is there a big difference between kindergarten and 1st grade?

[Anonymous]

is there a big difference between kindergarten and 1st grade?

They have specials now and they are in school all day, so is there a big difference now ? They still "learn a lot" in kindergarten?

[Anonymous]

I don't understand your question. Every grade has standards that they teach to and should be mastered by EOY. 1st grade's are different than kindergarten's. Just like 2nd grade is different from 1st grade. You can look those up online.

[Anonymous]

My kid's first grade teacher made a big deal about how kids were required to do a lot more taking care of themselves in first grade--tying their own shoes, hanging up their coats, opening their own lunch bags, etc. (She might have given other examples, but these are the kinds of things.) Basically, they're getting to be bigger kids with higher expectations for how they are at school.

[Anonymous]

I have found this to be teacher dependent. Surprising for public school.

For academic standards, it should at least be similar. But how the particular teacher teaches to those standards and how they run the classroom, what kind of tech tools they use... all very individual!

[Anonymous]

What specials do they have in 1st?

Every week mine has library once, Spanish I'm not sure how many times, daily gym. They've also split into math groups by ability, but not formally.

[Anonymous]

In DCPS, the leap from PK to K is much bigger than the leap from K to 1st. At K they drop the nap, and often begin leaving the classroom for specials and lunch (instead of doing everything in their PK classroom, which is standard). K is also when they start learning to read and begin math beyond counting, so it's a huge academic leap from PK. They will have as much as 2 hours of academic instruction (large and small group instruction) in K, whereas in PK it is often only 15-30 minutes, and that's only by the end of PK4.

1st more just expands on what they started in K. At our school, K was the tough transition year for a lot of kids (mine included) in terms of being expected to be more independent and having a more demanding schedule. That's hard, and I wasn't always on board -- K kids are still really young and it's still ECE. However, I adjusted that attitude a bit once in 1st, because then I could really see the benefit of pushing K kids a bit more -- 1st grade was a total joy and because my kid had acclimated to the rules and behavioral expectations, the focus was really just on learning, and it was amazing how much they soaked up.

One thing that helps is if the school's K and 1st grade teachers work together well in terms of expectations and academics. There was no disconnect at our school and it made for a very good transition from K to 1st.

[Anonymous]

If your kindergarten is half day, I think the biggest transition will be from half day to full day. Be prepared for tiredness and crankiness for the first couple weeks .

[Anonymous]

Different school systems are different.

[Anonymous]

Where I am, K is play based and 1st is academic, so there is a big difference.

[Anonymous]

We are in immersion and they switch classes for the first time in first grade. That’s a big deal. Behavioral expectations are higher. Honestly the academics about the same.

[Anonymous]

K is learning to be independent, familiar with school and follow instructions. It's not really for academics.

1st grade starts to have academics, but still very few because they can't read much. Reading is really important for 1st and 2nd grade.

By 3rd grade, the learning picks up and they start to do serious learning.