Teaching a Grade 1/2 combined class in Alberta? You don't need to plan two completely separate school years!
Planning for a combined-grade classroom can feel overwhelming. You're responsible for two sets of curricular outcomes, but you only have one classroom, one schedule, and one teacher!
This resource was created to make teaching an Alberta Grade 1/2 combined class more manageable.
Instead of simply placing the Grade 1 and Grade 2 curricula side by side, I have looked carefully at the outcomes for both grades and planned ways to teach them together whenever possible.
You'll receive month-by-month plans for ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Health & Wellness, showing you what to teach, when to teach it, and how the Grade 1 and Grade 2 outcomes can work together.
ONE CLASSROOM • TWO CURRICULA • ONE PLAN
Throughout the plans, lessons are organized in three practical ways:
✓ TEACH TOGETHER
When the Grade 1 and Grade 2 outcomes align, teach one lesson and one task to the entire class. Both grades work together and meet their grade-level outcomes through the same learning experience.
✓ START TOGETHER, THEN DIFFERENTIATE
Begin with the same hook, story, discussion, demonstration, or investigation. Keep the class together for most of the lesson, then differentiate the practice, depth, expectations, or number range for each grade.
✓ GRADE-LEVEL SMALL GROUPS
Some skills are simply too different to combine effectively. When this happens, the plans identify opportunities for targeted Grade 1 and Grade 2 small-group instruction. This is used primarily for ELA foundational skills, with additional guidance provided in the Literacy section.
THE PLANNING HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE FOR YOU
Rather than spending hours asking:
Can I teach these outcomes together?
What does Grade 1 need to learn?
What does Grade 2 need to learn?
Where do the curricula overlap?
When do I actually need to separate my groups?
—you have a clear plan to follow.
The goal isn't to make Grade 1 and Grade 2 learn the same thing. It's to find meaningful connections between the two curricula while still ensuring that students receive instruction appropriate to their grade-level outcomes.
This resource helps you spend less time juggling two separate sets of plans and more time teaching your class as one learning community.
SUBJECTS INCLUDED
• English Language Arts and Literature (ELA)
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies
• Health & Wellness
Designed specifically for teachers implementing the Alberta Grade 1 and Grade 2 curricula in a combined classroom.
Teach together when you can. Differentiate when you need to. Separate only when it makes sense.