GHA First Grade Curriculum Guide

Curriculum Guide

First Grade

253.265.2150
gigharboracademy.org
6820 32nd St NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335

Gig Harbor Academy
Gig Harbor Academy is committed to providing the highest quality
education to all students. One way to provide a quality education is with
an effective curriculum that reflects high standards and high expectations.
Thus, GHA has developed rigorous content standards aligned with
national guidelines. But even the most rigorous standards cannot make
schools and students successful without the support of parents.
Each grade level’s curriculum guide is designed to inform parents of
GHA’s expectations for students in the major curriculum areas: reading/
writing, mathematics, and science. These expectations are aligned with
the curriculum that is used by the classroom teacher for daily instruction.
These curriculum guides also provide examples of what your child should
know and be able to accomplish upon completion of each academic year.
GHA believes in educating the whole child, therefore these expectations
are the foundation upon which we build the educational experience for
each student.
Because of learning styles and differences, we know that not all children
reach the same expectations at the same time. If at any time you wish
to talk about your child’s educational progress, classroom teachers are
always available to speak with you directly. GHA believes that all children
can learn if parents and schools work together.

2

First Grade Curriculum Guide

Reading Writing and Speaking

GHA’s English Language Arts Learning Expectations are adapted from
three professional organizations: National Council of Teachers of English
and International Reading Association’s document, NCTE/IRA Standards
for the English Language Arts, and the National Association for the
Education of Young Children’s document, NAYEC Position Statement
and Standards.
Reading is the priority in first grade. Students will be immersed in a
print-rich environment to develop oral language skills, phonetic skills,
vocabulary, comprehension, and an awareness of print materials as
sources of information and enjoyment. Students will begin to use their
oral language skills to gain and explain information. In addition, students
will continue to develop the higher-level phonemic awareness skills of
segmentation, deletion, and substitution.
Having developed the concept of word and letter-sound correspondence,
students will now concentrate on learning and integrating basic phonetic
principles, decoding words in isolation, using meaning clues, and
employing language and sentence structure to read and substantially
increase their sight-word vocabulary.

Balanced Literacy

Gig Harbor Academy employs a balanced literacy approach to reading
and writing acquisition. A balanced literacy program contains all of
the components necessary for students to master written and oral
communication. It includes teaching phonics, spelling patterns, grammar
and writing skills, reading and comprehension strategies, fluency,
presentations, performances, and much conversation and discussion
about reading and writing. In the classroom, there is direct and indirect
reading and writing instruction, through modeled, shared, guided

3

Gig Harbor Academy
and independent reading and writing experiences. Children are given
direct instructional support and a variety of daily reading and writing
experiences that promote student engagement in the complex process of
becoming independent readers and writers.
In a balanced literacy classroom, teachers provide individualized support
through conferencing that may include re-teaching and prompting
for reading and writing behaviors as young children begin to read. As
children mature in their reading abilities, they are guided toward thinking
about how story elements, i.e., character, setting, problem, solution, main
events, etc., work together and impact meaning. Character analysis helps
students focus on how the main character’s traits, feelings, dialogue and
actions often direct the plot of the story, and students are guided toward
connecting the text to their own life and/or another text. Children are
given ample opportunities for group discussions which encourage their
engagement. Under the guidance of the teacher, students help each other
to unravel confusing concepts.

4

First Grade Curriculum Guide

A key component of a balanced literacy program entails scaffolding
instruction in order to make learning to read and write more successful
for all children. One example of scaffolding is guided reading where the
teacher works with a small group of students that are on the same reading
level or have similar instructional needs. Students usually have their own
texts and the teacher works with the students on skills and strategies.
Guided reading includes mini-lessons with a targeted focus that meets a
specific need of a particular group of students. A mini-lesson could include
phonics, word attack skills, fluency, comprehension skills/strategies, or
grammar and mechanics. The class will regroup during sharing time to
discuss what they practiced, learned, or did independently with partners
or in groups. During shared reading time, the teacher will often assess
what students have learned and give them time to reflect on their own
learning. This develops responsible learners and accountability.

Reading

Students work on matching sounds to letters and putting them together
in order to read meaningful, connected text.

• Identify and blend phonemes (initial, medial vowel, and final
sounds), distinguishing between short and long vowels, to read
single-syllable words.

• Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant
digraphs and blends.

• Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the
words into syllables.

• Demonstrate fluency by reading with purpose and understanding
at an appropriate rate.

