Our Curriculum:

Bible: We use the Christian School International guide for stories. In first grade, we cover the stories of Creation- Daniel in the Old Testament and Mathew-Acts in the New Testament. I will be giving the students a short multiple-choice, true/false, or fill in the blank test in order to assess their comprehension of the stories. I read aloud these test in class to all the students. There will be a memory work throughout the year and I will send a copy home when we get a new passage.

Math:  We will be using the "Envisions"textbook published by the Pearson Publishing Co.. The goal of first grade is to have the addition and subtraction facts thru 12 mastered by the end of the year. It is good to review these at home; I will let you know what facts we are working on in the classroom. We will also cover place value (tens and ones), and time on the hour and half hour, measurement and money. I will also use a number of games and activities to spark the children’s interest and to lead to better understanding of math concepts.

Reading: We used the Harcourt reading program at Lansing Christian. We have five reading books in first grade. There will be a comprehension, vocabulary and reading skill exercises for the children to work on in relation to these stories.

Phonics:    The Phonics program in first grade  is called Open Court Phonics. This has been a very successful program. The children will be taking home step-by-step storybooks to read to you. The time that you spend reading these with your child is invaluable.

Science and Social Studies: In first grade, we complete units in these subjects but do not formally assess them. These subjects do not appear graded on the report card.

Penmanship: We will practice letter formation and emphasize neatness. We use the Zaner-Bloser regular manuscript program.

P.E.: Shoes with rubber soles are required, but these do not need to be a separate from what the child is wearing. We have P.E. at 12:40 on Monday and Friday. Please try to address your child appropriately in these days.

Library: We will have Library on Wednesday. Each child may have a total of 3 books checked out. The books are stamped for 2 weeks. If your child is absent on a Tuesday, please return the book on the next day your child is in school.

Show and Tell: The students will take turns having show and tell during lunchtime. Please see the schedule for your child’s day.

Birthdays: We will celebrate each child’s birthday in class. You may send a small treat with your child on their birthday. Summer birthdays may choose a day they wish to celebrate. (Sometimes half birthdays work well.) If you decided to have a party for your child, please consider the feelings of all the children and try to invite either all of the boys or all of the girls. If this is not possible please make arrangements with the parents and not thru the classroom.

Child of the week: Each child will be given a turn to be a special person of the week. When it is your turn I will send a note home explaining this on the Friday before.

Book Orders:  I will hand out book orders throughout the year. Please be aware that these are not mandatory. They are just a cheaper way for you to buy books- if you would like to. Also, sending an order home does not mean that I approve off all the books. This is a good time for you to use your discretion and go through the order with your child if you want to buy books.

One more thing: If your child is planning to go to a different place then than regular after school, please send a dated note. If I don’t have a note from you or the office (if you call later), I must send them home on their normal route.