First Grade Information

Welcome to rst grade.

This document provides a brief overview of your child s program this year as taught by the classroom teacher. The other curriculum areas: Physical Education, Art, Music, Drama and Languages are taught by specialist teachers. Please feel free to seek any additional information you require from your child s classroom teacher.

learning environment, students make sense of their experiences and construct meaning. The First Grade Units of Inquiry are: Sharing the Planet: People have an impact on the environment How We Organize Ourselves: Transportation systems get people from place to place. Who We Are: Body systems work together to keep people alive. Where We are in Place and Time: Family history provides insight into personal identities. How We Express Ourselves: Writers can use their imagination to entertain others and to explore feelings. How the World Works: Forces act upon people and objects.

Kayo Yoshida 1Y Yoshidak@yis.ac.jp Donna Saito 1S Saito@yis.ac.jp

PYP Units of Inquiry

The PYP (Primary Years Program) believes that ...student learning is best done when it is authentic-relevant to the real world and transdiciplinarywhere the learning is not conned within the boundaries of traditional subject areas but is supported and enriched by them. (IBO,2009.P.1). It is expected that students will bring prior knowledge to learning situations and engage with the curriculum through inquiry based activities designed by themselves and the teacher. In the

Mathematics
Our mathematics program emphasizes problem solving using an inquiry approach. The curriculum contains the following broad topics; Pattern, N u m b e r, S h a p e a n d S p a c e Measurement and Data Handling. These topics will be presented in a variety of ways. Concepts are introduced using concrete materials and real experiences. Students may be asked to explain their processes and solutions both orally and in written form.

Reading
The students are encouraged to read a wide range of materials including picture books, short stories, traditional tales, big books, poetry and non-ction selections. Part of the reading program involves instructional reading which is teacher directed, and is designed to develop reading decoding skills and strategies, comprehension and reading vocabulary. The school library is considered a valuable resource in developing your childs interest in reading. Each class visits the library once a week.

condence and feel proud of their accomplishments. We hope you will encourage your child to write often at home.

Spelling
The childrens spelling will improve as they read, write and experiment with words. Research has shown that children must experience different spellings before they become competent spellers. They may be working with words from their own writing, frequently used words,and words relating to the Units of Inquiry.

Handwriting
YIS uses the Victorian Modern Cursive style of handwriting. YIS School Values -To be given special focus throughout the school yearWe shall be mindful of the needs and rights of others. We shall be honest in our dealings. We shall be peaceful in our intentions. We shall be responsible in our actions. We shall be supportive of each other.

Listening
Development of listening skills will be emphasized in large and small group situations. Listening carefully is an important part of our entire program.

Oral Language
There are daily opportunities for children to ask questions and express ideas and opinions as part of large and small groups. The opportunities are designed to encourage communication skills.

Writing
The students will write in a variety of forms (e.g.lists, personal recounts, stories, letters, poems, observational writing)and for a variety of audiences. When the children write we encourage them to attempt to write all the letters they hear and not to worry about conventional spelling at rst. In this way their thoughts will run freely onto paper. As they progress they will develop spelling strategies, punctuation and grammar. When they share or publish their writing, they gain

Homework
Students are to ll their reading log as their nightly homework. This should take no longer than 10 minutes. Fridays is Japanese Homework day. Students who have Japanese homework do not have to ll their reading log on Fridays. The Elementary Homework Policy can be found on the YIS website.