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Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year math grows from counting single objects to thinking in groups of ten. Students add and subtract within 20 using strategies like making a ten, and they start working with numbers up to 120 by seeing them as tens and ones. They also tell time on a clock and sort shapes by what makes them that shape. By spring, students can solve a word problem like 8 plus 6, read the time to the half hour, and split a circle into halves and fourths.

  • Addition and subtraction
  • Place value
  • Counting to 120
  • Telling time
  • Shapes and fractions
Source: Washington Washington K-12 Learning Standards
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
  1. 1

    Adding and subtracting within 20

    Students solve simple story problems with small numbers, like figuring out how many cookies are left or how many more are needed. They start to add and subtract quickly without counting every finger.

  2. 2

    Making sense of the equal sign

    Students learn that the equal sign means both sides match, not just the answer comes next. They check whether number sentences are true and find the missing number in problems like 8 + ? = 11.

  3. 3

    Counting and place value to 120

    Students count past 100 and start to see that a number like 47 means 4 tens and 7 ones. They compare two numbers and use the symbols greater than, less than, and equal.

  4. 4

    Adding bigger numbers

    Students add a two-digit number and a one-digit number, and they add and subtract groups of ten. They learn to find 10 more or 10 less in their head.

  5. 5

    Measuring, time, and shapes

    Students line up objects to measure length, tell time to the hour and half hour, and build new shapes from smaller ones. They split circles and rectangles into halves and quarters.

  6. 6

    Asking questions with data

    Students come up with questions about their classroom, then collect answers using tally marks and simple drawings. They sort the results into groups and talk about what they notice.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 1.
Operations and Algebraic Thinking

  • Use addition and subtraction within 20 to flexibly, efficiently

    1.OA.A.1

    Students read short story problems and figure out a missing number by adding or subtracting. The missing piece can show up anywhere in the problem, not just at the end.

  • Flexibly, efficiently

    1.OA.A.2

    Students add three small numbers together to solve a short story problem, like figuring out how many apples are in three baskets combined. The total is always 20 or less.

  • Apply and extend properties of operations by selecting and demonstrating…

    1.OA.B.3

    Students learn that they can flip the numbers in an addition problem (3 + 5 is the same as 5 + 3) and use what they know about addition to figure out subtraction.

  • Demonstrate understanding of subtraction as an unknown-addend problem

    1.OA.B.4

    Subtraction is just addition in reverse. Students solve a subtraction problem by asking what number needs to be added to get the answer, turning "8 minus 5" into "5 plus what equals 8."

  • Extend and apply counting strategies to addition and subtraction

    1.OA.C.5

    Students add or subtract small numbers by counting up or back from one of the numbers, instead of starting from zero every time. For example, to solve 7 + 2, they count up: 8, 9.

  • Flexibly, efficiently

    1.OA.C.6

    Students add and subtract numbers up to 20 using mental shortcuts, like breaking a number apart to make a 10 first. The goal is to get quick, reliable answers without counting every single object.

  • Demonstrate understanding of the meaning of the equal sign

    1.OA.D.7

    The equal sign means "the same amount on both sides," not just "here comes the answer." Students decide whether a number sentence like 4 + 3 = 7 or 6 = 2 + 5 is true or false by checking if both sides match.

  • Determine the unknown whole number in an addition or subtraction equation…

    1.OA.D.8

    Students find the missing number in a simple addition or subtraction problem, like figuring out what goes in the blank in 5 + ? = 12. The missing number can appear anywhere in the equation.

Numbers and Operations in Base Ten

  • Count to 120, starting at any number less than 120

    1.NBT.A.1

    Students count, read, and write numbers up to 120, starting from any point in that range. They also look at a group of objects and write the number that shows how many.

  • Understand that the two digits of a two-digit number represent amounts of tens…

    1.NBT.B.2

    A two-digit number like 47 is made of groups of ten plus leftover ones. Students learn to break apart numbers this way so they can make sense of how much each digit is worth.

  • Compare two two-digit numbers based on meanings of the tens and ones digits…

    1.NBT.B.3

    Students look at two numbers and decide which is bigger, smaller, or equal, then write the answer using the symbols >, =, or <. They use what they know about tens and ones to make that call.

  • Flexibly, efficiently

    1.NBT.C.4

    Students add numbers up to 100 by breaking them into tens and ones. They might combine 47 and 6 by regrouping ones into a new ten, and then explain how they got the answer.

  • Given a two-digit number, mentally find 10 more or 10 less than the number…

    1.NBT.C.5

    Students pick a two-digit number and figure out, without counting, what it becomes when you add or subtract ten. They explain how they know.

