Lake Forest Country Day School
GRADE 1 Curriculum Lower School
LAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL A co-educational independent school for students age 2 through Grade 8, graduating students of strong character with a passion for learning since 1888.
Lower School Curriculum (Grades 1–4)
Overview The Lower School curriculum reflects high academic standards, and our faculty is dedicated to giving each student the opportunity to discover his or her physical, creative, social, and academic strengths. Because social and academic skills are inextricably linked, we strive to create a respectful, safe atmosphere where students can explore interests, take responsible risks, and develop academic skills and knowledge. Dedicated faculty members work together in our state-of-the-art facility to create an engaging curriculum, rich with opportunities for deeper thinking as students develop key twenty-first-century skills: communication, cosmopolitanism, collaboration, character, creativity, and critical thinking.
STUDENTS BENEFIT FROM §§ Our developmentally appropriate, coherently sequenced, and integrated curriculum in language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, world language, fine arts, physical education & wellness, and library and education technology.
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§§ A faculty who understands brain and child development and works collaboratively to engage students in a variety of learning experiences that encourage making connections, building understanding, and taking ownership of learning.
§§ A commitment to developing important Habits of Mind, critical thinking and creative problem solving, collaboration and communications skills, and curiosity and imagination.
§§ A commitment to experiential learning and enriching experiences through field trips.
§§ Our Responsive Classroom® teaching philosophy which stands apart from other public and private school programs with its emphasis on a positive social and emotional environment as the foundation for academic excellence.
§§ A diverse and globally aware student and parent body.
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§§ A compassionate school environment that values personal responsibility, diversity, and openness to different points of view.
TEaching Philosophy Knowing the students we teach—individually, culturally, and developmentally—is of utmost importance to us. We also believe in the importance of getting to know their families. We value the input of parents as the child’s first teacher, beginning with intake conferences prior to the start of school when parents share their knowledge of and hopes and dreams for their child. Two important beliefs are at the heart of our teaching philosophy: first, the social curriculum is inextricably linked with the academic curriculum; and, second, how students learn is as important as what students learn. Lower School faculty shares a commitment to the following teaching and learning practices:
RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM® Responsive Classroom® techniques foster a welcoming, accepting, safe, and nurturing environment for learning.
DIFFERENTIATION Teachers focus on each individual student’s learning style and make adjustments as needed to provide support or additional challenge.
HABITS OF MIND Teachers promote ways of thinking and behaving that develop self-discipline and strong character.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Students enjoy opportunities to engage in handson activities and role-play experiences that help them understand abstract ideas.
AUTHENTIC WORK OF THE DISCIPLINES The curriculum emphasizes academic work that requires critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration and has real-world applications.
UNIFYING CONCEPTS Ideas are introduced in the context of central unifying concepts or themes to help students recognize and make connections in what they are learning in different disciplines.
Responsive Classroom® Approach The Lower School faculty utilizes Responsive Classroom® techniques to create a welcoming, accepting, safe, and nurturing environment. In classrooms where caring communities are created and in which children are valued for where they are on the continuum of
learning, students are prepared to face challenges intentionally designed to stretch their thinking and help them develop confidence in what they can accomplish. As students grow and mature, they take increasing responsibility for their own learning, for setting goals, and for evaluating their learning style. By fourth grade, students lead their spring parent conferences, using portfolios to explain their progress, strengths, and challenges. Children must have multiple opportunities to learn and practice in order to be successful academically and socially. Since the greatest cognitive growth occurs
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through social interaction, various social settings (e.g., oneto-one conferences, small groups, whole class, and team experiences) provide opportunities for learning cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.
COMMUNITY MEETING Stop by at 8:15 on a Wednesday morning to experience a Lower School Community Meeting, a time when students in senior kindergarten through fourth grade come together for approximately twenty minutes. The meetings are designed to: §§ build community through the sharing of common values and experiences.
