Effective Teaching Practices in Reading

By Stephany Elsworth, eHow Contributor

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Reading is one of the most important skills a young child needs to master.

According to the University of Oregon, the National Reading Panel was formed in 1997 to determine which methods were most effective for teaching reading. After examining more than 100,000 research studies and holding public hearings on reading instruction, the panel found that there were five specific practices that needed to be incorporated into an effective reading program. This research was used to fund reading programs in schools under the No Child Left Behind act.

1. Phonemic Awareness

   • Phonemic awareness helps students to develop an awareness of the sounds in words. This is important because just as spoken words are made up of individual sounds, printed words are made up of the sounds within letters. A child who has an awareness of spoken sounds within words will be able to identify those sounds in print.
     Phonemic awareness includes these skills:
     --The student needs to be able to segment words. For example, the word hat can be segmented into three sounds: /h/, /a/, /t/. Similarly, the word shark can be segmented into the sounds /sh/, /ar/, /k/.
     --Blending words is another important aspect of phonemic awareness. If the teacher asks the child to blend the sounds /b/, /e/, /l/, the child should be able to blend those sounds to create the word "bell."
     Phoneme manipulation is an important aspect of phoneme awareness. This helps children to recognize the fact that the letters in words can be added, deleted or removed to create new words. For instance, the sounds in the word "inch" can be switched to create the word "chin."

   Phonics

   • The National Institute for Literacy advocates using a systematic phonics approach. This means that letters and sounds are taught in a specific, clearly defined sequence. This approach teaches children to decode or sound out unknown words by reading from left to right. Phonics instruction improves student comprehension because students are better able to understand what they are reading. It also improves their word recognition and their spelling because they learn how to recognize the sounds within words.
     Students learn different skills depending upon their grade level and developmental ability. For example, kindergarten students need to have a strong foundation in individual letter-sound correspondence. In first grade, students learn about consonant blends, common digraphs (two letters that create one sound, such as /th/, /sh/, /wh/ and /ch/,) and vowel pairs, as well as root words and word endings. During second and third grade, students continue learning about less common digraphs such as /ph/ and /gh/; diphthongs, which are vowel pairs such as ai/ay and oi/oy that are pronounced as a single vowel sound; and irregular spellings. After third grade, phonics are no longer taught except under special circumstances.

   Fluency

   • Fluency is the ability to read text with expression. When students are first learning to read, their reading sounds are slow and choppy because they have to decode every word before continuing. As their reading skills improve, they learn to divide information into chunks while they are reading aloud. They also learn that some words need more emphasis than others.
     Fluency is an important component of reading comprehension. Slow, choppy readers often miss the main points in text because they are not able to chunk the information together in a way that clarifies the meaning. Teachers can improve student fluency by using repeated readings, where the child rereads the same text a number of times to practice chunking and phrasing, and by offering feedback to the child.

   Vocabulary

   • Vocabulary is another important component of reading. Children pick up most of their vocabulary from listening to peers and adults, but some vocabulary needs to be taught directly. The National Institute for Literacy recommends teaching children word-learning strategies as well as teaching individual words. In addition to providing direct vocabulary instruction, teachers can improve the vocabulary of students by teaching them to analyze prefixes, suffixes and word endings to determine a word's meaning. Teachers also can teach students dictionary skills, so they can look up the meanings of unknown words.

   Comprehension

   • Comprehension is a critical component of reading because the purpose of reading is to get information out of the text. Students who comprehend information are able to use their background knowledge to connect with the information. They are able to make predictions, ask questions while they read and re-read to clarify confusing points. Teachers can improve student comprehension by teaching them to use graphic organizers, which will give the student a visual representation of the information. They also can use collaborative learning techniques, such as having students read sections of information and discuss the text in small learning groups.

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Reading Strategies

Reading Efficiently by Reading Intelligently

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Get the most from your reading.

© iStockphoto/mammamaart

Whether they're project documents, trade journals, blogs, business books or ebooks, most of us read regularly as part of our jobs, and to develop our skills and knowledge.
But do you ever read what should be a useful document, yet fail to gain any helpful information from it? Or, do you have to re-read something several times to get a full understanding of the content?
In this article, we're looking at strategies that will help you read more effectively. These approaches will help you get the maximum benefit from your reading, with the minimum effort.

Think About What You Want to Know

Before you start reading anything, ask yourself why you're reading it. Are you reading with a purpose, or just for pleasure? What do you want to know after you've read it?
Once you know your purpose, you can examine the resource to see whether it's going to help you.
For example, with a book, an easy way of doing this is to look at the introduction and the chapter headings. The introduction should let you know who the book is intended for, and what it covers. Chapter headings will give you an overall view of the structure of the subject.
Ask yourself whether the resource meets your needs, and try to work out if it will give you the right amount of knowledge. If you think that the resource isn't ideal, don't waste time reading it.
Remember that this also applies to content that you subscribe to, such as journals or magazines, and web-based RSS and social media news feeds - don't be afraid to prune these resources if you are not getting value from some publishers.

