St. Michael School 1st Grade

Religion Students will understand what we believe as Catholics and how we live out those beliefs. Jesus is our role model. He told many stories to help us learn how to make our faith come alive. The students are actively involved by planning and participating in weekly prayer services and monthly masses.

Math Students will use and manipulate many types of tools to help them become strong, confident problem solvers. In first grade, the students will learn how to add and subtract numbers with an emphasis on the memorization of basic facts. They will acquire number concepts to 100 and learn how to tell time to the hour and half hour. The math curriculum also covers standard and metric measurement, identifying and counting money, collecting and graphing data and recognizing shapes and fractions.

Language Arts The first grade language arts program at St. Michael School is based on the balanced literacy approach. The children are involved in activities that allow them to read, write, listen, and speak on a daily basis. We believe in a strong phonics and spelling program that enhances a solid sight vocabulary and decoding skills.

Science The science curriculum is based on two units from Foss. This is a school-wide manipulative program chosen by the faculty due to its hands-on approach. Students explore the units titled Pebbles, Sand and Silt; and Balance and Motion. They will also investigate units on plants and animals.

Social Studies In the first grade, students learn about themselves and explore their relationships within the social settings of family and friends. The students will learn about the different landforms and create a book based on the basic landforms found in the United States. They will learn about some of our country's symbols. They will also study the customs, governments, and natural resources of the countries of India and Australia.

Specialists Our specialist classes include P.E. and music twice a week. The students also visit the library once a week for story time and book check-out. The students begin to learn basic computer skills during the second half of the school year.