• Recognize many high frequency words by sight.

5

Gig Harbor Academy

Students read aloud and silently to get meaning of the text.

• Recognize main idea, recall factual information, and ask questions
to help clarify what has been read.

• Summarize the story or book in their own words and describe what
information they learned.

• Self-monitor his or her reading to determine whether the words
sound right given the spelling of the word and whether the words
make sense in relationship to the rest of the sentence or story.

Listening and Speaking

Students will share ideas, events, and things of importance through
speaking and listening to one another.

• Express ideas and opinions, ask questions, and listen to other points
of view during class meeting time and literacy instruction.

• Follow verbal instructions given to a group and are able to follow
through on them.

6

First Grade Curriculum Guide

Mathematics

GHA math standards are adapted from the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM), Principles and Standards for School Mathematics.
The first-grade math curriculum places emphasis on counting and
comparing quantities; recognizing and describing simple repeating and
growing patterns; and building, describing, and sorting geometric figures.
Students’ understanding of number will be expanded through learning
and applying strategies for adding and subtracting, interpreting and
solving varied types of math story problems, and (de)composing numbers
as they determine different combinations for the same number and apply
a developing understanding of place value. Students will use nonstandard
units to measure, and they will organize and interpret data. Fractional
concepts will be expanded. While learning mathematics, students will be
actively engaged, exercising choice as they circulate through a variety of
learning activities and have opportunities to work both collaboratively
and independently.
Mathematics has its own language of specialized vocabulary and language
patterns which will be integrated into classroom instruction. Students
will begin to use correctly the concepts, symbols, and vocabulary of
mathematics. Problem solving has been integrated throughout the math
curriculum at GHA; in all grades the development of problem-solving
skills is a major goal.

7

Gig Harbor Academy
Numbers and Operations
The focus of instruction in the number and operations strand is to
promote an understanding of counting, classification, whole numbers,
place value, fractions, number relationships (“more than,” “less than,” and
“equal to”), and the effects of single-step and multi-step computations.
These learning experiences allow students to engage actively in a variety
of problem solving situations and to model numbers using a variety of
manipulatives.
Students use the concept of place value to put together and take apart
whole numbers up to 100.

• Explain, model, and demonstrate the meaning of addition and
subtraction with whole numbers.

• Demonstrate fluency in +1, +2, -1, -2 facts, addition/subtraction
within 10, adding/subtracting 10 to/from any 2-digit number,
subtracting multiples of 10 up to 90, and using models to add
numbers with totals under 100.

8

First Grade Curriculum Guide

• Count, read and write numbers 1-120, beginning at any number;
count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s beyond 100.

• Show an initial understanding of place value by organizing a set of up
to 120 objects into tens and ones, and given a numeral, representing
it with tens and ones. Compare numbers using standard notation
>, <, =.

• Understand and use the number line, 120 chart, base 10 blocks, and
other manipulatives as tools for problem solving.

Algebra

The focus of instruction at the first grade level is to observe, recognize,
create, extend, and describe a variety of patterns. Students will begin to
experience and recognize visual, kinesthetic, and auditory patterns and
develop the language to describe them orally and in writing as a foundation
to using symbols. They will use patterns to explore mathematical and
geometric relationships and to solve problems, and their observations
and discussions of how things change will eventually lead to the notion of
functions and ultimately to algebra.
Students recognize, extend, and create patterns.

• Recognize and describe changes using words and numbers.
• Extend patterns with numbers.

Geometry

The focus of instruction in grade one is on observing, identifying,
describing, contrasting, and investigating solid objects and their faces.
Students describe the attributes (shape, size, color, number of sides) and
parts of two and three- dimensional shapes.

9

Gig Harbor Academy

• Identify and describe regular polygons.
• Construct, model, and describe objects in the environment as

geometric shapes (triangle, rectangle, square, and circle) and
explain the reasonableness of each choice.

Measurement

Measurement instruction in grade one focuses on developing the skills
needed to measure length, distance, and time. Classroom measurement
experiences focus on estimating and measuring real objects. Students
gain deep understanding of the concepts of measurement when handling
the materials, making physical comparisons, and measuring with tools.
Students use standard units of measurement.

• Tell time to the nearest hour and half-hour.
• Demonstrate accurate measuring techniques.
• Compare, using the concepts of more, less, and equivalent.

