To Parents:

The following is a brief description of each of the subjects your child will study in first grade. It is designed to provide you with a general overview of the content and skills which are taught as well as other pertinent information. Teaching strategies will, of course, vary according to the needs of the class. 

We hope that the continued use of this brochure and the meetings with your child’s teachers and learning specialists will keep you informed about the goals of the Andover Public Schools and your child’s learning progress.

English/Language Arts

Our reading program uses quality literature as the basis for instruction in phonics, writing, grammar, and spelling .

Students read fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and biographies. Students listen to teachers read aloud, read with a friend, and work in both large and small instructional groups. Children are taught decoding and comprehension strategies and apply these in independent daily reading.

Writing is an integral component of our program as children learn to write best when they have many opportunities to write. Students learn to write in all curricula areas: writing in daily journals, answering literature based questions, recording scientific data, and documenting historical information in social studies. Students learn that writing is a process as they draft, revise, rewrite, edit, and publish their work. There is direct instruction in grammar, usage, and mechanics. Spelling competency develops over time and is influenced by one’s experience with language and direct spelling instruction. Independent reading is considered an important part of the curriculum. Students are expected to read at home and in school.  

Mathematics

The goal of the Everyday Math program is for students to become confident problem-solvers who value and enjoy math. Some of the key features of the program include acknowledging children’s experiences and intuitions about math, providing problem-solving experiences in real life contexts while allowing for various learning styles, promoting practice through meaningful activities and games, and providing a spiral curriculum, ensuring that children encounter and apply concepts over time. Students learn place value for whole numbers and decimals, compare & order fractions, relate addition to subtraction fact families, describe, extend, and create patterns, identify 3-dimensional shapes, and determine the appropriate unit of measurement.  

Science and Technology/Engineering

The science program provides our students with the foundation and understanding of scientific topics through the acquisition of scientific knowledge, the development of thinking skills, and the application of the scientific method. The units of study, which align with the science frameworks in life, and earth sciences are: Plant Growth and Development, Rocks & Minerals, and Land and Water.  

History and Social Science

The social studies program was developed to meet the Massachusetts Frameworks. The essential question or big idea is “What is A Community?” Topics explored include: how geography affects the way people live, why communities change, why communities need laws and rules to govern themselves. Field Trips to the Andover Historical Society and to the Lowell Mills are part of the third grade curriculum.  

Technology

The technology program in the third grade provides instruction for students in both classroom and lab settings. The curriculum includes keyboarding and word processing. Within the classroom, students use software in many curriculum areas.

Art

Students design and create a portfolio for their work and continue to develop their skills of reflection, writing, and sharing their reasons for their aesthetic decisions. They continue to use a variety of media to cut complex shapes, apply a range of adhesives, mix colors clearly, and draw human and other figures with more details.

Music

Students use recorders as instruments, or may elect to learn a string instrument. They recognize and independently audiate tone and dominant major and minor chords. They continue to listen and move to music demonstrating patterns, tempos, dynamics, and meter. They begin to identify specific instruments within the instrument family. Students are invited to begin individual or small group study of string instruments through the Andover After School Music Program.

Physical Education

The physical education program focuses on the development of gross motor skills while progressing toward the development of more finite motor and coordination skills. Students begin to apply the skills and concepts learned in grades K-2 to modified team sports and individual activities. Units of skill further develop eye-hand and eye-foot coordination, locomotor skills, and spatial awareness.

Health Education

The Life Skills program addresses a wide range of risk and protective factors by teaching children a combination of health information, general personal life skills and drug resistance skills. This exemplary program is based on what the latest research tells us about the causes of substance abuse and emphasizes the use of proven self-management skills.

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