1st Grade Expansion

Growing the First Grade Program

Notre Dame Primary School 

Research has consistently shown that the earlier students develop strong foundational literacy skills, the better their chances are of succeeding in later grades and graduating from high school.   In 2009, SHARP added a 1st grade curriculum to its program.  Since then 1st grade participation has grown to include two-thirds of the SHARP schools.  This year, SHARP is reaching over 1,000 first grade students—an additional 400 students compared to the 2011-2012 school year.

Throughout the school year I have been able to observe our first graders as they received their workbooks, helped with presentations, and attended field trips.  Nothing speaks louder for SHARP than our students in action.  Our first graders energetically talk about honey bees carrying pollen in the “pockets of their legs,” they can tell you about an egg in a nest becoming a bird, and explain how a tree changes from season to season. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The first grade presentations, led by Dr. Patrica Ellis, Mary Henry, and Francisco Mora, are truly interactive learning experiences.  Students are able to see and touch artifacts that directly relate to the vocabulary words.  Last fall I became a baker with the students as we “made” apple pies in conjunction with the book The Apple Pie Tree, written by Zoe Hall.  The students even reminded me to put on my oven mitts because the pie would be hot!

A core part of the SHARP 2nd through 5th grade program has always been the trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum; this year SHARP has implemented a field trip to the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University for the 1st grade students.  A special SHARP tour has been designed by the Haggerty Museum to align with the 1st grade science curriculum and SHARP’s tenth We Love to Learn book A Busy Bee: The Story of Bella the Honey Bee. By far, the highlight of the tour is the student interaction with Bella the honey bee robot as they name the parts of a honey bee.

Trowbridge School of Science and Discovery

The expansion of the first grade program is a significant milestone for SHARP, but more importantly it is a significant milestone for our students.  I hope you are as excited as I am about what the future holds for them!

Warm Regards and Think Spring,

Lynda