In first grade, children are gloriously ripe for structured academic learning. The seven-year old is ready to formally build on the foundations for literacy and numeracy nurtured in the Kindergarten. These foundations serve as critical supports for lifelong learning and robust, confident thinking. In first grade, literacy begins with a love of language. Students are immersed in a rich vocabulary and vivid imagery through the practice of oral storytelling.
Uppercase letters are introduced in a way that brings joy to children – through pictograms or movements that evoke the letter’s essence, and students learn to read by writing and playing with the sounds of language.
The development of a “sense of number” (numeracy) is critical for using arithmetic and understanding mathematics. Much time is spent building this scaffolding which is necessary for all future work in mathematics.
The strength of Windsong’s curriculum lies in its attention to foundations and capacities. Daily artistic activities allow children to take hold of all they have learned during the school day, movement in every lesson serves to build up children’s mental pathways for learning, and a breathing rhythm to the school day allows children to settle into their work.
Each year the curriculum changes to meet children where they are developmentally, and in first grade the fairy tales serve as the leitmotif for the year. Windsong educators work with the child’s changing consciousness, guiding growth according to developmental unfolding, rather than directing growth from the outside according to outcome-based mandates.