Every Lower School classroom §§ provide an opportunity for students to present examples of their begins the day with a accomplishments and work in all disciplines. Morning Meeting. News and §§ celebrate birthdays and reward qualities we value (i.e., persistence, riskAnnouncements are read by the taking, sportsmanship, respect, teamwork, dedication to high-quality work). children as they arrive, building excitement about the day’s events §§ share musical and movement selections. and engaging the students in a §§ continue strengthening and reinforcing public speaking competencies. meaningful question of the day These meetings also provide the opportunity to remind students about important designed to enhance learning Habits of Mind and shared values that are an integral part of the LFCDS experience, and sometimes just to have fun. including the value of “filling each other’s buckets.” During the sharing that follows, students practice essential skills, such as learning to share students determine what they will read, write about, concisely; actively or explore as well as how they will go about learning listening with empathy and understanding; asking and demonstrating understanding. Students become increasingly complex questions; and making more engaged, productive, persistent, and excited about connections with what they hear. The meeting ends learning and sharing their knowledge when they have with a fun, bonding activity. choices. They are also more likely to think deeply and Inherent in the Responsive Classroom® approach is creatively. shared ownership of the classroom community and Research indicates that the Responsive Classroom® choice. The year begins with cooperative creation of approach provides a more positive school experience for classroom rules based on students’ hopes and dreams both students and faculty, improves the social skills of for the year and the classroom atmosphere necessary to students, increases academic achievement, and leads to accomplish them. Guidelines for behavior are shared more high-quality instruction. with teachers of “specials” such as art, music, science, and physical education & wellness so expectations are consistent throughout the day. Students are taught to resolve conflict with words and to offer amends for any hurt they may have caused. Teachers use logical consequences for infractions and are proactive about dealing with social cruelty. Students feel heard and safe and understand that these situations are part of growing up. Because we know that choice is highly motivating, the faculty creates opportunities each week when
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Habits of Mind Habits of Mind are behaviors or dispositions that we believe provide a strong foundation for success in school and in life. Across curricular areas, faculty members discuss their application and provide regular opportunities for students to apply them. For example:
§§ During a fourth-grade mathematics class, a teacher encourages metacognition as students prepare to share a variety of ways to solve a problem. §§ A world language teacher asks students to strive for accuracy when pronouncing new vocabulary. §§ Third-grade students think and communicate with clarity and precision as they write essays. §§ Second-grade students think flexibly in visual art class as they determine the materials and perspective to complete their project. §§ First-grade students take responsible risks using challenging playground equipment. §§ For our early childhood students, gathering data through the senses and persisting are part of the fabric of their day. §§ In science class, students question and pose problems as they create "fair tests" and make inferences from the results. §§ Throughout the Lower School, students practice listening with empathy and understanding, managing impulsivity, responding with wonder and awe, and finding humor as a community during daily Morning Meetings. §§ Students learn to think interdependently, be creative, use their imaginations, and be innovative during a myriad of small- and large-group problem solving situations across the disciplines.
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING Our emotions and relationships affect how and what we learn. Learning is an intrinsically social and interactive process—it takes place in collaboration with teachers, children and parents. Hence, the abilities to manage emotions and build positive relationships deeply impacts learning. (CASEL, 2013) Beginning with our youngest students, we employ a wide range of age-appropriate social and emotional learning approaches to help children develop self-awareness, selfmanagement, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Creating balance between the academic and social/emotional needs of students is an essential component of the LFCDS experience.
Authentic Work of the Disciplines At LFCDS, we emphasize authentic learning experiences—ones that reflect critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, and real-world applications. In order to prepare students for a university education, a meaningful career, and life in general, we work to develop students’ deep understanding of content and issues and ask them to demonstrate their new learning, not just recite it. The authentic work of real-world learning experiences enables students to develop important lifelong skills and to view their education as relevant and connected to the larger world. So what does this look like at LFCDS? Second-grade students analyze literature and design open-ended questions to pose to their book clubs. The reduction of carbon footprints on our earth is the focus of fourthgrade students as they manage the school’s recycling program and learn about their own use of natural resources. First-grade students conduct an interview with one of their grandparents or special neighborhood
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THE LFCDS HOUSE SYSTEM Four large flags in the school atrium represent four “Houses” or groups within the School. LFCDS has developed the House System to foster connections within the school community. The objective is to bring together Upper and Lower School students, faculty, and staff for organized fun that enhances each member’s sense of belonging and builds tradition. §§ The four houses are named for significant leaders in the School’s history (Bell, Mason, and Farwell) and a founder of the first private day school in America (Alcott). Each house has a signature color. §§ First-grade and new students are assigned to multi-age families within each house, and siblings are placed in the same house. Eighth-grade students, along with faculty and staff members, serve as family and house elders, and enjoy mentorship and leadership opportunities outside of class. §§ School spirit is enhanced through friendly, fun, and unique events throughout the year. §§ Building connections and developing lasting relationships among faculty, staff, and all students from first through eighth grade ultimately creates a stronger sense of responsibility for the well-being of each member of the community.
friends. Preschool students use cloth napkins for snacks and grow vegetables in their school garden beds. Primary source documents are examined by third-grade students as they research and analyze events in our country's history. Learning experiences like these offer intellectual challenge, build work habits of persistence, metacognition, and accuracy, and engage students in the kinds of creative and critical thinking that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Differentiation Differentiation is the process of matching instruction to varied students and their interests and needs. It is a cornerstone of high-quality teaching and learning and a practice that pervades LFCDS. We pride ourselves on our ability to deeply know our students as learners and to think outside of the box when it comes to approaching their learning in the most appropriate and effective ways. This is responsive education. Students who require academic enrichment may participate in a variety of math or reading experiences while those children who require
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additional support may receive in-class individual and small-group assistance or instruction offered through our Learning Services Department. Ongoing assessment enables us to efficiently and flexibly encourage our students’ interests and to meet their academic and developmental needs.