Know How Deeply to Study the Material

Where you only need the shallowest knowledge of a subject, you can skim material. Here you read only chapter headings, introductions, and summaries.
If you need a moderate level of information on a subject, then you can scan the text. This is when you read the chapter introductions and summaries in detail. You can then speed read the contents of the chapters, picking out and understanding key words and concepts. (When looking at material in this way, it's often worth paying attention to diagrams and graphs.)
Only when you need full knowledge of a subject is it worth studying the text in detail. Here it's best to skim the material first to get an overview of the subject. This gives you an understanding of its structure, into which you can then fit the detail gained from a full reading of the material. (SQ3R is a good technique for getting a deep understanding of a text.)

Read Actively

When you're reading a document or book in detail, it helps if you practice "active reading" by highlighting and underlining key information, and taking notes (member-only article) as you progress. (Mind Maps are great for this). This emphasizes information in your mind, and helps you to review important points later.
Doing this also helps you keep your mind focused on the material, and stops you thinking about other things.

Tip:
If you're worried about damaging a book by marking it up, ask yourself how much your investment of time is worth. If the book is inexpensive, or if the benefit that you get from the book substantially exceeds its value, then don't worry too much about marking it. (Of course, only do this if it belongs to you!)

Know How to Study Different Types of Material

Different types of documents hold information in different places and in different ways, and they have different depths and breadths of coverage.
By understanding the layout of the material you're reading, you can extract the information you want efficiently.

Magazines and Newspapers

These tend to give a fragmented coverage of an area. They will typically only concentrate on the most interesting and glamorous parts of a topic - this helps them boost circulation! As such, they will often ignore less interesting information that may be essential to a full understanding of a subject, and they may include low value content to "pad out" advertising.
The most effective way of getting information from magazines is to scan the contents tables or indexes and turn directly to interesting articles. If you find an article useful, then cut it out and file it in a folder specifically covering that sort of information. In this way you will build up sets of related articles that may begin to explain the subject.
Newspapers tend to be arranged in sections. If you read a paper often, you can quickly learn which sections are useful, and which ones you can skip altogether.

Tip:
You can apply the same strategies to reading online versions of newspapers and magazines. However, you need to make sure that you don't get distracted by links to other, non-relevant material..

Reading Individual Articles

There are three main types of article in magazines and newspapers:

• News Articles - these are designed to explain the key points first, and then flesh these out with detail. So, the most important information is presented first, with information being less and less useful as the article progresses.
• Opinion Articles - these present a point of view. Here the most important information is contained in the introduction and the summary, with the middle of the article containing supporting arguments.
• Feature Articles - these are written to provide entertainment or background on a subject. Typically the most important information is in the body of the text.

If you know what you want from an article, and recognize its type, you can get information from it quickly and efficiently.

Tip 1:
Nowadays, you probably read many articles online. You can easily save links to these in a bookmark folder to reference later. Make sure that you title folders so that you can easily find the link again. For instance, you could have separate folders for project research, marketing, client prospects, trade information, and professional growth. Or, it might be helpful to title folders using the website or publication name.

Tip 2:
Remember that there are many online articles and electronic documents that weren't originally designed to be read on a screen. (This will also include documents that are emailed to you.) If you find it hard to read these on screen, print them out. This is especially important for long or detailed documents.

Make Your Own Table of Contents

When you're reading a document or book, it's easy to accept the writer's structure of thought. This means that you may not notice when important information has been left out, or that an irrelevant detail has been included.
An effective way to combat this is to make up your own table of contents before you start reading. Ask yourself what sections or topics you are expecting to see in this document, and what questions you want to have answered by the end of the text.
Although doing this before you start reading the document may sound like a strange strategy, it's useful, because it helps you spot holes in the author's argument. Writing out your own table of contents also helps you address your own questions, and think about what you're expecting to learn from the text.

Use Glossaries with Technical Documents

If you're reading large amounts of difficult technical material, it may be useful to use or compile a glossary. Keep this beside you as you read.
It's also useful to note down the key concepts in your own words, and refer to these when necessary.

Further Reading Tips

• The time when you read a document plays a role in how easy the reading will be, and how much information you'll retain.
• If you need to read a text that is tedious, or requires a great deal of concentration, it's best to tackle it when you have the most energy in the day. Our article, Is This a Morning Task?, (member-only article), helps you work out when this is, so that you can schedule your reading time accordingly.
• Where you read is also important. Reading at night, in bed, doesn't work for many people because it makes them sleepy (which means that you may not remember the information). Everyone is different, however, so read in a place that's comfortable, free of distractions, and that has good light - this is important even if you're reading from a screen.
• It can be helpful to review the information when you've finished reading. When you're done, write a paragraph that explains, in your own words, what you just learned. Often, putting pen to paper can help strengthen your recall of new information, so that you retain it more effectively.

Key Points

If you want to read more effectively, identify what you want to learn from each resource you read, and know how deeply you want to study the material. And, consider "active reading" by making notes and marking-up the material as you go along. It's also useful to know how to study different types of material.
Making your own table of contents before you read material, and using glossaries for technical resources, are other useful reading strategies.

Remember that it takes practice to develop your reading skills - the more you use these strategies, the more effective you'll become.

Tip:
For more on how to select the most appropriate reading strategy in a specific situation, take our Bite-Sized Training session Read Smarter!

