Core Knowledge is the idea that for
the sake of academic excellence,
greater fairness, and higher literacy,
elementary and middle schools need
a solid, sequenced, specific, shared
(the four S’s) core curriculum in order
to help children establish strong
foundations of knowledge, grade by
grade.
An Explanation of
Grace Lutheran’s
Core Knowledge
Curriculum
www.coreknowledge.org
www.gracelutheranschool.com
In addition to the four S’s of Core
Knowledge: solid, sequenced, specific,
and shared, Grace Lutheran School
adds a fifth S: spiritual. We take Core
Knowledge a step further and
integrate our faith in Jesus into every
area. We create an atmosphere of
loving acceptance and provide
opportunities for children to learn
and grow spiritually as well as
physically,
socially,
emotionally,
intellectually, and cognitively.
The Core Knowledge Sequence is intended to
guide the planning of experiences and activities
for first grade children by offering a coherent
progression of skills and knowledge in the
following areas:
Language Arts
Reading and Writing
♦
Phonemic Awareness
♦
Decoding, Word Recognition, and Oral
Reading
♦
Reading Comprehension and Response
♦
Writing
♦
Spelling, Grammar, and Usage
Poetry
Fiction
♦
Stories
♦
Aesop’s Fables
♦
Different Lands, Similar Stories
♦
Literary Terms
Sayings and Phrases
Visual Arts
♦
Art From Long Ago
♦
Elements of Art: Color, Line, Shape and
Texture
♦
Kinds of Pictures: Portrait & Still Life
Faith Studies
♦
Bible as God’s Truthful Word
♦
Bible Stories
♦
The Trinity
♦
Law and
Gospel
♦
Baptism
♦
Prayer
♦
Songs of
Praise
♦
The Elements
and the Word
History and Geography
W orld:
Geography
♦
Spatial Sense
♦
Geographical Terms and Features
Early Civilizations
♦
Mesopotamia: The Cradle of Civilization
♦
Ancient Egypt
♦
History of World Religions
Modern Civilization and Culture: Mexico
♦
Geography and Culture
American:
Early People and Civilizations
• The Earliest People: Hunters & Nomads
• Maya, Inca, & Aztec Civilizations
Early Exploration and Settlement
♦
Columbus
♦
The Conquistadors
♦
English Settlers
The American Revolution
Early Exploration of the American West
Symbols and Figures
Science
♦
Living Things and Their Environments
o Habitats
o Oceans and Undersea Life
o Environmental Change
o Habitat Destruction
o Classifications of Animals
♦
The Human Body
o Body Systems
o Germs, Diseases and
Preventing Illness
♦
Matter
♦
Introduction to Electricity
♦
Astronomy
♦
The Earth
♦
Science Biographies
Sample First Grade Activities
Language Arts
Reading and Writing
♦
Count the number of syllables in a
word
♦
Use letter-sound knowledge to sound
out unknown words when reading
♦
Read and understand simple written
instructions
♦
Write a journal entry
♦
Spell words from oral dictation
Poetry
♦
The Pasture by Robert Frost
Fiction
♦
Stories
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
♦
Aesop’s Fables
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
♦
Different Lands, Similar Stories
Little Red Riding Hood
♦
Literary Terms
Characters, heroes, heroines
Sayings and Phrases
♦
Let the cat out of the bag
Mathematics
♦
Patterns and Classification
♦
Numbers and Number Sense
♦
Money
♦
Computation: Addition. Subtraction,
Solving Problems and Equations
♦
Measurement
♦
Geometry
Music
Songs
♦
Skip to My Lou
♦
Do You Know Who Died For Me
History and Geography
World:
Geography
♦
Find directions on a map: north,
south, east, and west
Early Civilizations
♦
Ancient Egypt: Pharaohs, pyramids,
hieroglyphics, Nile River
Modern Civilization and Culture: Mexico
♦
Piñata, Independence Day, Indian
and Spanish heritage, Rio Grande
American:
Early Exploration and Settlement
♦
The Lost Colony, Pocahontas
and Powhatan, Pilgrims, Puritans
The American Revolution
♦
The Boston Tea Party
Symbols and Figures
♦
Eagle, American flag, liberty bell
Science
Astronomy
♦
Sun, moon, stars, eight planets,
dwarf planets
The Human Body
♦
Skeletal, muscular, digestive,
circulatory, and nervous systems
Visual Arts
Color
♦
Mixing primary colors
Faith Studies
Bible Stories
♦
Jesus blesses the children
The Trinity
♦
God: the creation account, Jesus: the
passion story, The Holy Spirit:
Pentecost
The Elements and the Word
♦
Act out Jesus’ last supper