NOTE: This is a compilation of skills and facts a child should be able to complete and understand at the end of first grade. The list of skill sets here will be learned during the first grade year.

Language Arts

Art

• Understand primary colors and how they make secondary colors
• Know the colors of the rainbow in order: ROYGBIV

Music

• Understand beat, tempo
• Understand basic music terms: piano, forte

Reading

• Read complicated sentences with ease: “She is baking a yummy cake. He is jumping up and down.”
• Identify key details within a story and can answer questions about them: “What is the problem in this story? Who fixes it?”
• Can retell the story and describe the characters in detail
• Can read first grade level books out loud with accuracy and understanding
• Read with expression, giving more life to the story
• Comprehend stories and can predict outcomes: “What do you think is going to happen?”
• Understand parts of story: plot, setting, character
• Understand book genres: fiction, non-fiction
• Choose books to read in both fiction and non-fiction categories

Spelling

• Know how to spell basic CVC words like “cat” and “dog”
• Know and recognize spelling patterns
• Spell high-frequency words correctly
• Attempt new spelling words phonetically

Writing & Grammar

• Write simple words with ease
• Write a correct sentences that start with a capital letter and end with proper ending punctuation
• Use phonetic spelling
• Can write a list
• Can keep a diary
• Can finish a writing prompt
• Understand parts of speech: noun, verb, adjective
• Write paragraphs
• Compose creative or narrative writing

Mathematics

Graphs

• Understand how to collect, sort and use data from basic graphs

Measurements

• Know basic units of measurement: inch, foot, yard, ounce, pound
• Distinguish between left and right

Money

• Can recognize coins and paper money and knows values of each
• Can identify the names of coins
• Count money, including adding and subtracting money using correct dollar/cent signs and decimals

Numbers: Counting & Writing

• Can read, count and sequence numbers up to 1,000, even in written format: twenty-nine
• Can write number names up to twenty: nineteen
• Skip count by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s to 100
• Know and can explain difference between odd and even numbers
• Understands the number line
• Can identify even or odd two and three-digit numbers: 23, 752, etc..

Operations: Addition & Subtraction

• Can use a variety of addition and subtraction strategies for numbers up to twenty
• Has memorized the doubles addition facts up to 20
• Can represent one number in multiple ways: 20 = 10 + 10, 5 + 15, 12 + 8, 9 + 11
• Understand equation sequencing and can write it: 6 + 3 = 9
• Can add or subtract two-digit numbers: 73 – 21 = 52, 63 + 25 = 88
• Can add on paper three different single digit numbers: 5 + 2 + 9 = 16

Place Value

• Understand and can explain place value up to the thousands place, using base ten blocks

Shapes & Patterns

• Identify and understand patterns
• Extend repeating patterns of numbers
• Know the names 2D shapes, including: rhombus, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon
• Know the names of basic 3D shapes, including: sphere, pyramid and cube

Time

• Tell time on both digital clocks and analog clocks to the nearest quarter
• Can draw hands for time on an analog clock
• Calculate elapsed time
• Can list the days of the week in order
• Can list the months of the year in order
• Knows how many days are in each month
• When given today’s date, can tell you the date of tomorrow and yesterday
• When given a month, can tell you the month that comes before and after it

Other Suggested Subjects

Geography & Social Studies

• Understand how to use a basic map
• Can locate hometown on a map
• Know the difference between producers and consumers
• List key functions of a community: fire station, police station, grocery store, bank, post office, etc…
• Understand that the family unit is the basic unit of society
• Begin to appreciate and explore different cultures

History

• Introduce key historical figures

Science

• Identify different land forms
• Identify seasons
• Suggested study: life cycles (butterflies), dinosaurs, animals, plants

Social Development & Behavior

• Work independently for a short time
• Learn to cooperate and work as a team
• Understand basic conversation rules: taking turns talking, listening
• Read more about development in first-grade

Additional Resources & Sources:

Check out government standards for your state

TGTB has LA placement and a math placement test. While it does go along with their curriculum, it also can help you identify where your child needs more work. You can also learn more about TGTB.

Sources: Scholastic, Math Genie, Great Schools