You can learn 600 similar skills elsewhere on this site. Click here to see our full toolkit. If you like our approach, you can subscribe to our free newsletter, or become a member for just US$1.

irst Grade Phonics and Reading Curriculum with Spelling and Handwriting

First Grade Phonics and Reading Curriculum with Spelling and Handwriting

McRuffy SE editions are available only, directly, from McRuffy Press.

Making sure a passion for reading develops requires laying a solid foundation for young learners. At McRuffy Press, our 1st grade phonics and reading materials are designed especially to build on what children have already learned to prepare them for the years to come. We offer a product line that includes the materials parents and teachers need to ensure success.
McRuffy Press learning materials are ideal for home school programs, traditional schools and more. Our products, in fact, are the classroom phonics materials of choice in schools throughout America and beyond. From workbooks to phonics activities, we deliver a well-rounded curriculum that helps students excel.
The SE Special Edition The new First Grade Special Edition (SE) Phonics and Reading program is more comprehensive than the original black and white curriculum, featuring new lesson plans, new color workbooks divided by subject areas (a Language and Reading workbook, and a Spelling and Phonics workbook), six additional reading books, and a resource pack loaded full of fun and useful materials. This is the 1st grade phonics and reading curriculum that will help children succeed. McRuffy SE editions are available only from McRuffy Press. Great program - Great Value!
Black and White Curriculum Our older, mass-market edition, now at a discount price.


First Grade SE Phonics and Reading Curriculum:

The SE Teacher's Manual features 175 daily lesson plans for 1st grade phonics and reading with light scripting to make concepts easy to teach with little advanced preparation, thumbnail sketches of workbook pages, reduced-size pictures from the reading books with story text to allow you to follow along. Each lesson contains three sections. Lesson Objectives are clearly stated. Materials are referenced so you'll know what you need at a glance. Teaching section presents the concepts to the student. See sample lesson plans. Two colorful SE Workbooks (now with laminated covers for added durability) provide a wide variety of activities to reinforce reading, language, and spelling concepts. The 1st grade phonics workbooks are spiral bound to lay flat or fold back completely. Activities cover spelling, phonics, reading comprehension, and weekly assessments. The Language and Reading (LAR) workbook contains language and grammar activities, poems, and additional reading materials. The Spelling and Phonics (SAP) workbook contains activities emphasizing word structure, spelling rules, phonics, and spelling. This book reinforces 1st grade phonics and helps make learning fun. See sample LAR workbook pages. See sampleSAP workbook pages.

Thirty-four color books make reading fun and interesting. Our reading books are specially written to coordinate with new 1st grade phonics concepts. Students build fluency and comprehension skills through multiple readings of the book throughout a week. Carefully scripted questions in the teacher's manual help develop higher level thinking skills needed for advanced reading. Each book features a word list on the back cover. Children practice words in isolation and then read them in the context of the story. These humorous stories reinforce the weekly 1st grade phonics concepts. All books are printed in color with cardstock covers. See sample books: The Bug Bus The Wolf That Yelled Crow

The SE Resource Pack contains reproducible tests, copy masters, charts, and more. The colorful short and long vowel charts are now laminated in the SE version. See sample Resource Pack. Three new items are in the SE Resource Pack. The puppet cut-outs feature characters from the stories that can be colored and made into stick puppets for creative story-telling. New SE table top games: 5 new colorful games to practice reading skills and reinforce 1st grade phonics. Coloring sheet copy master for each story.

Handwritingassignments are included in the Teacher's Manual. Check out the optional First Grade McRuffy Handwriting bookswhich provide additional tracing and practice exercises.

First Grade PDF samples to view and print.

• SE Teacher's Manual Lesson plans
• SE Scope and Sequence
• SE Workbooks:
  1. SE LAR Workbook pages
  2. SE SAP Workbook pages
• SE Resource Pack
• SE Book samples:
  1. The Bug Bus
  2. The Wolf That Yelled Crow

Not quite ready for First Grade? See the transition package now available.

Special Introductory Price:

First Grade SE Phonics and Reading Curriculum ...$109.95
(Includes SE Teacher's Manual, 2 Colorful Workbooks, 34 Color Readers, and the Resource Pack.)

First Grade McRuffy Handwriting books are sold separately.
Individual Materials:

First Grade SE Phonics and Reading Teacher's Manual...$45.00

First Grade SE Phonics and Reading LAR Color Workbook ...$18.95

First Grade SE Phonics and Reading SAP Color Workbook ...$16.95

First Grade SE Reading Books Color (34 Books) ...$69.95 Sale...$45.00

First Grade SE Phonics and Reading Resource Pack ...$20.00

First Grade McRuffy Handwriting books are sold separately.

Not quite ready for First Grade? See the transition package now available.

Black & White 1st Grade Phonics and Reading Curriculum:
First Grade Materials:

The Teacher's Manual includes daily lesson plans, copy masters, and reference material. The 1st grade phonics lessons are integrated with language, spelling, reading, and handwriting. Two workbooks provide a total of 160 pages of reading and phonics activities.
28 McRuffy Readers These entertaining stories reinforce the weekly 1st grade phonics concepts. All books are printed black and white in the standard curriculum. Students may color the pages after mastering each individual book.
Flashcards are included for additional practice and game playing.