Data Analysis and Probability

The focus of statistics instruction in grade one is to help students
develop methods of collecting, organizing, describing, displaying, and
interpreting data to answer questions they have posed about themselves
and their world.
Students collect, sort, represent, and analyze data.

• Read a simple bar graph and base conclusions on it.
• Investigate, identify, describe, and represent various forms of

data collection (e.g., recording daily temperature, lunch count,
attendance, favorite ice cream), using tables, picture graphs, and
10

First Grade Curriculum Guide

Science

GHA follows the Next Generation Science Standards developed by The
American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Science
Teachers Association, and National Research Council.
The learning expectations in first grade help students formulate answers
to questions such as: What happens when materials vibrate? What
happens when there is no light? What are some ways plants and animals
meet their needs so that they can survive and grow? How are parents and
their children similar and different? What objects are in the sky and how
do they seem to move?
Students are expected to develop understanding of the relationship
between sound and vibrating materials as well as between the availability
of light and ability to see objects. The idea that light travels from place
to place can be understood by first grade students through determining
the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of
a beam of light.

11

Gig Harbor Academy
Students are also expected to develop understanding of how plants and
animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet
their needs, as well as how behaviors of parents and offspring help the
offspring survive. The understanding is developed that young plants and
animals are like, but not exactly the same as their parents.
In the first grade performance expectations, students are expected to
demonstrate grade-appropriate proficiency in planning and carrying out
investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations
and designing solutions, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating
information. Students are expected to use these practices to demonstrate
understanding of the core science expectations below.
Waves and Their Applications in Technologies

• Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating
materials can make sound and that sound can make materials
vibrate i.e., vibrating materials that make sound could include
plucking a stretched string; sound making matter vibrate could
include holding a piece of paper near a speaker playing music.

12

First Grade Curriculum Guide

• Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that
objects can be seen only when illuminated, i.e., observations could
include those made in a completely dark room, a pinhole box, or
a video of a cave explorer with a flashlight. Illumination could be
from an external light source or by an object giving off its own light.

• Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing
objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of
light, i.e., materials could include those that are transparent (such
as clear plastic), translucent (such as wax paper), opaque (such as
cardboard), and reflective (such as a mirror).

• Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or
sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance, i.e.,
devices could include a light source to send signals or a pattern of
drum beats.

From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

• Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by
mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to
help them survive, grow, and meet their needs, i.e. human problems
that can be solved could include designing clothing or equipment
to protect bicyclists by mimicking turtle shells, acorn shells, or
animal scales, stabilizing structures by mimicking animal tails and
roots on plants, or keeping out intruders by mimicking thorns on
branches and animal quills.

• Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of
parents and offspring that help offspring survive, i.e. patterns of
behaviors could include the signals that offspring make (such as
crying, cheeping, and other vocalizations) and the responses of the
parents (such as feeding, comforting, and protecting the offspring).

13

Gig Harbor Academy

Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

• Make observations to construct an evidence-based account
that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their
parents, i.e., patterns could include features plants or animals share,
observations could include leaves from the same kind of plant are
the same shape but can differ in size, or a particular breed of dog
looks like its parents but is not exactly the same.

Earth’s Place in the Universe

• Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns
that can be predicted, i.e., patterns could include that the sun and
moon appear to rise in one part of the sky, move across the sky, and
set; and stars other than our sun are visible at night but not during
the day.

• Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of
daylight to the time of year.

Engineering Design

• Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a
situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can
be solved through the development of a new or improved object or
tool.

• Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate
how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a
given problem.

14

First Grade Curriculum Guide

Social Studies

Social Studies at Gig Harbor Academy has inquiry at the heart of
instruction. Teachers use questions to spark curiosity, guide instruction,
and deepen understanding of topics being investigated. Each inquiry unit
takes root in a compelling question that draws from one or more of the
social studies disciplines of civics, economics, geography, and history.
Children are naturally curious about the complex world they inhabit. But
they quickly become disengaged when instruction is not engaging nor
meaningful. Intentionally teaching social studies in an inquiry approach
and having compelling questions drive student investigations builds
critical thinking, problem solving, and participatory skills that makes
learning not only more engaging but also more relevant.
First grade begins with a social studies inquiry unit, titled “Family Stories”
which leads students through an investigation of their families as a way
to begin understanding the concepts of past and present. By answering
the compelling question “What do family stories tell us about the past?”
students learn about change over time. Through the use of family artifacts
(e.g., photographs, marriage licenses, family trees, keepsakes), students
learn that such items can reveal information about how life in the past
differs from life in the present and how their families have changed over
time.
Three supporting questions that students will investigate are, “Do all
families have stories?” “What artifacts could someone use to tell a family
story?” and “How do families change over time?” In order to answer these
questions, students have to gather and evaluate information, develop
answers using evidence, and then communicate their conclusions.

