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Showing results for tags 'first grade'.
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First post here 🙂 I'll preface with both DS 6 and I are autistic. DS is more of a sensory seeking, clothing freakout, overwhelmed easily type. I like quiet and researching and noise gets to me fast. We are a pair! And we have my DD 3 running around wreaking havoc. We do "formal" work Tuesday/Thursday/Friday because I'm in school Mon/Wed. I want to get a plan together for next year and the ending part of this year because we hit a handful of snags and can't seem to get back into a groove. Currently: McRuffy Language Arts 1, we started this late and it's working well for us, I don't do all the workbook things because some is busy work and he hates that. Math is a mash up with some problems from Primary, some from math mammoth, and others from some teachers pay teachers pages. The thing with math is he will not play games, or use manipulatives, and he WILL NOT look at the actual book - I have to copy the problems to a whiteboard or into a plain notebook. I pushed too hard with math in the beginning because he was loving it and breezing through math mammoth and then there was just one day where he crashed and now the idea of a workbook makes him slither to the floor. Now, I'm ok with taking time off from math but he isn't! He wants to do math everyday and learn more but it would be so much easier if I could show him the pages! So I was considering starting MEP and getting him gently into math and maybe getting miquon with the rods? I want him to back up and find the fun again and at the same time make sure he has a firm grasp on the basics. Next year - I don't think we can do second grade McRuffy LA because the books get much longer and he is going to panic so I'm eyeing Reading Street or and then just planning on a ton of readers and library books. Any experience with Reading Street? Basically I want to read aloud and have guidance with the critical thinking type questions. Math - Horizons, MEP, or MCP, Science - probably nancy larson 1 History - SoTW read aloud and the Maps/Maps Activity Book Writing - this is where I have absolutely no idea. He hates to write so I want something that will spark his creativity... like a story starter but one that doesn't look overwhelming...writeshop? I need to get a strong idea of what next year will look like because there's a very good chance I will be in a PA program and won't be able to plan and prep once that begins. -
Hello! I'm sure this has been addressed before but with the forum indexing still ongoing, I've not been able to find this in the Forum or through the Google Search instructions. My daughter will be entering 1st grade in August and this will be the first year we pursue the classical approach so I'm trying to get a big jump start on planning, purchasing materials, etc. In the Well Trained Mind, under Reading Skills three levels are mentioned: Instructional, At Level, and Below Level. These make sense to me, but I'm puzzled as to what exactly "instructional" readings would be. We are using the Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading for Phonics. At the end of the chapter on Grammar Stage Reading there are a lot of suggestions as to at level and below level books ("Click Clack Moo", The Frances series, etc.) but nothing regarding instruction other than Phonics. If someone here could either point me to a previous post about this or give me a hint as to what "instructional level" reading would be and/or recommend specific titles, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
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I am working on plans for my DD who will be starting 1st grade soon. I am planning on using Memoria Press for a lot of it. However, I am questioning if I should add WWE 1 and FLL1. I really liked using those with my older kids and am questioning if there is enough of that covered in MP curriculum. I am also wondering if the overall load is to much. Take a look and at what I am planning and give me your honest opinions. Thanks! WW1 FLL1 Memoria Press Phonics and new Traditional spelling MP Lit (1st grade level) MP copybook MP recitations MP enrichment/ crafts Rod and Staff math 1 SOTW 1 Behold and See 1 (science)
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Dear All, Want to know which course everyone is following for afterschooling 6 year old: Math -- Spelling -- Writing --
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I am trying to decide which handwriting curriculum to use for my DS (6) for first grade next year. I have not been impressed with A reason for Handwriting this year and can't decide between Zaner-Bloser or HWOT. Any preferences or suggestions? I am a first time homeschooler living overseas so buying multiple things is not an option if something doesn't work out. Please help...
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Any advice here for teaching history to a child who gets bored by lengthy readings? SOTW is wonderfully written but it's just not working that well for DS right now. Also some of the events, names and peoples just go over his head. So what I've done is focus on one major civilization at a time (Egypt, Greece, etc.), learning about its map location, history, mythology, famous people, daily life, architecture, etc. I mention how certain events tie these societies together (e.g. war, conquest, trade) and plan on covering other peoples after that's done. I also plan on compiling timelines to show how everything flows as a story. But how do you do it? I can't imagine spending 60-90 min. on history each time. It's more like 20 min. of discussion. DS likes learning about daily life (especially when involving children) and myths the most. Also is it okay to slow down and spend some time on ancient history in 2nd grade (instead of moving on to the Middle Ages) for better coverage? I'm also planning on introducing human geography in 2nd grade, at the same time we'll study physical geography as part of science.
