NGSS Early Implementers is a four-year initiative created to help eight California school districts and two charter management organizations, supported by WestEd's K-12 Alliance, implement Next Generation Science Standards. The Initiative focuses on NGSS implementation in grades K-8 and incorporates the integrated course model (preferred by the…

This study analyzes the learning expectations related to grades 1-8 algebra across several U.S. states and high performing TIMSS Asian countries and regions, including Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. In order to narrow and focus the investigation, only one topic within the strand is carefully reported. Based on the official curriculum documents,…

California is one of 4 states that have accelerated addition and subtraction basic-facts memorization. This article reports on teacher practices, first-grade achievement of the standard, and a broader conception of basic-facts competence. Even among students from the highest performing schools, fewer than 11% made progress toward the memorization…

Standard 3 of the California History-Social Science Framework requires that students in grade one know and understand U.S. symbols, icons, and traditions, such as the Pledge of Allegiance, the U.S. flag, essential documents, landmarks, and national holidays. The flag is a unifying theme for this unit of study. Students analyze the symbolism of the…

As long as people have lived within groups, there have been rules and laws to govern behavior. Schools are one of the first institutions that children encounter that set standards for their behavior. Learning how to cope with school rules when they are young helps students develop social skills and a sense of responsibility and become good…

Chronological thinking is one of the historical and social sciences analysis skills of the California History-Social Science Standards. The study of history is the study of change. This unit addresses different types of change from "now" to "then." From the community, including types of transportation, to the school, children…

In this 9-week unit, students compare and contrast goods and services and discuss economic activities that occur in cities, sorting them into the production of goods or the provision of a service. Students examine how people use money to purchase goods and services. Wants are defined in terms of trade-offs or choices that must be made. Job…

To complete Standard 2 of the California History-Social Science Framework, first-grade students must learn to use and construct maps and consider how location, weather, and physical environments affect the way people live. Students develop basic geographic skills by focusing first on their school and then on their neighborhood. The 6-year-old…

The students in California's classrooms live in a world of diversity. They eat unique foods, wear different types of clothes, live in different types of homes, and speak and hear many languages. This unit focuses on cultures, customs, ceremonies, traditions, foods, clothing, and shelter. These basic universal necessities of life--food, clothing,…

In this activity, first grade students learn their addresses and their places in space. Each student pretends they are a student in Ms. Frizzle's class and are to help the class figure out how to get home. The students create their own intergalactic address book, so that on their next trip into the universe they will have a map to guide them back…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 1, "A Child's Place in Time and Space," students study the life, work, and philosophy of Cesar Chavez. The students learn how he worked to resolve problems peacefully. They discover how his cultural experiences influenced his politics, family life, education, philosophy, recreational…