Mrs. Mary Jackson
Room # 108
Courses to be taught:
· Language Arts
o Reading
o Grammar
o Spelling
o Writing
· Math
· Religion
· Science
· Social Studies
· Handwriting
Textbooks and Workbooks:
|
Subject |
Publisher |
Title |
Copyright |
|
Reading |
Mac-Millian McGraw Hill |
Treasures Reading (Texts) 1,2,3,4,5 Practice Book O (workbook) |
2009 |
|
Grammar |
McGraw Hill |
Grammar (workbook) |
2009 |
|
Spelling |
McGraw Hill |
Spelling (workbook) |
2009 |
|
Handwriting |
Scott Foresman |
D’Nealian Handwriting (workbook |
1993 |
|
Science |
Pearson |
Interactive Science (workbooks) |
2012 |
|
Religion |
Harcourt |
Call to Faith |
2009 |
|
Math |
Houghton Mifflin |
Math (workbook) Practice book |
2007 |
|
Social Studies |
Harcourt |
A child’s View |
2010 |
|
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|
|
|
Summary of subjects:
Religion
In first grade the children will gain a basic understanding of the one true God and his unconditional love for them. The children will learn about the complete life of Jesus and his teachings. They will become aware of the three persons in the Holy Trinity. They will learn that Mary is the Mother of God. First graders will be exposed to the basic understanding of the Mass and some simple prayers. The children will be attending a first/second grade Liturgy on Tuesdays and an entire school Mass on Fridays. The various liturgical seasons of the year like Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter will also be studied. Every year Catholic Schools Week will also be celebrated.
Language Arts
The McGraw-Hill Reading Program integrates phonics, grammar, and literature to build upon each student’s reading and writing skills. It is designed to meet the needs of a child individually and in a group setting. Phonemic awareness and sound/symbol relationships begin our journey. They will learn how to identify the parts of a story such as the beginning, middle and end. In their reading they will be capable of telling you the characters, setting and plot in the stories. Each student will learn ways to decode words and develop stronger skills and comprehension. The children are involved with a host of literacy activities. They listen to quality literature read aloud and then share their ideas enhancing their verbal skills. They also participate in shared reading, guided reading and independent reading. Evaluation is an on-going process.
There are 5 good reasons to read to your child.
1. When you hold them and give them your attention you are bonding with them and they know that you care and love them.
2. When you read with them it will spark them to read as well.
3. Today’s books are amusing for adults too.
4. The art work is captivating and draws them into the story.
5. Books are a way of passing your morals down to your son/daughter.
Grammar
Teaching and understanding what makes a noun and a verb is one skill. The children learn how to write simple sentences with correct verb choices. The use of singular and plural words in a sentence is also studied. Correct punctuation and the proper usage of capitalization is also introduced.
Math
A first grade math curriculum should rely on many learning tools such as games, manipulatives, worksheets and assessments. The major math strands for first grade are number sense and operation, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis, and probability. They will begin to work with money, time, calendar, fractions, and the addition of two digit numbers.
Mad Minutes which consist of 30 addition or subtraction problems are practiced for speed and accuracy. Each child advances at their own mastery. They have two minutes to complete these sheets at 100% accuracy to go to the next level.
Handwriting
The D’Nealian style of printing is utilized at St. Stephens. The children learn how to place their paper properly on their desks and to hold their pencils in the correct manner. Learning proper slant and spacing between words is an important skill. At the close of the year, the students should know how to accurately print lower and upper case letters.
Social Studies
The series A Child’s View has six units. Unit 1 is entitled Rules and Laws. The curriculum covers school and community rules and the issue of citizenship. Unit 2 is named Where People Live? The children use a globe or map to look at land and water and places in the world. We Love our Country is Unit 3. It examines American symbols, holidays, heroes and some of our Presidents. Unit 4 is Our Changing World. Glancing at schools of long ago and compare them with the schools of today is eye opening for the kids. Meeting People is Unit 5. We trace our own ancestry and later our countries clear back to the Native Americans. It is a chance to explore culture and customs from other parts of the world. Lastly, is Unit 6 called The Marketplace. It gives the children a chance to look at various jobs people do and buyers and sellers. Also at St. Stephen’s we have a Junior Achievement Course and it focuses on Needs and Wants. It is taught by a parent.
Science
Topics in first grade science focus on learning critical science skills. Each unit is “hands on” and “minds on” as they explore, observe and question their understanding of the topic at hand. The children will broaden their views of Physical, Earth and Life Sciences. In the Physical realm they will study solids, liquids and gases. Earth Science will feature soil components, rocks and other properties. Life Sciences will look at the similarities and differences in plants and animals. In addition there will be some biographies of famous inventors in the science field.
Spelling
On Monday the children receive their spelling words and are responsible for learning how to spell ten words for their Friday test. Children will develop their skills through games, dictation sentences and practice.
