Henry Barnard School

First grade is a special place where your child will learn and grow throughout the year. For many children, it is the beginning of many important milestones. First graders learn to become independent students, fully invested in their learning.

One main focus of our first grade reading program is to provide a foundation for success in learning to read and for enriching students' understanding of the value of reading. Our goal is to foster a love of reading in all children. Students are presented with a variety of strategies and then are encouraged to use them flexibly. When children have a variety of tools at their disposal, they are better able to approach reading, and other tasks, with a greater sense of comfort and confidence. Reading is connected and intertwined amongst all curriculum areas. Children are taught reading skills in large groups, small reading groups and individual settings.  In our reading instruction, we assess each student's skills and work to build on and to extend them throughout the year.

The first grade writing curriculum is highly individualized to meet the needs of the wide range of developmental levels among our students. Writing is viewed as a form of communication. Students are encouraged to write frequently and as independently as they are able.  Children are taught to use the writing process to create original stories in all genres.

We use the Investigations (TERC) curriculum and a variety of other resources to provide students with meaningful opportunities to explore, develop and create their own mathematical strategies.  A large emphasis is placed on developing and applying number sense and place value concepts.  In addition, we strongly encourage children to be able to express their ideas and strategies with their peers.  We often use student work as a model for others to gain a better understanding of the math curriculum.