15

Gig Harbor Academy

Spanish

The ultimate goal of Spanish at Gig Harbor Academy is students’
acquisition of the speaking skills needed to interact in Spanish in real-
life situations. The curriculum is organized around broad themes such
as family members, greetings, animals, alphabet, shapes, and colors.
This allows students to connect the language they are learning to
meaningful content. Lessons in Spanish are planned to include a wide
range of culture-rich, age-appropriate activities, such as singing, dancing,
rhyming, playing Spanish educational games, and using iPads with
students working independently, in pairs, and in groups.
Spanish class incorporates materials that encourage young students’
interaction and involvement with the language, including stuffed
animals, puppets, storybooks, videos, and games. Students are engaged
in activities, such as storytelling, that emphasize the gradual acquisition
of language rather than the memorization of vocabulary and rules. Also,
incorporated into lessons are cultural activities, such as introducing the
foods, music, and dance that are enjoyed in Spanish speaking countries.
Spanish is used in the classroom as much as possible both by teacher and
student. If a student asks the meaning of a word in the foreign language,
the teacher uses both gesture and description to explain the word, rather
than reverting to English.
Most students at Gig Harbor Academy are beginners to Spanish and have
had no previous instruction in the language. It is our intent to teach Spanish
in an engaging and fun way so that students, over time, will develop the
ability to do such things as greet and respond to greetings, express likes
and dislikes, make requests, and begin to provide information. We do
this through various topics such as family, shopping, directions, food and
customs, places and events. As a culminating educational experience, all
students participate in an annual Spanish festival performance.

16

First Grade Curriculum Guide

Art

Gig Harbor Academy has implemented an approach to education referred
to as Discipline Based Arts Education. (DBAE). DBAE is an approach
developed by The Getty Center for Education in the Arts. DBAE continues
to be an outstanding framework which insures that all students receive an
excellent and ongoing study of the arts. It also involves the integration
of visual art into any curriculum in order to enhance overall learning.
DBAE presents a time proven art curriculum involving the following four
components: aesthetics, art criticism, art history and art production:

Art Production:

The production of art guides students through higher levels of thinking,
imagination, and contemplation. The production of art conjures
imaginative and critical thinking processes. The production of art
expresses our deepest understanding of our visual world. The creation of
art in any form is the expression of the heart, mind, spirit, and hand. Art
helps children understand other subjects more clearly – from math and
science, to language arts and geography…and much more.

17

Gig Harbor Academy

Physical Education

Art History:

Art history has given us a peek into an understanding of past cultures
and times. By studying art history we begin to realize the connections
which help us make sense of the world. Not only do students begin to
understand art history, they begin to connect the dots relating to our
physical, spiritual, and soulful life on this planet.

Art Criticism/Analysis:

One may look inside of oneself and love a particular piece, and another
may not. Analysis and criticism simply speaks about it. There is a
difference between liking a work of art and understanding its relevance to
the big (art world) picture. This process involves higher levels of thinking.
Art criticism and analysis often goes hand in hand with the beginnings
of aesthetics.

Aesthetics:

The values and ideas of “what is beautiful” is a highly personal one. Students
begin to understand the relationship between what is personally beautiful
and what is more beautiful as a collective society. Critical thinking skills
are used in aesthetics as we endeavor to design and create our personal
environments as well as to personally respond to architecture and public
spaces.
All grade levels work with a variety of materials and methods which are age
appropriate. By the completion of 5th grade, GHA art students have a solid
foundation in visual art which well prepares them for middle school art
classes.

