Religion:
It is my opinion that the teaching of the Christian faith is primary at Our
Shepherd Lutheran School. By the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray that your
child will learn and believe the love God has for him or her. “Teaching the
faith” is not limited to a certain time period during the day, although we do
have a time slot on the schedule for Religion. We make use of Concordia
Publishing House material, Voyages. There are 9 units. A parent letter will be
sent home at the start of each unit (about every four weeks). These letters will
encourage you as a Christian parent. The memory selections for the unit will be
listed and dated on the back of each letter. A completed workbook will be sent
home every four weeks.
Reading:
The Scott Foresman Reading Series (2000 edition) is used in our
classroom. It incorporates reading, phonics, oral language and writing. A
parent letter will be sent home weekly listing a variety of activity ideas.
Multilevel Resources are available for the varying abilities of children. These
include, besides a basal text: Independent readers, phonics readers, trade book
library readers and leveled readers. A folder will be kept on your child’s
reading progress. www.sfreading.com can offer links to a variety of reading
activities for your child. The first six weeks of class will be spent reviewing
phonics skills (consonant sounds and short vowels) taught in kindergarten and
learning 36 high frequency words: red, blue, yellow, see, I, a, at, and, can,
the, look, my, big, it, in, have, is, little, not, you, do, like, to, that, get,
what, we, one, two, three, up, here, go, but, where, am. Children will learn
to use books for information and enjoyment. I do ask that children read
to and with a parent on a regular basis. Children learn to read at different
rates – so please do not compare your child’s progress with a sibling or
another first grader. Learning to read is fun and should not be a source of
stress for you or your child. The Accelerated Reader program (using the
computer lab) will be added for children as they become ready for this
challenge.
Math:
The Saxon Primary Math will be used for the first time this year. It is a series in which all new concepts are developed through hands-on activities
and rich mathematical conversations that actively engage students in the learning process. Concepts are developed, reviewed, and practiced over time.
Students move from the concrete to the pictorial to the abstract.
Handwriting:
We use the D’Nealian style (or sometimes called modern manuscript) in our
classes at Our Shepherd. It uses fewer strokes and enables the child to move
easily from manuscript into cursive. I discourage parents from rushing
into cursive writing with their children – this is a 2nd grade
skill. I have included a sheet (front and back) that details how the manuscript
letters are made using D’Nealian strokes. Refer to this sheet when in doubt as
to how a letter should be formed.
Spelling:
After a basic 6 week review of letter sounds, your child will begin receiving a
weekly list of spelling words. The spelling units start with lists that are
phonetic – short and long vowel words. Eventually the children will have lists
of words that belong together (i.e. color words, number words). Most first
graders love having Friday tests. We make spelling fun in the room.
Social Studies
and Science: During the school year, the children will have units in
science on: Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science and the Human Body. We
also include a special unit on “Bats” at the end of the school year. Our Social
Studies units are: Time for School, In My Community, Work! Work! Work!, Our
Earth, Our Resources, This Is Our Country and Our Country, Our World!
Art, Music,
Physical Education: First grade students are exposed to a variety of
activities in these areas. These activities may or may not cross various
curriculum areas. For example, we may do an art project that is related to
something we have learned in science OR we may do an art project that teaches a
basic technique in art; we may sing a song about people in another land OR we
may sing a song that teaches a basic musical skill, etc.
