Centennial  Academy    

Parent’s  Guide  to  Learning   in  First  Grade    

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Lower  Ac a de Learning   my   @  CA  

 

At  Centennial  Academy,  we  are  committed  to  providing  your  young  scholar  w ith  an  experience  that  builds   academic  and  21st  century  success  skills  to  support  their  life-­‐long  learning.      O ur  teaching  is  aligned  with   Georgia  and  national  content  standards  and  our  educators  bring  those  standards  to  life  through  hands-­‐on   learning  experiences  designed  to  meet  your  scholar’s  learning  needs.    

In  a  Centennial  Academy  classroom,  scholars  are  active  participants  in  the  learning  process  ~  exploring,   thinking  critically,  asking  questions,  and  solving  problems  in  real  world  experiences.       Below  is  an  overview  of  what  your  First  Grade  scholar  is  in  store  for  this  year.   ENGLISH  LANGUAGE  ARTS  

Centennial  Academy  2016-­‐2017  

 

  Learning  how  to  read,  write   and  communicate  well  is  an   on-­‐going  development  for   all  first  grade  scholars.    The   learning  environment  is   immersed  in  a  balanced   literacy  approach  –   phonemic  awareness,   phonics,  fluency,  vocabulary   and  comprehension.     Listening  and  writing  skills   help  students  communicate   their  ideas  and  opinions.     Scholars  will  develop  skills   to  comprehend  literary  and   informational  text,   participate  in  collaborative   conversations  about  text,   write  narratives  recounting   two  or  more  events,  and   understand  and  use  correct   conventions  of  English.  

MATHEMATICS    

SCIENCE    

SOCIAL  S TUDIES    

  First  grade  scholars  will   build  on  the  foundational   skills  in  mathematics  to   support  more  complex   understandings  of  number   sense  and  operations.     Scholars  will  learn  the  skills   of  adding  and  subtracting   within  20,  apply  properties   of  operations,  understand   place  value  with  two-­‐digit   numbers,  express  l ength,   organize  &  represent  data   and  compose  2-­‐D,  3-­‐D   shapes.    They  will  use  math   concepts  to  learn  about  the   world  around  them  and  how   to  apply  math  in  their  daily   lives.    Scholars  will  use   hands-­‐on  resources  to   support  their  learning.    

  Science  in  the  first  grade   classroom  will  involve   hands-­‐on,  minds-­‐on   exploration  and  discovery.   Scholars  will  learn  about   earth,  physical  and  life   disciplines  of  science.   Delving  into  weather  &   climate  patterns,  light  &   sound,  magnets,  and  the   basic  needs  &   characteristics  of  plants  and   animals.  A  critical  aspect  of   science  is  developing  quality   habits  of  mind  –  scholars   will  raise  questions  about   the  world  around  them  and   seek  answers  by  making   observations.      

  First  grade  scholars  will   explore  their   responsibilities  as  citizens   and  community  members.     The  study  of  American   heroes,  environmental   influences  on  historical   figures,  positive  character   traits,  and  goods/services   with  an  emphasis  on   scarcity  &  choices  will  be   the  focus  of  your  scholar’s   learning.    Scholars  will   deepen  their  understanding   of  maps  and  globes  through   the  use  of  topographical   features  of  the  E arth’s   surfaces.    

LITERACY  is  Important  

CONNECTIONS  CLASSES  

We  strongly  encourage  creating  a  literacy  focus  in  your  home.   Read  daily  to  your  child  and  make  it  as  f un  and  enjoyable  as   possible.    Create  a  time  to  read  during  breakfast  or  in  the   evening.    Visit  the  local  library  and  select  books  that  are   interesting.    Make  sure  to  ask  questions  as  you  read  and   encourage  your  child  to  make  mental  images  of  the  text  as   they  listen  or  read.    Sharing  your  love  for  reading  will   encourage  your  child  to  make  l iteracy  an  important  part  of   learning.    

