Learning Themes & Topics: First Grade
This page sketches one way to organize a first-grade year into six integrated units of study, each lasting about six weeks. First-grade social studies, “a child’s place in time and space,” anchors the year through community and “then and now,” with a second spine of daily sky and seasons observations. English language arts, science, and mathematics connect to each unit wherever the connection is genuine.
It is only one of thousands of possible arrangements. Standards never fit together like puzzle pieces, and any integrated plan will be somewhat messy. The goal is not a perfect fit but a coherent year in which students meet reading, writing, science, and mathematics inside a story they can follow, rather than as separate subjects that rarely speak to one another.
How the year fits together
A shared six-week rhythm
- Weeks 1–2, Launch: read-alouds, conversation, and the guiding question.
- Weeks 3–4, Investigate: hands-on science, maps and objects, and math in real situations.
- Weeks 5–6, Create and share: make, share, and reflect on the culminating project.
Two spines, not one
First-grade history is short and concrete, so it cannot carry the whole year alone. Community and “then and now” anchor the social studies, while daily sky and seasons observations give science its own thread from Unit 2 onward.
Reading and mathematics keep their own sequences
Foundational reading, including phonics, decoding, and fluency, needs its own daily time; the themes shape read-alouds, vocabulary, drawing, and writing. Math follows a typical first-grade sequence: adding and subtracting within 10 and 20, time and data, place value to 120, length, and shapes.
Four threads run all year
- A growing class map of the classroom, school, and neighborhood.
- Then and now: what changes and what stays the same.
- Many ways to belong: varied families, names, languages, and traditions.
- Sky and seasons: a daily observation habit that runs through every unit.
Software that supports the whole year
The SDLA software directory lists hundreds of instructional programs. Few are built for integrated units, but many can serve one. Each unit below names a few specific connections; these tools can support every unit.
Digital workbooks and portfolios
Book Creator can hold a digital version of each unit workbook, and students' six finished books become a year-end portfolio. Artsonia can collect artwork such as maps, drawings, and project photos.
Assessment checkpoints
Wayground in self-paced mode, with timers and public leaderboards turned off, can deliver short picture-supported checkpoints at the end of each two-week phase. Much early-grade evidence will still come from observation, conversation, and student work.
Social studies and background knowledge
If your district has adopted Studies Weekly, myWorld Interactive, or inquirED, its first-grade materials can supply readings for each unit. Discovery Education adds video across all six units.
The dedicated math block
Adaptive and visual programs such as ST Math, Zearn, or DreamBox Math can carry core skill and fluency practice, while each unit supplies real-world applications.
The year at a glance
Unit 1: Rules and Being a Good Classmate
Weeks 1–6
Guiding question: How do we take care of each other and our classroom?
Culminating project
A class agreements chart the students write together, plus a class book showing how we care for one another.
Assessment evidence
Opinion drawing and writing about a class rule, participation in class meetings, and an addition and subtraction check.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 1.1
- Why we have rules at school and at home, and who makes them.
- Rights and responsibilities: taking turns, sharing, and fixing mistakes.
- Solving problems fairly in a class meeting.
English Language Arts
- W.1.1
- SL.1.1
- This is a School, All Are Neighbors, Be A Bridge, and I Forgive AlexSDLA list
- Speaking: following agreed-upon rules for discussions.
- Writing: an opinion sentence and drawing about a class rule.
Science
- 1-LS1-2
- How animal parents and their young behave in ways that help the young survive, such as feeding, protecting, and teaching.
Mathematics
- 1.OA.1
- 1.OA.6
- Adding and subtracting within 10 in classroom situations, such as sharing supplies.
- Building toward fluency with sums and differences within 10.
Workbook 1 would include
A “how we care for each other” drawing page, a class-rules vote tally, an animal parents and young matching page, addition and subtraction practice, and a portfolio page for the opinion drawing.
Software connections
- Epic: a digital library of picture books about friendship, fairness, and school.
- Teaching Books: author and book resources for the unit’s read-alouds.
- Mystery Science: elementary lessons on how animal parents care for their young.
- Brainingcamp: ten frames and counters for adding and subtracting within 10.
Unit 2: Where We Are: Maps and the Sky
Weeks 7–12
Guiding question: Where are we on the map, and what patterns can we see in the sky above us?
Culminating project
A picture map of the classroom and school, plus a sky journal tracking the sun and moon.
Assessment evidence
Informative labels and sentences, the map, the sky journal, and addition and subtraction within 20.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 1.2
- Maps and globes: land, water, and our place on them.
- Map symbols, keys, and directions for our classroom and school.
- Describing the neighborhood around the school.
