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First Grade represents a wide developmental range. This is an important year in which students are exploring their roles within their families, friendships, and School community. We guide students in a safe, supportive environment by providing engaging learning experiences while building foundational skills.
Grade 1 units of study include: Creating Community, Geography, and Economics.
In Grade 1 we work on the following skills:
Reading
Writing
Contributing to class activities and discussions
Building number sense
Solving problems
Following directions
Making connections
Working with school materials
Asking questions
Developing a love of books
Making friends
Taking risks
Click on an item below to see a summary of Grade 1 work in that subject area. Please note: Each subject includes a guiding question or questions, some of the topics we address in that area, and an overview of some of the skills we work to build through this subject.
Phonemic Awareness: Mastering consonant sounds • Differentiating short vowel sounds • Differentiating syllable types • Building sight word vocabulary for spelling and reading • Applying rules for conventional spelling • Writing in complete sentences Literacy Skills: Writing responses to literature • Listening and contributing to classroom discussions • Creating story maps • Anticipating story events • Making personal connections • Following written and verbal directions
Topics of Study: Numbers sense • Place value • Problem-solving • Data collection and interpretation • Skip counting • Geometry • Money • Measurement • Time
Skills We Teach: Reading and writing numbers • Adding • Subtracting • Identifying place value • Recording and interpreting data • Identifying and constructing plane and solid shapes • Counting coins and making change • Developing and communicating problem-solving skills • Estimating, predicting, and measuring time, length, and weight
What is musical expression? What is a musical theme?
Topics of Study: Making a music video • Melody • Rhythm • Expression • Musical themes • Form • How does music relate to poetry? • Instruments of the orchestra • Japanese folk tales • Part singing • Performing at the Grade 3 Graduation
Skills We Teach: The voice as an instrument • Developing singing techniques • Using rhythmic and melodic notation • Improvisation, movement coordination, and sequencing • Performing at the Grade 3 Graduation • Ensemble musicianship
Classifying • Making predictions • Collecting qualitative data • Making observations • Measuring and comparing • Designing and building • Collaboration • Technology Immersion
How can I build and maintain my relationships with my classmates?
Topics of Study: Social learning • Conflict resolution • Classroom responsibility • Community building • Service Learning
Skills We Teach:
Being inclusive • Appreciating peers and treating them respectfully • Managing social relations • Taking responsibility for appropriate behavior • Taking responsibility for learning • Working productively and supportively with partners or in groups
How can I understand my part in School and the world around me?
Topics of Study:
Geography • Creating Community • Economics
Skills We Teach: Cooperating as a group member • Recognizing multiple perspectives and frames of reference • Constructing simple maps using cardinal directions and map key • Making informed choices about spending and saving money
How can I communicate and express myself in Spanish on a basic level? How can I be respectful and understanding of people who come from a different cultural background?
Topics of Study: Greetings and introductions • Colors and simple descriptions • Numbers 1-30 • Classroom communication • Insects and animals • Responding to commands • Cultural explorations • Sentence building • Guatemalan history and culture • Hispanic Heritage Month • Family • Clothing
Skills We Teach: Pronunciation • Ability to take risks • Using pictures or visual stimuli to communicate when language is not accessible • Basic Spanish vocabulary • Mimicking and repeating sounds and words • Beginning to independently produce words and sentences in Spanish • Being a respectful and kind group member • Listening to and following directions • Linking movement, sounds, and images with words • Cultural responsiveness and appreciation • Total physical response
At Nashoba Brooks School, educational technology is meaningfully integrated into all content areas to enhance student learning.
Skills We Teach:
Demonstrating responsible use of devices with increased independence • Expanding on problem-solving skills • Building technology-related vocabulary • Locating, opening, and closing apps • Incorporating drawing, pictures, text, and audio into digital work • Developing understanding of green screen technology • Using stop-motion technology to demonstrate curriculum content • Learning basic graphic design concepts • Using Beebots with increased independence to develop sequencing, planning, directionality, and early programming skills
How can we add depth to our work? How can we learn from one another in the art studio?
Topics of Study: Self-concept and community building • Mark-making • Pattern • Color • Composition • Drawing • Printing • Cray-Pas • Tempera and watercolor paint • Sculpture • Clay • Sketchbooks
Skills We Teach: Making aesthetic choices • Developing designs and adding detail to compositions • Sharing ideas and learning from one another • Working independently • Color mixing and theory • Drawing techniques • Identifying lines and shapes • Building strong and balanced structures • Using unexpected materials • Handling and shaping clay • Developing listening skills • Learning appropriate studio behavior • Visual thinking strategies
First graders work to build on the essential skills they have acquired and make sense of the world around them. They are starting to show specific learning strengths.
Grade 1 Homeroom Teachers
List of 2 members.
Charlene Voorhees
Grade 1 teacher
Nicole Williams
Grade 1, Grades Preschool/Kindergarten/1 Team Leader
Situated on a beautiful 30-acre campus in historic Concord, Massachusetts, Nashoba Brooks School enrolls all genders in Preschool through Grade 3, and students identifying as girls in Grades 4 through 8. Nashoba Brooks is an independent school designed to build community, character, and confidence in its students.