About the Teacher

Mrs. Perry

First Grade Teacher

Salem Lutheran School

Mrs. Perry began her career at Salem Lutheran School in 1964 when she entered first grade in the very classroom she teaches in now.
She was born into the congregation and is a lifetime member of Salem Lutheran Church.
Mrs. Perry majored in Child Development at Cal State Northridge. She has taught Spanish, Reading, and worked in Day Care at Salem.
For the past eight years Mrs. Perry has been teaching first grade at Salem.

Curriculum & Information

First Grade is a year of expanded awareness. Children will broaden their listening, reading, writing, and mathematical reasoning skills.

Subjects covered in First grade include, but are not limited to:

Science

Students will learn about temperature and weather, basic landforms, and the water cycle through Earth Science. They will also explore Physical Science by learning about the properties of matter.

Physical Education

First graders attend P.E. class in the gym three times a week. Fitness, health, and sportsmanship are taught through games, sports, and exercise.

Social Studies

Children will learn broad concepts about rights and responsibilities in the context of community. They will discover how location, weather and environment impact a community. Students will also learn about freedom, money, work, dress, goods and services, and human needs vs. human wants.

Math

Using Saxon Math, first graders will build on their knowledge of numbers and gain confidence with addition and subtraction. They will count by twos, fives, and tens, compare and order, count money, identify and draw polygons, tally, and identify geometric solids. Students will also learn about real graphs, pictographs and bar graphs.

Music

Children in grades first through sixth will develop skills in singing, playing instruments and movement.

Spanish

Children are exposed to Spanish twice a week through songs, flash cards and stories.

Art

Salem art classes are relevant, fun and challenging. Students will develop artistic awareness and hands-on skills by using a variety of tools and mediums. Students in grades first through sixth will study well-known artists and works of art, as well as create age appropriate art projects.

Language Arts

Reading is taught using the Open Court Curriculum. Children will decode the written word using both phonetic and visual techniques for the interpretation of the text. Students will progress in both oral and silent reading for both enjoyment and content.
Students will strengthen their comprehension by visualizing, summarizing, predicting, asking questions and answering questions, monitoring and clarifying, and making connections. They will also learn about cause and effect, reality and fantasy, comparing and contrasting, classifying and categorizing, making inferences and drawing conclusions.
First graders learn to collaborate with their peers, brainstorm, draft, proofread, and revise. They will write an autobiography, make lists, write a friendly letter, compose a thank-you, and make signs and labels. Descriptive writing and end rhyme are also covered.
Spelling, sentence structure and punctuation are introduced and expanded upon. The parts of speech including nouns, verbs, and adjectives round out the student’s grasp and knowledge of grammar.

Computers

First graders are introduced to basic computer usage in Salem’s computer lab once a week. They will use Windows, Menus and the keyboard, and learn to Open and Save files, use Copy and Paste commands, produce graphics, and perform simple word processing. They will also access the Internet using specific websites.

Bible

Classroom religious studies focus on the Bible in accordance with God’s will for God’s people, using the examples of biblical characters and the teachings, miracles, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
All students (Junior Kindergarten through sixth grade) attend chapel services each Wednesday at 8:45 conducted by the School Chaplain. Parents are always welcome to attend chapel. Children have the opportunity to sing, worship, pray and read scripture.

More information is available about the General Curriculum used at Salem.