First grade is a fun and new adventure. In Granite District we are required to teach fidelity to Utah State Core standards for 1st grade. Here is a quick idea of what the students will be learning this year and around when it will be taught.
The first 2 to 3 weeks of 1st grade is a Kindergarten review. This is also the time, that as a teacher, I get to know the students and assess for their academic level. From there we move on to reading and writing short vowels and beginning blends. Around the middle of December we will start long vowels with the magic/helpful e. During this time of year digraphs are also taught. Around February we move on to reading and writing long vowel teams. Towards the middle to end of March we work on other vowel combinations.
We have so many different students with a variety of academic levels in our classroom. We have students who are reading well above grade level and students who are still learning their alphabet sounds. We have many different learning times during the day. We will spend time as a whole class learning the Utah State Standards, we will also spend time in small groups, working on the student’s individual needs. We also have time with paraprofessionals that will be running other small groups as needed.
Part of 1st grade is learning to be responsible and learn to be independent. We will be practicing being in charge of our learning and working independently during small group time. I can not start small groups until the majority of the class can work independently, this will likely be around October. Once small groups are started I will get to each group once a week. Some groups will need more time with me than other groups. There are a few times of the year when small groups are not pulled so I can test individual students.
As always if you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Thank you so much for your support.