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Hello! My name is Dr. Doretha Smith, and I am honored to be your child's 1st grade teacher! Blythe Elementary is such an amazing school and I feel so blessed to be a part of the Bear Cat Team!
This will be my 4th year teaching and my 2nd year at Blythe Elementary School. During my teaching career, I have taught Kindergarten, 1st grade, 4th grade, and Middle School business grades (6th, 7th, & 8th). I was born and raised in the Fort Benning, GA area of Columbus, GA. I graduated from Saint Martin’s University (B.A.), University of Oklahoma (M.A.) and Capella University (Ph.D.). I hold a certification in elementary education and Business. I am retired military and retired from the federal government as a Contract Specialist at Fort Gordon, GA. I spend a lot of my time gardening.
A first-grade education builds on what a child has learned in kindergarten, and also sets the stage for the learning that will take place in the years to come. 1st grade is such a fun grade and I know your child is going to learn so much.
Below are some of the skills and concepts that first grade students will learn:
- Become an independent reader, improve their phonics, phonemic awareness, and comprehension.
- Grammar skills including capitalization and punctuation.
- Handwriting skills, writing their name as well as simple words and sentences
- Math skills such as adding and subtracting single digit or small numbers, greater than and less than concepts, identifying patterns and shapes.
- How to make scientific observations and record these in writing, pictures and/or graphs.
- Symbols that represent the U.S.
- Important figures and events in U.S. history.
- The difference between living and nonliving things.
- The importance of the sun in relation to Earth and living things.
Please don't hesitate to contact me! You can reach me at 706.888-1959 or through ClassDojo!
Please encourage your child to work hard and to always do his/her very best! I’m looking forward to a great 2023-2024 school year! Together, we will make this a successful year!
Sincerely,
Dr. Doretha L. Smith