In the Classroom
Writing
Writer's Workshop - Students in 1st Grade engage in the daily practice of Writer's Workshop, which consists of a mini-lesson, independent writing time, writing conferences, and closing share time.
In the unit "Writing Small Moments," students write personal narrative stories and sketch across all five pages. Students learn how to edit and revise writing using a checklist to add pictures, speech bubbles, feelings, actions, thoughts, and talking (dialogue).
Math
In 1st Grade, students learn how to solve addition (and subtraction) story word problems within 20 using various strategies.
In 2nd Grade, students use the base-ten system to develop a thorough understanding of place value concepts, counting, and comparing numbers within 1,000.
2nd Graders learn efficient strategies to add (and subtract) within 1,000 applying their knowledge of place value concepts.
Phonics
Linguistic Phonics - A type of synthetic phonics (teaching of individual letter sounds and their correspondences), which emphasizes phoneme blending and segmenting. A dot is used for a single phoneme (sound) that is made by a single grapheme (letter). A dash is used for a single phoneme (sound) that is made by 2 or more graphemes (letters).
Social Studies & Science
Students learn about animal diversity through the exploration of penguins, their life cycles, traits, and adaptations.
In social studies, students engage in a hands-on geography project to help them understand their place in the world.
While investigating the plant life cycle, students create physical wheels to visualize the steps in the process and reinforce their learning.
Play
Learning Through Play - During Choice Time (or Worktime), students can select from a variety of blocks, Legos, math manipulatives, Play-Doh, art supplies, etc. that are available to them. Students are encouraged to be creative, explore their interests, work on continuous projects, and collaborate with their peers.
Object play leads students to make use of physical properties, develop spatial concepts, strengthen fine-motor skills, and improve their ability to focus.
This type of self-guided construction play involves critical thinking to plan a design and put abstract ideas into action. It also encourages persistence and adaptability.