Grade I Curriculum Language Arts During First Grade, students continue to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.  Each girl works in a small, instructional skills group, at her own level, to expand her sight vocabulary, improve word attack strategies, and develop strong comprehension skills. The girls also participate in whole group language arts lessons. In addition to our literature based reading and writing program, all students are exposed to Wilson Fundations, a program that helps develop phonemic awareness, phonics skills, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension strategies.  Students develop and practice writing skills through journals and Writing Workshop.  The language arts program also includes alphabetizing and dictionary use, spelling and phonics, correct punctuation, writing mechanics and grammar.  Daily practice reinforces good penmanship. Mathematics The First Grade math curriculum is designed to shape the children’s sense of mathematics as a part of everyday work and play.Students extend their understanding of numeration, place value, estimation, money, time, measurement, data collection and graphing, patterns, geometry, as well as basic addition and subtraction.They work on number and operation sense, number sentences and stories, simple functions and elementary fractions.Learning activities provide hands-on experiences in multiple formats, with a variety of materials including pattern and attribute blocks, cubes and rods, clocks, money, number lines and 100 charts, + and – fact triangle cards, measurement tools, calculators and games.All children can be successful mathematical thinkers when the curriculum is established in real world problems. Social Studies In Social Studies, the students develop an awareness of self, other people, and cultures.The units begin in September with the study of oneself, beginning with families and friends.In November, the students learn about the family life of the Wampanoag Indians; the culmination of this unit being a Thanksgiving feast.In December, the girls experience through demonstrations and stories, the customs associated with the numerous winter holidays. During the winter months First Graders study famous Americans.They learn about and honor Martin Luther King, Jr.They also use beginning research skills to learn about famous African Americans.In March, they celebrate Women’s History Month by learning about some American women who made their mark in history.In April, the girls do an in-depth, cross-curriculum study of Africa.Music, art, and physical education all add substance to this unit.The girls combine their computer and note-taking skills to create an African animal report.The girls learn about the people and culture of West Africa through books, stories, guest speakers, and a trip to the African exhibit at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archeology.The unit culminates with an African feast.     Foreign Languages First graders meet weekly with our foreign languages teachers starting with Mandarin in the fall,  followed by French in the winter. These early language experiences are integrated into Baldwin’s rich and vibrant Social Studies curriculum; hence, homeroom teachers work together with the foreign language teachers to implement age appropriate classroom activities.   Additionally, they learn songs and greetings in Swahili and other African dialects as part of their Social Studies unit on Africa. Art First graders create two and three dimensional works of art using an even wider variety of materials, learning specific skills in these new mediums.During the course of the year, the students create art inspired by themes they are learning in Social Studies and Science.They explore the arts and crafts from the continent of Africa to produce their own artwork inspired by their observations and imagination.While designing and painting the scenery for a play, the girls continue to learn about the process of collaboratively working on a large scale in an environment that encourages their cooperative efforts. Music  Students learn melodic and rhythmic skills through clapping and singing exercises, playing instruments, simple dances, games, and creative listening activities.Echo singing, pitch matching, group singing, music appreciation and learning to feel, read and write simple melodic and rhythmic patterns are included in the music program.In addition to many multicultural musical experiences, the girls are involved in a special unit on African music.Group and partner activities are age appropriate.The girls work cooperatively in various musical performances throughout the year. Physical Education Girls practice and refine motor patterns such as running, skipping and jumping.They are introduced to games that use these motor skills as well as games of strategy and cooperation.Throwing, catching, striking and dribbling are included in skill work as well as lead-up games.In weekly swim lessons, girls in small groups learn “begin to dive” and develop their freestyle and backstroke techniques, as well as water games that encourage enjoyment of the water. Science The idea, introduced in kindergarten, that change is constant, is woven through the topics studied in grade I.  The students participate in a web-based study that unites the observation of seasonal changes with plant life cycles.  They discover the physical world through the exploration of gravitational and magnetic forces, and of the properties of solids, liquids and gases.  Our students learn more about the needs of plants and animals by studying classroom invertebrates.  The core science process skills: observing, recording, and predicting, are consolidated and reinforced through developmentally appropriate science activities.  Some grade I topics are: tulip plants, millipedes and sow bugs, light, weather, symmetry, sound, and habitats.