First Grade for Parents

Mrs. G. Oliva    Mrs. M. Hieb   Ms. N. D'Imperio

You may visit a teacher's class web site by clicking on her name above.

First grade is the place where we lay the foundation for learning.  Throughout the subject areas skills and strategies are introduced which will be developed further as a student progresses through the grades.

The Language Arts area ties together the disciplines of Reading, Writing, Spelling and Speaking.  Since communication is an important life skill much time is spent in this area.

Reading is a major focus in first grade.  A balanced program incorporating whole group and small group instruction is presented.  Learners are equipped with a variety of skills including phonics, decoding and comprehension strategies to bring meaning to literature in their lives.

Writing in first grade combines grammatical instruction in sentence form and punctuation, with guided instruction in the creative writing process.  This includes prewriting, rough draft, proofreading, revising and publishing stages.  Transitional spelling is accepted in order not to hinder creativity.

In Spelling, Medford has adopted the Rebecca Sitton program.  Children are held accountable for spelling high-frequency words correctly in their everyday writing.  There are thirty core words on the first grade list.

Trailblazers Math is used in the elementary grades.  Its goals and ideals reflect the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Teaching of Integrated Math and Science Project of the University of Illinois at Chicago.  Math concepts are presented in real-world contexts that children can understand.  Strategies, concepts, and problem solving are developed in the areas of: addition, subtraction, measurement, data collection, statistics, basic geometry, ratios, probability, graphing, simple algebra, estimation, mental arithmetic, patterns, and relations.  A conceptual understanding of mathematical concepts is developed prior to procedural skill.

The teachers in grade 1 use the science unit from Scott Foresman.

Social Studies emphasize the appreciation of diversity in our world. Throughout the year various holidays and their cultural connections are explored and enjoyed.

Our first graders’ school experience are further enhanced by classes in Art, Music, Physical Education, Computer and World Language.  These programs are on an ongoing basis and continue through the grades.