Experiential Learning What child wouldn’t want to become a toy designer, a pioneer in the 1850s, a travel journalist making a crosscountry trek, a Chinese dragon parade manager or a member of royalty in medieval England? Experiential learning occurs when students investigate and gain understanding through their play. An excellent instructional strategy to engage the whole child— cognitively, socially and emotionally, physically, and creatively—experiential learning allows students to learn by doing: creating, constructing, planning, solving problems, and collaborating. LFCDS teachers carefully craft experiential, hands-on learning
activities that will tap students’ interest and engagement and then allow for divergent thinking, open-ended responses, student choice, and rich understanding. Joyful play and academic rigor can occur simultaneously!
Unifying Concepts Unifying concepts provide a structure for organizing and making meaning of the knowledge and information that students learn throughout the school day. Research supports this notion: facts and ideas become usable understandings for children when they are linked to central themes or concepts. Knowing how students learn best, we developed preschool through eighth-grade social studies and science curricula around unifying concepts that build upon and connect to each other. For example, the relationships concept that grounds the preschool social studies curriculum is enhanced by the study of animal-environment relationships in junior kindergarten; by the contentious relationships between European settlers and native peoples studied in third grade; and by the relationship between individual and government in eighth-grade American history. At the same time, each grade level represents a new layer of unifying concept that enriches and broadens students’ understanding of it and its application in varied contexts. Unifying concepts are integral to ensuring that students make connections within and across disciplines and topics and, as a result, comprehend their learning experiences more deeply.
HEALTHY EATING AND MANNERS Lunch is included in tuition and, since LFCDS focuses on the whole child, mealtime is structured as an opportunity for children to learn and practice gratitude, good manners, polite conversation, and healthy eating habits. §§ Lunches are served family style with six or seven students assigned to a table with an adult or fourth-grade supervisor. Fourth-grade students may sit at self-managed Honor Tables. §§ OrganicLife provides healthy hot selections, an extensive salad bar, and a sandwich bar daily. Fresh fruit is served each day for dessert. Several times per month, a sweet dessert is offered in addition to the fruit. A water pitcher is on each table, and milk is also available. §§ Each child has a job to accomplish so that tables are respectfully cleared, cleaned, and prepared for the next lunch. §§ A music selection is played during which the lunchroom is silent and the focus is on eating. §§ On occasion, world language immersion tables provide an enriching, authentic, and fun experience for students. They are supervised by world language staff and bilingual volunteer parents. §§ Parents are welcome at lunch both as visitors and as volunteer table supervisors.
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GRADE 1 Curriculum The First-Grade Experience at LFCDS Our energetic first-grade students excitedly skip into school through the Onwentsia entrance. Any first-day jitters are
maintain friendships. Chasing and role-play games are popular and often the children become deeply engaged in negotiating the rules for their interactions in the games. First-grade students typically like to enforce the quickly replaced by enthusiasm about moving from the rules and routines that Early Childhood Center provide them with security to classrooms in the Lower and predictability, so this School wing. These eager, Highlights of the is a year when “tattling” curious six- and sevenis common. First grade year-olds are increasingly First-Grade Experience is the perfect time for independent in a variety §§ Dip a net to discover and observe families to establish and of ways, from walking to prairie insects and frogs at the LFCDS reinforce expectations class without an adult to outdoor classroom. about common courtesy, completing homework § § Take part in a Chinese New Year table manners, and phone each evening. They love celebration including a dragon parade etiquette, as well as the pondering new ideas; and feasting on authentic Chinese cuisine. importance of writing asking questions; and thank you notes and being learning through games, §§ Practice the art-making tradition of henna generous to others. poems, songs, field trips, while learning about the culture and and hands-on projects. history of India. At LFCDS, we emphasize First-grade classrooms respect and on what §§ Learn about history by interviewing a are bustling places! These it means to be part of grandparent or elderly friend. industrious children are a community. Each §§ Experience performance art such as a not as attuned to neatness classroom develops its play, poetry slam, or dance. as they will be soon; own group agreement for them the process is §§ Forge relationships in the school with standards for more important than the community through house events. behavior. First-grade product. Their ability to students regularly attend §§ Take on the responsibility of understand a variety of and participate in weekly doing homework, word sort, and points of view is growing. Lower School Community mathematics facts. They proudly carry home Meetings. There is great their work, and they anticipation in the fall as thrive on encouragement, first-grade students learn surprises, and brain breaks. They are beginning to which multi-age family they are assigned to within a understand past and present and how and why things specific house. If the child has older siblings, they will happen. Their bodies are growing and changing rapidly, be part of the same house, but not the same family. As and it is the year of losing teeth! the youngest members of the House System, our firstSocially, first-grade students are learning to develop and
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grade students are welcomed and nurtured by older
students with whom they develop special relationships.
