First Grade Educational Milestone (Age 6 to 7)

Source:  Getting Smart/AchievetheCore/Great Schools/ Dreambox

1st Grade Math

Math Main Topics: Addition, Subtraction, Counting Sequence, Measurements

At this stage of their school life,  1st graders will begin to develop their adding and subtraction skills. At the beginning of the year, they may still be using fingers to add and subtract using numbers between 1 and 10. By the end of the year, they will be able to do it in their head. Adding and Subtracting with numbers 1 to 10 is a required skill that they must develop before they can go on to the next grade. They will also begin to develop problem-solving skills for simple word problems that involve numbers from 1 to 20. Finally, they need to understand the concept of place values. At this point, they will learn to understand that two-digit numbers are formed by “tens” and “ones”.  For example, the number 34 has a place value of 3 “tens” and 4 “ones”.  Knowing this will help them when they begin solving harder addition and subtraction problems.  They will learn how to measure objects and the units used. 

Math Goals:

• Solve problems that involve addition and subtraction

• Add and subtract within the number 20

• Understand the counting sequence 

• Understand place value even when doing addition and subtraction

• Measure lengths and know of length units

• Begin to understand the concept of Time

1ST GRADE READING

Reading  Main Topic: Decoding and Moving Towards Automaticity

Decoding here means that students can recognize a printed word and know their correct corresponding sound. For example, when a student reads the word C-A-T they can say the word “Cat”.  Automaticity means doing something without thinking about it because you’ve done it so many times. It helps new readers read fluently and understand the words they read. Overall, these two goals involve recognizing words quickly and correctly. These two skills will be the main focus at school as your kids begin 1st grade. They will also learn how to read at a steady pace that is not too slow or too fast. They’ll use and recognize different punctuations. When looking at a story, they know who is telling the story, where it takes place, and what is happening. They should be able to answer questions from what they read and point towards specific parts of the book that led them to their answer. They are still building their vocabulary meaning, kids won’t know every word, but they should have many tools to use to figure out words. They can either sound out words, use different clues from parts of words, or use clues such as pictures from the sentence they just read. 

Reading Goals: 

• Use natural speed when Reading

• Fluency with punctuation 

• Comprehension

• Identify words or phrases in stories that may relate to their feelings or their senses

• Identify who is telling the story

• Can use pictures and details within the book to describe characters, places, or events

• Can recall a story, identify key details, and understand the lesson of the story

• Ask and answer questions to help understand the meaning of words and stories

1st Grade Action Steps For Parents: 

•  Kids are still learning things, so it is good to make sure that they understand what they read. Ask questions about characters and specific events that happen in the book. 

• They are still trying to learn new words, so even if they don’t know a word, it's ok. That's just another opportunity to teach them. 

• When practicing how to spell words, you can always ask your child how things are spelled. Ask them how they think simple words are spelled? Stretch a word out to hear the sounds and help them spell it out. 

• Although reading is important, don’t stress out about a kid’s reading level. Different kids will learn how to read at different paces. What is important is that they understand what they read and they begin to enjoy reading a book. 

• Some fun ideas to use in your home include creating a word wall in your house. You can use this to help them learn hard words that they may have problems with while in class. Make it creative and make it fun. 

• Start exposing your kids to different measurements by letting them observe you in the kitchen. When you’re baking, show them measurement tools such as teaspoons and cups. 

• Have a kid-friendly calendar around the house where they can practice counting down to important events and knowing the days of the month. 

• Practice simple real-world problems with your kids. Practice with pennies. Count out 10 pennies and then hide 3 of them. Now ask your 1st grader how many are left. 

• When doing laundry, let them match pairs and count how many socks are there. 

• Playdough is also a fun and safe way to make shapes with your kids. Allow them to point out the different characteristics of the shapes you make.