Handwritingassignments are included in the Teacher's Manual. Check out the optional First Grade McRuffy Handwriting bookswhich provide additional tracing and practice exercises.
The weekly spelling lists are based upon phonics concepts.
Phonics Concepts Taught:

• Short and long vowel review
• Consonant blends (beginning and ending)
• Digraphs: th, ch, oo, ea (long e), oi, oy, ow, aw
• Three letter blends
• Contractions
• Prefixes and suffixes
• Silent letters
• Two syllable words

Language Concepts Taught:

• Parts of speech (see and do)
• Alphabetical order (first letter)
• Proof reading
• Rhyming sentences
• Choosing the correct tense
• Opposites
• Dividing syllables
• Vocabulary development
• Categorizing
• Synonyms
• Homophones
• Punctuation

View and print sample lesson plans, worksheets, and the Scope and Sequence.

First Grade Phonics Curriculum with BW readers ...$139.95 Sale...$99.95 (Includes Teacher's Manual, Workbooks 1 and 2, 28 Black and White Readers, and the Flashcard Packet.)

Remember to check out the First Grade McRuffy Handwriting books.
Individual Materials:

First Grade Phonics Teacher's Manual ...$43.00

First Grade Phonics Workbook 1 ...$19.95 Sale...$15.00

First Grade Phonics Workbook 2 ...$19.95 Sale...$15.00

First Grade Phonics Readers Black and White (28 books) ...$39.95 Sale...$35.00

First Grade Phonics Flashcard Packet...$15.00

Other Materials:
Although the lesson plans give a daily handwriting assignment that can be done on blank writing paper, the handwriting books feature additional practice exercises and guidance arrows that show the formation of the letters.
Not interested in a full curriculum? Check out the Dynamic Phonics Learning Book. It includes 98 great lesson plans and charts to teach all of the basic phonics concepts.
McRuffy Sliders makes phonics a hands-on experience. These books contain 180 reproducible phonics drills.

First Grade Curriculum & First Grade Lessons

First Grade Overview

Time4Learning is an online student-paced learning system covering preschool through middle school. It is popular as a first grade homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment, for remediation, and for summer study.

For first graders, Time4Learning provides language arts, math, science and social studies. Students also get access to an online playground.

This page provides:

• An Overview of First Grade Learning Objectives
• Language Arts and Reading Lesson Descriptions
• Math Lesson Descriptions
• Science Lesson Descriptions
• Social Studies Lesson Descriptions
• Structure of the First Grade Program

Overview of First Grade Learning Objectives

This section provides a summary of the key first grade learning objectives for reading, language arts, and math. A more detailed description of each subject is provided below, including links to detailed descriptions of the hundreds of learning activities. The Time4Learning language arts and math curriculum correlate to state standards.

First grade is a year of highly visible progress in reading and language arts. The major milestones in first grade reading and language arts are:

• Knowing the names and sounds of all the consonants and vowels
• Understanding phonics concepts such as consonant combinations
• Following along, reading, and summarizing simple stories with pictures
• Developing an understanding of composition

First grade is also a year of exploration and discovery of the numbers in the world around us. Major milestones for 1st grade math include:

• Counting to 100 by 1’s and skip counting
• Knowing the addition math facts
• Adding and subtracting small numbers
• Understanding the value of money
• Knowing the units for measurement, time, and weight

Below, there is a more in-depth description of the first grade curriculum for language arts, math, science, and social studies as well information about the online playground.

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The language arts is GREAT for helping with phonics and beginner reading skills... Plus, the lessons are thoroughly entertaining!

Here at Letter Stadium, first graders learn
about "r-controlled vowels" from the
Phonics Football Players.

First Grade Language Arts & Reading - Lesson Overview

First grade language arts is organized into two large sections: Language Arts and Language Arts Extensions.

The language arts section contains 376 learning activities that are primarily based on phonics. Lessons are taught by colorful animated characters that sing, explain, and interact with the students. Reading exercises at the end of each chapter introduce and develop readiness and comprehension skills. It constitutes a solid first grade language arts program, correlated to state standards.

Three hundred seventy-six lessons are organized into thirteen chapters that introduce and cover:

