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First Grade

The Haverford School first grade Program for boys on the Main Line, in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA

As part of the Brotherhood Project, an Upper School student provides lessons on sportsmanship while playing kickball with first grade boys.

Curriculum overview

First grade is an important year of foundational academic skills and aims to instill empathy, community, and excitement about learning. Boys spend nearly half of the school day in literacy and math instruction, and explore science, art, music, and physical education with specialist teachers. The classrooms are full of energy and curiosity as boys develop reading skills and strategies, express themselves in writing, delve into math, and immerse themselves in social studies. Through the use of Chromebooks, first graders integrate technology daily during literacy study, math, and social studies.

Areas of study

First grade at The Haverford School has been an incredibly important and course-altering year for our son. There is cutting-edge and informed pedagogy, but there is also an enormous emphasis on the whole boy. Every boy in first grade is treated as a scholar, an athlete, a musician, an artist, an engineer, and a kind and welcoming friend. The older Lower Schoolers and the Upper Schoolers who work with the boys frequently mentor this behavior in every interaction. The amazing first grade teachers have a seamless way of knowing how much time to spend on academic work and when to focus on social interactions and character development. We are so grateful that our son is leaving first grade with a solid ability to read, write, and appreciate math and science, but especially with a love of his friends and classmates as part of a very special community.

—Liz, parent