Our Philosophy
In 1st grade, we focus on teaching students to follow Jesus through His Word, by His example, and in His love. Each child learns at their own pace, so we use differentiated instruction to support each child’s growth. Our goal is to inspire a love of learning, providing a variety of experiences in literature, math, science, social studies, art, and music.
Bible Time
The Bible is like an adventure, telling the story of Jesus, who came to rescue His loved ones. In 1st grade, students explore Bible stories focused on God’s love, protection, and teachings:
- Creation through baby Moses
- Israel’s journey to the Promised Land
- Leaders like David, Esther, and Solomon
- Prophets like Elijah and Daniel
- Jesus’s Miracles, Teachings, and Salvation
- Telling others about Jesus
Language Arts
Reading Skills
- Phonics & Sound Blending: Building blocks of reading
- High-Frequency Words: Recognizing common words
- Comprehension & Story Elements: Noting details, answering questions in sentences, understanding fiction vs. non-fiction
- Story Elements & Rhymes: Identifying parts of a story and rhyming words
- Alphabetizing and Following Directions
Writing Skills
- Grammar & Punctuation: Sentence types, punctuation, nouns, verbs, and more
- Contractions & Plurals: Using apostrophes and recognizing plural forms
- Writing Practice: Journals, letters, and stories (fiction and non-fiction)
- Spelling: Learning sounds, blends, and digraphs through written exercises
Listening & Speaking
- Comparing, contrasting, retelling stories, and summarizing
Social Studies
- School & Community: Building friendships and teamwork
- Town, Country, City & Suburbs: Exploring neighborhoods and types of communities
- Community Helpers: Learning about people who help us
Math
- Addition & Subtraction: Up to 20 and beyond
- Time: Telling time to the hour and half-hour
- Money Skills: Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters
- Word Problems & Patterns: Interpreting problems and repeating patterns
- Skip Counting & Place Value: Counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s; understanding numbers up to hundreds
- Graphs & Tally Marks: Organizing and interpreting simple data
- Estimating & Days of the Week/Months
Science
Physical Science
- States of Matter: Solids, liquids, and gases
Life Science
- Plants & Animals: Needs, environments, and parts
Earth Science
- Weather & Tools: Measuring weather and how the sun warms our world
- Electricity & Magnetism: Simple experiments and activities
Investigation & Experimentation
- Recording observations with pictures, numbers, graphs, or written notes
Art
TK – 8th Students attend art class with Ms. Hailey once a week:
Throughout the year, students will work with a wide range of materials, tools, and mediums. They will explore the elements of art and principles of design to create art pieces inspired by significant art movements throughout history. This approach aims to ignite curiosity and foster a lifelong love of art.