math - grade 1

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math - grade 1
By Cathy-Dee

It will depend somewhat on where you live as each State and Province often has their own standards and curriculum which should be followed. You can probably find out the actually curriculum guidelines by checking with your
State's or Province's department of Education.
In Alberta where I teach we cover the following....
- number concepts to 100 (counting, writing, recognizing
- counting by 2's, 5's and 10's
- addition and subtraction to 18 (this does not mean memorization of facts but understanding how to add and subtract using manipulatives, drawing pictures or number lines to assist them with

doing the questions)
- understanding the properties of shapes and solids
- measurement - with cm and also with non-standard measurement tools
- patterns
- probability, graphing, etc.,
- problem solving - using the above skills

I think it's important to keep in mind that math in grades 1 and 2 are mastery concepts. We usually do not teach the "higher" math skills like regrouping, multiplication, etc., because these skills depend on the students being well-grounded in the basics. What we begin in grade 1 carries on to grade 2 and between the two grades the students should have a very good understanding of the concepts they use in math.

Your son might just be very good with math and numbers and thus the work seems easier for him. But other students in class may not find the work as easy to do. While we can challenge our top learners we do not always have the time to a lot of extra work with them. For example I still have children in my room who struggle with numbers past 20 (printing them or recognizing them) even though we have spent several months learning them, reviewing them, etc., I have a few who struggle with addition and subtraction just to 10, up to 18 is very difficult for them to do without a lot of mistakes.