1st Grade Math Topics in Colorado
Colorado's 1st grade math curriculum covers a wide range of foundational skills. Students work through addition and subtraction within 20, learn to solve word problems with three whole numbers, and begin to understand place value by breaking two-digit numbers into tens and ones. These skills are directly aligned to Colorado Academic Standards Math.
Addition and Subtraction in 1st Grade
First graders in Colorado learn multiple strategies for adding and subtracting. They apply properties of operations, relate counting to addition and subtraction, and work toward fluency within 10. They also practice finding unknown numbers in equations and understanding what the equal sign really means.
Place Value and Number Sense
Students count to 120, compare two-digit numbers using >, =, and < symbols, and practice adding within 100. They learn to mentally find 10 more or 10 less than any two-digit number and subtract multiples of 10 — skills that prepare them for 2nd grade math.
Measurement and Data
Colorado 1st graders measure object lengths using whole number units, order objects by length, and tell time in hours and half-hours on both analog and digital clocks. They also organize and interpret data sorted into up to three categories.
Geometry in 1st Grade
Students distinguish defining attributes of shapes from non-defining ones, compose 2D and 3D shapes into composite shapes, and partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal shares. These geometry concepts build the visual reasoning skills students carry into later grades.
- Addition and subtraction within 20
- Place value: tens and ones
- Comparing two-digit numbers
- Measurement and telling time
- Shapes, attributes, and equal shares
Colorado