English Language Arts
- RI.1.7
- W.1.2
- One Boy Watching, Have You Ever Seen a Flower?, and On the TraplineSDLA list
- Reading focus: using pictures and details to describe key ideas.
- Writing: informative labels and sentences for the map.
Science
- 1-ESS1-1
- Observing and describing patterns of the sun, moon, and stars: sunrise, sunset, and the changing shape of the moon.
Mathematics
- 1.OA.1–6
- Adding and subtracting within 20, such as counting steps between places on the school map.
- Word problems about positions and distances.
Workbook 2 would include
A classroom map template, map-symbol stickers or drawings, a sky journal, addition and subtraction pages, and a portfolio page for the finished map.
Software connections
- Nystrom World: maps and globes for first map lessons.
- Mystery Science: lessons on patterns of the sun, moon, and stars.
- National Geographic Kids: photographs of places, landforms, and the night sky.
- Brainingcamp: number lines and counters for addition and subtraction within 20.
Unit 3: Symbols, Traditions, and Celebrations
Weeks 13–18
Guiding question: How do people show what matters to them through symbols, celebrations, and traditions?
Culminating project
A class book on national symbols and celebrations from the read-alouds, with a page each student chooses, plus a daylight chart for the season.
Assessment evidence
Narrative drawing and writing, the daylight chart, and time and data tasks.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 1.3
- National symbols such as the flag and the bald eagle, and what they stand for.
- Celebrations and traditions in the community and around the world.
- Why people celebrate the same event in different ways.
English Language Arts
- RL.1.9
- W.1.3
- Harvest Days, Keepunumuk, Powwow Day, Josie Dances, and How to Wear a SariSDLA list
- Reading focus: comparing the experiences of characters in different stories.
- Writing: a narrative about a celebration from a story or from the student’s choice.
Science
- 1-ESS1-2
- Comparing how much daylight there is at different times of year.
Mathematics
- 1.MD.3
- 1.MD.4
- Telling time to the hour and half hour.
- Organizing and comparing daylight or weather data in a simple chart.
Workbook 3 would include
A national-symbols page, a celebrations comparison page, a daylight chart, clock and data practice, and a portfolio page for the narrative.
Software connections
- Epic: a digital library of picture books about celebrations around the world.
- Flocabulary: short videos for vocabulary such as symbol, tradition, and celebrate.
- Padlet: a class wall tracking sunrise and sunset times through the season.
- ABCya!: clock and time games that support telling time.
Invite, don’t require: Sharing a family tradition should always be optional. Do not ask children to perform or explain their culture for the class, and teach Thanksgiving through Keepunumuk and Harvest Days rather than costumes.
Unit 4: Then and Now
Weeks 19–24
Guiding question: How was life long ago like our lives today, and how is it different?
Culminating project
A “Then and Now” exhibit of school and communication objects, plus a simple device that uses sound or light to send a signal.
Assessment evidence
Informative writing comparing two texts, the exhibit, the signal device, and place-value tasks.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 1.4
- School, home, work, and communication long ago and today.
- What has changed, what has stayed the same, and why.
- People long ago solved problems with the tools they had.
English Language Arts
- RI.1.9
- W.1.2
- Hundred Years of Happiness, Just Like Grandma, A Library, and The World Belonged to UsSDLA list
- Reading focus: comparing two texts on the same topic.
- Writing: an informative “then and now” comparison.
Science
- 1-PS4-1
- 1-PS4-2
- 1-PS4-3
- 1-PS4-4
- Sound comes from vibrating materials, from drums to telephones.
- Light lets us see; some materials let light through and others block it.
- Designing a device that uses light or sound to send a message across the room.
Mathematics
- 1.NBT.1–4
- Counting and place value to 120, such as numbering exhibit items or years.
- Adding within 100 using tens and ones.
Workbook 4 would include
A then-and-now sorting page, a comparison organizer, sound and light investigations, a signal-device design page, place-value practice, and a portfolio page for the comparison.
Software connections
- SAM Labs: simple lights, buzzers, and sensors for building the signal device.
- Epic: picture books and photographs of daily life long ago.
- National Geographic Kids: articles and images about sound and light.
- Brainingcamp: base-ten blocks for place value to 120.
Teach time and change carefully: People long ago were just as clever, solving problems with the tools they had. Avoid showing any culture as frozen in the past; Powwow Day and Look, Grandma! Ni, Elisi! show traditions alive today.
Unit 5: Many Cultures, One Community
Weeks 25–30
Guiding question: What makes our community special, and how can we learn about one another respectfully?
Culminating project
A class “Neighbors” book where each child contributes a page about something they love in the community, alongside book-based comparisons of names, languages, and customs.