1. Consonants & Short Vowels - Teaches the relationship of sounds to letters of the alphabet. Exercises build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders learn to identify the sight and sound of each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
2. Digraphs & Vowels - Teaches the sounds and letters of the consonant digraphs ck, sh, th; the long vowel digraph ea; and the r-controlled vowel ar. Exercises build phonological awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
3. Digraphs & Long Vowels - Teaches the sounds and letters of the consonant digraphs ng, ch, and the long vowel a. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
4. R-controlled Vowels, Digraph & Soft C - Teaches the sounds and letters of the r-controlled vowels er, ir, and ur; the consonant digraph wh, and the soft sound of the consonant c. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
5. Long Vowels, Suffixes & Plurals - Teaches the sounds and letters of CVCe words i_e and o_e; the suffixes ed and ing; and plurals s and es. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
6. Soft G and R-controlled Vowels - Teaches the sounds and letters of the r-controlled vowels or and ore and the soft sound of the consonant g. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
7. Long, Variant & Vowel Digraphs - Teaches the sounds and letters of CVCe words a_e, e_e, i_e, o_e, and u_e; the variant vowel all; and the vowel digraphs ai and ay. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
8. Long Vowels - Teaches the sounds and letters of the vowel pair ee; the long sound of i with the igh spelling; and the long sound of e with the y spelling. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
9. Long Vowels & Vowel Digraphs - Teaches the sight and sound of the consonant y and it’s vowel digraph ie; and the long o sound of vowel digraphs oa and ow. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
10. Variant Vowels and Diphthongs - Teaches the sounds and letters of the short sound of the variant vowel oo as in book; and the diphthongs ow and ou. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
11. Variant Vowels - Teaches the sounds and letters of the long sound of the variant vowel oo as in spoon; and the variant vowels ue and ew. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
12. Variant Vowels, Contractions, Diphthongs & Compound Words - Teaches the sounds and letters of the variant vowel aw; contractions; the diphthongs oy and oi; and compound words. Activities build phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading skills. First graders will identify each and demonstrate knowledge of high frequency words. An interactive “think and respond” story will build sight word vocabulary, sound-spelling skills and reading comprehension.
13. Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary & Fluency - Students will learn new vocabulary, read a leveled story and demonstrate comprehension by recalling details. First graders develop fluency through a series of vocabulary, reading comprehension and writing activities that incorporate discovery learning and direct instruction.

Click for lesson by lesson details on the Time4learning 1st grade language arts lesson plans.

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This story is constructed using the "consonant - vowel - consonant" and "sight" words that were just taught.

In the lesson, you can click on the
highlighted word and hear it spoken.

First Grade Language Extensions - Lesson Overview

The language arts extensions is a complete alternative language arts curriculum. It contains 22 chapters made up of 289 activities, 182 worksheets, 44 quizzes and 22 chapter tests.

Many parents have their students work through the language arts section and feel that their children have mastered the materials. Other parents use sections of the language arts extensions for review and reinforcement of specific areas where their children have difficulty. Other parents have their children complete both sections in their entirety.

Each chapter starts with a story that introduces vocabulary, develops reading skills and enhances phonemic awareness. Through a series of learning activities focused on discovery, recognition, and application, first graders will learn to generate ideas, demonstrate comprehension of a theme, create graphic organizers and write diary entries.

At the end of each chapter, the “Story Creator” teaches first graders to apply their knowledge and use their reading skills to compose grammatically correct sentences and stories.

The twenty-two language arts extension chapters include:
1. Pollution 2. Oceans 3. Weather 4. The Sun 5. Planets 6. Constellations 7. Native Americans 8. Early America 9. America Grows 10. Plants 11. Biomes	12. Vertebrates & Invertebrates 13. Farm Animals 14. Mammals 15. Marine Animals 16. Seasons seasons 17. Cultural Holidays 18. Safety 19. Neighborhoods 20. Jobs in your Neighborhood 21. Travel 22. Values

1st Grade Vocabulary

Time4Learning's first grade vocabulary exercises integrate sight word vocabulary with the sounds of the alphabet in decodable stories. The first grade vocabulary words are initially presented within the context of a story or rhyme. Additional first grade vocabulary lessons are part of 22 thematic units covering oceans, seasons, mammals, plants, early America, and more.

Students improve reading comprehension by reading or listening to literature with an emphasis on vocabulary building. Teacher's guides include lesson plans, 1st grade vocabulary lists and optional printable vocabulary worksheets.

For details about first grade writing standards, please visit Time4Writing.com.

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Part 1 - Background/Story: New vocabulary is introduced Story is presented in various ways based on skill level Activities focus on phonemic awareness & comprehension Printable worksheets accompany most activities Chapters conclude with Q&A

Part 2 - Sounds, Letters & Words: Alphabetic principles are taught & developed New words are reinforced through rhyme and story Phonics is taught through discovery and recognition Writing skills are developed with "Story Creator"

First Grade Math

The first grade math curriculum contains 102 math lessons, 102 printable worksheets, 94 quizzes and 18 chapter tests. It constitutes a solid first grade math program, correlated to state standards.

Animated characters present the first grade math lessons in bite sized pieces, at the student's pace. Each chapter builds on the last. First graders are guided through fractions, order of operations, basic algebra, metrics, spatial sense, graphing and probability using interactive prompts and funny stories to bring the lessons to life.

One hundred lessons are organized into eighteen chapters that introduce and cover:

