First Grade

FIRST GRADE AT FOREST PATH ACADEMY

The First Grade program meets 3 days a week, Tues and Thurs 9:00-3:45 and Wed 9:00-1:45 (pickup between 1:45 and 2:00) pm. Families may choose to add additional days and hours to the program. Our full time program offers the most hours weekly, meeting 8:00-3:45 Mon-Thurs, or you can select individual components. Read below for detailed information

This core program is divided into 45 min class blocks. In the core PATHS program, our focus is on phonics and reading instruction as well as creating a love of literature. Students have 3 reading/language arts blocks and 1 math block daily. They have science and history twice a week on Tues/Thurs as well as Spanish, Music, and Art once a week. The core program constitutes a complete curriculum for a first grade student.

We have various add-options available for parents who would like additional school hours and additional classes.
You can select from the following add-ons for the core PATHS program:

Our Steam/Nature day meets Mon from 9:00-1:45 (pickup between 1:45 and 2:00). STEAM Mon for 2024-2025 includes 5 classes: Science Explorers, Jr. Biologist, Botany, Spanish, and Theater or Art. You can read more about these classes on our STEAM day page here
We offer Math / Engineering centers from 8:00-9:00 am.. Students will explore hands on math activities using blocks, legos, cuisinaire rods, unifix cubes, and more.
Afternoon Block- Students may add 2:00-3:45 Mon and/or Wed afternoon. Students will complete any homework assignments as well as outdoor nature activities and literature and math enrichment.

CLASSES

The following classes are included in the Forest Path Curriculum.

Phonics-Emergent readers:

(Children are placed in Phonics based on their reading level - your child will be given a evaluated their first week of class for phonics and literature placement. Emergent readers is the grade level expectation but your child may be placed in the beginning or advanced class depending on their reading level and moved up or down as the year progresses )

This class is designed for all new first grade students as well as second grade students who are still “emergent” readers. If your child can read words like “cat” “dog” and “snack” but does not yet read fluently, this is the class for your child. The emergent reader class meets three days a week.

We offer a strong phonics program based on Orton Gillingham methodology. We use primarily Saxon Phonics 1 as their main curriculum but supplement with other programs including All About Spelling / All About Reading and Explode the Code.

Literature:

First Grade students will explore a variety of quality literature selections including Caldecott winners such as Tomy DePaola, Maurice Sendak, Kevin Henkes, Robert McClosky, and many more. These books will be read out loud to the students and parents will be asked to read out loud to their children at home. As the year progresses children will receive their own phonics readers to practice reading at home.

Handwriting:

Handwriting without Tears- Printing Power. Students will learn correct letter formation and practice writing correctly.

Math:

Our core workbook will be the Saxon math, but we supplement with other curricula. Students will learn adding and subtracting plus topics such as calendar, patterning, shapes, and more. We utilize both Math Centers with manipulatives and traditional worksheets.

Science: Either Exploring My World or Biology

We utilize an A/B year system. K and 1st will either enjoy Exploring my World or Biology. They will have one subject in K and one subject in 1st.

Students will explore and learn through hands on experiments and science centers topics such as the human body and my five senses, animals and habitats, biomes, classification, plants, lights and mirrors, simple machines, and more.

History: My Country and Me or World Cultures

We utilize an A/B year system. K and 1st will enjoy either My Country and Me or World Cultures. They will have one subject in K and one subject in 1st.

My Country and Me: Students will learn about our city and state as well as important people in our community. We’ll learn about important symbols of our country and our state. Later we’ll cover a variety of famous historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison, and many more.

World Cultures: Students will learn about people and countries around the world. We will look at maps, flags, foods, and the people who live in places all over the world. We'll also enjoy craft projects and music from these countries and even some snacks!

Spanish

Our Spanish Enrichment classes will introduce the Spanish language and Latin American/Spanish cultures in a “fun” atmosphere. There will be a variety of activities including flashcards, videos, games, and songs. We will learn colors, numbers, the alphabet, lots of vocabulary and more! The skill level taught will vary with the age of the student. Our goal will be to build a strong language foundation while having lots of fun!

Adventures in Art

The children will be introduced to and explore different techniques, mediums, materials, and a wide range of experiences, resulting in open-ended outcomes. Studies of artists, illustrators, and seasonal fun will also be included. The activities in this class will help foster a lifelong love of art and the creative process

Music Explorers

Focus and content include beat versus no beat, melodic direction, exploring the staff, and music notation. We’ll also study the instruments of the orchestra, and composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. Children will have the opportunity to explore making music using instruments such as bells, sticks, drums, glockenspiels, and recorders.