1st Grade Curriculum At A Glance

Curriculum-at-a-Glance

What are Fountas & Pinnell Reading Levels?

At Endeavor Elementary we use Fountas & Pinnell’s Benchmark Assessment System as one way to determine our students’ reading levels.  We use this one-on-one assessment to determine independent and instructional reading levels as well as to observe reading behaviors.

The following levels are considered “At Grade Level” reading benchmarks using the Fountas & Pinnell system:

  • August/September- Level D
  • October (End of 1st Marking Period)- Level D/E
  • November- Level E
  • December (End of 2nd Marking Period)- Level E/F
  • January- Level F
  • February- Level G
  • March (End of 3rd Marking Period)- Level G/H
  • April- Level H/I
  • May (End of 4th Marking Period)- Level I/J

*We also use other measures such as iReady scores, common grade level assessments, teacher observation and a student’s independent work to determine whether a student is At, Above or Below grade level.

 

What Should My Child Know When Entering First Grade?

Entering first graders should be able to:

  • Read 80-100 Kindergarten Sight Words (see OCPS sight word list link)
  • Identify all uppercase and lowercase letters
  • Identify all letters and their sounds
  • Read at Fountas and Pinnell Level D
  • Follow 2-step oral directions (turn off the light and shut the door, etc.)
  • Write his/her first and last name correctly with capital and lowercase letters (Sam, not SAM)
  • Write a simple sentence that begins with a capital, ends with a period, has spaces in between words, and has a detailed illustration to match
  • Identify and read numbers from 0-20
  • Accurately count up to 20 objects
  • Count orally to 100
  • Know basic Addition and Subtraction facts through 10
  • Know basic two dimensional shapes
  • Skip count (2’s, 5’s, 10’s)
  • Show mastery of all Kindergarten Florida Standards and Next Generation Sunshine State Standards

 

What Will My Child Be Able to Do by the End of First Grade?

Reading

First graders will be able to do the following by the end of the school year…

  • Read ALL Kindergarten Sight Words and 80-100 First Grade Sight Words (see OCPS sight word list link)
  • Read at Fountas and Pinnell Level I or J
  • Read fluently (60 correct words per minute)
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the concept of print and how it is organized and read
  • Demonstrate the ability to separate and identify sounds in words (phonemic awareness)
  • Demonstrate the knowledge of the alphabetic principle and applies grade level phonics skills to read text
  • Demonstrate the ability to read grade level text orally with accuracy, appropriate fluency (rate) and expression
  • Develop grade appropriate vocabulary
  • Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the elements of a variety of fiction, nonfiction, informational, and/or expository texts
  • Show mastery of all Reading Literature (RL), Reading Informational (RI) and Reading Foundational (RF) Florida State Standards

Writing/Language Arts

First graders will be able to do the following by the end of the school year…

  • Use pre-writing strategies independently (such as brainstorming, graphic organizers such as circle maps and tree maps, etc.)
  • Participate in the writing process through whole group, small group and independent writing
  • Create Informative/Expository, Narrative and Opinion pieces of writing
  • Use appropriate spacing between letters, words, and sentences
  • Apply listening and speaking strategies
  • Show mastery of all Writing (W), Speaking and Listening (SL) and Language (L) Florida State Standards

Mathematics

First graders will be able to do the following by the end of the school year…

  • Model addition and subtraction situations using a variety of strategies 
  • Identify, describe, and apply addition and subtraction as inverse operations
  • Create and use increasingly sophisticated strategies, and use properties such as commutative, associative and additive identity, to add whole numbers
  • Use counting strategies, number patterns, and models as a means for solving basic addition and subtraction fact problems
  • Compare and order whole numbers at least to 100
  • Represent two digit numbers in terms of tens and ones
  • Orders counting numbers, compare their relative magnitudes (size), and represent numbers on a number line
  • Use appropriate vocabulary to compare shapes
  • Compose (join) and decompose (take apart) plane and solid figures
  • Compare and order objects according to descriptors
  • Use mathematical reasoning and beginning understanding of tens and ones
  • Solve routine and non-routine problems by acting them out, using manipulatives, and drawing diagrams
  • Show mastery of all Florida Math Standards (MAFS) in the areas of Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Geometry, Measurement and Data, and Numbers and Operations in Base Ten.

Science 

First graders will be able to do the following by the end of the school year…

  • Understand that all matter has observable, measurable properties
  • Recognize that energy may be changed in form
  • Understand that types of motion may be described, measured, and predicted
  • Recognize patterns in weather
  • Know the basic needs of all living things
  • Understand how living things interact with their environment
  • Use the scientific process and habits of mind to solve problems
  • Show mastery of all Science Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)

Social Studies

First graders will be able to do the following by the end of the school year…

  • Use simple maps, globes, and other 3D models to identify and locate places
  • Understand that history tells the story of people and events of other times and places
  • Know how various symbols are used to show Americans shared values, principles, and beliefs
  • Understand how individuals and businesses make choices about how to use resources
  • Show mastery of all Social Studies Next Generation Sunshine State Standards

 

How Can I Help my Child at Home with Reading?

  1. Read a Variety of Texts:  Build an at-home library of children’s stories, non-fiction texts, magazines, recipes, comics, etc.
  2. Choose Appropriate Books:  Help your child pick books that are not too hard but not too easy.
  3. Read to Your Child Every Day:  Model good reading strategies to your child by reading a few minutes each day.
  4. Have Your Child Read to You Every Day:  Spend 15-20 minutes listening to your child read to you before they are tired.
  5. Talk About It:  Ask your child questions about what they read.  Have them retell the story in their own words including a description of the characters and setting and what happens in the book (beginning, middle, end, problem, solution).
  6. Practice Text Tracking:  If your child is an early reader, encourage them to point to each word.
  7. Reread Favorite Books:  Repeat favorite books over and over to build reading fluency.
  8. Reading Apps:  Download reading apps for your device.
  9. Practice Decoding Strategies:  If your child is having trouble figuring out a word, remind them of the following strategies:
    1. Eagle Eye-Look at the pictures for clues.
    2. Lips the Fish-Get your lips ready and say the first sound.
    3. Stretchy Snake-Stretch out the sounds and then shrink them back together.
    4. Chunky Monkey-Look for chunks in the word that you know and then blend the words together.
    5. Skippy Frog-Skip the word and then go back and re-read.
    6. Tryin’ Lion-Try it again.
    7. Helpful Kangaroo-Ask for help!