First Grade

The Elementary School fosters students’ curiosity and creativity while developing skills of critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.

By focusing on the whole child, Jesuit values inform every aspect of our school day, guiding students to experience how empathy and kindness can impact not only their lives, but also the lives of our community, and the world.

The first grade program builds on the Kindergarten program to ensure that students have a strong foundation in the core subjects of language arts, math, science, and social studies. The arts are integrated into all subject areas and Jesuit values are infused throughout the curriculum.

“In the first grade, children’s excitement for learning finds traction through challenging experiences that meet them right where they are and gently push them forward. As active learners, they learn by doing, and in so doing, they begin to connect ideas. This allows for the natural development of abstract thinking and problem solving.”

Greta Rutstein
Elementary School Principal

Curriculum

Language Arts

Students continue their use of the Fountas & Pinnell language arts program.

The program emphasizes word study, phonics, and spelling through the literature texts studied.

Students are taught to not only think about the text but also beyond the text.

Through the use of high-quality literature and leveled reading books, each students’ achievement can be fostered and measured to maximize their potential.

Mathematics

Using the Singapore Math curriculum, students move through a concrete, then pictorial, then abstract progression of mathematical understanding and computation skills.

Mental math, number sense, and problem-solving strategies are the focus.

Instead of pushing through rote memorization, students learn to think mathematically and rely on the depth of knowledge gained in previous lessons.

Singapore math not only helps students become more successful problem solvers, it helps them gain a sense of confidence and resourcefulness because it insists on conceptual depth.

This naturally prepares students to excel in more advanced math.

Science

Concepts and content of high interest are explored through science.

In science, first graders build an understanding of the scientific process through units of study in weather, physics topics, living things on earth, and human bodies.

Social Studies

In social studies, units of high interest in civics, with an emphasis on activism, geography, and economics are the focus of the year. Children work collaboratively on special projects and explore the city of Baltimore by going on field trips.

Additional Studies

Special area teachers in Music, Spanish, Religion, and Library round out the first-grade program.

“We’ve had to deal with lots of ups and downs over the past couple of years. Everyone at The Loyola School, including the teachers, the staff, and even the kids, have served as a sense of family to me and my child.”

First Grade Parent

A Sample Day for 1st Graders

8:20-8:45 Drop off
8:45-9:00 Breakfast
9:00-9:10 Interactive Read Aloud
9:15-9:30 Morning Meeting
9:30-9:50 Phonics/Spelling
9:50-10:30 Daily Five (LA)
10:30-10:40 Brain Break
10:40-11:40 Math Lessons/Centers
11:40-11:50 Brain Break
11:50-12:40 Lunch/Recess
12:40-1:00 Bathroom
1:00-1:30 Quiet Work
1:30-2:00 Social Studies (Fall) / Science (Spring)
2:00-2:10 Brain Break
2:10-3:10 Library
3:10-3:15 Class Meeting
3:15-4:00 Snack/Dismissal