Become independent learners

As students grew they practiced working independently. This was very difficult for students who had previously had two teachers in their room, and did work with more support. Over the year students learned how to work at their desks and raise hands with a question, without getting up to find a teacher. They also worked on asking friends for help and working with peers to solve problems without immediately going to a teacher. As students progressed through the year their stamina grew, and they were able to work independently for longer periods of time. They also learned to trust their peers and use them as additional resources.

Work together collaboratively

A key component of first grade is teaching students to work together as a team. Purposeful lesson design allowed students to work in pairs or small groups, teaching them how to interact and share ideas. During whole group lessons students learned how to listen respectfully, and build off each other during discussions. Throughout the year Jocelyn and I worked hard to model respectful interactions, and teach academic language to help students discuss with each other. Students participated in Discussions for Learning and built off each other’s ideas to have respectful conversations. By the end of the year the academic language was integrated into the student’s vocabulary.

Solve problems proactively

In first grade Jocelyn and I worked to teach students how to solve certain kinds of problems independently. Those might be not having a chair at their seat, or needing a pencil. In those cases, they were taught to ask their peers or work independently, if possible. Students also worked to solve problems with their peers by standing up for themselves and expressing their feelings in a respectful and confident manner. By the end of the year students were able to solve a problem by telling a peer exactly how they felt, without needing an adult. This was an amazing step for many of our students.

Grow as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and historians

Academically, first grade is huge for our students. This year they had more rigorous work with more of a focus on content, and less on play and social skills. Students worked hard to learn the basics of reading and writing, integrated in almost every activity. In math, students learned about numbers and their worth, addition, subtraction, and they were introduced to money, time, measurement, and geometry. This is the first time many students were introduced to this content and their growth as they practiced was wonderful to watch.