1. Number Sense - First grade "Number Sense" teaches how to read, compare, match, and define whole numbers. Lessons also cover counting numbers by twos and fives and even vs odd numbers.
2. Fractions - First grade "Fractions" teaches the difference between equal and unequal parts. Fractions divided by halves, thirds and fourths are introduced in lessons such as "The Art of Fractions" (below).
3. Operations - First grade "Operations" starts with math vocabulary. It distinguishes the difference between addition and subtraction, and teaches first graders about place value. Lessons move into addition and subtraction of one and two digit numbers and gives problem solving strategy. Operations ends with lessons on estimation.
4. Money - First grade "Money" teaches about coin values, how to count money, and how to add and subtract it.
5. Patterns - First grade "Patterns" teaches students how to identify, sort and classify things by common patterns or attributes. Students learn to identify patterns on a "hundreds chart" and then apply those patterns to skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s.
6. Algebra - First grade "Algebra" introduces students to algebraic symbols and the commutative property of addition. Lessons also teach number sentences, equal vs unequal, greater than vs less than and solving for unknown numbers.
7. Shapes - First grade "Shapes" teaches about two and three-dimensional shapes. Lessons cover straight vs curved lines, open vs closed shapes and planes vs solid objects. Students are introduced to special shapes, such as hexagons, trapezoids, and rhombi and are asked to describe and compare them in the lessons.
8. Positions - First grade "Positions" introduces basic geometry and spatial relationships. Students learn how to identify, locate and move objects according to directional (left, right, up, down) and positional (top, middle, inside) instruction. First graders are introduced to the number line, as well.
9. Using Shapes - First grade "Shapes" teaches congruent shapes and symmetry. Students learn to match congruent shapes and identify lines of symmetry in two dimensional shapes.
10. Spatial Sense - First grade "Spatial Sense" teaches how to build and calculate perimeter and area of two dimensional shapes. It teaches how to recognize geometric shapes around s, and how to use one shape to build another.
11. Time - First grade "Time" introduces different ways that time is classified, such as calendar time and clock time. Students learn about digital vs analog time telling.
12. Length - First grade "Length" teaches how to use, compare and measure length. Students will choose the appropriate tool and use it to measure different metrics.
13. Weight - First grade "Weight" teaches different attributes of weight. Students will estimate, compare and measure different objects.
14. Capacity - First grade "Capacity" teaches how to measure, compare and estimate capacity. It shows students how to identify the best unit and will ask them to place objects in order according to capacity.
15. Temperature - First grade "Temperature" teaches how to measure temperatures. Lessons introduce fahrenheit and show students how to read a thermometer and compare different readings.
16. Graphing - First grade "Graphing" reinforces the 'Patterns" chapter by asking students to sort objects. They then learn to create a tally table and record information in pictographs and bar graphs.
17. Using Data - First grade "Using Data" teaches the basics of statistics, showing students how to compare and make predictions based on the data that they organized into graphs.
18. Probability - First grade "Probability" teaches the basics of probability. It teaches the difference between principles of certainty, impossibility, likely and least likely. First graders are prompted to identify the differences.

For a more detailed description of the first grade math lessons, please visit our first grade math scope and sequence page.

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With Time4Learning, math lessons are taught by engaging characters in colorful, fun activities.

1st graders learn about "parts of a whole" from Sally and Pong in 'The Art of Fractions" lesson.

First Grade Science & Social Studies

The first grade science curriculum contains 16 lessons, 10 worksheets and 6 quizzes, organized into 4 chapters:

1. Living and Nonliving Things - Students will learn how to distinguish between living and nonliving things by exploring habitats, basic needs, features, and life cycles. Lessons will focus on the classification of animals into scientific categories, with a feature on amphibians.
2. Earth Science - Students will be shown how to use graphic organizers to show weather patterns and identify seasons. Lessons also cover thunderstorms and the water cycle.
3. Contributions to Science - Jane Goodall is featured as a contributor to science, allowing children to explore her experience working with chimpanzees in Africa.
4. The Surface of the Earth - Students learn about the solid materials making up the Earth.

First graders are given access to the second grade social studies lessons as part of their membership.

Second grade social studies is the lowest level available on Time4Learning. This social studies program consists of thirteen lessons covering American identity, basic human survival needs, maps and globes, historic places, cultural holidays, patriotism, and jobs.

Click to see the detail of the social studies lesson plans.

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In first grade science, Bo learns about amphibians in "Slimy Swamp Animals".

In the lesson, students learn about
different creatures and their habitats.

First Grade Lessons - The Time4Learning Program Structure

Time4Learning has been refined through years of feedback from educators, parents, and students. First grade subjects are organized into chapters composed of interactive lessons, printable worksheets, quizzes and tests. First graders are guided through the activities at their own pace by an automated system.

When students log in, they choose a subject, select a chapter, pick a lesson and complete the activities. A bright green arrow tells them where they left off, and completed work is clearly labeled with a check-mark or a gold star. Visual and auditory prompts guide first graders through the lessons making them easy for young learners to follow, and an online playground (controlled by parents) rewards and motivates them to finish their lessons.

Parents get access to printable lesson plans, teaching tools, detailed reporting and parental support through our online Parent Forum.

Does your child have different achievement levels for math and language arts? No problem. Time4Learning lets you set each individual subject at the appropriate graded level, making this program great for special needs and gifted students.

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First Grade Curriculum for Homeschool, Afterschool and Summer Use

Time4Learning can be used for homeschool, afterschool or summer learning and is a great way to start first graders off on the right foot. Time4Learning presents first grade curriculum in a style that is both engaging and effective. Kids love the funny sound effects and quirky cartoon characters delivering the material. Animated, interactive lessons feel more like video games than learning exercises. Plus, the student-paced nature of the program teaches them how to work independently, giving them a sense of ownership over their progress, which is a great motivator.

Time4Learning is entirely web based, so there is no software to download, no CDs and nothing additional to purchase. Your kids will be able to access the program 24/7 from any computer with an internet connection. It has a low monthly price, requires no contracts and offers a 14 day money-back guarantee.

