First grade

First grade (called Grade 1 in some regions) is a year of education in the United States and other nations. The first grade is the first school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 6 - 7 years old. It is a part of primary education.

• In mathematics students learn primarily about addition and subtraction of whole numbers, as well as the first vulgar fractions and measurement. Basic geometry and graphing are also introduced for the first time. Time (hour and half hour, months, days, reading a calendar) and money (names, values and counting of coins) are also included in the math curriculum.

• In Language Arts first graders are expected to know the alphabet and become masters of the alphabetic principle. They learn the 44 sounds found in the English language and the most common spellings for each. In the beginning of first grade, students read easy books and books that make use of letters and words they have been taught. By the end of the year, students can read longer passages and stories with a greater variety of words. They can also learn words that have not been taught by applying their knowledge of the alphabetic principle. Popular stories read by the average first grader include: Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel, Poppleton books, fairy tales such as Cinderella and Snow White, books by Syd Hoff, Dr. Seuss, Robert Munsch, and non-fiction books about animals.

At the same age, English, Scottish and Welsh pupils are in their second year of compulsory education and in their third year in Northern Ireland.

In Brazil now, the time for elementary school were recently raised from 8 to 9 years, and the minimum age required to the first grade was changed from 5 to 6 years old.

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