First graders step out of the early childhood phase of life and into a classroom with less emphasis on group play and more focus on learning through reading and listening. At this age, children want ...

Teacher Leticia Denoya stands at the front of her classroom, at Natchaug Elementary in Windham, Conn. Her first-graders sit criss-cross applesauce on the reading rug. "Do you remember last week, we ...