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reading materials for Grade 1

1st Grade Reading
We have used this and the earlier editions of this phonics, or linguistic, based reading program for years. We have never had a student who didn't do absolutely great! Parents who submit to end of the year testing are often happy to report their child's tests results show them to be well above the 1st grade reading level! Included below are:
  1) an overview
  2) course materials listed
  3) criteria for selecting curriculum
  4) sample pages from the workbooks
  5) sample pages from the phonics worktext
  6) skills index (not including the phonics worktext)
 
OVERVIEW
Parents sometimes wait until after first grade because of the fear to teach a nonreader how to read. There is no need to worry with this program. It includes three soft back readers, three workbooks to use with the readers, and three teacher's guides. The latest edition has tests built into the workbooks. The teacher's guide gives you everything else you need to manage the program including: a 36 week schedule which balances the readers with the workbooks and tests, an introduction to the series, word recognition test pages, step-by-step testing instructions, test answers, and test answer score charts. The teacher's guide does not include the skills covered in the phonics worktext.
     Because our program is parallel to the Orton-Gillingham techniques some reading specialists use this program with other Orton-Gillingham materials. However, by starting out with our program, particularly in a one-on-one setting no other materials, outside the phonics worktext, should be needed.
The Readers and their Workbooks     
While this course teaches your child how to read and read well it does more! It also includes reading comprehension strategies. These include: main idea, predicting outcomes, cause and effect, and more.
     Looking at most of the so-called "reading programs" on the market that are used in the classroom it is a wonder how any child manages to learn to read. Most have five readers, three smaller and two very large; five workbooks; tests, plus an array of enrichment worksheets, journals, folders, and other miscellaneous supplies. Not only is it a material overload, most are not truly linguistic (or phonics) based. If schools across the country adopted this program reading problems could vanish.
     To ensure success from the start the first lesson in the reading text begins with the following three very easily decodable words: cat, fat, and Nat and the two sight words a and is. By the end of the third book your child should read the following story:

Pills for a Horse         Dr. Mack was a horse doctor. She went to Good Luck Ranch to look at Ken and Pat's sick horse.     "Dr. Mack," Pat said, "Jet kicked and bucked. He pitched us into the mud. Jet is very sick. He got a chill. We cannot let a horse pitch us. He has to get well." "Do not look so sad," Dr. Mack said to her. "It will not be much of a job to get Jet well. I have horse pills for sick horses." It was a big pill. But it was not much for a big horse. Jet took it. Jet got well. He ran and kicked. Pat and Ken are happy Jet is well. Jet is happy Dr. Mack had big horse pills.

The Phonics Worktext
A teaching parent who also happens to be a first grade reading specialist declared the 1st and 2nd grade phonics to be the finest phonics text she has ever seen. While the reading program can stand on its own merit the phonics worktext provides extra reinforcement. This gives us greater assurance the student is given enough to truly master decoding skills. For extra fun and practice there are six "Cut-Out Fold-Up Books" bound into the worktext.
     While most phonics texts are extremely "busy" these are not, yet they are graphically appealing. They are also very comprehensive and provide a logical sequence for systematic progression of decoding skills. While not made for any particular reading program, they are a nice addition as students need a strong foundation in decoding skills to progress. Because the phonics worktext reviews much of the language skills learned in most kindergarten programs you may not want to start at the beginning. Instead, have your student take the in-book tests to determine where you need to begin. When you see your child having difficulties back up a bit and begin there.
     While this approach tailors the program to your child it makes it impossible for us to create a schedule for you as there is no way for us to know how many pages are to be covered each week. To find out you need to subtract 320 (the total number of pages in the worktext) from the page your are beginning at to determine how many pages are left. Take that number and divide by how many weeks you have left in the school year, which should be somewhere around 32 to 34 depending on how many weeks it took to complete the review tests. The quotient is how many pages you should try to cover each week. 
    As discussed above the phonics worktext begins by reviewing the consonant sounds, much of which you most likely will skip. To see the complexity of reading skills taught over the course of a school year the last story, not including the Cut-Out Fold-Up Books", is provided below. 

SUPER REVIEW           Read the story. Then write words from       the story to complete the sentences.      Tim and I climbed up the sagging steps and looked in the window. We saw boxes and dusty tables. We walked in. The creaking made us afraid. Tim felt a tapping on his head. Then a big blob chased us out of the house!      I screamed and woke up. Mom hugged me and tucked me in again. It was only a dream. 1. The house's steps were _____ . 2. A scary blob _____ the children. 3. The girl's mother _____ her and       _____ her in. page 304

What makes this reading program superior?

It is parallel to the Orton-Gillingham techniques! It is a true phonics based (also known as linguistic) reading program. Upon completion of the program students master first grade reading concepts.  It is a complete program published for the public schools. Lessons begin with word lists. The word lists are organized by spelling patterns to give students valuable practice as they read and spell each word. The word lists give students a solid framework for building decoding skills and vocabulary. The word list present high frequency sight words needed for normal sentence patterns. It has the most balanced amount of work; not too much and not too little. It provides ample review and reinforcement to insure mastery.  It includes easy to use teacher's guides created for one-on-one teachers such as first time, experienced parent educators, or tutors.  It includes a full page bulletin board schedule  It provides systematic progression.

