1. Curriculum night Welcome Parents!
We have been working hard to create an exciting learning adventure in First Grade. This booklet contains general information, classroom expectations and a curriculum overview specific to our class. We look forward to working with you to make this a successful year for everyone!  
Sincerely,
The First Grade Teachers

2. We will talk about: Something about me
Great Expectations and Core Values
Curriculum Map
Classroom Schedule
Classroom rules
Discipline and Consequences
Homework Policies
Field Trip

3. Something about me:
My name is Suiru Shi, also known as Shi Laoshi. I am from Henan province, China. My family is quite involved in education, as my father was a High School Master and two of my siblings have been teachers, too. I have been working as a language teacher for more than 30 years. I finished my Bachelor degree in English and Chinese Language teaching in China. I taught English in China before I came to America. After I came to USA in 2006, I started to teach Chinese in different schools. I started to work in Yinghua since I was very impressed with Yinghua Academy’s program.
It’s my pleasure to teach your children this year as I’ve heard so many good things about this class. I believe that you, your child, and I will have a good time with one another this year. As your child’s teacher, my main concern is to ensure that he/she is equipped with the skills necessary for achieving academic and social success. Therefore, I will help them to develop a sense of motivation, peer cooperation, study skills and social skills (both at school and in their daily life) as well as to find out their talents/interests. I believe that the above is also one of this year’s academic goals.
I would like to thank you in advance for your assistance and support for the following school year. I expect it to be an exciting, interesting, fun and happy learning year for everyone involved.
   

4. Great Expectations: Always try. Do your best.
Cooperate and help others.
Respect people and property.
Manage yourself.

5. Core Values:
Safety.
Speak Chinese.
Learn.
Happiness.
Global Citizen.

6. 2014-2015 First Grade Curriculum Map (1)
Month
Chinese Language Arts
Math
Social Studies
Science
September
Strokes
Happily Learning Chinese
Creation of positive classroom atmosphere
Development of good learning habits
Formation of a studious community
Stroke names and phrases
Numbers 0-10
Counting
Number words and stories
Number bond: making number stories
Addition (1): making addition stories, addition with number bonds, and other methods of addition
School Community
Awareness to similarities and differences among individuals in the classroom and within the school
Individuality and concept of fairness, equity and justice
Working Independently and cooperatively to accomplish goals
Ways of good and engaged citizens participate in their community, explain why participation is important
Science Inquiry
Observe and ask questions
Classification (Sorting)
Things can be recycled and reused
Living and nonliving things
October
I Love to Learn
Playing Together
Vocabulary to introduce oneself
Comprehension of simple written instructions
Completion of sentences in both speaking and written forms
Real-life connections between words and their use
Addition (2): making addition stories, addition with number bonds, and other methods of addition
Subtraction: making subtraction stories, and methods of subtraction
History: It is Everyone’s Story
Creation of timeline that identifies 3 events from one’s own life
Basic questions about a past event in one’s family, school or local community
Stories of Captain John Smith
Pocahontas and Powhatan
Living Creatures and Their Habitats
Structure and function in Living Systems
The food chain
Special Classifications of Animals
Herbivores
Carnivores
Omnivores
Extinct animals
November
Hopscotch
Little Fish Looking for Friends
Story prediction
“location” words
Description of people, places, things, and events with relevant details
Ordinal Numbers
Naming positions
Numbers up to 20: counting and comparing; addition and subtraction
Simple word problems
Origin of Thanksgiving
Story of Christopher Columbus’s trip to the Americas in 1492
Story of Pilgrims, Mayflower, and the first Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day (food and activities)
Oceans and Undersea Life
Locate oceans
Landscape of the ocean floor
Diversity of ocean life
Matter
Names and common examples of three states of matter: Solid, Liquid, and Gas
Water as an example
December
Shadows
It is Snowing!
Connection between written descriptions to their own life experience
Observation of natural world and learning from their daily experience
Ordering and sequential words
Numbers to 20
Addition
Subtraction
Shapes: common 2-dimensional shapes and faces of 3-dimensional objects
Directions and Locations
Name and locate the five oceans and the seven continents
Locate places using cardinal directions
Identify the geographic location of USA and MN on a map and a globe
Properties of Matter: Measurement
Units of measurement (Length, Width, Temperature)