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Well, it's been a long time since I've been here! Good to be back. Our 2 oldest have graduated, married (both this summer!!) & now we've got littles to educate ;0) 1 year old, (new) 6 year old & 8 year old. I'm thinking about doing a semester more of kindy w/ the 6 yob & starting 1st in January. 8yog is solid third although math always needs more help! Has anyone tried to combine this many different styles?? The notebooking/narration part of the classical approach using SOTW that we did with our older ones is very similar to Waldorf's (somewhat) unit study approach to Main Lesson Books, although my brain needs workbooks for spelling, most of math, & handwriting (sorry about that sentence, not even gonna correct it bc it's too late at night)! We'll be on SOTW book 3 this fall but I really would love to encorporate the Waldorf studies of gardens, shelters, fiber arts & Native Americans. Any ideas welcome! Shannon mama to 5 ages 1-22, homeschool mama since 2002 instagram mamaj41
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I am looking for a language arts program for my 6 yo dd who is doing ETC workbook 3.5, Teaching your child to read in 100 easy lessons and Phonics pathways with McGuffey First reader and other library readers. Before this, she had finished Spectrum Reading Kindergarten and Treasure's Readings and its activity book. I came across this Language Arts a few days ago. Has anyone used this? http://www.jennyphillips.com/home-school-curriculum/ Is this an all-in-one meaty LA Curriculum? Does it need any supplementing? I hope to get some feedback on the Good and Beautiful LA curriculum. What are your thoughts and opinions ? Are they complete? Can it be used as a spine? From what I am reading on their website, they sound like something I'd like, but I'd love some honest feedback from those of you who have actually used it or reviewed it. I'm also very curious about Treasure workbooks and Evan moor Spelling and Grammar(Evan moor building spelling skills and Evan moor Grammar and punctuation) books.. Can we use them together? How does Good and Beautiful LA compare to the Evan moor books that I am very interested in? I have a nagging feeling that I'm missing something and I'm curious to see what your opinions are regarding this course? If I need to supplement, then which books (Treasures or Evan moor) will be a good and solid choice with Good and Beautiful LA curriculum? Any thoughts, opinions, or how you use this curriculum in your home school would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
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Hello, In my search for a science curriculum, I came across Science Excursion. Has anyone used this? Any thoughts? I will have a first grader next year and am trying to find something that works for us. I keep tossing up ES and RSO but neither really feel like what I want at this point. http://scienceexcursion.com I appreciate any info, thoughts, etc!! Thanks!
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Hi. I think my post about this got lost. I apologize if this is a repeat post. I've been really busy, too busy to participate in the forums as much as I'd like. I was wondering how you all teach Geography in first grade. Do you teach it alongside Ancient History? I thought about doing this, but it seems confusing to the child to be introduced to modern countries, flags and cultures at the same time that he's discovering history. I'm now leaning toward introducing our eldest to basic political geography first (countries, flags, languages, cultures, basic map work) like in the last two parts of the "Usborne Book of World Geography." Once he has a grasp of that, we're going to introduce history, so he figures out where and how it all started and how things came to be as they are now. We will save natural geography like weather, phenomena, etc. for the second year. How do you folks do it? We will also use the "Evan Moor Beginning Geography" workbook. Just ordered it. Another issue we have is how to teach U.S. history to make sure the kids meet annual testing requirements. Are children expected to know about U.S. government and history as early as first grade? If so, how do we teach history like in WTM? I'd prefer to just teach ancient history for now. We live in Washington State. Our eldest is 6 years old. Any advice would be most welcome!
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We are interested in starting a foreign language with our first grader. I am looking for a natural approach. I don't want material that expects the child to read and write the language at first. I also think programs that start out with full sentences/conversations in the target language are too aggressive (but I am open to input if I am wrong on this.) Has anyone helped their child learn French and has a good curriculum to recommend? We really want to give her a good foundation before puberty, especially. Hubs speaks with a good accent but is not fluent. (He will be instructing.)
