Meet the First Grade Team

 

Katie McCasland

Katie McCasland graduated from the University of Iowa in December of 2001. Katie went on to teach K-6 reading in a small rural school right outside of her hometown Des Moines, Iowa. She began teaching at Gulledge in 2002. Katie was awarded Beginning Teacher of the Year for Gulledge during the 2002-2003 school year. Katie taught third grade since 2002, and began teaching first grade as the team leader since 2005.


E-mail her at katie.mccasland.@pisd.edu

JoAnn Boyle

JoAnn Boyle received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology/Education from Dominican College of Blauvelt, New York.   She has completed various graduate courses from Richmond College, Staten Island, and from Antioch School of Visual Arts.  She taught in New York City for three years. She has been teaching at Gulledge since 1996.

E-mail her at joann.boyle@pisd.edu

Jana Prince

Jana Prince graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and received her degree in Elementary Education. She completed her Masters degree with an emphasis on Literacy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She taught third grade for three years in St. Louis, Missouri and sixth grade for one year in Chicago, Illinois.

E-mail her at jana.prince@pisd.edu

Alison Clements

Alison Clements graduated from the University of North Texas with
a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education. She grew up in the Plano school district and graduated from Plano Senior High School. Mrs. Clements joined the first grade team in 2004.


E-mail her at alison.clements@pisd.edu

First Grade Curriculum

In first grade there are six overarching concepts covered. They are:

1. Balance and Stability
2. Continuity and Change
3. Systems
4. Interactions - Cause and Effect
5. Diversity
6. Communications

1st Six Weeks - Balance and Stability
The first six weeks, students begin to understand that people should have solid educational foundations on which to build.  Strong educational foundations help students have stability later in life. They will participate in activities that help them become familar with each other, their surroundings, and people who work in the school. Students will also build strong foundations by investigating homes around the world.

2nd Six Weeks - Continuity and Change
The second six weeks is a study of patterns and cycles in our world.  It includes a study of time, money, and story writing. ABC order, poetry, and letter writing are important skills studied at this time, also.

3rd Six Weeks - Systems
During this six weeks students learn how parts and steps work together to do a job or make a product.  They learn what life might have been like for early settlers and pilgrims.  They learn that many systems had to take place for Early Americans to survive.  Learning to add and subtract and counting money are emphasized in Math.  The students develop writing skills using the five steps of the Writing Process.

4th Six Weeks -  Interactions - Cause and Effect
The students explore the concepts of Cause and Effect and learn how to apply these concepts to forces such as magnetism and gravity.  They will focus on the Light Spectrum as well as investigate resources available to do research.  Not only are science concepts a big part of this six weeks, but research and critical thinking are important at this time.  Students also learn about the important impact that interactions between forces have on their lives and how they may manipulate forces such as gravity to explore space or solve mathematical problems.  Children have great fun participating in hands-on activities designed to facilitate research, critical thinking, and consequences of actions in nature.

5th Six Weeks - Diversity
In the fifth six weeks, students investigate the wonderful differences in nature and man that make each of us unique.  They use commonalties to classify and concentrate on defining properties and characteristics. They will classify natural and man-made objects, math strategies, organizational techniques, and jobs in the workplace. In addition students will investigate plant and animal life and produce a research project which spotlights the animal of their choice. They will explore the diversity of the earth, its soil, and rocks and learn ways it may be recycled and preserved.

6th Six Weeks - Communications
In this final six weeks, first graders learn the importance of Communication.  Students focus on the definition of communication, its modes, and its importance in their everyday lives.  Children will investigate the challenges of miscommunication and breakdowns in communication which cause misunderstandings.  Not only do children learn the Braille alphabet and sign language, they also discover ways to create their own secret language. In addition, students study written, visual, and aural communication.  The students learn that when one type of communication is impossible, another way may be used.

 


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