Thanks! I guess my main concern is that I like WWE and would like to stick with it. How does Classical Writing or IEW fit into that? Do you do it in addition or instead of WWE? My daughter will begin WWE 2 in about a month. Do I go with that or Classical Writing primer level? (if my goal is to head to CW...I just don't know what background she should have) I guess I really liked the way Classical Writing looked and I think it woudl work great for us. BUT, I don't want to redo the wheel if WWE and FLL are covering the same stuff. So, do I finish FLL and WWE level 2, then pick a level in CW? It looked like CW covered grammar too, so MCT wouldn't be needed. (MCT looks great, but a bit overwhelming to me - CW looks really well laid out and easy to follow...and my child does fine with language arts, but isn't "beyond" her grade level) Thanks!

WOW - these are amazing! Thank you! ARe these the read aloud books you do or independent reading? or a combination? I just love these! I need to look at the original thread to see what brought this up because I am curious :) Do you pick just some to "study" in depth and others to just read for fun? Amazing! Thanks for sharing. I am a "newbie" and my youngest is first grade, so this will be useful for years to come!

I have a 1st grader and am starting to think about the coming years. (a homeschooling disease) She is doing FLL 1 and WWE 1 this year for "grammar and writing". If we begin MCT in a year or two, does that replace both FLL and WWE OR do we also need a writing program, like IEW or Classical Writing? What combinations of programs have folks like for 2nd and 3rd grade? Do you pick MCT for grammar/vocab and then pick IEW or Classical Writing for the writing? Classical writing seemed to have a lot of vocab and grammar, so then is MCT needed? This is my oldest child and it is all new to me. I have four children, so I don't need to do overkill either. Whew. It's enough these days to just make it through :) Thanks! __________________

So, I have been following all of this because I have a 1st grader and am starting to think about the coming years. (a homeschooling disease) She is doing FLL 1 and WWE 1 this year for "grammar and writing". If we begin MCT in a year or two, does that replace both of these OR do we also need a writing program, like IEW or Classical Writing? Thanks!

Thank you! That sounds like the way I have approached the first two units. I do think I'll go ahead with the test book! I think it'll be a great way to determine mastery and see where we have holes. I like doing math year round as well with a 2-4 week break in July for my brain :)

I just received Singapore Math 1B in the mail. We ordered the HIG, text, workbook for the Standards edition. I also ordered intensive practice from the US edition because my gal was between 1B and 2A in terms of skills and we went with the lower since we were new to the program. Here are my questions... The HIG is great with how to introduce the lesson. Then the assignments are there. Do you do all text and workbook pages listed for that "lesson" (some days it seems like a lot) Or do you break it up into more than that? How do you determine it? Just while you are working on the lesson and whether or not they get it? If you have the test books - do you find them useful? When do they get incorporated? How do you incorportate the intensive practice? random times? at the end of a unit? summer practice? Does a "unit" typically take a week? 2 weeks? How about the mental math practices in the back? Copy them and do one daily? I am sure any way we want to do it will work out, but I was used to a program that was more straight forward with less "parts" to put together. I am curious how others have looked at it. How do you plan ahead? We LOVE the way the math is presented, so it should be fun! Any tips from Singapore users would be great!

We are finishing our study of India next week! Thanks! My library had two of these.

I looked at Singapore today. After Shiller books 1 and 2, I think she could do 2A in Singapore BUT I am going to do 1B with the intensive practice book, which offers more challenging work. It had awesome place value problems and offered a great way of thinking! My 2 cents on MUS and TT...because I tutor a family who uses both... MUS drives me batty. I can't stand doing the same thing for a year. The year on fractions about killed me and the child BUT the kid sure did learn fractions. And the book offers awesome strategies and tricks. I just can't stand being in addition for a year, then subtraction, etc. And all the workbook for this young age drove me mad. But it is definitely solid math!!! I LOVE Teaching Textbooks! The student I tutor is using Pre-Alg and it is great. The voice is a bit annoying, but it works! It is really pricey, so I don't know if all that is worth it for the elementary math, but I don't know how pricey they are. I love them though :) But I am off to order Singapore now and give it a go!

Finally...another Shiller person :) Yes, I use Shiller. I have a 1st grader who is about to begin book 3. We flew through 1 and 2. I have had a lot of doubts and have started to supplement with other things. All the focus on Roman numerals and no measurement or basic fractions?? I really LOVE the hands on approach, but some of it throws me. I opened book 3 and it does 4 digit adding, subtracting, then some multiplying a 4 digit times 1 digit and then division??? All in the span of a few days. Then you go to doing the calendar. I am still wondering why we haven't done measurement, but I see it is addressed in book 4. (not sure we'll be buying the next kit) After completing books 1 and 2, I am happy with her understanding of math. I looked at our local school goals and she is about finished with their goals through grade 2 (other than measurement) So I am going to finish Kit 1 and the determine where to go next....suggestions anyone??? In the meantime, I am buying some supplemental workbooks. I have gotten some Kumon and some basic BrainQuest ones. We are taking a break and doing some 2 digit addition and place value concepts before moving on. So Singapore is worth looking at???

My daughter is in first grade....almost 7 though. We began WWE I this year and I am finding she really struggles with getting the answers to the narrations. She can do about 50-60% of them with accuracy. Clearly, her attention to detail is lacking. We aren't doing the copywork, as we have our own copywork book to do. But we are doing the narrations. I don't want to keep progressing to harder passages as she is clearly not getting these completely. suggestions? just lots and lots of practice? Thanks!