SCHEDULE Beginning in first grade, students follow a six-day academic schedule:
§§ Language arts (i.e., reading, writing, and word study): approximately two hours per day. §§ Social studies: three times a week for approximately forty-five minutes. §§ Mathematics: one hour each day; calendar and number sense activities are part of the Morning Meeting routine. §§ Physical education & wellness: thirty minutes each day, taught by members of the Physical Education & Wellness department. §§ Mandarin Chinese: two times per six-day cycle for twenty minutes taught by a specialist. §§ Science: three times in a six-day cycle for approximately forty minutes, taught by a specialist. §§ Music: two times in a six-day cycle for approximately thirty-five minutes, taught by a specialist. §§ Visual art classes: twice in a six-day cycle for forty-five minutes, taught by an artist/educator. Each day begins with a Morning Meeting during which time students greet one another, get to know each other better through sharing, engage in an activity, and read the daily message. Each morning and afternoon students take a short break for a snack. Because we value fresh air, play, and the skills gained through unstructured activities, a thirty-minute recess occurs each afternoon.
HOMEWORK This is the year to set the stage for positive organization and attitudes surrounding homework. Parents have the opportunity to establish routines for when and where homework will be completed; for checking to be certain it is completed neatly and accurately; and to determine where work is placed so materials are ready to be returned to school the following morning.
A parent’s presence for answering questions and setting standards establishes homework as a valued part of school.
§§ In first grade, students should spend approximately ten to twenty minutes on homework. §§ There are designated word study sorts to complete and activities to promote fact fluency. §§ Reading to or with a child daily is expected as it promotes reading as an important lifelong habit and builds vocabulary.
STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENTS Standardized and normed data provided by the following tools, along with classroom-based assessments, offer teachers a more complete understanding of each of their student’s learning profiles and guides individual instruction as well as curriculum design.
§§ Two times a year the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System is administered to gauge student progress in reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. §§ First-grade students take the NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) assessment. This test is designed to identify areas of strength, opportunities for interventions, and overall performance over time. The adaptive, untimed assessment provides reliable, detailed information about what each student knows and is ready to learn. Because the test is administered two times a year, educators have immediate and highly accurate data on the precise learning level of each child so their teaching can be adjusted to meet the individual needs of students. §§ MAP results allow for individualized Compass Learning activities to be provided to each student. Compass Learning provides online blended learning for support and enrichment, which is specifically targeted to each child's level of understanding and mastery.
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LANGUAGE ARTS OVERVIEW The Lower School language arts curriculum provides a framework for teaching and learning that is student centered, rigorous, and individualized. Divided into four components—reading, writing, word study, and public speaking—the language arts program enables students to become strong readers, writers, speakers, listeners, as well as researchers who can think and investigate in critical and creative ways. In senior kindergarten through Grade 4, Lake Forest Country Day School utilizes a reading workshop program developed by Lucy Calkins at Columbia University's Teachers College. This program offers a comprehensive approach to creating passionate, lifelong readers by providing children with long stretches of time to read with direct, explicit instruction in the skills and strategies of proficient reading. Reading workshop also provides opportunities for children to talk and write about what they read. In conjunction with the reading program, Lower School students write in a variety of genres in addition to developing oral language skills through a variety of activities. Public speaking opportunities are woven throughout the curriculum and offered on a regular basis.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students work to master the following language arts skills:
Reading Foundational Skills
§§ Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words. §§ Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in spoken single-syllable words. §§ Decode regularly spelled one-syllable and two-syllable words.
§§ Recognize and read grade-appropriate, high-frequency words. Learn 300+ new sight vocabulary words. §§ Read on-level text with understanding. §§ Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
Reading Literature
§§ Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. §§ Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details and illustrations. §§ Consistently use reading comprehension strategies (e.g., connecting, questioning, visualizing, inferring, and drawing conclusions). §§ Explain major differences between books that tell
stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types. §§ Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text. §§ Identify words and phrases that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. §§ Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
Reading Informational Text
§§ Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. §§ Describe the connection between two individuals,
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Language Arts
events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text. §§ Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
§§ Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of content, glossaries, electronic menus, and icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. §§ Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
§§ Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
Writing
§§ Write opinion pieces that include an introduction to a topic, an opinion, a reason for the opinion, and some sense of closure. §§ Write informative/explanatory texts that include a topic, some facts about the topic, and some sense of closure. §§ Write narratives that include two or more appropriately sequenced events, some details regarding what happened, temporal words to signal event order, and
Speaking and Listening
§§ Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions. §§ Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. §§ Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.
