Grade 1 math in the BC curriculum is about getting comfortable with small numbers: counting, making 10, and adding and subtracting up to 20. Grade 1 reading is about learning how letters and sounds make words, and how to tell a story. This guide explains both in plain words, so you know what to expect.
What Grade 1 math covers in BC
The Grade 1 math content list covers number, patterns, geometry and measurement, data and probability, and financial literacy.[1] Here is what each part means for your child.
| Area | What your child works on |
|---|---|
| Number | Counting forward and back, skip-counting by 2s and 5s, comparing and ordering numbers to 20, seeing 10 and some more, ways to make 10[1] |
| Adding and subtracting | Addition and subtraction to 20, using strategies like counting on, making 10 and doubles; seeing that adding and subtracting are linked[1] |
| Equal and not equal | Explaining what equal and not equal mean, and writing them with = and ≠[1] |
| Patterns | Repeating patterns: finding the part that repeats, making patterns, predicting what comes next[1] |
| Measurement | Measuring length with non-standard units, such as cubes or paper clips[1] |
| Shapes | Sorting 2D shapes and 3D objects, comparing them, and using position words such as up and down, in and out[1] |
| Data and chance | Making and reading concrete graphs (graphs built from real objects); saying if something is more likely or less likely[1] |
| Money | Naming the value of a nickel, dime, quarter, loonie and toonie, and acting out buying and selling[1] |
What Grade 1 reading and writing cover
BC Grade 1 English Language Arts is where children learn to decode words and put ideas on paper.[2] The content list includes:
- Sounds in words. Hearing rhymes, splitting a word into sounds, and blending sounds back into a word.[2]
- How print works. Reading left to right, leaving spaces between words, and matching letters to sounds.[2]
- Reading strategies. Using pictures to predict, sounding out words, knowing common sight words, and fixing mistakes.[2]
- Understanding a story. Naming the setting, character and events, and retelling in their own words.[2]
- Writing. Neat printing with spaces, simple sentences, a capital letter to start, and a period, question mark or exclamation mark to end.[2]
- Speaking and listening. Taking turns, asking questions about a topic, and sharing ideas.[2]
Grade 1 math practice questions
These are examples written for this guide, not taken from the curriculum. Try one or two at a time and let your child use fingers, blocks or drawings.
- What is 7 + 3? Answer: 10.
- You have 10 grapes and eat 4. How many are left? Answer: 6.
- Which is bigger, 14 or 19? Answer: 19.
- Count by 2s: 2, 4, 6, __, 10. What is missing? Answer: 8.
- Red, blue, red, blue, red, __. What comes next? Answer: blue.
- 10 and 6 more is what number? Answer: 16.
- Two nickels are worth how many cents? Answer: 10 cents (a nickel is 5 cents).
- Is 5 + 4 equal to 9? Answer: Yes. Ask your child to say why.
Reading practice ideas
- Say a word slowly, like c-a-t. Ask your child to say the sounds, then blend them into the word.
- After a picture book, ask: who was in it, where did it happen, what happened first?
- Make a rhyme game. How many words rhyme with "hat"?
How to help at home
- Keep it short, about ten minutes, and stop while it is still fun.
- Count real things: stairs, snacks, toys. Go forward and back.
- Play "make 10" with ten blocks or fingers. Hide some and ask how many are hidden.
- Read a book together every day. Let your child read the words they know.
- Ask your child to explain how they got an answer. The method matters as much as the answer.
- Praise effort, and praise mistakes that they fix.
If your child is behind or ahead
Children learn at different speeds, and Grade 1 is early. Start by talking to the teacher. Ask which skill is hardest, which is easy, and what you can do at home. The teacher sees your child in class and can tell you what is typical.
If your child is behind, find the one skill that is stuck, such as ways to make 10 or one letter sound. Practise only that for a few minutes a day. If your child is ahead, stay curious: try bigger numbers, harder books and word problems they make up. To read the report card, see our guide to the BC proficiency scale.
Unica Learning mails personalized math and reading workbooks that follow the BC curriculum at your child’s level, not only their grade.
A free placement assessment on paper shows your child’s level in math and reading.