1st Grade
1st grade lesson plans, slideshows, and other resources for the EL Education curriculum
Math resources, lesson plans and curricular support for 1st grade
Science resources, including support for FOSS
1st Grade Resources
Fall Assessments
By 10/29 - SIPPS Mastery (English only classrooms),
By 12/17 - i-Ready ELA Diagnostic
Other Resources
EL Education is the provider of the new ELA curriculum that has been adopted by OUSD for grades K-5, starting in the 2021-22 school year.* The curriculum is standards-based, and relies heavily on fiction and nonfiction trade books. OUSD teachers can find EL Education materials and lesson plans at EL Ed Central. While there are normally four modules in a school year, teachers can opt to teach three modules during this first year of adoption.
* OUSD Dual Language schools use the Benchmark Education curriculum for language instruction.
Fall
Tools and Work
Why do we need tools? How do habits of character help us do work? How do we create a magnificent thing?
A Chef's Tools by Holden Strauss
The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens and Susan Crummel
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
Tools by Ann Morris
I Use Science Tools by Kellie L. Hicks
My Math Toolbox by Nancy Kelly Allen
Winter
The Sun, Moon, and Stars
Why do authors write about the sun, moon, and stars? What patterns can we observe in the sky? How do authors use their knowledge and observations to write a story?
What the Sun Sees, What the Moon Sees, by Nancy Tafuri
Does the Sun Sleep?: Noticing Sun, Moon, and Star Patterns, by Martha E.H. Rustad (
What Makes Day and Night, by Franlyn M. Branley (
Kitten’s First Full Moon, by Kevin Henkes
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me
Sun and Moon, by Lindsey Yankey
Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky, by Elphinstone Dayrell
Summer Sun Risin’, by W. Nikola-Lisa
Spring
Birds' Amazing Bodies
What makes a bird a bird? How do birds use their body parts to survive? How do we build our research skills and share our learning?
Feathers: Not Just for Flying, by Melissa Stewart
Flight School, by Lita Judge
Little Kids First Big Book of Birds, by Catherine Hughes (1 per pair)
Birds, by Kevin Henkes
Just Ducks, by Nicola Davis
Beaks!, by Sneed Collard
Birds (Scholastic Discover More), by Penelope Arlon
Math Expressions is the adopted OUSD curriculum for elementary schools.* The curriculum is aligned to California Common Core standards, which describe what students should know and be able to do in each subject in each grade.
* A number of OUSD elementary schools use an alternative math curriculum, including Eureka Math and SWUN Math.
Fall
Partners and Number Patterns Through 10
How can numbers be broken into two parts?
Addition and Subtraction Strategies
How do we combine partners to find a total and how can we break the total into addends, or partners, to help us solve story problems?
Unknown Numbers in Addition and Subtraction
How can we solve for an unknown number in a story problem in any position?
Winter
Place Value Concepts
How does the value of a digit change depending on its placement in a number?
Place Value Situations
How does our understanding of place value help us add and subtract with greater numbers?
Spring
Comparisons and Data
How can we sort, represent, and interpret data?
Geometry, Measurement, and Equal Shares
How do we measure time and length? How can we define, compose, and decompose shapes and how might we partition them into equal shares?
Two-Digit Addition
How can we use what we know about numbers and their relationships to solve word problems involving 2-digit addition?
For elementary science instruction, OUSD uses FOSS (Full Option Science System), a research-based science curriculum developed at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. This curriculum emphasizes hands-on activities and is aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The order of the three modules varies from school to school, depending on the rotation of physical science kits at each school site.
Physical Science
Sound and Light
How do sound and light interact with objects?
Investigations:
Sound and Vibrations
Changing Sound
Light and Shadows
Light and Mirrors
Fizz Quiz
Earth Science
Air and Weather
What is all around us?
What do we observe in the sky above us?
Investigations:
Exploring Air
Observing Sky
Wind Explorations
Looking for Change
Life Science
Plants and Animals
How do young plants and animals survive in their habitats?
Investigations:
Grass and grain seeds
Stems
Terrariums
Growth and Change
1st Grade Academic Milestones (for families)