Language Use
§§ Neatly print all upper- and lowercase letters. §§ Use proper handwriting grip. §§ Use common, proper, and possessive nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences. §§ Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future. §§ Use frequently occurring adjectives, conjunctions, and prepositions. §§ Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences. §§ Capitalize proper nouns.
some sense of closure. §§ With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed. §§ Participate in research and writing projects. §§ Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
§§ Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. §§ Add drawings, visual displays, or complete sentences to oral descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
§§ Use end punctuation for sentences. §§ Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. §§ Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. §§ Spell untaught words phonetically. §§ Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner and adjectives differing in intensity by defining or choosing them or by acting out the meanings.
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Language Arts
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MATHEMATICS OVERVIEW The Singapore program, Math in Focus, is the resource used in senior kindergarten through fourth grade. Excellent supplementary materials and technology pieces support differentiated instruction. Through a concrete–pictorial–abstract approach, students develop a strong conceptual understanding before applying their knowledge. Thinking critically and analytically through problem solving is the centerpiece of this program. The spiraling emphasis each year on number sense, place value, and developing mental math strategies adds to the depth of understanding students can draw upon as they determine various approaches to solving a problem. Bar models require students to visually represent the information in a problem, providing clarity for the operation(s) required to solve it. Classes begin with an Anchor Task for students to explore individually and collectively with guidance from the teacher. Math in Focus lessons support our commitment to providing students with a strong conceptual background that lays the groundwork for algebraic thinking and future success in mathematics; procedural understanding and fact fluency that engender confidence and precision; the ability to clearly communicate one’s thinking with models; and effective use of strategies, flexible thinking, and perseverance when problem solving. Assessments challenge students to apply what they have learned to non-routine problems. Creating a positive disposition toward mathematics is a key to future success in this discipline. Our Lower School mathematics curriculum aligns with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and Common Core State Standards.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students work to master the following mathematics skills:
Number and Operations in Base Ten
§§ Count, compare, and order numbers up to 100. §§ Understand order and position using ordinal numbers and words to 20. §§ Count within 100 by 5s and 10s. §§ Recognize numbers 10-99 as groups of ten and a particular number of ones.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking
§§ Demonstrate fluency with addition and subtraction facts within 20. §§ Understand the meaning of the equal sign, and determine if equations involving addition and subtraction are true or false. §§ Demonstrate an understanding of the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction. §§ Use strategies, such as counting on, counting back, number bonds, and doubles to identify and learn addition and subtraction facts.
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Mathematics
§§ Compare two 2-digit numbers to 100 using greater than, equal to, and less than. §§ Use place value understanding and properties of operation to add and subtract to 100.
§§ Add three 1-digit numbers. §§ Add and subtract numbers to 100, both with, and without regrouping. §§ Demonstrate an understanding of addition and subtraction to 100 using number bonds. §§ Solve real-world word problems involving addition and subtraction to 100. §§ Add and subtract mentally by using multiple strategies. §§ Use number bonds to show the parts and whole of a given number.
Geometry §§ Identify and describe the attributes of plane, two-dimensional shapes based on their geometric properties. §§ Identify and describe solid, three-dimensional shapes
based on their geometric properties. §§ Combine two- and three-dimensional shapes to create a composite shape.
Measurement and Data §§ Measure and compare weights using non-standard units, and appropriate language. §§ Display and interpret data using picture graphs, tally charts, and bar graphs. §§ Interpret and apply data from a calendar. §§ Read and show time to the hour and half hour. §§ Identify coins (i.e., pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters) and
understand their value. §§ Calculate combinations of coins to $1.00. §§ Add and subtract money in real-world word problems. §§ Estimate and measure lengths and heights of objects by using non-standard tools to the nearest whole unit. §§ Compare lengths and heights using appropriate vocabulary.
Mathematical Problem-Solving Practices (embedded within each content strand above) §§ Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. §§ Reason abstractly and quantitatively (i.e., attend to the meaning of quantities; know and flexibly use different properties of operations). §§ Construct logical arguments and evaluate the reasoning of others. §§ Model with mathematics (e.g., write equations, draw a
picture, and use number bonds). §§ Attend to precision (e.g., specify units of measure, calculate accurately, label answers, attend to the context of the problem). §§ Look for and make use of structure (i.e., discern patterns, recognize and use properties of operations).
