Gearing Up for First Grade
Is my child ready for First Grade? Use these checklists as a guide to help gauge your child's readiness and where they may need extra support. These skills were identified based on the Georgia Standards of Excellence-- these are only suggestions and students will not be expected to know all of this information at the start of the school year. Teachers will meet students where they are and move them towards more growth!
With parent/caregiver support…
- Identify parts of a sentence including first word, capital letter and ending punctuation
- Sound out single syllable words to read and spell
- Independently reads and comprehends beginner reader books of familiar topics, composed primarily of simple sentences including high frequency words, and easily decodable words
- Ask and answer questions about texts
- Retell stories in sequence to include a beginning, middle, and end.
- Understands how print works; writes upper and lower case letters; writes words and sentences; follows words left-to-right/page-by- page.
- Use appropriate spaces between words in writing
- Capitalize first letter in name and follow with lowercase letters.
- Use punctuation to end sentences in writing.
- Spell three- and four-letter words and high frequency words.
- Participate in conversations and discussions
With parent/caregiver support…
- Counts in correct order saying number names 1– 20
- Counts number of objects
- Compares two numbers to tell which is more, less, or if the amounts are equal
- Explores addition as putting numbers together; explores subtraction as taking numbers apart or taking one quantity from another
- Works with 11-19 objects to create groups of ten with leftovers (12 has 1 ten and 2 left- overs)
- Finds 2– and 3-dimensional shapes in the world (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, cube, cone, cylinder and sphere)
- Uses descriptive words such as heavy, long, etc., to describe objects; compares objects side by side
- Sorts objects and counts the number of objects in sorted groups
- Identifies and describes shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon, cube, cone, cylinder and sphere)
With parent/caregiver support…
- Explores and sorts common objects and materials that make up the Earth (water, air, rocks, soil)
- Uses patterns to explain reasons for sorting objects a certain way (texture, color, size, living and non-living, etc.)
- Predicts then tests whether objects will sink or float
- Investigates how an object’s physical characteristics will affect its motion when a force is applied
- Describes the difference between living and non-living things
- Describes and groups types of animals and plants by physical characteristics.
With parent/caregiver support…
- Names and follows rules at home and in the community
- Describes events in relation to time– past, present, and future
- Recognizes similarities and differences between self and others
- Names community helpers (police officer, fire fighter, doctor, teacher, farmer, etc.)
With parent/caregiver support:
- Interprets basic emotions in others along with the cause of emotions
- Uses positive self-talk to help regulate emotions
- Sets goals to improve health and understands concepts that improve health (e.g. handwashing)
- Participates in physical activity daily and understands how it improves physical and emotional health
- Uses different types of movement in games and activities (changing speed or direction, throwing, catching, etc.)
First Grade Readiness Activities You Can Do with Your Child
Mathematics
More resources for first grade readiness can be found in the colored blocks on this page.
If you have not yet enrolled your child in CCSD, please visit the Enrollment Page to learn more and begin the online enrollment process.
