First Grade Curriculum Overview

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First Grade Overview

Time4Learning is popular as a first grade homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment, for remediation, and as a summer school alternative.

For first graders, Time4Learning provides language arts, math and science. Students will also be given access to the lowest available grade level of social studies (2nd). Both the language arts and math curricula correlate to state standards.

First Grade Learning Objectives

While in first grade, a child should master the prerequisites for attaining success in the second grade language arts, reading and mathematics curriculum. By the end of any first grade language arts and reading program, students should be able to read simple stories and write about topics that are meaningful to them. They should recognize familiar consonant sounds, as well as vowel sounds and blends. Students should have a large inventory of sight words that will help in reading fluency. Leaving first grade, students should have become accustomed to summarizing, retelling and predicting outcomes in a story. Students should be able to connect what they read to their own experiences.

At the end of any first grade mathematics program, students should be able to identify and compare numbers up to 100. They should add and subtract small numbers with ease. Students should be familiar with different tools for measurement. Students should be familiar with the place value system, and should be able to recognize the ones and tens place value of numbers. Students should recognize and identify two and three dimensional shapes and where they exist in space. Finally, students should start to interpret simple charts and picture graphs.

First Grade Language Arts and Reading

In first grade, language arts is taught through a succession of 22 thematic units. These units include topics such as “Planets,” “Vertebrates and Invertebrates,” and, “Early America,” and integrate science and social studies concepts with reading fluency, comprehension, phonics, vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills.

The first grade materials consist of extremely high quality lessons. By using multi-media such as animated characters like Lolly and Geo the Robot, along with interactive, game-show like activities, these lessons expand upon basic skills through an entertaining and educational program.

In each thematic chapter, students will follow a similar format. This format includes reading a variety of texts to develop fluency and vocabulary. It is followed by lessons on segmenting words and activities focusing on blending sounds, understanding letter sequences in words, recognizing correct spellings, and using structural cues to familiarize words.

Thematic chapters will culminate in a writing exercise such as; generating ideas, writing in response to a prompt, demonstrating comprehension of a theme, creating graphic organizers, and writing diary entries. Through creative writing activities, students will be able to apply their knowledge of the theme and use their reading skills to analyze and compose grammatically correct sentences. For more details on 1st grade language arts lesson plans, please visit our scope and sequence page.

Parents have access to teaching guides with ideas for follow-up enrichment activities and further reading. First grade lesson plans are provided for further planning purposes.

First Grade Vocabulary

Time4Learning's first grade vocabulary exercises integrate sight word vocabulary with the sounds of the alphabet in decodable stories. The first grade vocabulary words are initially presented within the context of a story or rhyme. Additional first grade vocabulary lessons are part of 22 thematic units covering oceans, seasons, mammals, plants, early America, and more. Students improve reading comprehension by reading or listening to literature with an emphasis on vocabulary building. Teacher's guides include lesson plans, 1st grade vocabulary lists and optional printable vocabulary worksheets.

First Grade Math

The first grade math curriculum covers units in Number Sense, Algebra, Geometry, Measurement, Data Analysis, and Probability. First grade begins with students focusing on 1st grade math vocabulary (sum, difference, equal, estimate, value), identifying and comparing numbers through estimation, place value, fractions, and money counting.

As a new concept for first graders, addition and subtraction of one and two-digit numbers with “regrouping” and “zero as a functional placeholder” is demonstrated and practiced repeatedly through interactive lessons and printable resources.

Multi-media activities extend the 1st grade math vocabulary and teach students how to skip count, to recognize odd versus even numbers, to recognize patterns, and to solve equalities and inequalities through number sentences and pictorial representations, using algebraic symbols (>, <, =).

Students will gain spatial reasoning of two and three dimensional shapes. They will learn to apply the 1st grade math vocabulary words to compare attributes (sides, vertices, edges), identify symmetry, and to model. Standard and non-standard forms of measurement for weight, length, width, capacity, temperature, and time are taught in the 1st grade math. First grade math culminates with graphing, interpreting data, making predictions, and identifying the likelihood of events.

Click to get an overview of the Time4Learning math curriculum.

Want more information? Click for details on Time4Learning's 1st grade math activities and lesson plans, for lesson demos, or to sign up with a two week 100% satisfaction guarantee.

