First Grade Course Descriptions
Biblical Foundations
Goals for K-4 through Fifth Grade:
- Recognize God’s existence and character.
- Understand the Bible as God’s inspired word and absolute truth.
- Use the Bible consistently to locate and memorize selected verses.
- Pray daily.
- Acknowledge need for salvation and respond to Jesus as God’s provision.
- Know and practice Biblical principles in relationships and service to others.
First Grade – Using their Bibles on a consistent basis, students learn about Moses, Israel and the exodus from Egypt, the Law and the Tabernacle, Achan, Joshua, Jericho, Rahab and the twelve spies, Ehud, Gideon, Sampson, Ruth, Hannah and Samuel, Saul and David, Solomon, Elijah and Daniel. Jesus’ birth, baptism, disciples, miracles, parables, death and resurrection will be topics from the New Testament. They will sequence events on a classroom timeline, write paraphrases of Bible stories, sing the names of the books of the Bible, and memorize and recite scripture, including Proverbs 3:5-6 and Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
History-Social Studies
Students look at people, places, and events from a Biblical worldview, using timelines to develop chronological thinking. Four components are included: History, Geography, Civics, and Economics. Students gain knowledge and understanding of people’s lives, and discover causes and consequences of their actions. Students learn about the places people live, the rules and responsibilities they live by, and the ways in which they work to meet their needs.
First Grade – History: Labor Day, Leif Erikson and Vikings, Columbus, Pocahontas and John Smith, Pilgrims, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, national holidays and symbols, Flat Stanley Project. Geography: use globe and map to locate poles, directions, continents, mountains, equator, United States, oceans, Arkansas. Civics: rights and responsibilities of citizenship: honesty, reliability, and fairness, rules at home and school, recite Pledge of Allegiance, five basic freedoms of U.S. citizens. Economics: consumers and producers, wants and needs, scarcity, resources, define and apply stewardship principle.
Mathematics
Focus Areas for K-4 through Fifth Grade:
- Number (Properties, Operations, Computation)
- Algebra (Patterns, Relations, Functions)
- Geometry (Spatial Sense)
- Measurement (Units, Systems, Processes)
- Data Analysis and Probability
First Grade – Number: recognize number in sets up to 10 without counting, count and write by 1, 5, and 10 to 100 or more, read and write number names and numerals to twenty, compare numbers less than 100, ordinals to twenty, fractions as equal parts of a whole and halves, thirds, fourths, commutative and identity properties of addition, know basic addition and subtraction facts fluently. Patterns: count and write by 2’s, use charts and tables to solve problems. Geometry: compare three-dimensional solids, identify symmetry by folding. Measurement: number of days in week and month, name months in sequence, tell time to half-hour, elapsed time to the hour, compare value of coins up to $1.00,use measuring tools for length, weight, capacity, and mass. Data: make, analyze, interpret graphs.
Science
Students know and discern the world in which they live through observation, study, and experimentation, including the use of available equipment and technology. They question, observe, compare, use tools, describe, explain, predict, use data to solve problems, and use appropriate scientific language in these areas: Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science. Student exploration leads to greater explanation and appreciation of God’s creation and encourages responsible stewardship.
First Grade – Seasonal Changes in Plants and Animals (including characteristics and needs) * Spiders * Five Senses Unit * Dental Health * Light and Heat (natural and artificial sources) * Magnets (use to show attraction and repulsion) * Butterflies
Language Arts
Children grow tremendously during these years as God’s gifts of language, thought, and imagination are put to work in listening, speaking, writing, and reading. They are challenged to think deeply, read widely, and write purposefully in all subjects. They develop extensive vocabularies and understand how language carries beliefs and ideas that shape the world. They read a variety of books and recognize quality literature. They write clearly in various forms as they share their thinking with others. They ask questions to move their learning forward. They use language skills to know God, to understand themselves and others, and to make sense of the world in which they live.
First Grade - Discuss information clearly and audibly, give reasons for answers, and take turns. Write daily in Writer’s Workshop with sequence, details, precise and growing vocabulary in a variety of forms: retellings, descriptions, letters, couplets, captions. Read and write basic sight words fluently. Use phonetic skills to read and write grade level materials. Write complete sentences using capital letters and periods with legible, and correctly-formed, block letters. Read with understanding, using schema, connections, mental images, questions, predictions and conclusions. Identify story elements, fiction and nonfiction, fantasy, plays, poems. Read daily with increasing vocabulary and fluency at grade level.
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