1st Year Foundations of Literacy and Expression

Identifying how authors use words and illustrations to show how a character feels throughout a story.

Understanding the beginning, middle, and end of stories to build comprehension and retelling skills.

Exploring how the time and place of a story influence the events and the mood.

Students learn to identify the central message or main idea of a simple narrative text.

Developing skills to predict what might happen next in a story based on clues and prior knowledge.

Practicing retelling stories in their own words, including key characters, setting, and events.

Exploring why characters act the way they do and what they want in a story.

Identifying labels, captions, and headings that help readers find information quickly.

Learning to organize facts about a specific topic into a clear and simple written report.

Developing inquiry skills by formulating questions before and after reading informational texts.

Learning to navigate non-fiction books using the table of contents to locate specific information.

Distinguishing between statements that can be proven true (facts) and personal beliefs (opinions).

Practicing identifying the most important points in a short informational text to create a summary.

Exploring how patterns of sound create a musical quality in poems and nursery rhymes.

Using descriptive language and adjectives to create vivid mental images through poetry.

Developing confidence in speaking and listening by reciting poems with expression and gesture.

Focusing on using strong adjectives and verbs to make writing more vivid and engaging, suitable for early elementary.

Students will compose short, simple poems using learned elements like rhyme, rhythm, and descriptive words.

Understanding the basic boundaries of a sentence to ensure clarity in written communication.

Using conjunctions like 'and' and 'because' to expand simple sentences into complex thoughts.

Identifying nouns and verbs to understand how sentences are built around subjects and actions.

Introducing adjectives to add detail and make sentences more interesting and specific.

Learning to add more details to simple sentences by answering 'who, what, where, when, why'.

Understanding how to use question marks and exclamation marks to convey different tones and intentions.

Practicing the skills of paying attention and responding appropriately to what others say.

Learning to express personal preferences and give reasons for likes and dislikes.

Developing the ability to give and follow clear, step by step verbal directions.

Encouraging students to share personal experiences and events in a clear and engaging manner.

Practicing speaking with appropriate volume and clear articulation for different audiences and situations.

Learning and practicing polite phrases and respectful communication in various social contexts.

Using graphic organizers and drawings to map out ideas before writing.

Writing the first version of a text and looking for ways to improve it with teacher and peer support.

Preparing a final piece of work to be shared with the class or displayed in the school.

Generating a variety of ideas for stories or reports using different brainstorming techniques.

Learning to enrich narratives and descriptions with sensory details and specific vocabulary.

Composing a short story about a personal experience, focusing on sequence and feelings.

Collaborating with classmates to create a shared book, combining individual stories or reports.

Discussing how the intended reader and reason for writing influence writing choices.

Utilizing a collection of vocabulary words to enhance writing and expand descriptive language.

Creating illustrations that complement and enhance the written text of a story or poem.