First Grade Science and Social Studies

In first grade, science themes and concepts are integrated within the language arts curriculum, giving students the opportunity to enjoy cross-curricular study. Lessons will use first grade science vocabulary to teach thematic units such as; biomes, weather, planets, constellations, pollution, oceans, marine animals, mammals, and plants. First graders also have the advantage of learning science through the science program itself which focuses on three major units of study: living and nonliving things, Earth science, and contributions to science.

Students will learn how to distinguish between living and nonliving things by exploring habitats, basic needs, features, and life cycles. Students through learning science vocabulary will focus on the classification of animals into scientific categories, with a feature on amphibians. 1st grade science vocabulary used in Earth science will use graphic organizers to show weather patterns and to identify seasons. Thunderstorms and the Water Cycle will be highlighted through 1st grade vocabulary lists, vocabulary worksheets and interactive activities. As a bonus, Jane Goodall is featured as a contributor to science, allowing children to explore her experience working with chimpanzees in Africa. Try one of our science sample lessons.

In first grade, social studies concepts are integrated within the language arts curriculum through 1st grade social studies vocabulary. Themes such as; Native Americans, Early America, America Grows, Cultural Holidays, Safety, Neighborhood, Jobs, Travel, and Values teach students about national identity, society, and culture while reinforcing vocabulary and language arts skills. This allows students to benefit from cross-curricular instruction.

First grade students are provided with access to the 2nd grade social studies curriculum which covers 2nd grade vocabulary and topics on map skills, human needs, national identity, history, and society. Learn more about first and second grade social studies lesson plans. Try one of our social studies demos.

First Grade Lessons - Time4Learning's Program Structure

Time4Learning provides an interactive student paced curriculum. When the student logs in, they can choose which subject to study. The lessons are organized into units which include 1st grade vocabularay, multimedia lessons, interactive exercises, printable worksheets for reinforcement, optional parent-teaching guides for more indepth work, assessments, a complete printable lesson plan, and online progress reports.

Reports/ Assessments/ Printable Worksheets. Time4Learning understands the importance of tracking student progress.  First grade assessments and quizzes are given throughout the chapters and are automatically graded upon completion.  1st grade vocabulary is included throughout the lessons. Parents are able to access the grades and assignments in the reports section by using their own logins and passwords.  The reports section is printable, as are the lessons plans. In addition Time4Learning provides first grade printable worksheets. Parental support is also given through our online parents forum where discussions and questions may be posted amongst experienced users and those that are "just looking".

Your child's progress will be built on two proven principles … First work, then play. This age-old structure (as in first the main course, then dessert ) is highly motivating. Engaging in learning leads to success. Help your child succeed with our interactive curriculum. There are thousands of activities, lessons and assessments that will keep your child enthusiastic about learning.

In first grade, the children can use the Time4Learning online timer. This means that parents can assign children an amount of time to complete their lessons. In first grade, we might recommend that you start with 35 minutes of lessons. This means that when they start studying, there is an online timer that counts down from 35 minutes. When the lesson timer reaches zero, the children are allowed to go to the online playground. In fact, most children will complete the lessons that they are involved in, and they only look at the timer after finishing a lesson. When they see that it’s at zero, they can go to the Online Playground. 

First Grade Interactive Curriculum for Homeschooling, Afterschool, or Summer School Use

Time4Learning is used as a homeschool curriculum, an afterschool tutorial, or as an excellent alternative to summer school. Time4Learning works well with other programs too, providing educational structure within the home and valuable homeschooling materials. Learn more.

Many gifted and special needs students find Time4Learning to be an invaluable addition to their education. Time4Learning's benefits to special needs children stems from the freedom to progress at your own pace, to repeat lessons, the patience of the computer, and in many cases, the privacy of self-study on the computers. Parents particularly like that they can have a child working on different levels in different subjects and that as children progress, adjustments to the grade level are simple and cost-free.

Kids like using the computer to learn and to develop their skills. The Time4Learning educational teaching games give students independence as they progress at their own pace.

Parents like that it tracks progress and helps kids advance by teaching through individualized learning paths that assure mastery of the skills and concepts that makes kids succeed.

Have a child with math and reading skills at different grade levels? No problem, just tell us in the online registration process.

Time4Learning is proven effective, has a low monthly price, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can be sure that it works for your family, Satisfaction Guaranteed! Sign up now.