SOCIAL STUDIES OVERVIEW An integrated study of the social sciences forms the basis for the Lower School social studies curriculum. Unifying themes develop throughout the grades from preschool through eighth grade, allowing students to build on the mastered skills and the lenses through which they have experienced the social studies content. With emphasis on higher-level thinking skills that include chronological sequencing, comprehension, analysis, and decision making, the social studies program offers students the chance to pursue independent inquiry, participate in hands-on lessons and projects, and investigate real-world problems. Through social studies lessons, students develop their capacities to make thoughtful, informed decisions. These skills and understandings are essential for participating citizens in our culturally diverse nation and global world. The unifying theme for first grade is diversity. Students begin the year studying family life—past and present—and their own heritage. Building on the Early Childhood Center’s world cultures investigations, they delve into cultural studies of China and India, with a particular emphasis on families throughout the world. The year concludes with a first-grade project that reflects what has been learned during the year about how individuals can make a difference in the world.
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Mathematics, Social Studies
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GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students work to master the following social studies skills:
Culture
§§ Describe similarities and differences in the ways different groups of people meet similar needs and concerns.
§§ Describe the value of cultural unity, as well as diversity, within and across groups.
Time, Continuity, and Change
§§ Identify and use a variety of primary and secondary sources for reconstructing the past. §§ Identify examples of both continuity and change as described in stories, photographs, and documents. §§ Compare and contrast differing stories or accounts
People, Places, and Environments
§§ Identify the names and locations of continents. §§ Identify locations of major oceans. §§ Ask and find answers to geographic questions.
about past event, people, places, or situations and offer possible reasons for the differences. §§ Use methods of inquiry of history and literacy skills to research and present findings.
§§ Acquire, organize, and analyze geographic information from maps to draw conclusions.
Individual, Groups, and Institutions
§§ Describe interactions between and among individuals, groups, and organizations. §§ Analyze how individuals can make a difference in the
world and/or change history. §§ Determine and enact a first-grade initiative to make a difference in the world.
Global Connections
§§ Explore the ways that aspects of culture, such as language, beliefs, and traditions, may facilitate understanding or lead to misunderstanding between
cultures. §§ Identify and examine issues that impact people in different parts of the world.
SCIENCE OVERVIEW The Lower School science curriculum includes three units of study per year at each grade level that address the three branches of science—physical science, life science, and earth/space science. In a hands-on, inquiry-based setting, students pose questions, explore hypotheses, and form conclusions. Students further their scientific understanding through learning that is relevant to real-life experiences and through spiraling unifying themes from senior kindergarten through eighth grade. First-grade students develop understandings around the theme of change over time. They study habitats created in the classroom, on our campus, and in the local community; explore changes in matter; and investigate weather and the properties of air.
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Social Studies, Science
Students are also exposed to coding over the course of the year through the use of a series of apps. Students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and begin to understand how to work through challenges using a series of logical and sequential commands. This helps demystify the world of computer coding, while giving students an introduction to computer programming. First-grade students will continue to develop skills using the Design Thinking model. The Design Thinking model is an excellent learning tool for students. It is a structure that allows the students the ability to think, design, and construct while developing problem solving skills. Design thinking draws upon logic, imagination, intuition, and systemic reasoning, to explore possibilities of what could be and helps fuel innovation.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students work to master the following science skills:
Questions
§§ Pose thoughtful questions about the world.
Observation
§§ Recognize the need to observe, record, and measure. §§ Use numbers to represent a physical quantity. §§ Observe, describe, and record the properties of living
and non-living things. §§ Observe, describe, and record change over time.
Communication
§§ Construct precise scientific drawings and/or representations of events. §§ Record written predictions, observations, and results in a journal and on record sheets, class charts, and
Comparison
§§ Make comparisons.
Comprehension
§§ Identify the main topic, focus, and key details of a scientific or technical text.
Inquiry Design
§§ Explain fair test. §§ Identify factors that vary in the situation under study.
brainstorming lists. §§ Synthesize classroom discussion and offer meaningful contributions.
§§ Compare conditions over time.
§§ Read on-level informational text with purpose and understanding.
§§ Design and implement a fair-test experiment. §§ Analyze and draw logical conclusions from results. §§ Make a claim or argument and support it with evidence.
Scientific Instruments
§§ Use simple tools such as rulers, magnifying glasses, and observation boxes to measure required data.
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Science
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World Language OVERVIEW LFCDS offers Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and French in the ECC and Lower School. These languages were selected in order to expose our students to a variety of important world cultures and better equip them to meet the challenges of global citizenship. Our design is based on current brain research and best practices in elementary world language education. Adhering to the national standards for the teaching of world languages, we aim to prepare our students to view the world from broader perspectives, compare and contrast languages and cultures, and appreciate the importance of communication in international communities. The benefits of this model lead beyond language learning into the discovery of diverse cultural worlds where these languages are spoken.
