First Grade Math Curriculum

Everything You Need to Know About First Grade Math

A first grade class typically consists of children aged 6 and 7. As they move out of kindergarten and into first grade, they are focused on building more foundational skills and solidifying the skills they’ve already learned.

First grade students are often still enthusiastic about learning. They love hands-on activities and working with their friends.

In first grade math, students focus on several key areas. These include:

• Developing an understanding of addition and subtraction within 20
• Learning to work with numbers up to 120
• Understanding place value
• Exploring the basics of measurement and geometry
• Solving simple word problems
• Understanding the properties of operations
• Exploring shapes and their attributes 

By using the right 1st grade math lessons, you can help your first grader build essential math skills. These skills will be able to support their future learning and overall success.

What is covered in 1st Grade Math?

What "Common Core" Means

The Common Core State Standards are a set of educational benchmarks for K-12 students in the United States. 

These standards were developed to make sure that students across all 50 states had the same learning goals. 

The standards provide clear expectations for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level. The main goal is to prepare students for the next grade, college and future careers. 

Summary of Common Core for 1st Grade Math

First grade common core standards focus on building a solid foundation in number sense and arithmetic. Main areas for lessons include:

1. Operations and Algebraic Thinking: Students learn to represent and solve problems involving addition and subtraction within 20. They also understand the properties of operations and the relationship between addition and subtraction. 
2. Number and Operations in Base Ten: Students extend their understanding of the base-ten system by learning to count to 120. They will also learn about place value. Finally, they will use place value understanding and properties of operations to add and subtract.
3. Measurement and Data: Students measure lengths indirectly. They will be able to express these lengths in various units. They can also tell and write time. Finally, they will learn how to represent and interpret simple data.
4. Geometry: Students understand and name more shapes. They also can use simple shapes to form larger ones.

What States Don’t Use Common Core?

Several states have adopted their own educational standards instead of Common Core. If you are in one of these states, you should look up the specific 1st grade math curriculum guidelines for your state. As of now, states that do not use Common Core include:

• Texas
• Alaska
• Nebraska
• Virginia
• Indiana 
• South Carolina 

We have information on the 1st grade math standards in each of these states. You can find information on your specific state below by changing the "Select Your State" menu.

How to Teach First Grade Math

Using effective teaching strategies can be a game changer for your students. Not only can they keep your students more engaged, but they also help your students learn and retain information better.

Here are some of our favorite learning strategies for how to teach first grade math.

Hands-On Activities and Manipulatives - First graders benefit greatly from concrete, hands-on learning experiences. Using manipulatives like counting blocks, number lines and shape tiles helps students visualize and understand abstract mathematical concepts. 

Here is one way to do this. When teaching addition and subtraction, you can use physical objects to represent the numbers in a problem. Allow your students to physically manipulate the items to see what the answer to the problem is. 

Incorporate Games and Technology - Adding educational games and technology into math lessons can make learning more engaging and interactive for your students.

Online math games and apps often include interactive activities that teach and reinforce key math concepts.

Prodigy Math is a great option for an online math game that involves solving math problems and learning math concepts. 

It can make learning feel like a fun challenge rather than a chore. Prodigy Math provides immediate feedback, helping students to correct mistakes and understand concepts more thoroughly.

Storytelling and Real-Life Applications - Connecting math to real-life situations can make abstract concepts easier to understand for students. 

To add storytelling to your teaching arsenal, you can create simple word problems based on everyday activities. This could include shopping, cooking or playing to show students how math is used in daily life. 

Story problems can also be integrated into lessons to help students understand the context and purpose of the math they are learning. 

For example, a story about sharing apples among friends can help teach division and fractions in a context that your students will relate to. This approach not only makes math more interesting but also helps students see its practical applications.

Want more ideas for crafting first grade math lessons? Check out our First Grade Math Worksheets now!

Learning 1st Grade Math

When students are in first grade learning math, they are typically 6 years old. At this age, your students will typically learn best through:

• Active engagement
• Hands-on activities
• Concrete experiences

6-year-olds are developing their number sense, addition and subtraction skills and concepts of measurement, time and geometry. 

Learning for 6-year-olds is most effective when it is interactive and involves visual and physical manipulation of objects. 

They benefit from repetitive practice, structured routines and clear, simple instructions. Using these practices will allow them to build confidence in their math abilities.

Making Learning Fun for 6-Year-Olds

To make learning math enjoyable for six-year-olds, incorporate play and creativity into your lesson plans. 

Games, puzzles, and stories can transform math exercises into engaging activities that capture your students’ interest. 

Try using board games that involve counting, or online math games that reward progress.

Another effective teaching strategy is to integrate math into daily activities. For example, cooking activities can teach measurement and fractions. Or building with blocks can help students’ understanding of shapes and spatial relationships. 

Use group activities and collaborative problem-solving to foster friendships and make learning a shared, enjoyable experience. 

By creating a positive and fun learning environment, you can help your students develop a love for math and learning.

How Prodigy Improves First Grade Math

Prodigy Math is a game-based learning platform that is the perfect addition to your math lesson plan. 

Incorporating Prodigy into your classroom is easy. You can create and assign math problems that are tailored to your curriculum with the click of a button. You can also customize these lessons to the individual needs of your students. 

Prodigy Math aligns with whatever curriculum is used in your state or country. This ensures that the content is relevant and comprehensive. 

Prodigy's adaptive learning technology adjusts the difficulty of questions based on each student's performance. This provides a personalized learning experience that keeps students challenged and engaged.

And you can track your students' progress through detailed reports on the teacher dashboard. It’s clear to see where students are excelling or where they may need additional support. 

Making Learning Fun with Prodigy

Prodigy transforms math practice into an interactive adventure game. Players embark on quests, battle monsters and earn rewards by solving math problems. 

Students will find learning math fun with Prodigy. You may even find that they ask to learn more! 

Using this gamified approach not only captures students' interest but also promotes a positive attitude towards math. 

You will find that Prodigy is an invaluable tool for reducing math anxiety and improving student outcomes.

Sign up for a free teacher account now!

First Grade Math Curriculum

If you’re looking for more information on the curriculum standards that your student or child will learn inside the Prodigy Math game, you’ve gathered all of the information in one place. 

To find the standards for your exact location, simply select your country and state you live in. Then scroll down to see the curriculum standards. If you’re looking for a different grade, you can change that on the drop-down menu directly above the standards. 

Head to our math curriculum standards page now.