All subjects will be taught on a regular basis with Social Studies and Science rotating every two weeks.
Primary content areas to be addressed throughout the year:
|
|
Quarter 1 |
Quarter 2 |
Quarter 3 |
Quarter 4 |
|
Religion |
God Made You God’s Gifts Care for Creation The Trinity The Holy Family |
Jesus the Storyteller Jesus Heals Jesus teaches Love Pray to God Say “Yes” to God |
The Holy Spirit Holy People Love and Serve Making Choices Say “I’m Sorry” |
Jesus the Savior Sacraments Baptism The Mass Life with God God’s Kingdom |
|
Social Studies |
Rules and Laws Where People Live |
We Love our Country |
Our Changing World Meeting People |
The Marketplace |
|
Handwriting |
Learn lower and upper case letters |
Learn lower and upper case letters |
Learn lower and upper case letters |
Learn lower and upper case letters |
|
Science |
|
|
|
|
|
Math |
Number concepts Addition ordering Subtraction concepts Data and Graphing Add & Subtract through 10 |
Plane and Solid Shapes & Patterns Fractions/Probability Place value to 100 Order/Compare # Number Patterns |
Time and Calendar Money-penny, nickel, dime, quarter dollar Addition/ Subtraction facts to 12 Length/Weight Capacity/temperature |
Two digit add/subtract Subtracting two digit numbers |
|
Language Arts |
Short vowel sounds Beginning blends Ending blends Inflectional endings Double final consonant Character/setting Possessives Author’s purpose Vocabulary Main idea/details Dictionary skills contractions |
Long vowel sounds Predictions Compare/Contrast Word Choice Main Idea/details Inflectional endings Contractions Blends fluency |
Long vowel sounds Inferences Drawing conclusions Context Clues Compare/Contrast Compound Words Word Parts Vocabulary Strategy Fantasy/Reality Captions Problem/Solutions Cause/Effect Abbreviations Classify Categorize Prefixes R-controlled vowels |
Diphthongs Use illustrations Syllables Variant Vowels Suffixes Context Clues Compare/Contrast Cause/Effect Predictions Thesaurus
|
Types of Assessments
The first graders will be assessed weekly on Spelling and Reading. Math, Science, Social Studies, and Religion will be assessed at the close of every unit.
Special Projects
|
Subject |
Description |
Approximate Date |
|
Language Arts |
Read a book Make a poster Present to class |
2nd Semester |
|
Social Studies |
Travel Destination Make a brochure@ rules Present to class |
2nd Semester |
|
Religion |
|
|
|
Science |
|
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Tentative Schedule for Field Trips
Fall- Rose Theater (Language Arts-author)
Spring- Zoo ( Science..plants and animals)
Spring- Embrology (Religion)
Grading Scale
E is 95-100
S+ is 90-94
S is 82-89
S- is 78-81
U is 78 and below
Criteria for grading late and missed assignments:
If a student does not finish their work he/she must stay in from recess until it is completed.
Policy for students who will be completing work after an absence:
· If a student is ill, he/she will have a couple of days to complete the assignment and return it. There will be no adjustment to the grade.
· If a student knows in advance of his absence, work will be issued in advance for completion when he returns to school.
· If the absence is due to a serious illness then a discussion with take place.
Behavior Policy ( Excerpt from Handbook)
Our Primary grades utilize a flip card system. Should the student fail to comply with the rules governing behavior, the student will be verbally warned. In the case of second offense within the day, the student will have their card flipped on the classroom discipline chart. On this chard the student has colored cards with each card representing a different consequence.
GREEN You are doing a good job!!
YELLOW Warning—You need to check yourself. Are you respectful, listening, and following directions?
PURPLE You have not been respectful, contributing to the learning environment, and/or following procedures. You lose your next recess at which time you will fill out a sheet detailing what was done. This sheet will be taken home, completed with your parents, signed by your parents, and returned the next day.
RED Blatant or harmful disrespect to others or property. Inability to listen/follow directions after prior steps have been followed. Teacher calls parents to discuss behavior. (We strongly urge parents to have some prearranged privilege loss when this occurs.)
Please refer to page 9 of the Family Handbook for more information.
Guidelines for parents offering students assistance with homework:
Please help your children with homework as needed. At this age it would be advisable to assist your child with spelling, math, vocabulary words, and extra reading time. Also, the teachers would like you to sign math homework.
Policy for mastery learning, test retakes and extra credit:
· Students should perform at an 85% or higher to become proficient.
· No extra credit will be given at this level.
· Test retakes are not offered at this level.
Expectations of homework:
Plan on 10 minutes of homework Monday through Thursday.
Contact Information:
Please feel free to contact me by email or phone.
Email: m.jackson@stephen.org (Preferred method)
Phone (402) 896-0794
Each week I will be sending out a newsletter through out class website. If anything arises during the school week I will contact you as soon as possible.
