What should first graders being doing in the first week of school ?

Question

My child started first grade and all they have done is color for the first two days of school. Last year he went to a parochial school and they were reading by the end of K and doing math (adding subtracting.) etc I am beginning to worry if going to public school was a bad idea.

Answer 1

they are getting  acclimated to each other, the teacher and being in school all day compared to the 1/2 days of K

Answer 2

Lady you need to relax. That teacher has a thousand things to do right now. If you want to be helpful, ask if you can assist in some way. YOU can wipe noses and tie shoes and do lunch counts, and collect snack money and picture money and do attendance, xerox, explain rules, keep Johnny from hitting Mary cause she took his crayon,and send home papers and maybe she'll have time to do a bit of assessment to determine reading levels. It's the first week, give her a break. If you don't like it, home school or take him to a private school. The teacher will be thrilled to have one less kid in her class.

Answer 3

As a homeschooling mom with horrible experiences in public school I would agree that sending them to public school was a bad idea. Sadly what Ka answered above is what you can expect all year. I would give it another week and go sit in the class and observe what all is going on. You cannot make a sound judgement just by what the child tells you or brings home. There may be oral things going on, you can't tell. Schedule a day where you can sit and listen all day, not volunteer, but observe. If the school won't allow you to do this, I would seriously consider whether or not I would want my to child to be somewhere where the parents are not allowed to observe what is being taught.

First grade they should be reading, counting by 2's, 5's, and 10'2,recognizing coins and monetary value, addition, introducing subtraction, learning phonic special sounds or consonant blends, color words, number words, science, and much more. At least those were the things being taught in my previous private school and the things that we are reviewing currently at the beginning of 2nd grade.

I wish you luck and God bless!

Answer 4

Public school usually lags FAR behind parochial school. However, they don't usually just color.  Sometimes the first week is seen as an adjustment period where kids get used to the routine, so you might want to wait and see what happens in the next week or two.

On the other hand, Public Schools in this country have left us sadly lacking in Math and Science skills.  I prefer homeschool, but if the choice is just between private and Public, I would certainly choose private.

Answer 5

That first week of school for Teachers can be a bit hectic. This time is used to do testing of the children to see where they are at. Doing fun activities, getting to know the routine, etc. I am sure they are doing more than just coloring all day long. I am sure they will be on their way to doing other things by next week.

Answer 6

Welcome to the stress years which are labeled School Years.

It seems to be a little strange that all he is doing is coloring, but then again sometimes children will only tell you the 'FUN' things they did.

If it persists past the 2nd week, you could just 'pop-in' or take it up with the Principal. A new Teacher will have a little less experience on getting the school year started smoothly then someone with more years under their belt, but still keep an eye open and don't be afraid to have your say if you feel things are not meeting your standards (children who have attended Private School tend to out shine their Public School counterparts).

You could always send him back to Private if it's in your budget. I am hesitant to encourage Homeschool at this point..I'm not saying you CAN'T, but it is unwise to start then place him BACK in Reg. or Private ( switching back and forth is never a good thing) since he needs STABILITY at this point.

Give it a couple of weeks and THEN make your choice.

Home is where they belong, but not what every parent can do (financely,personality,time, etc).

Answer 7

Aside from all of the other comments, they should also be tested to see where they stand individually.  That's what they usually do in my kids school the first week.

Answer 8

I am a first grade teacher in a public school and the first few days are used basically for establishing the rules and routine.  We do math activities, reading aloud, and A LOT OF TESTING to figure out what reading level the children are on in order to group the children into guided reading groups.  

The testing has to be done individually with each student, so it is very time consuming.

I'm sure they are doing more than just coloring... I hope... is this just what you have seen your child bring home?

Answer 9

I have heard from my friends that their children do color quite a bit at their public school.  I think you can expect the first month or two to be dedicated to review.  Although I homeschool, the first 25% of my child's 2nd grade math workbook reviews 1st grade math.  

I would have a talk with the teacher to see if you can get an outline of the learning objectives, curriculum plan for the year or at least for the next several months.  You don't need to seem as if you're being critical, rather you could explain that you like to  reinforce at home the things your son is learning in school.  You may want to volunteer in his classroom as well (if you are able to) to see for yourself what is going on during the day.  

Your son may be ahead of the rest of the class which means he may spent quite a lot of time coloring while the rest of the kids catch up.  This is one of the challenges of the traditional school system.  If you find this to be the case, you may want to provide interesting, engaging learning materials at home so that he doesn't lose his enthusiasm for learning.  Read him lots of interesting, classic stories at home.  Buy books from the scholastic book clubs (they have a lot of easy  reader books on topics in science, history, etc).  Have him practice reading parts of these aloud to you and you can help him with words he doesn't know.  Play math games at home (Yahtzee, dominoes, etc).  

At his age, the most important thing is to help him retain and build his reading and math skills.  Focus on those.  Make sure he's reading at home at least 15-20 minutes each night.  and reinforce those math facts.

If it seems like he's not happy and thriving in the school environment.  You need to do something.  Evaluate your options and make a change if needed.  These are foundational years in his education.  If he becomes frustrated  or bored, he may lose his passion to learn.

On the other hand, it is only the 2nd day of class.  As the classroom routine is established, things may work out just fine.

Answer 10

Don't stress so much over what your child might be missing in the first week of school. Do you remember what you learned in the first week of first grade?

Most of what goes on in public (and private) school is not about learning or developing the mind... it's more about teaching discipline, routine and doing what you are told to do. The school system is designed to create obedient employees. Originally, they created blue collar workers.  Now, all of that has gone to China and Mexico. Now, the system creates nice starched white collar workers.

If you want your child to really develop their intellect, you have to do more than the average parent. Get involved and challenge your child to learn and use their mind everyday.

Answer 11

It'll depend on the teacher and the school. Is this your child saying that they only coloured? Or the teacher? Sometimes children don't have a good perception or memory of work they've done. My own kids will tell their dad, after a busy day of learning, that they didn't do any school work. lol. The teacher may also be taking the time to assess the kids' skills to get an idea of what she's got on her hands, possibly working one-on-one with a child while the others are colouring.

Most public school kindergartens are not as advanced as what your son had. He finished off his kindergarten year the way many grade 1 public school classes finish. So, it may be a kind of repeat year for him... or not. Go in and see the teacher sometime, ask about the learning standards for the year and how you might support him at home if he's already covered a lot that will be done in class.

Of course, if homeschooling is an option, you might consider that, too, if public school standards seem too low.