Grade 1 — Foundations in Literacy, Mathematics and Discovery

Grade 1 curriculum map

This course is organised around the three Lower Primary learning areas in the 2024 Zambian syllabi. Literacy and Language includes English and a Zambian Language taught as distinct subjects; Mathematics and Science is integrated; and Creative and Technology Studies brings together creative, practical and technology-related learning.

1. Literacy and Language

English Language

• Listening and speaking: greetings, introductions, conversations, classroom instructions, simple questions and answers, classroom rules and respectful turn-taking.
• Sounds and early reading: listening for sounds, phonemic awareness, letter recognition, letter-sound relationships, blending, segmenting and reading familiar words.
• Vocabulary and comprehension: family, school, home, food, occupations, days and months, familiar objects, short stories and simple informational texts.
• Early writing: correct pencil grip, letter formation, handwriting, copying, spelling familiar words, building simple sentences and using basic punctuation.

Zambian Language

• Oral communication in the selected local language: greetings, family and community conversations, instructions, questions and everyday expressions.
• Listening to and retelling stories, songs, rhymes, riddles and familiar oral literature.
• Recognition of sounds and letters, vocabulary building, shared reading, comprehension and early sentence writing.
• Respectful use of language, cultural identity and communication with family and community.

2. Mathematics and Science (integrated)

• Exploring my world: observing, naming, sorting and grouping objects in the classroom, home and immediate environment.
• Sets, number recognition, counting, ordering, comparing quantities and representing numbers with concrete objects and pictures.
• Early addition and subtraction through practical problems, patterns, matching and classification.
• Shape, position, length, mass, capacity, time and everyday measurement using familiar objects.
• People, plants, animals, weather, water, soil and natural resources in the learner’s environment.
• Personal health, hygiene, safe behaviour, caring for living things and keeping the environment clean.
• Simple investigations: asking questions, observing, describing, recording and sharing what was found.

3. Creative and Technology Studies

• Safety in the immediate environment, safe movement, correct posture and care of learning materials.
• Drawing, colouring, painting, patterns, modelling, simple crafts, music, rhythm, movement and imaginative expression.
• Making and constructing simple objects with safe, locally available materials; identifying tools and their uses.
• Personal care, cleanliness, food awareness, simple home and school responsibilities and cooperation.
• Early awareness of technology, communication, digital devices and safe, supervised use of equipment.
• Family and community roles, environmental care, waste awareness, simple enterprise ideas and responsible use of resources.

Learning and assessment approach

Lessons should be play-based, concrete and active. Learners work with objects, stories, songs, pictures, games, demonstrations and short practical tasks. Assessment should include observation, oral responses, reading checks, handwriting samples, number activities, drawings, models and short teacher-guided tasks.

Cross-cutting learning

National values and principles, life skills, health education, climate and environmental awareness, financial awareness, entrepreneurship, inclusion, collaboration and problem-solving are integrated across learning rather than treated as isolated extra subjects.