Welcome to First Grade!

September/October: What is Grade 1 studying?

ELA: 

Unit 1: Learning to Ask and Answer Questions — "Getting to Know the Tools Around Us"

In this unit, your first grader is exploring the big question: Why do we need tools? Through hands-on "tool challenges" and read-alouds — especially the book Tools by Ann Morris — students discover how tools make work easier and help us create things. Along the way, they're learning how to ask and answer questions, sort tools into categories, and participate in classroom discussions with their classmates.

Try This at Home: Kitchen Tool Sort!

Next time you're cooking or cleaning together, pull out a few safe household tools — a whisk, a sponge, a measuring cup, a spatula, a pair of tongs. Ask your child:

1. "What job does this tool help do?" Let them explain in their own words.
2. "Can you sort these into groups?" — for example, tools for cooking vs. tools for cleaning.
3. "What if we didn't have this tool — how would we do the job?"

This simple conversation reinforces exactly what they're doing in class: naming tools, describing their purpose, categorizing them, and asking thoughtful questions. It takes 5 minutes and turns dinner prep into a learning moment!

Illustrative Math:

Unit 1: Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data

Section A — Add & Subtract within 10: In the first section of this unit, students practice adding and subtracting with numbers up to 10 through hands-on partner games and centers. Right now the focus is on adding or subtracting 1 or 2, and students are encouraged to "count on" or "count back" to find answers. This kicks off the year-long goal of becoming fluent with addition and subtraction facts within 10.

Try it at home:

Ask your child simple addition and subtraction problems with answers up to 10 (e.g., "What's 3 + 5?" or "What's 6 − 1?"). Encourage them to draw the problem or count on/back to solve.