7. 2013-2014 First Grade Curriculum Map (2)
Month
Chinese Language Arts
Math
Social Studies
Science
January/
February
Chinese New Year Greeting Words
Our Flag
Losing a Tooth
The nation’s important symbols
Familiarity with a variety of Chinese New Year traditions
How people celebrate life
Use of complete and detailed sentences to respond to situations
Length & Weight
Compare and measure by making direct comparisons with reference objects and nonstandard units
Graphs
Picture graphs
Numbers to 40
Counting, tens and ones
Addition and Subtraction
Chinese New Year Traditions
Nation is Born
The 13 original English colonies
Fourth of July
Benjamin Franklin and George Washington
Freedom for All
Legend of Betsy Ross and the American flag
The Pledge of Allegiance
Current United States president
Astronomy: Our Solar System
Sun, Moon, the eight planets
Stars
Earth and its place in the solar system
March
Our Neighbors
My Father’s Friend
Country of Mexico
Comparison among Mexico, China and the US – similarities and differences
Literary Terms
Character, drama, actors and actress
Numbers to 100
Counting by 10’s
Order of numbers
Addition within 100
Subtraction within 100
Word problems with model drawing
Modern Civilization and Culture: Mexico
Location (Between Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico)
Mayan Culture
Mexico City
Culture and traditions: Indian and Spanish heritage, Piñata
Earth
Geographical features of the earth’s surface
Oceans and continents
Volcanoes
April
Look at Clouds
Mother’s Birthday
Story structure – beginning, middle and end
Reading strategies: preview and predict
How, why, and what-if questions for fiction and non-fiction texts
Money
Value of coins and bills
Use of cent and dollar symbols
Count coins and bills combinations
Halves & Quarters
Recognition and making halves and quarters
Ancient Civilization: Egypt
Location (In Africa)
Nile River
Pharaohs
Pyramids and mummies
Electricity
Static electricity
Basic principles of electricity
Electrical safety rules
May/June
A Story about Feet
Pipi is Ill
Personal hygiene
Participation
Questions and answers about key details in a text
Costumes, scenery, and props
Theater, stage, audience
Time
Tell time to the half-hour
Multiplication & Division
Multiplication: problems within 40
Division: sharing and grouping
American History and geography-Symbols and Figures
Liberty Bell
American flag
Eagle
The Human Body
Body systems
Taking care of your body

8. Classroom Schedule

9. Classroom Rules:
We have our own classroom rules beside the Great Expectations and 5 Core Values. Students are learning to recite them every day. The rules are:
Be on time.
Be responsible.
Be organized and tidy up your desk.
Be nice/respectful to each other.
Be on task in class.
Raise your hand before talking in class.
Hand in your homework on time.

10. Discipline & Consequences:
At Yinghua Academy we use the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline. It is a proactive, logical management plan. During the morning, we use 4 steps (greetings, sharing, activities, and morning message) to create a happy learning community. Students learn to make friends with each other, enjoy learning, help others learn, and follow the instruction during the morning meeting.
When students are engaged in their work, there are usually few behavior problems, however, if a problem occurs, I may use one or more of the following consequences, depending on the situation:
*Verbal reminder
*Time out in classroom
*Time out in buddy classroom
*Student-teacher conference
*Parent contact

11. Homework Policies:
1st graders will learn to collect all the worksheets in the “Homework” folder. They also have “Teacher/Parent Communication” folder for the homework check chart and other information/letters from the school or the teacher. They will bring all these folders home every day.
Please check their finished and not-finished homework and have
your signature on the homework check chart every night. It is recommended to sign on each worksheet or exercise book.
1st graders are asked to write neatly. Please remind your child to do
so.
1st graders are asked to make correction when they make mistakes on their class work or homework. Please remind them to check and correct the mistakes they have made on the worksheets or workbooks.
Homework will be marked by using 1) 3 star grades — three stars☆☆☆ (no mistakes), two stars ☆☆(minor mistakes), and one star ☆(too many mistakes); and 2) numerical system—from 0~100.

12. Field Trip This year we plan to have 3 field trips.
Sea Life in Mall of America – Science (in October)
Play or performance – Chinese (January or February)
MIA or Science Museum – Social Studies (March or April)
Shopping experience – (May)
All field trip will related first grade CLA, Social studies &Science. More information will be send it home later.

13. Contact me by: Suiru.shi@yinghuaacademy.org Xie Xie!