  • Subtract multiples of 10 in the range 10–90 from multiples of 10 in the range…

    1.NBT.C.6

    Students subtract round numbers by tens, like 70 minus 40, using blocks, drawings, or counting by tens. They explain how they got the answer.

Measurement and Data

  • Order three objects by length

    1.MD.A.1

    Line up three objects from shortest to longest. Students also compare two objects they can't place side by side by measuring each one against a third object, like a piece of string.

  • Express the length of an object as a whole number of length units, by laying…

    1.MD.A.2

    Students measure how long something is by lining up smaller objects, like paper clips or blocks, from one end to the other. They count how many fit with no gaps or spaces between them.

  • Tell and write time in hours and half-hours using analog and digital clocks

    1.MD.B.3

    Students read a clock and write the time it shows, working with whole hours (3:00) and half-hours (3:30). Both the round analog clock and the digital display are fair game.

Geometry

  • Distinguish between defining attributes

    1.G.A.1

    Shapes have rules that make them what they are. Students learn which features matter (like the number of sides) and which do not (like color or size), then draw or build shapes that follow those rules.

  • Compose two-dimensional shapes

    1.G.A.2

    Students fit basic shapes together, like triangles and rectangles, to build a bigger combined shape. Then they look at that new shape and find smaller shapes hiding inside it.

  • Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares, describe the…

    1.G.A.3

    Students cut circles and rectangles into two or four equal pieces and name those pieces halves, fourths, or quarters.

  • Describe the whole as two of

    1.G.A.4

    Students learn that splitting a shape into more equal pieces makes each piece smaller. A pizza cut into four slices gives you smaller pieces than the same pizza cut into two.

Data Science

  • Generate questions to investigate situations within the classroom

    1.DS.1

    Students come up with questions about their own classroom, like "How many kids walk to school?" Then they figure out how to collect answers from their classmates.

  • Collect and use data to consider and decide what data will answer the…

    1.DS.2

    Students gather information to answer a simple question, like "what's everyone's favorite lunch?" Then they organize what they found using drawings, tally marks, or pictures so the answer is easy to see.

  • Analyze data sets with up to three categories by making comparisons and/or…

    1.DS.3

    Students look at a chart or picture graph with two or three groups of data, then compare the groups to spot which has more, which has less, and what patterns show up.

  • Interpret and communicate results through structured answers with teacher…

    1.DS.4

    Students answer questions about a chart or graph in complete sentences, with help from the teacher. They practice saying what the data shows, not just pointing to it.

Common Questions
  • What math should my child be able to do by the end of the year?

    Students should add and subtract within 20, count to 120 starting from any number, and understand that a number like 47 is 4 tens and 7 ones. They should also tell time to the hour and half hour and name basic shapes by their parts.

  • How can I help with math at home in just a few minutes a day?

    Count steps on the way to the car. Ask quick questions like 'I have 8 grapes and you have 5, how many in all?' Let students set the table and count forks, or read the clock at bedtime. Small daily moments build real fluency.

  • How should I sequence the year?

    Most classrooms start with addition and subtraction within 10, move into place value and counting to 120, then return to addition and subtraction within 20 using place value strategies. Measurement, time, shapes, and data work well in shorter units spread across the year.

  • My child counts on their fingers. Is that a problem?

    No. Fingers are a normal first step. Over the year, students move from counting every finger to counting on from the bigger number, then to strategies like making ten. Fluency grows with practice, not with hiding the fingers.

  • What does the equal sign mean in first grade?

    Students learn that the equal sign means both sides are the same amount, not 'the answer goes here.' Practice equations like 7 = 3 + 4 and 5 + 2 = 4 + 3 so students see balance, not just a left to right computation.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Place value understanding past 20 is often shaky, especially the idea that the 4 in 47 means four tens. Subtraction as an unknown addend also needs revisiting. Plan to circle back to both with concrete tools like ten frames and base ten blocks.

  • What should fluency within 10 actually look like?

    Students should answer sums and differences within 10 quickly and without counting one by one. Strategies like making ten, doubles, and using addition to solve subtraction should be visible in their thinking, even if some facts are still being committed to memory.

  • How do I know my child is ready for second grade math?

    They can add and subtract within 20 without counting every number, read and write numbers to 120, compare two-digit numbers, and explain that 50 is five tens. They can also tell time to the half hour and split a shape into halves and fourths.

  • What does data work look like at this age?

    Students ask a simple question, like 'What is everyone's favorite fruit?' then collect answers using tally marks or drawings. They sort the answers into two or three groups and talk about which group has more. Keep it short and tied to real classroom questions.