Great First Eight First Grade Curriculum

Dr. Nell K. Duke and Dr. Marisha Humphries (University of Illinois, Chicago) will lead the project team to develop the first-grade component of the Great First Eight birth-to-age-eight curriculum. The first-grade curriculum will share the mission, values, and priorities of the overall Great First Eight Curriculum development organization: to develop curriculum that is innovative, interdisciplinary, full-day, research-informed, standards-aligned, culturally responsive and sustaining, and respectful of children, educators, and communities. Throughout all age and grade levels of their work, the project team seek to foster children’s engagement and agency; promote diversity, inclusion, and equity; and prioritize science, engineering, social studies, and transformative social-emotional learning, as well as literacy and math. Most Great First Eight materials will be freely available online to support their widespread use in under-resourced school settings. From the University of Michigan, Dr. Debi Khasnabis, Chair, Elementary Teacher Education and Clinical Associate Professor,  postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Alessandra Ward, and doctoral student Julia Lindsey are among the core team members on the project.