Grade 1 Curriculum

In the revised Focus on First (Fo1) curriculum, children and teachers work together to develop understandings and communicate meaningfully through various media across six broad topics. Focus on First is designed to take advantage of, build upon, and expand children's established understandings and skills. With text at the core of classroom experiences, children ask questions about the world around them and consolidate ideas about their place in it as learners and contributors.

 

Units of Study
Over the course of the school year, teachers and children embark on four in-depth studies:

In addition, two content threads weave throughout the year: Observing the Sky and Understanding Maps.

 

Each study spans eight weeks, integrating learning in literacy, science, history and social studies, and arts and culminating with projects that both keep the topics close to the learners and push the children out into the community. Each topic is carried by Big Ideas; Weekly Questions bring these into clearer focus and connect the curriculum components. The first unit is designed to begin in the first full week of school and thus includes support for establishing the classroom community—the most important work of the beginning of any school year. The units are propelled by text analysis and discussion and supported by content-specific vocabulary. Development of understanding around the topic of study runs parallel with the development of specific skills in communication (reading, writing, listening, and speaking)—in fact, the two are critically interconnected.

 

Within each unit of study are distinct Writing units, with focus on a particular genre and contributing to children’s development, expansion, and communication of ideas.

For more detailed information on the specifics of the FOCUS on First (Grade 1) curriculum, click here.

 

The Grade 1 curriculum of Illustrative Mathematics is tailored to develop students' understanding of addition, subtraction, and strategies for these operations within 20. It also focuses on enhancing the comprehension of whole-number relationships and place value, particularly grouping in tens and ones. Moreover, the curriculum introduces students to linear measurement and the fundamentals of geometric shapes. Each unit connects to and extends ideas from previous units, weaving a coherent mathematical narrative throughout the year. The Illustrative Math Curriculum uses a problem-based learning approach, ensuring that students not only master grade-level content but also develop critical, lifelong cognitive skills. This methodology deepens conceptual understanding, promotes active learning, and fosters skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and perseverance. The curriculum is designed to be student-centered, encouraging inquiry, collaboration, and active engagement with challenging real-world problems.

 

The curriculum is divided into 8 units: 

 

Unit 1: Adding, Subtracting, and Working with Data
This unit enhances students' skills in addition and subtraction within 10, building on kindergarten concepts. It introduces data representation through sorting and categorizing, laying the foundation for more complex data interpretation. The focus on addition and subtraction within 10 helps develop fluency in basic arithmetic, essential for more advanced mathematical concepts.

Students learn to solve various types of story problems within 10, deepening their understanding of arithmetic operations and their relationships. This unit emphasizes the connection between story problems and equations, preparing students for more complex problem-solving and algebraic thinking.

 

This unit expands students' arithmetic skills to include addition and subtraction within 20. Building on the base-ten system understanding, it helps students grasp the concept of 'a ten' and its use in arithmetic. The unit's focus on decomposing and recomposing numbers enhances their number sense, crucial for future mathematical learning.

 

Focusing on place value for numbers up to 99, this unit helps students understand the base-ten system's structure. It connects to previous units by extending counting and grouping skills and prepares students for more complex operations involving larger numbers.

 

Students use place value understanding and arithmetic properties to add within 100. This unit builds on their knowledge of the base-ten system and arithmetic within 20, bridging the gap to more advanced addition skills.

 

Combining measurement with arithmetic, this unit extends students' knowledge to measuring lengths up to 120 units. It revisits story problems, integrating measurement concepts with arithmetic skills, which is essential for understanding real-world applications of mathematics.

 

Students explore shapes and their attributes, partition shapes, and learn to tell time. This unit builds on kindergarten geometry concepts and integrates arithmetic skills, enhancing students' spatial reasoning and time management skills.

 

In the final unit, students consolidate their learning across various mathematical domains, applying skills in addition, subtraction, geometry, and measurement. This unit ensures a well-rounded understanding of grade 1 math concepts, setting a solid foundation for future learning.

 

For more detailed information on the specifics of the Grade 1 Illustrative Math curriculum, click here.