COURSE MATERIAL
1st Grade Reading Course Materials Include:
  1) three two color soft bound reading books (New Edition!)
  2) three charmingly illustrated workbooks with built-in test books (in this New Edition only!)
  3) three teacher's manuals with schedule
  4) a tear-out full page bulletin board schedule
  5) a full color phonics worktext
FYI: Our Criteria For Selecting Course Materials
These course components meets all our criteria. First and foremost on our list is the curriculum must be visually appealing but not too "busy". See the sample pages below. It must also have student appeal while being as self-instructing as possible. In addition it must be comprehensive and adaptable to different learning styles. Because we specialize in providing write-in texts for our text supported courses we focus first on consumable text books and then, in all fairness, compare them to their hard-bound counterparts. We were delighted to discover, once again, that these consumable texts came in first place in all categories.
     Course materials must offer a balanced amount of work. If, for example, there is not enough course material it cannot be comprehensive enough while too much creates another host of problems. These include not allowing enough time to cover all the concepts or to go over concepts not readily understood. There is also the problem of student and teacher burn-out in addition to not having enough time for recreation and other family activities. See articles SACC, One Subject a Day, and Testing.

Our Criteria Listed: Course materials must...   be visually appealing but not too busy   have student appeal; be enjoyable   be consumable where possible; (98% are worktexts)   typically produce higher scores on standardized tests   have the quality of  "teachability"; easily understand   be as self-instructing as possible (age is a factor)

be comprehensive         be adaptable for different learning styles   have cost effective teacher's supplies   be the most current possible   not convey values that conflict with family values   not be in line with Goals 2000 (a.k.a. Out-based Education)    need less time to achieve high academic achievements   contain a balanced amount, or volume, of material

SAMPLE PAGES

Reading Workbooks
Book 1 Workbook
Upon completion of the program students master first grade reading concepts. Teacher's instructions appear at the bottom of each  workbook page making them self-contained. However Teacher's Guides are required for the built-in test booklets found in the back of each workbook. Below is a work page from the beginning of the course.

Book 2 Workbook
Below are two work pages, one showing the beginning of the book and the other towards the end.



Book 3 Workbook
Below are two work pages and a page from the Teacher's Guide. The first workbook page shows the beginning of the workbook and the second shows a page from the built-in test booklet which is followed by the corresponding page from the Teacher's Guide.

From the built-in test booklet found in the back of the worktext:

From the Teacher's Guide:

Phonics Worktext
The following shows clear directions and immediate application in an appealing format.

What child wouldn't be delighted with this worktext! This is far too cute to be school work! 


Other language skills are covered in addition to decoding skills

Skills Index
1st Grade linguistic based reading program 

Core Skills

Decode words of the CVC spelling pattern Decode words of the CVCe spelling pattern Decode words of the CVVC spelling pattern Decode minor spelling patterns and irregular spellings Recognize minimum contrast in spelling of words Recognize sight words Apply known patterns to decode new words in print Develop concepts for vocabulary words Understand multiple meanings of words Understand word order in sentences

Find and/or recall details Understand literal meaning Make inferences Relate story theme to personal experiences Use normal stress and intonation Write words in reading vocabulary Write phrases and sentences Make artistic representations to show comprehension Develop original stories and/or story endings Appreciate poems and stories

Book 1 Skills Index
Secondary Skill: Focus & Review
Capitalization in sentences Punctuation question mark context clues period exclamation mark	Capitalization of names Phrases Possessives Sequence Pronouns and referents Pronouns and referents	Inflected forms (-s ending); Capital and lowercase forms Sequence Capitalization Sequence Punctuation Pronouns and referents Sequence
Additional Skills:
Phrases beginning with an a                  Phrases beginning with the Choral reading Statements using not	Drawing conclusions Adjectives fat, mad, sad, bad Pronoun he Phrase at bat	Making generalizations Pronouns he and she Adjectives mad, bad

Book 2 Skills Index
Secondary Skill: Focus & Review
Skills previously covered plus:  Interrogative transformation	Punctuation: quotation marks Adjective transformations	Negative transformations Classifying
Additional Skills:
True false statements	Subject noun and verb	Adjectives

Book 3 Skills Index
Secondary Skill: Focus & Review
Literal phrase Details Word Order Following Directions	Main Idea Predicting outcomes Cause and effect Details	Following directions Sequence Drawing conclusions Classifying Paragraphs
Additional Skills:
Skills previously covered plus:  Plurals Contractions	Skimming to locate information Alphabetical order Antonyms	Complementary concepts Possessive forms Inflected forms (-ed endings)

Phonics Worktext Skills Index (Abbreviated)
All Initial Consonants
All Final Consonants
All Double Consonants
All Medial Consonants
All Short Vowels
Long Vowels: oa, o-e, igh, i-e, oa, o-e, i-e, ea, ee, ai, ay, a-e, ea, ee, ai, ay, a-e, u-e, ow,, ea (as long a) ei(gh)
Consonant Clusters: Initial clusters with r, l; Final Clusters with t, ld, mp, nd; Initial Clusters with s, w
Digraphs: Initial Digraphs: qu, wh; Initial and Final Digraphs: ch, tch, th, sh
R-controlled Vowel: ar
Contractions and Possessives
Inflected Endings: -s, -ed, -ing, -ed, -ing, -es