We believe that establishing a stimulating and secure classroom environment will promote the highest possible learning outcomes

for your child. Our curriculum is implemented by drawing on each teachers experience and working collaboratively, which gives us a wealth of educational knowledge and expertise. We work side by side with specialist teachers and draw on the vast resources of the school to ensure that every child is given the best possible start to their formal education.

ISM Grade One

Welcome Welcome

Welcome to Grade One at ISM! We are excited by the challenges and changes to come in the year ahead. Your children will be encouraged to be independent, responsible learners as we guide them through the year.

TEACH ME SO I CAN DO IT MYSELF!

Anna Pagcaliwagan Kerrie Edwards Kris Hamaguchi Eugene Comer Naynay Montilla Cara Vidler Mary Sparks

The Classroom: We use a variety of techniques to teach the curriculum in a stimulating and challenging way. We offer learning engagements using whole class teaching, small groups, one-on-one, peer tutoring and friendship pairing. This differentiation of group sizes gives children an opportunity to learn in a style best suited to their individual needs. The Learning: Within our classrooms there is a strong emphasis on personal growth as well as academic success. We strive to teach the children the skills and knowledge necessary to discover the joy of learning for themselves. We encourage the children to share their strengths and support each other. We want the children to see the importance of doing their best, to take pride in their work and to develop the confidence to be risk takers. We support the children as they challenge themselves and think for themselves. We want them to realize that it is okay to make a mistake. Reflecting on our work is an important aspect of all our activities and we take time to learn from accomplishments and mistakes. The Parents: Your interest in what your child does at school will greatly enhance not only their confidence and self-esteem but will have a significant impact on their educational success. Encourage your child to be independent. This is vital to the development of life skills and a very important step to educational success. Giving your child responsibility is a good way of fostering independence. At home, give your child small jobs to help the family each day. Parents can also help at home by encouraging children to tie their own shoelaces, dress themselves, and pack and carry their own bag. Play: The children have a long busy day at school and need time to relax and play once the school day has ended. It is important that children are allowed to experience balance in their lifestyle by having leisure time. Having their own time to do the things they enjoy is very important. Play builds imagination, helps develop fine and gross motor skills, and most importantly allows your child time to be a child. Home Reading: Home reading is aimed at developing a keen interest and love of reading. It is for fun and we have all year to develop and improve reading skills. If your child has a book that appears easy to read, allow your child to read the book and celebrate the achievement. On the other hand, a book may be far too difficult for your childs ability. Just read it to the child and have them retell the story. Dont force them to struggle with a book that is beyond their ability. Part of reading includes talking about the story. Ask your child some questions to help them develop better understanding of what they read. Home-School Activities: At times, we will have activities to do at home which go along with what we are learning at school. Many of these will be designed so that you can spend time talking to your child about what they
ISM Grade One

are doing at school. We want the children to be responsible and take ownership of their work. Food: Start your childs day well with a good breakfast. Their snack and lunch should be nourishing. We encourage the students to have a healthy snack: fruit, vegetables and sandwiches. For drinks, we recommend water. Sleep: A good nights sleep (10-12 hours) is very important with school starting so early. A bedtime story is a good way of setting a nightly routine. Toys: Please keep your childs electronic/expensive toys or other things of value at home except for except for announced events that require them to bring it to school. They can cause unnecessary problems and could be broken, lost, or even stolen. Concerns: Discuss problems, be it large or small, with your classroom teacher as soon as possible. Your child should love coming to school. If you notice any change in their behavior or something has happened at home that may affect their learning, please let us know. Also, encourage your children to tell their teacher if there are problems in the classroom or on the playground. We can not help solve a problem if we do not know about it. We realize the enormous trust you place in us as educators and we take this responsibility very seriously. Contacting Grade 1 Teachers: Please contact your classroom teacher if you would like to schedule a conference. You may send an email or leave a message at the ES Office (840-8450). We are usually at school from 7.00am until 3.00pm. Birthdays If you wish to celebrate your childs birthday please email or talk to the teacher a few days before the day to arrange a time. Birthday celebrations will be kept simple and are optional.

ISM Grade One

Language Arts
Reading
All children will experience: Story Time Shared reading Comprehension activities, both oral and written Phonics/word attack activities Silent, individual, pair and group reading Story tapes, big books Poetry By the end of Grade 1, we expect most students to: Read age appropriate books aloud demonstrating comprehension, accuracy and fluency Read sight words Know short vowels, consonant blends and some long vowel combinations Retell stories referring to setting, characters, plot and important details Make predictions about what they will read

Writing
Children choose their own topic or are given a set topic to write about. Teachers meet each child individually to see where and how the work can be improved. Focus may be on meaning, spelling, grammar, and/or punctuation. (Not all stories are corrected; some stories are left exactly as they are written.) Some stories are published using the computer. Others are handwritten. As writing skills are developed, the children will be introduced to other writing genres e.g. letters, invitations, poetry and report writing. Phonics common letter patterns, high frequency words are introduced and taught Handwriting DNealian (for manuscript) Correct letter formation for easy transition to cursive writing, which is introduced in 2nd Grade Pencil grip and letters formed from top to bottom Work should be presented neatly and to the best of each childs ability. By the end of Grade 1, we expect most students to: Write independently Use properly formed upper and lower case letters with spaces between words ISM Grade One 4