EARLY CHILDHOOD & LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM SEQUENCE Spanish: Preschool and Junior Kindergarten Spanish is the most prominent second language in the United States. Often young children have already had some exposure to Spanish expressions and culture. The two-year study of Spanish provides a foundation in Spanish which will also set the stage for the learning of other languages with different sounds and syntax.
Mandarin Chinese: Senior Kindergarten and Grade 1 Chinese represents the fastest growing Eastern language and may be the most important business language outside of English in the twenty-first century. In addition, brain research shows benefits from the study of pictographic and tonal languages, which naturally develop simultaneous use of multiple areas of the brain, enhancing student learning of other subjects. The two-year study of Chinese enriches our senior kindergarten and first-grade cultural studies, especially our first-grade social studies unit on China.
French: Grades 2 and 3
French is an official language in thirty-three countries spread throughout five continents. While learning French, students discover the cross-influence of the French and English language and deepens their knowledge and awareness of their own language use as they explore the ways language shapes the world. The two-year study focuses on building communicative competence in French and introduces them to speaking and listening in order to express themselves. Additionally, students use French to enrich their study of other disciplines and learn how to connect to the language through science, art, math, and social studies.
Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and French: Grade 4 Fourth-grade students have the opportunity to revisit or become familiar with Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and French. In our global world today, some knowledge of the sound system and basics of each language is critical for a well-rounded education. In addition, an opportunity to compare all three languages over the course of a year allows students, with the support of parents and teachers, to make an informed choice about which single language to study in Upper School. Having experienced all three languages also complements the fourth-grade immigration unit and their culminating study of global warming.
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LOWER SCHOOL—GRADE 1
World Language
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS First-grade students will work to master the following Mandarin Chinese skills: §§ Describe motion using “to go” structures §§ Counting, describing, and identifying colors and destinations. of bugs. §§ Describe their feelings using “I am structures” and ask §§ Describe their families using “to have” and friends how they are feeling. “to be” structures. §§ Use “going to + verb” structures and future tense to talk §§ Describe winter clothing and indicate possession. about activities outside of school. §§ Request food as if at a restaurant and express likes and dislikes of food items.
FIne ARTS OVERVIEW Education in the arts is an inseparable part of the education of the whole child. Children learn to express and interpret ideas through observation and analysis of these art forms. They learn creative modes of problem solving and in so doing develop an array of expressive, analytical, and developmental tools which can be applied to every human situation. Students understand the influences of the arts in their power to create and reflect cultures, both past and present, thus enabling them to make informed judgments about cultural products and issues. They also develop attributes such as self-discipline, perseverance, and collaborative skills. Experiences in the arts develop each child’s imagination and sense of personal fulfillment.
GENERAL MUSIC The three main components of the Lower School general music program at each grade level are music literacy, performance, and music listening and analysis. Students learn proper performance etiquette (posture, facial expression, and singing technique) and audience etiquette (active listening and predicting appropriate responses based on genre and venue).
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students work to master the following general music skills: §§ Identify and perform music in simple and compound §§ Read, notate, and perform equal divisions of beat in meter. non-traditional/traditional notation. §§ Execute proper performance etiquette. §§ Explore the higher vocal tessitura through §§ Explore music of the Baroque and Classical Era with an warm-ups. emphasis on Bach, Vivaldi, and Hayden. §§ Interpret and apply musical symbols such as order of §§ Experience the Chinese and Indian culture through rest values, intervals on the staff, clefs, and dynamic dance. markings.
LOWER SCHOOL—GRADE 1
World Language, Fine Arts
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VISUAL ARTS The main components of the Lower School art program at each grade level include: art production, art literacy and criticism, and art history.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students move to master the following general visual art skills: media and the appropriate use of each. §§ Plan and use variations in line, shape/form, color, and §§ Explore the relief printmaking process with stamps. texture to communicate ideas or feelings in works of art. §§ Demonstrate the pinch method of hand-building in clay §§ Draw simple objects from careful observation and as well as impressing designs into wet clay forms and practice drawing from memory. glaze application. §§ Identify characteristics of color – primary and secondary §§ Produce a simple tabby weaving. colors, neutral colors, and color temperature. §§ Identify characteristics of the work of visual artists/ §§ Mix secondary colors from primary colors and describe illustrators and discuss how their work represents their the process. experience and way of thinking. §§ Distinguish between opaque and transparent painting
Information Literacy OVERVIEW Library visits and classes are designed to develop two aspects of students’ intellectual lives: familiarity with and enthusiasm for literature, both fiction and nonfiction; and the ability to locate, access, and utilize information for the production of original work.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students work to master the following information literacy skills: check out from the School’s library. §§ Become familiar with more mature and complicated §§ Develop skills in using alphabetical and picture books and easy nonfiction. numerical order. §§ Exercise increased responsibility in selecting books to
EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW Competence in education technology is requisite for everyday work and personal life endeavors. To prepare students for a high-tech and global world, LFCDS’s educational technology program provides integrated instruction to effectively and responsibly access, analyze, evaluate, and communicate information.
