Manitoba
MY CHILD IN SCHOOL
MY CHILD IN SCHOOL – Informed Parent, Involved Parent

GRADE 1

OVERVIEW

Grade 1 children learn ways to communicate, solve problems, get along with others and use technology to help them learn. The required subject areas are: arts education, English language arts, mathematics, physical education/health education, science, and social studies. Your child will have the chance to learn by working with classmates, teachers, adults, and materials in the classroom.

ARTS EDUCATION: Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts

Kindergarten to Grade 2 children experiment with ways to express themselves creatively and begin to develop skills and knowledge in one or more of the arts. They explore the questions “who”, “where”, “when”, and “why” related to the arts. They think about the importance and meaning of the arts in their own lives, and in the lives of their families and communities. Children learn to think critically and talk about their experiences with learning the arts.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

English language arts learning develops over time and in different situations. Grade 1 is part of the grade band that begins in Kindergarten and ends in Grade 2.

Grade 1 children use language to investigate topics, issues, and questions based on their interests and life experiences, literature, and other curriculum areas. Children use language to talk, ask questions, and think about experiences, stories, and new ideas. They use words, pictures, and their own experiences to understand different kinds of texts such as art, books, objects, websites, the land, and oral stories. They share their ideas with others in different ways such as drawing, writing, telling stories, singing, and role-playing. They learn to express personal connections to what they have seen and heard.

FRENCH

Please ask the teacher to find out if your child is learning French in Grade 1. French is not taught in all schools in Grade 1.

Grade 1 children learn to understand and communicate some simple ideas in French through rhymes, songs, stories and games.

MATHEMATICS

Grade 1 children learn what numbers are by describing, comparing and showing numbers up to 20. They learn to count forward and backward to 100 and to add and subtract to 18 using mental math strategies. The children work on recalling math facts that are doubles (such as 1+1 , 5+5) and number facts that are one more (such as 5+1) and one less (such as 7-1). They explore ways to solve a problem and explain what they did and why. Recognizing and creating patterns and learning about 2-D shapes and 3-D objects are important parts of Grade 1 Mathematics.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION/ HEALTH EDUCATION

Grade 1 children learn about living an active and healthy lifestyle. They participate in physical activities for fun and for fitness and to improve basic movement skills such as running, jumping and catching.

Children learn ways to stay healthy, look after themselves and recognize things that are safe and unsafe. They also learn about following safety rules and getting along with others.

SCIENCE

Grade 1 children observe their surroundings and participate in hands-on explorations to learn about living things, the senses, characteristics of objects and changes from day to day and season to season. They recognize that they can learn by asking questions and by using their senses to discover new ideas and make sense of their world.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Connecting and Belonging

Grade 1 children learn about connections and relationships in their local community, Canada, and the world. They become aware of their responsibilities and rights as citizens and discover how they can contribute to their groups and communities. Children become more aware of Canada as a country and consider the connections that bring people together in communities, past and present. Your child learns about diversity, interdependence and the importance of connecting and belonging.