To the ETC users - did you get overly concerned about spelling? My dd is 1st grade - reads really well...ETC 4 is the book we are on - if she is still spelling some words wrong on the test (ie picnik instead of picnic) but can read them and understands the syllables, then should we move on or keep at it?

Thanks! I think I'll do these with my kindergartener (just turned 5) each week. I think her sister would enjoy the older version, but I only have the younger. So we'll just stick with that. Shame...should have bought both.

Anyone used Literature Pockets before by Evan-Moor. I purchased the K-1 Folktales and Fairytales to complete this year with my K and 1st graders. I am not sure how to "work it in". It was kind of an additional purchase to have something fun and different to do with literature occasionally. If you have used this, how have you done it? Do you spread the activities over a week or do them all at once?

We used the Sonlight Catalog and followed their recommendations. I was able to get most from the library. Favorites from that catalog: My Father's Dragon, Dr. Doolittle, Wizard of Oz, Five True Dog Stories (borrowed from a friend who does Sonlight), The Llama who had no pajama (great poems...ended up buying this one), and In Grandma's Attic (borrowed also) Have fun!

Thank you ladies. I feel more encouraged about where we are. Sometimes it is hard to maintain perspective (especially with my oldest) because I can't "see" down the road. She is young and I do want it to just be an enjoyable time. We'll just keep doing what we are doing. I have been working through the list of Readers in Sonlight and will continue this year. Some days she reads them. Some days we take turns. And some days I end up reading most of it. She is more than capable, but doesn't always want to read out loud. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's just so hard to "measure" reading and I was getting a bit caught up in the technical end. I am not sure I'll do much more provide a more consistent quiet time/opportunity for reading each day. That wasn't consistent last year and I'd like to do that. Thanks! Mary

I have a first grade daughter who is a good reader. But she is not passionate about reading. If I suggest she read a book or relax and read, her answer is always NO...I'd rather...___________. (Barbies, play, ride bike, etc) All summer I haven't "pushed" reading. She reads in her bed everynight and loves to read eyewitness books. I read to her nightly as well. And we always have a read aloud book being read at lunchtime. So my question is this... How do you organize reading time for your first grader? How often do you require him/her to read out loud to you? Do you assign books? Free choice books? I am just not sure how reading should begin to "look" at this point? I wanted to have a silent free choice reading time each day (other than bedtime) and maybe a read out loud time? I don't want to push too hard and her to hate reading. What is working for folks? Thanks!

Thanks gals! That is the feeling I got - the FLL was easy enough to do with one and the other separately. Yes, My K'r is reading very well - chapter books. I was feeling uncomfortable about holding her back. Guess I'll be selling this Shurley Level ONe :) Mary

Ok, so I am still in a quandry about grammar next year. I will have an "old" first grader (almost 7) and a young kindergartener (just turned 5). So they are one year apart in school but really 2 years apart. I bought Shurley Grammer 1 to begin with my first grader. AFter seeing how intensive it was, I knew that I had to do it with BOTH of them if I was going to have to put that much effort in it. I looked through it more in-depth and think that once you get well into it, it might be too much for my 5 year old - prepostions? object of preposition? (Maybe it is just because I didn't learn grammar until middle or high school) So then a friend brough FLL over (the first one) It seemed so less teacher intensive and more gentle. I know my older daughter would love it. But if I start it with her, how can I get them on the same level at some point...especially if we move into Shurley eventually? Thanks - for any experience anyone has.

JessinMD You have girls about the same age as mine - happen to be near Columbia, MD? As for science, we have joined a co-op that will cover it. We do OPG and ETC for language arts and will continue. I bought Shurley Grammar adn was going to begin level 1 in first grade, but will be going SLOWLY so that the kindergartener can keep up and I can teach them both grammar together! What is WWE? Thanks!

Thank you everyone! I think we will begin copywork and go ahead and mention good handwriting. My daughter is halfway through HWT level 1, so maybe when we are done that. She knows how to do letters, so we are done that aspect of instruction until cursive. This was really helpful!

My oldest child will enter first grade next year. At our homeschool convention, I was immediately drawn to the Queensland stand's copywork. The catalog made it clear that copywork is NOT for handwriting. It is to practice copying correctly, paying attention to detail, etc. If you use copywork - what age did you begin? How often do you do it? What do you recommend using? What do you see as the goal(s)? Thanks! Mary

Is there a big difference between Level 1 and 2? I saw somewhere on the board that someone just does the odd years - are the even lots of repeat?

I will have a 1st grader and Kindergartener next year. I purchased Shurley English 1 to begin with my 1st grader. Then I begin lookig at our "long term" plan, and to make my life a bit more "doable" with two younger children as well, I want to teach my older girls as much as I can together. *They are 1 grade level apart, but 22 months apart. Can this be done with Shurley English? Should I wait and do level 1 with both of them the following year when the youngest is first grade (and oldest is second)? Then I feel like I am not helping my oldest reach her abilities... Or do I give the kindergartener a go at it and see what happens? I don't want to overthink this, but I do want to make some choices so that my life will be a bit easier. Anyone done this before? Have suggestions?

Thank you to everyone. What great information! I think we'll just stick with ETC for 1st grade without spelling. BUT now I have so many spelling curriculums to look into! Good stuff. We'll probably hold off as ETC seems to be helping her spell fairly well as of now. I just noticed that the words in book 4 seem to be beyond her spelling even though she can read them just fine. Thanks again to all!

We just bought the GTG guide and plan to do it next year. Check out: http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com - she has a Galloping the Globe link on her left hand sidebar. WOW! Such fun! We can't wait. We'll spend 3 days a week for 3 weeks on each country and use 2 years to tour the world! Mary