Kindergarten/Grade 1 Curriculum
Language Arts
During this time students are developing their emergent reading skills. Because no two students learn to read in the exact same way or at the exact same pace, NVS teachers draw on multiple resources to plan diverse lessons and instruction to support both foundational and comprehension skills.
Students learn to identify and write letters, associate letters with their sounds, and decode words. Daily read alouds, both fiction and nonfiction, provide the setting for retelling stories, describing characters & setting, identifying main topics, and comparing & contrasting two texts on the same topic.
Our K-1 writers learn about the Writers' Workshop model where they write and share stories based on their personal experiences, explore informational writing, and participate in Author Studies.
Math
The big ideas in Kindergarten are representing and comparing whole numbers, initially with sets of objects; understanding and applying addition and subtraction; and describing shapes and space.
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The mathematical work for Kindergarten includes:
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Math in Our World
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Numbers 1–10
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Flat Shapes All Around Us
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Understanding Addition and Subtraction
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Composing and Decomposing Numbers to 10
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Numbers 0–20
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Solid Shapes All Around Us
The big ideas in Grade 1 are developing understanding of addition and subtraction within 20; developing understanding of whole-number relationships and place value, including grouping in tens and ones; developing understanding of linear measurement and measuring lengths; and reasoning about attributes of, and composing and decomposing geometric shapes.
The mathematical work for grade 1 includes:
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Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data
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Addition and Subtraction Story Problems
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Adding and Subtracting within 20
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Numbers to 99
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Adding within 100
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Length Measurements within 120 units
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Geometry and Time
Science
K-1 students learn to ask questions, plan & carry out investigations, analyze data, and communicate information. Topics during the two years include:
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Forces and Interactions: Pushes and Pulls
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Animals, Plants, and Their Environment
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Weather and Climate
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Waves: Light and Sound
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Patterns and Cycles
Social Studies
During these two years students learn about the communities around them–their School, Families & the Central Coast. Essential questions explored by our K-1 students include:
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What makes a community?
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What does it mean to be a member of a community?
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How are people the same and different?
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How are families the same and different?
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How are communities different?
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What is the difference between wants & needs?
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What is the difference between past and present?