This year's first grade is taught by Kate Koostra.

Curriculum

BIBLE (Positive Action for Christ)

Enjoying God’s Gifts is a weekly study with the purpose of making God’s Word more meaningful to young children. First graders memorize a Bible verse each week that is linked to the Bible lesson.

MATHEMATICS (Saxon)

Concepts range from concrete to abstract. Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic approaches are used to teach addition, subtraction, grouping, sorting, graphing, plane and solid shapes, fractions, time, money, and temperature.

READING (Open Court)

Our language curriculum involves the phonetic approach to decoding words, giving a firm foundation and an excellent skill in approaching each new word. The Blue-Pillowed Sky, A Shiny Golden Path, and Rainbow Bridge are the teaching additions used in first grade. These stories are used to put into practice what each student has learned in our Phonics program. Victory Drill is also used to increase fluency. Twice a month each child is required to read a book outside of the classroom and do a book report.

LANGUAGE (McDougal, Littell)

Daily Oral Language (DOL) is used to introduce children to punctuation, capitalization, and usage skills. The format of this program gives children the opportunity to develop and practice proofreading in the course of their daily lessons.

COMPOSITION/WRITING (Write Reflections)

Expository writing is taught with the students learning to identify topic sentences and write two or more detail sentences in paragraph form.

SPELLING  (ACSI)

Weekly spelling word lists have been chosen to reinforce all phonetic skills learned. Each week we do a number of activities to reinforce the words and sound rules.

HANDWRITING (Zaner-Bloser)

Shape, size and spacing are reinforced through a program designed to promote good manuscript handwriting.

SCIENCE (Purposeful Design – ACSI)

Weekly lessons focusing on the following areas: Life Science (Animals and Humans), Physical Science (Movement and Machines), Earth and Space Science (Seasons and Space).

SOCIAL STUDIES

Weekly lessons cover such topics as:  Community Helpers, Now and Long Ago, National Holidays, and Maps and Globes.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

For one half hour each day students have organized games or sports. This time is to develop strength, endurance, and flexibility and also to develop basic skills in individual and team sports. We place emphasis on cooperation as a team and showing good sportsmanship, as well.

ART

Each week a variety of art and craft work is done in the classroom.  Most projects have themes that are seasonal or involve newly learned information.

MUSIC

Students spend time each day in class singing and participate singing weekly in Chapel.

ENRICHMENT

First graders are involved in Spanish, weekly chapels, a musical program for Open House, a Grandparents’ Day program, special art projects, and special day celebrations. Students go off campus on field trips to the Sacramento Zoo, Woodland Public Library, Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm, Nugget, In ‘n Out Burger, Jelly Belly Factory, and CalSkate.