
Unit 13
Summer
Key Skills
-
Reading:
- Recognize letters and relate sound to the symbol.
- Identify initial and final consonants.
- Blend sounds orally.
- Listen for vowel sounds.
- Recognize parts of a book.
- Identify and generate rhymes.
- Recognize word parts and compare word lengths.
- Segment words into parts orally.
- Begin to recognize different genres.
- Listen to and analyze a story.
- State the opposite of a given word.
- Read high frequency words such as kindergarten sight words.
- Retell stories and ideas.
- Identify rhyme and alliteration.
- Listen for rhythm.
- Build words.
- Identify adjectives.
- Increase vocabulary.
- Demonstrate phonemic awareness.
- Read decodable books.
- Identify main ideas/details.
- Retell stories and ideas.
- Decode words.
- Read words with blends.
- Read words with digraphs.
- Identify literary elements orally and using a graphic organizer (characters, setting, problem, solution).
- Demonstrate print awareness.
- Develop comprehension skills/strategies.
- Spell from dictation.
- Recognize/use synonyms.
- Decode words with long vowels/short vowels.
- Recognize that a story has a beginning, middle, and end.
- Understand that there are various purposes for writing.
- Understand author’s purpose may be to inform, persuade, or to entertain.
- Recognize/use compound words.
- Recognize/use contractions.
- Alphabetize words.
- That there is a difference between a fact and an opinion.
- Use comparatives.
- Organize events in appropriate sequence.
- Use appropriate grammar orally.
- Summarize a story.
- Draw conclusions.
- Predict outcomes.
- Determine cause and effect.
- Make connections to text, self, and world.
- Demonstrate reading fluency.
- Identify the main characters, setting, problem and solution of a narrative.
- Listen to different interpretations of the same reading and consider how these opinions were formed
through classroom discussion. - Read accurately: 40-60 words correct per minute with accuracy, rhythm, and expression.
Writing:
- Use spaces between words.
- Forms letters correctly.
- Use phonetic spelling.
- Use conventions (capitalization and punctuation).
- Form plurals.
- Use position words.
- Write complete sentences.
- Develop topics/ideas.
- Give details about a subject.
- Use some conventional spelling (word wall words, no excuse words).
Mathematics:
- Find combinations of numbers to 20.
- Find the total of two or more single-digit numbers.
- Explore relationships among different combinations of a number.
- Develop and record strategies for organizing sets of objects so that they are easy to count and combine.
- Find the total of several 2s, 4s, 5s, or 10s.
- Identify the value of a group of coins.
- Read, write, and sequence numbers to 100.
- Solve combining problems.
- Represent solutions to combining problems.
- Develop strategies to solve combining problems.
- Count and compare quantities to 20 using numerals.
- Create combinations of numbers to 15.
- Find the total of two quantities up to 10.
- Read, write and sequence numbers to 100
- Count quantities to 40
- Visualize combing and separating
- problem situations.
- Develop strategies for solving combining and separating problems.
- Record strategies using pictures, numbers, and words.
- Fill a region with shapes.
- Sort shapes by attributes.
- Compose and decompose shapes.
- Identify relationships between shapes.
- Arrange shapes using rotation and reflection.
- Identify and describe attributes of various materials.
- Sort and categorize attributes in a variety of objects.
- Create representations of sorted sets of objects.
- Gather, record, sort, and categorize data.
- Invent and construct data representations.
- Tell time to the hour.
- Solve combining and separating problems.
- Use strategies to solve, verbalize, and record story problems.
- Use a balance to compare weights.
- Represent results of weight comparisons.
- Compare and measure lengths using nonstandard units.
- Measure and compare capacity using nonstandard units.
- Explore calculators.
- Represent measurements with numbers, concrete materials, and pictures
Assessments
- Journal Message: Each lesson has a Journal Message requiring the student to respond to a prompt. The entry will be assessed for completion and organization of thought.
- Language Practice: The student will be assessed on the conventions of a good sentence. Capitals, punctuation, and noun-verb agreement will be stressed following the rules of grammar.
- Sight Words/Vocabulary: In all student reading and writing, recognition of words is vital. As the student progresses, the correct spelling of these words will be checked periodically within the required writing.
- Word Works: The phonics connection introduces and reviews phonetic skills necessary for the advancement or reading and writing skills.
- Shared Reading/Guided Reading: The areas of reading are assessed through the written work submitted. The adult should be observing word recognition, comprehension, fluency, and phonemic awareness.
- Guided Writing: Guided writing entries will assess comprehension. These will be written into a notebook. These notebooks will be submitted to a supervising teacher. (Daily)
- Thinking Cap: A math question requiring problem-solving skills is incorporated into the lessons. Students are required to keep a Math Notebook.
- Math Workshop: A mini lesson of math concepts and related activities to reinforce the topic.
Standards Alignment:
PA State Standards:
This course contains references to PA standards for Reading and Math in both Grades 8 and 11.
National Standards:
This course contains references to National standards for Reading and Math in both Grades 8 and 11.