This manual for first grade teachers provides suggestions and teaching materials that reflect the multicultural composition of New York City's (New York) public schools. An introduction describes the philosophy that supports a high-quality, developmentally appropriate program through a multicultural perspective. The manual is organized into the following eight sections: (1) "Planning for the First Grade," which provides strategies to assist teachers in beginning the school year successfully; (2) "The Multicultural Learning Environment," which offers guidance in organizing and implementing a variety of instructional approaches; (3) "Instructional Approaches and Strategies," which suggests approaches for implementing multicultural education as well as basic skills; (4) "Developing Themes of Study," which illustrates the thematic approach through five themes appropriate for first grade; (5) "Working Together," which describes shared responsibilities and activities for parents, teachers, and administrators; (6) "Societal Concerns-Children With Special Needs," which discusses current societal pressures and concerns affecting young children; (7) "Assessment," which outlines the procedures and strategies used to assess a child's progress; and (8) "Current Research," which contains information on contemporary research to support developmentally appropriate practices. Two bibliographies are appended. The first, containing over 600 citations, is divided into various categories, e.g., "Native Americans,""Asian Americans,""African Americans," and others. The second bibliography contains about 150 titles and is presented in matrix form, with checkmarks for salient characteristics (such as faily, gender, people of color, work, prejudice) opposite each item. (JB)