Assessment evidence
Response writing, the class-book page, a seedling-comparison investigation, and length-measurement tasks.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 1.5
- The many cultures, languages, and traditions that make up our community.
- How people from different places contribute to the community.
- Learning about differences with respect and curiosity.
English Language Arts
- RL.1.2
- W.1.8
- What’s Your Name?, That’s Not My Name!, Eyes That Speak to the Stars, Luli and the Language of Tea, Gigi and Ojiji, and Mama and Mommy and Me in the MiddleSDLA list
- Reading focus: retelling stories and their central message.
- Writing: gathering information to respond to a question about the stories.
Science
- 1-LS3-1
- Young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents; comparing seedlings and animal families.
Mathematics
- 1.MD.1–2
- Measuring and comparing lengths, such as seedling heights, with nonstandard units.
Workbook 5 would include
A name-story page, a book-comparison chart, a seedling observation log, measurement practice, and a portfolio page for the class-book contribution.
Software connections
- Epic: a digital library of picture books reflecting many cultures and languages.
- Teaching Books: author resources, including name pronunciations and interviews.
- Mystery Science: lessons on how young plants and animals resemble their parents.
- Book Creator: students add their pages to the class “Neighbors” book.
Respectful inquiry: Teach children to ask about differences without stereotyping or imitating, never ask a child to be a spokesperson for a group, and keep the science focused on plants and animals rather than students’ own families.
Unit 6: Work in Our Community
Weeks 31–36
Guiding question: What jobs help our community, and how do people get what they need?
Culminating project
A community-helpers exhibit plus an invention inspired by a plant or animal that could help a community worker.
Assessment evidence
Presentation, the invention design, and shape and data tasks.
Subject connections
History–Social Science
- HSS 1.6
- Goods and services, and the people who provide them.
- Jobs in the community, at school, and at home.
- How people earn money and make choices about spending and saving.
English Language Arts
- SL.1.4
- W.1.2
- Saturday at the Food Pantry, The Elote Man Goes to College, Riley Reynolds Slays the Play, and The Notebook KeeperSDLA list
- Speaking: describing a community helper clearly with details.
- Writing: an informative page about a job.
Science
- 1-LS1-1
- Designing a solution to a human problem by copying how plants and animals use their parts, such as a helmet inspired by a turtle shell.
Mathematics
- 1.G.1–3
- 1.MD.4
- Shapes and their attributes in the invention design.
- Partitioning shapes into halves and fourths.
- Organizing data about favorite community jobs.
Workbook 6 would include
A goods-and-services sorting page, a community-helper interview guide, an animal-inspired invention planner, shape and data practice, and the portfolio’s closing pages.
Software connections
- National Geographic Kids: animal features that inspire inventions.
- Minecraft for Education: students build a simple community with places where helpers work.
- ABCya!: shape and money games that support the unit’s math.
- Epic: picture books about jobs and community helpers.
Protect family privacy: Do not ask children about their family members’ jobs or income. Use community visitors, books, and school staff as examples instead.
Estimated standards coverage
| Subject | Named in this plan | Could reasonably reach | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| History–Social Science | About 100% | About 100% | All six first-grade standards have a home, though each is brief and concrete. |
| Science | 9 of 9 performance expectations | 100% | Every expectation appears once. Unit 1’s animal-parents connection to classroom community is the loosest. |
| Mathematics | About 80% | About 80% | Not placed: the meaning of the equal sign, unknown numbers in equations, ten more or ten less, and subtracting multiples of ten. |
| English Language Arts | About 15% | About 50–60% | Foundational skills, including phonics, word recognition, and fluency, are the largest share of first-grade ELA and need separate daily instruction. |
What still doesn't fit neatly
- Foundational reading dominates first grade. Phonics and decoding cannot be folded into themes; the units shape read-alouds, talk, drawing, and early writing.
- History is only one of two spines. Social studies anchors each unit, but science’s sky and seasons thread runs on its own calendar.
- Many units touch family life. Every family-related activity needs to be optional, with an equally strong book-based or school-based alternative.
- Some math has no natural theme. Equations with unknowns and mental math with tens need direct teaching in the math block.
- Real calendars are uneven. Unit 3 falls near winter holidays in many calendars, and Unit 5’s seedling investigation works best in spring.
About this plan: This is an illustrative framework, not an adopted curriculum. Standard codes reference the California History–Social Science Content Standards, the California Common Core State Standards for ELA and Mathematics, and the California Next Generation Science Standards. Confirm them against current state documents and adapt the plan to local context, materials, and students. Titles marked "SDLA list" appear in this site's first grade literature collection. Software named on this page is illustrative, not endorsed; products and features change, so follow district review processes for instructional fit, accessibility, privacy, and security before use.