Centennial  Academy  scholars  enjoy  the  creative  process  in  the   Fine  Arts  classes  such  as  Visual  Arts  and  Music.    In  Art,   scholars  begin  learning  basic  art  vocabulary  and  produce  art.   In  Music,  scholars  perform  and  demonstrate  a  basic   understanding  of  pitch  and  rhythm.    In  Physical  Education   and  Health,  scholars  explore  movement,  the  importance  of  a   balanced,  healthy  diet,  exercise,  l earn  to  share  and  take  turns.  

 

 

Flexible  Skill  Development  in  Lower  Academy    

A  unique  characteristic  of  the  Lower  Academy  is  our  flexible  grouping  approach.    The  Lower   Academy  educators  utilize  multiple  data  to  support  the  differentiated  needs  of  students  in  reading   and  m athematics;  scholars  receive  skill-­‐specific  instruction.    These  flexible  skill  groupings  provide  an   opportunity  for  our  educators  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  individual  scholars  based  on  their  with  the   sole  purpose  of  accelerating  the  learning  for  all  scholars.  

The  Importance  of  Continued  Practice  at  Home…Homework    

At  Centennial  Academy,  we  believe  students  begin  developing  work  ethic  and  study  habits  in  the  lower   academy.    Teachers  at  Centennial  Academy  w ill  carefully  design  homework  that  is  purposeful,  age  -­‐ appropriate,  in  terms  of  quantity  and  content.    W ith  the  appropriate  amount  of  parent  support  your  scholar’s   homework  should  accelerate  learning  and  will  be  reviewed  by  the  teacher  and  recorded  in  the  Work  Ethic   portion  of  your  scholar’s  report  card.  

Project-­‐Based  Learning  (PBL)  @  CA    

Success  Skills    

Collaboration   Works  well  with  teammates   Respects  ideas,  opinions  and  feelings  of  teammates   Shares  ideas  with  teammates  

During  the  2016-­‐2017  school  year,  your  first  grade   scholar  w ill  learn  about  the  Project-­‐Based  Learning   principles  within  a  STEAM  (Science,  Technology,   Engineering,  Arts,  Mathematics)  focus.       Scholars  will  be  engaged  in  a  minimum  of  two  major   PBL  projects,  one  per  semester.    Each  project  will  be   integrated  across  multiple  content  areas,  include  a   real-­‐world  problem  worth  researching  &  solving  and   require  scholars  to  w ork  collaboratively  w ith  a   product  that  will  be  publically  shared  during  our   Applied  Learning  Demonstrations.    

 

Communication   Uses  effective  oral  and  written  presentation  skills   Answers  questions  clearly  and  completely    

Work  Ethic   Makes  and  Follows  Agreements   Organizes  Work   Participates  in  class  and  discussions     Completes  assigned  homework   Seeks  out  and  uses  feedback  and  critique   Asks  Questions   Gathers  Information  

PBL  Principles       Identifying  Key  Knowledge  &  Success  Skills    

Understanding  a  Challenging  Problem  or  Question  

Top  Ten  Things  your    

 

Using  Sustained  Inquiring  

1st  Grader  Should  Know  

 

Including  S tudent  Voice  &  Choice  

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Reinforcing  Reflection  

Centennial  Academy  2016-­‐2017  

 

Seeking  Critique  &  Revising    

1.  Follow  rules  and  routines,  including  multi-­‐step  directions    

2.  Properly  tie  shoelaces  

Preparing  for  Public  Demonstration  

 

 

 

 

3.  Write  sentences  with  correct  punctuation  and  capitalization   4.  Quickly  answer  addition  problems  with  sums  to  20    

5.  Quickly  answer  subtraction  problems  with  numbers  0  to  20    

 

6.  Write  and  spell  untaught  words  phonetically      

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7.  Work  independently  at  their  desk/table      

8.  Read  and  write  high  frequency  words      

9.  Independently  unpack  backpack  and  place  homework,              folders,  and  signed  documents  to  assigned  area(s)      

10.  Read  grade  level  text  with  accuracy  and  understanding