"The whole world opened to me when I learned to read." -Mary McLeod Bethune
Wonders!
The state of Utah has standards for each grade level in each subject area that students are expected to achieve by the end of each year. We use these standards as a guideline for every lesson we plan and teach to your children. Our reading curriculum, Wonders, is directly linked to the Common Core Language Arts Standards that Utah requires and serves as a wonderful baseline of knowledge for your child. Below you can find information about each unit we will study this year as we study them.
Guided Reading Centers
We spend the first hour of our day in guided reading centers practicing our skills to become better readers. We do word sorts for the phonics pattern we're learning that week, practice our spelling words, read books, work with technology, and do differentiated work with our teacher.
Unit 1: Getting to Know Us
Weekly Units: At School, Where I Live, Our Pets, Let's Be Friends, Let's Move
Our first unit of the year focuses on getting to know more about each other. Here is a list of recommended books to check out from the library and read with your child this month:
David Goes to School - David Shannon
The Recess Queen - Alexis O'Neill
Wemberly Worried - Kevin Henkes
First Grade Stinks - Mary Ann Rodman
Chrysanthemum - Kevin Henkes
Splat the Cat - Rob Scotton
First Day Jitters - Kevin Henkes
How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Mark Teague
David Goes to School - David Shannon
The Recess Queen - Alexis O'Neill
Wemberly Worried - Kevin Henkes
First Grade Stinks - Mary Ann Rodman
Chrysanthemum - Kevin Henkes
Splat the Cat - Rob Scotton
First Day Jitters - Kevin Henkes
How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Mark Teague
Unit 2: Our Community
Weekly Units: Jobs Around Town, Buildings All Around, A Community in Nature, Let's Help, Follow the Map
Our second unit focuses on our community and where we live. Here are some books to check out about this topic.
Let's Meet A Construction Worker - Bridget Heos
Career Day - Anne Rockwell
The Berenstain Bears: Jobs Around Town - Stan Berenstain
What Do People Do All Day? - Richard Scarry
Officer Buckle and Gloria - Peggy Rathmann
Me on the Map - Joan Sweeney
Follow That Map! - Scot Ritchie
There's A Map on my Lap! - Tish Rabe
Let's Meet A Construction Worker - Bridget Heos
Career Day - Anne Rockwell
The Berenstain Bears: Jobs Around Town - Stan Berenstain
What Do People Do All Day? - Richard Scarry
Officer Buckle and Gloria - Peggy Rathmann
Me on the Map - Joan Sweeney
Follow That Map! - Scot Ritchie
There's A Map on my Lap! - Tish Rabe
Unit 3: Changes Over Time
Weekly Units: What Time is It?, Watch it Grow, Tales Over Time, Now and Then, From Farm to Table
Our third unit focuses on how things change over time, as well as how plants grow. Here are some books to check out about this topic.
Now and Ben - Gene Barretta
The Secret School - Avi
The Tiny Seed - Eric Carle
Tops and Bottoms - Janet Stevens
A Tree is a Plant - Clyde Robert Bulla
The Vegetables We Eat - Gail Gibbons
Now and Ben - Gene Barretta
The Secret School - Avi
The Tiny Seed - Eric Carle
Tops and Bottoms - Janet Stevens
A Tree is a Plant - Clyde Robert Bulla
The Vegetables We Eat - Gail Gibbons
Unit 4: Animals Everywhere
Weekly Units: Animal Features, Animals Together, In the Wild, Insects, Working with Animals
Our fourth unit focuses on animals and their habitats.
We will be learning about animals that live in the following habitats:
*Rainforest
Live Ape Camera
*Desert
Animals
*Grasslands
Live Elephant Camera
Animals
*Arctic
Live Polar Bear Camera
Animals
*Mountains
Select "mountain" in the "That Live In" section
*Ocean
Animals
*Rainforest
Live Ape Camera
*Desert
Animals
*Grasslands
Live Elephant Camera
Animals
*Arctic
Live Polar Bear Camera
Animals
*Mountains
Select "mountain" in the "That Live In" section
*Ocean
Animals
Unit 5: Figure It Out
Weekly Units: See It Sort It, Up in the Sky, Great Inventions, Sounds All Around, Build It
Our fifth unit is about the scientific process and understanding some key elements of science. Here are some great books to check out about this topic.
Infinity and Me - Kate Hosford
On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein - Jennifer Berne
If You Decide to Go to the Moon - Faith McNulty
Tracking Trash - Loree Griffin Burns
Rosie Revere, Engineer - Andrea Beaty
Marvelous Mattie - Emily Arnold McCully
Mistakes that Worked - Charlotte Foltz Jones
The Story of Inventions - Anna Claybourne
Infinity and Me - Kate Hosford
On A Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein - Jennifer Berne
If You Decide to Go to the Moon - Faith McNulty
Tracking Trash - Loree Griffin Burns
Rosie Revere, Engineer - Andrea Beaty
Marvelous Mattie - Emily Arnold McCully
Mistakes that Worked - Charlotte Foltz Jones
The Story of Inventions - Anna Claybourne
Unit 6: Together We Can
Weekly Units: Taking Action, My Team, Weather Together, Sharing Traditions, Celebrate America
Our sixth and final unit is about teamwork and how we can all work together to make our world a better place. Here are some great books to check out about this topic.
Pumpkin Soup - Helen Cooper
Two Mice - Sergio Ruzzier
Winners Never Quit - Mia Hamm
The Giant Carrot - Jan Peck
Dumpling Soup - Jama Kim Rattigan
Children Around the World - Donata Montanari
Mama Panya's Pancakes - Mary and Rich Chamberlain
I Lost My Tooth in Africa - Penda Diakite
Pumpkin Soup - Helen Cooper
Two Mice - Sergio Ruzzier
Winners Never Quit - Mia Hamm
The Giant Carrot - Jan Peck
Dumpling Soup - Jama Kim Rattigan
Children Around the World - Donata Montanari
Mama Panya's Pancakes - Mary and Rich Chamberlain
I Lost My Tooth in Africa - Penda Diakite
Writing
First grade is a very important time for young students to learn many basic writing skills. All year long we will be working on capitalization, punctuation, writing complete sentences, and writing in different styles such as narrative, informative, and opinion. We will also learn about nouns, adjectives, verbs, and more!