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LOWER SCHOOL—GRADE 1
Fine Arts, Information Literacy, Education Technology
First-grade students learn introductory technology skills. Students identify specific parts of the computer as well as the use of icons on the monitor. Programs are chosen to enhance the curriculum and to differentiate instruction.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students work to master the following education technology skills: as Compass Learning. §§ Utilize input and output devices such as the keyboard, §§ Navigate the iPad to engage in educational reading, mouse, monitor, and printer, recognize and use icons. spelling, and mathematics games. §§ Log onto computer using group name and password. §§ Use directionality keys and develop familiarity with the keyboard. §§ Reinforce academic skills using software programs such
Physical Education & Wellness OVERVIEW The mission of the physical education & wellness program is to help students develop a lasting appreciation for physical activity and acquire the skills, strategies, and knowledge that lay the foundation for a lifetime of well-being through athletics. Teachers strive to inspire a commitment to health-related fitness and positive lifestyle choices regardless of athletic ability. Our goals are to enhance students’ ability to lead, work together as a team, participate fairly with sportsmanship, and develop respect for peers. We encourage active participation from all students.
GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATIONS In first grade, students work to master the following physical education & wellness skills: engage in warm-up and cool-down activities). §§ Develop physical competency in age-appropriate § § Engage in and understand the importance of warm-up locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative skills. and cool-down activities that regulate heart rate. §§ Develop spatial awareness and individual responsibility §§ Understands basic health concepts. during physical activity. §§ Participate actively, cooperatively, and with a positive §§ Develop physical competency in age-appropriate attitude in a variety of independent, small- and wholemanipulative skills (i.e., hand dribble, foot dribble, kick, group physical activities. underhand or overhand throw). §§ Recognize feelings that come with failure and with §§ Be exposed to and respond to various directional winning and develop appropriate reactions to them. and pacing terms and the vocabulary of various physical §§ Be introduced to the LFCDS PE/Wellness Code movements. of Conduct. §§ Observe classroom rules and follow daily routines (e.g., listen attentively, follow directions, participate safely,
LOWER SCHOOL—GRADE 1
Education Technology, Physical Education & Wellness
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learning is a partnership At Lake Forest Country Day School, we believe that the optimal educational experience requires a partnership between the parents, the students, and the School, resulting in a community of focused, joyful learners. Lake Forest Country Day School offers many options for parents to connect with our school community. Beginning with an intake conference with your child’s advisor or homeroom teacher, informational coffees in early September, and grade-level social events, there are many opportunities to establish important connections. As the school year progresses, there are multiple ways for parents to volunteer, from classroom activities and field trips, to a variety of volunteer positions with the Parent Association and the School’s annual Auction. The Parent Association Office is open each day and welcomes all LFCDS parents to stop by for coffee, peruse the spirit wear, and connect with other school families. In addition, parents are always welcome at our weekly Wednesday Community Meetings and for Coffee and Conversation on Tuesdays in the Parent Relations Office. Throughout the school year, LFCDS hosts outside speakers such as bestselling authors Dr. Michael Thompson, Dr. Ned Hallowell, Dr. David Walsh, Dr. Lisa Damour, Dr. Mark Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and New York Times parenting columnist Jessica Lahey. All community members are welcome to attend. The School’s portal offer a wealth of information, including:
§§ Enrichment Activities and Resources: At LFCDS, we believe that summer is an important time to balance learning with leisure. This page provides information about required summer work, book lists for particular grade levels, mathematics and science challenges, and parent resources. §§ Grade Level Curriculum Guides: Each year, faculty members prepare a detailed description of the curriculum for each grade level. These guides provide an in-depth review of the educational experiences your child will be a part of at each grade level. §§ Teacher Communication: Many teachers share classroom experiences through newsletters and photo sharing sites, emails, and phone or personal conversations. §§ Curriculum Review Information: On an ongoing basis, a faculty task force examines and revises a specific curriculum component. §§ Parent Association Information: The Parent Association web page provides up-to-date information regarding volunteer opportunities and other parent-related events. Social media is a timely way to tell the story of Lake Forest Country Day School. The School regularly maintains and updates its Facebook page, Twitter account, and Instagram with relevant information regarding the School. Please note that we have a strict social media policy and never post individual student names or information on these channels. We encourage you to explore the website and learn more about the Lake Forest Country Day School Experience.
Questions? Please contact the Admission Office at 847-615-6151.
Lake Forest Country Day School 145 South Green Bay Road Lake Forest, Illinois 60045 (847) 234-2350 | www.lfcds.org