Use capital letters at the beginning of a sentence and punctuation at the end Write simple stories Write several sentences about a topic Spell many sight words correctly Use correct phonetic spelling for short vowels, consonant blends and some long vowel combinations Begin to plan and edit writing

Speaking and Listening

A variety of experiences are provided for the children to share thoughts, ideas and opinions on special interests and current classroom topics. Activities such as Morning Meetings, Community Circles, Show and Tell, viewing instructional videos/dvds, listening to story tapes allow each child to develop confidence through active participation. Each child is encouraged to express themselves orally and articulate their ideas in a variety of situations.

By the end of Grade 1, we expect most students to: - Make relevant responses during discussions - Ask thoughtful questions - Follow oral directions - Communicate for a variety of purposes - Give clear instructions - Share information with appropriate details and logical sequence - Use a variety of sentences when speaking

Mathematics
Mathematics is a process for communicating data and study of pattern and order. Math plays a special part in education because of its relevance to daily life. It has its own vocabulary and children need to know the meaning of these words to fully understand the different concepts of Math. By the end of Grade 1 we expect students to reach the following targets: Number and Computations Count from any number by 1, 2, 5 and 10 to 100 Estimate and count number of objects in a group Order and compare numbers to 1000 Build numbers using base 10 blocks Understand even and odd numbers Memorize addition and subtraction facts: +/ - 0 +/-1 Doubles (1+1, 2+2, 3+3 etc)
ISM Grade One

Combinations to 10 (1+9, 2+8, 3+7 etc.) Show an understanding of the fractions: halves and fourths

Shape and Space: Name and describe these shapes: 2-d: circle, square, rectangle, triangle 3-d: sphere, cone, cylinders, cube, prism, pyramid Create a symmetrical design Measurement: Using the calendar: knowing days of the week, months of the year Measure length using centimeters Measure temperature Count money using 1, 5, 10 and 25 piece coins Tell time to the quarter hour (9:15, 6:45) Data Handling Understand probability terms: impossible, unlikely, likely, certain Create and interpret graphs (bar, tally, pictographs) Algebraic Thinking: State the rule and fill in missing numbers in a pattern (ie: 3, 5, 7___, 11, ___) Read and explain thinking to solve 2 digit addition and subtraction questions
Example: = 74 6 + 7 = 13 12 + 7 = 19 14 + 2 = 16 17 4 = 13 18 4 = 14 23 + 44 = 67 41 + 33 46 + 21 = 67

Communication - Share and explain their thinking while solving problems, playing games and working in pairs or small groups In order to teach these different concepts we use many types of concrete materials such as counters, clocks, base ten cubes, pattern blocks, tangrams and many more. The main resource text is Everyday Math developed by the University of Chicago (USA).

ISM Grade One

Units of Inquiry

In the Elementary school, we use an integrated inquiry approach as our curriculum framework, through which we have designed a program of study that enables our students to develop the skills, understanding and dispositions to enable them to be life-long learners and succeed in life. Learning to Learn Teach me so I can do it myself. Sustainable Production & Consumption Buildings What do they look like? What materials are used? Where do the materials come from? How does building affect the environment? Creative Expression How do we express ourselves creatively to entertain others Personal Meaning Celebrations and traditions across cultures Connections to the Natural World How plants grow, how we care for them and why we need them

Information Technology

Children are introduced to a variety of programs and technological tools (computers, iPads, cameras, Promethean Board). Technology is an integral part of all areas of the curriculum. Children use them to reinforce new concepts, publish stories, organize their thinking and find out information on topics of interest. Skills are reinforced both in the classroom, computer laboratories and Childrens Media Center (library).

ISM Grade One

For your information, here is a summary of growth expectations of a six and seven year old. The Six Patterns Year Old Growth The Seven Patterns Year Old Growth

Physical - sloppy; in a hurry - falls backwards out of chairs - easily tires; frequent illnesses - enjoys outdoors Social - wants to be first - competitive; enthusiastic - sometimes a poor sport - any failure is hard; thrives on encouragement - easily upset when hurt - friends are important - school replaces home as most significant influence

Physical - pencil grip correct - written work tidier - many hurts, real and imaginary Social - sometimes moody; sulking or shy - Nobody likes me. - Needs security, structure - Doesnt like to make mistakes or risk making them - Sensitive to others feeling but tattles - Needs constant reinforcement - Strong likes and dislikes

Language Language - likes to explain things - likes jokes and enthusiastic - good listener - likes one-to-one conversation language - interested in meaning of words - complainer Cognitive - likes to work slowly Cognitive - loves to ask questions - likes to work alone - likes new games; ideas - likes to be read to - enjoys process more than product - reflective ability growing - tries more than can accomplish - erases constantly; wants work to be perfect - beginning to understand past when closely tied to present (Wood, Chip Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4-24, Chicago 1997)
ISM Grade One