St. Dennis School - First Grade

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First Grade

Sister Eileen, our First Grade Teacher, as drawn by Sydney, one of her students.

Welcome to First Grade at St. Dennis

The basis of the First Grade program is on reading and language development in all subject areas. You can help your child by reading to him/her daily, or by letting him/her read to you. The following are major concepts that will be presented in each of these subject areas.

Sister Marie, as drawn by Nicole, assists in the primary classrooms.

Religion:

God made the world. God gives us life and knows and loves us.
Jesus is human and divine. Jesus shows us God's love. Jesus is our friend and teacher. Jesus gives us Himself.
The Holy Spirit was sent at Pentecost as our Helper. The Holy Spirit helped the Church to begin.
Our Church celebrates the sacraments. Baptism makes us children of God. Everyone in the Church is important.
Jesus gave us the Mass at the Last Supper. The gifts of bread and wine at Mass become Jesus.
The Church helps people to be fair. The Church brings peace and God's forgiveness to us.

Language Arts:

Phonics - beginning, medial and ending consonants, short and long vowels, consonant blends (sl, gl, cl, br, etc.), consonant diagraphs (th, ch, sh, wh), word families.
Reading - word recognition, oral reading fluency and expression, and comprehension skills (predicting, evaluating, sequencing, and making inferences).
Writing - Writing Workshop, creating class books, shared class writing, writing the Daily News, daily language practice.
Spelling - weekly spelling lists will be sent home during the second semester.

Penmanship:

Letter and number formation
Spacing of words

$Mathematics$

Mathematics:

Patterning
Number relationship and place order
Addition and subtraction, basic facts
Money
Measurement
Telling time
Opportunities to solve oral math story problems using concrete materials

Science:

Plants and animals
Weather
The seasons
Magnets
The earth's land and water
Keeping fit and healthy

Social Studies:

The family
The school and the community
Community helpers
Holidays
Famous Americans
Our flag
The President and the White House
Maps and the globe
Themes covered in the Scholastic Weekly Magazine

Thoughts from our First Grade Teacher:

"I believe a Catholic school should provide a safe, caring environment in which students are encouraged, affirmed and challenged to develop academically, spiritually, emotionally and socially through daily interaction with peers, teachers and other adults. The Gospel values of Jesus should infuse the relationships so that a community is created in which students appreciate and respect the distinct and individual gifts and talents of each person. The values of honesty, responsibility, compassion, perseverance and justice need to be taught. Teachers in a Catholic school need to model such behaviors in their daily working with the students and other faculty members. Parish and community service projects should be developed so that students can practice these behaviors...

"In the first grade classroom at St. Dennis School the young child is encouraged to be an active learner through a variety of instructional materials and activities. The classroom atmosphere is a caring one, where children's daily achievements are recognized and applauded by the other children and the teacher. Since success builds on success, instruction is paced according to the child's needs and the development of skills in each academic area. Through positive reinforcement the children learn to work together to create a happy learning environment for all."

Sister Eileen, First Grade Teacher