18

First Grade Curriculum Guide

Physical Education

The physical education program at Gig Harbor Academy is a
comprehensive and skills-based curriculum. The program helps students
develop locomotor skills, balance, spatial awareness and manipulative
skills. Students engage in a wide variety of outdoor activities, sports,
and challenges that will increase their physical, social, teamwork and
cooperation skills. The goal is to provide a safe, fun and motivating class
that will encourage all students to want to participate , have fun and try
their personal best. In addition, positive sportsmanship is taught and
encouraged throughout the year.
The physical and health curriculum exposes students to relevant issues,
with the goal of promoting healthy choices while helping students
understand the benefits of lifelong physical activity. Focused fitness
activities help teach students the importance of physical health and
daily nutrition. Gig Harbor Academy students are offered differentiated
instructional strategies that create a safe and inclusive environment

19

Gig Harbor Academy

Technology

The objective of technology enrichment at Gig Harbor Academy is two-
fold, digital citizenship and creating information:

Digital Citizenship:

Digital citizenship is the appropriate, safe, and responsible use of
technology. In the lower grades we ask questions such as, “How do you
safely go places on the computer?”, “What can you do when someone
is mean to you online?”, “How can you use the alphabet to find things
online?”. In the upper grades, questions such as, “Which keywords will
give you the best search results?”, “What kinds of responsibilities does a
good digital citizen have?” are asked.

Bridging the Gap Between Consumption and Creation:

At Gig Harbor Academy we wish to teach creation rather than only
consumption of information. Even our youngest children have now been
raised with electronic devices and use them intuitively. However as adults
we daily use computers to write documents, organize data, and automate
tasks. Our technology program is designed to bridge that gap between
consumption and production, and do so in an exciting and meaningful
way.
To that end there are a number of fundamental concepts to outline
and build upon step-by-step. Among these are articulating a problem,
expressing a concise and specific solution, then developing a logical and
elegant procedure to carry out that solution. We will explore how large
problems can be broken down to simple tasks and handled in turn or in
parallel through teamwork.
At Gig Harbor Academy there are several devices and robots available
that allow for the introduction and exploration these ideas with even
some of the youngest students. Scratch, an environment developed by
scientists at the MIT Media Lab is utilized. Students can program and
share interactive media such as stories, games, and animation.
20

First Grade Curriculum Guide

As children explore Scratch, they learn to think creatively, work
collaboratively, and reason systematically. They also use math and language
in a meaningful and motivating context, supporting the development of
early–childhood numeracy and literacy.
In the upper grades structured languages are introduced, where specific
commands or phrases are used to accomplish the solutions we have
designed. Students work hands-on with core computational concepts
such as iteration and conditionals, and math concepts such as coordinates,
variables, and random numbers. When students learn about variables
in traditional math classes, they usually feel little personal connection
to the concept. But when they learn about variables in Scratch, they are
used immediately and meaningfully, whether they control the speed of an
animation, or keep track of the score in a game they are creating.

As they learn about the process of design a student will start with an
idea, create a prototype, debug it when things go wrong, get feedback
from`others, then revise and redesign it. This spiral leads to new ideas,
which lead to new projects, and so on. Designing animation, games, or
stories through Scratch enables students to express themselves more fully
and creatively, develop as logical thinkers, and understand the workings
of new technologies they encounter everywhere. The problem-solving
habits they develop will help them achieve and overcome throughout
their lives.
21

Gig Harbor Academy

Music

The objective of the Gig Harbor Academy music program is to develop
joyful musicians who are confident and accurate singers, controlled and
accurate rhythmic performers, and inquisitive listeners who are sensitive
to the expressive and historical qualities of music.
In each class, students are given the opportunity to: sing focusing on
tune, pitch, and expressiveness; read: developing skills from identifying
notation symbols to reading complex notation; listen: to quality music
of many genres and cultures; move: reinforcing beat, and form, and
exploring Laban’s themes of movement; and to play instruments:
improving instrumental technique from shakers and sticks to drums and
pitched percussion, to ukulele and recorders.

Beginning in preschool, GHA students are introduced to a variety of ways
to make music with their voices and bodies through stationary gross-
motor movement, locomotor movement and lots of vocal exploration.
From prekindergarten to first grade, students follow the First Steps in
Music curriculum and participate in a “musical workout” of eight different
activities in each class. Second through fifth grade classes are guided by
the Conversational Solfege curriculum and focus on reading notation as
they improve their musical skills. Fourth and fifth grade classes also add
recorders and The Complete Recorder Resource to their music classes to
increase their technical abilities and study music theory in greater depth.
The music program also includes two large music performances each year,
plus several opportunities to perform musical selections at our “Colors”
all-school gatherings and other school events.
22

Empowering every child
through joyful discovery

Gig Harbor Academy
6820 32nd Street NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335

253-265-2150
www.gigharboracademy.org