First Grade

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BIBLE (ABEKA)
Students are taught fundamental Bible truths to enable them to understand the Word of God, nurture Christian growth and to desire a personal commitment to the Lord.  Chapel services are held weekly.
 
HISTORY (ABEKA)
In the History course, the students learn about America, how the country was founded, the basic freedoms and special symbols of the country.  Students are introduced to famous Americans as well as many historical places of interest.

LANGUAGE (ABEKA)
The Language course is taught along with phonics to enable the student to become skillful in reading and writing.  The skills begin with simple sentences, capitalization, punctuation, proper word usage and using suffixes and prefixes.  Students progress from writing simple sentences to writing stories.  This skill is enhanced with the use of journal writing.

MATH (ABEKA)
The Math course is taught in an orderly manner, which builds on prior learned skills.  The concepts taught are counting, writing and reading numbers, place value, addition, subtraction, money, time, graphs, measurements, temperature and fractions.  Story problems and thinking skills are also included.
          
PHONICS (ABEKA)
In the Phonics course, students review the basic phonic sounds of the alphabet and the one and two-vowel rules for words. Other phonetic letter combinations and rules are taught and memorized to help equip the student with word attack skills for reading and spelling.

READING (ABEKA)
Reading is practiced by applying skills taught in phonics and spelling along with language skills.  The reading books provide exciting stories from a Christian perspective that will help build character and encourage a life-long enthusiasm for reading.  Comprehension questions test the student’s literal, interpretive and critical understanding of the material.

SPELLING (ACSI)
This series approaches spelling as a critical literacy skill that strengthens reading and writing ability.  Spelling strategies such as word sorting by phonetic pattern, developing vocabulary through word study, and using the writing process to compose original stories pervade the books.   The five-day instructional format of the word list lessons begins with the “Warm Up” (Pretest) on Day 1 and concludes with the “Wrap Up” (Posttest) on Day 5.  Day 2 is reserved for “Phonics” instruction, Day 3 for “Word Study,” and Day 4 for “Writing.” Lesson activities strengthen the students’ skills in decoding, encoding, vocabulary, word building, proof reading, and creative word application in daily writing.

WRITING (ABEKA)
In the Writing course, students reinforce the proper letter formation and spacing for manuscript writing, which is taught in kindergarten.  The daily writing sheets review the phonics skills starting with letters, blends, words and then sentences.

SCIENCE (ACSI – PURPOSEFUL DESIGN)
In the level one Science course, students are introduced to the wonders of God’s creation through the study of science. Students receive age-appropriate experience with scientific observation and the scientific method.  Life science (animals and the human body), physical science, and earth and space science are each introduced using an integration of vivid photographs, easy-to-understand text, colored worksheets, and engaging activities.