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I hope this post is appropriate here but I don't know where else to ask since homeschooling is our life. My kids and I (along with several other moms and homeschoolers) are volunteering, once a week, at an Indian school to help teach first graders how to read English. It's an English speaking school so I'm not sure I would really classify it as ESL, although many of their students' parents do not speak English. We have been using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with groups of 1-4 students per volunteer. It's a phonics based program and fully scripted so the student volunteers can easily administer. But there is a disconnect between what the school is teaching and our phonics approach. It seems that many of the kids have just memorized words. So after speaking to the school, they received approval from the Indian education board to change their curriculum. Now we have a meeting with the head of English and the K-1 teachers on Dec 13 to discuss what curriculum to use and how we can work together. Somehow I was elected to lead this! My kids went to public school until after they were reading. Aside from me reading to and with them, I don't know how to teach reading. I don't know what curriculum works for a classroom setting (and for unlicensed teachers who English is a second language). This school is at risk for being closed if they cannot raise the reading level of these students. I'm not aware of another option for these kids if the school is closed. They are too cute and lovely to ignore. I have been researching all over the Internet. I know some of you are certified classroom teachers. I'm hoping you can help: what recommendations would you make for curriculum to teach children to read in a classroom setting? Something not too difficult. Do you recommend a phonics approach or something else? Thank you, thank you! -
First of all my kids hate math but these CUTE Minion themed Math Centers are totally LOVED by them! Plus, this freebie is only FREE until Sunday, August 9th! Check it out here - http://www.educents.com/minion-math-centers.html Here's the description - Add some fun to your math practice with these cute little Minions! Use these hands-on math centers to practice and reinforce key math skills. I hope you enjoy and benefit from this freebie as much as my family and me have :-)
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My six year old (starting First soon-ish) is nearly done with Math Mammoth 1-A, and I'm trying to decide if we should move on to 1-B or practice addition and subtraction drills first. Oftentimes she has to use her fingers to get to the answer (though she can model problems with manipulatives or solve using a number line). She does have some immediately, like 4+4 and all the +/- 1s, but she doesn't know much else by heart. I'm leaning towards thinking that's still developmentally appropriate, but I'm wondering if not having the facts immediately there will hinder her. Do you think we should continue with MM 1-B and wait for memorization, work on both at the same time, or focus solely on memorization until she has it? Or something else entirely? Thanks!
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DD is 6 and finishing first grade. She works especially well with iPhone and iPad apps, which are also important b/c she has a vision impairment and these devices are more accessible for her. Am seeking recommendations on more apps, any area but especially fun reading apps. We already have Starfall, Reading Raven (ok), Eggy Phonics 1-2-3 (she liked but the 2 and 3 versions froze partway and she's been unable to finish them.) Any and all suggestions welcome! ::) -
Sooo.....my daughter has been in kindergarten this year, first homeschool with Saxon in the fall, then private school with no set curriculum in the winter, and then back to homeschool this spring. (Insanity, I know). I felt like Saxon was too....fluffy...even back in the fall. She could do all that stuff already, except rattle off the date, and rattle off counting by 5s to 100, and by 2s to 20. The patterns, the geometry, that kind of thing she could do without a thought. Back in the fall, I added Kumon workbooks for Time and Money. So, starting HS again in the spring, I picked up Singapore Math Essentials K A & B. She whizzed through Book A, and most of book B. We're on "Counting On", and that makes her stop and think a bit. So, I've basically given up on Saxon, except for the workbooks, calendar and meeting book bits. Mostly she likes coloring in the plentiful coloring assignments in the Saxon math worksheets. The Kumon Books are very incremental, and she likes them. We're beginning telling time to the minute through those. Every day she does: 1 Saxon Math WS page 2 pages in the SM Book B 1 page in the Kumon Time book Takes her about 20 minutes. My child actually enjoyed 100 EZ Lessons, if that tells you what kind of learner she is. I was bored out of my gourd, but she begged for lessons. I mean, I can do this, but should I? I think she benefits from multiple coverage of the same topics. (We're double-teaming a daily page from Phonics Pathways and a lesson from OPGTR, as well.) My question is: Should I continue this approach next year? Is there a problem? A benefit? Thank you in advance!
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I have a couple of problems: 1. I tend to ask too much of my smart first grader. 2. She's easily distracted and hmmm... I really don't want to use the word lazy... she complains a lot - even when I switch/change things up. In the past couple of months I've been having a hard time finding balance in regards to workload. The beginning of the year was terrific, but now she's started complaining again. I'd like to give her a list of the work she needs to accomplish for the day. It would just be a list to keep us on track; so she can see what we have to do. Something that would help me say, "This is what we need to get done today. We're not finished until this list is done." However, I'm worried about asking too much or too little of her. Because of the two problems mentioned above, I feel like we need an outsider's opinion. She'll want to do too little, and I'll want to pile it on. Here are the curriculum/subjects we have to cover: FLL WWE Math Mammoth practicing math facts Explode the Code Reading (she's an incredibly good reader) Spanish (I'd like to spend 20 minutes/day) History (mostly SotW 1) Science (mostly interest-led) EM's Daily Geography Practice Art/Music This is what I would normally ask of her in one day: one FLL lesson OR two pages EtC, one WWE lesson, 1-2 pages MM, some math facts practice, reading for 30 minutes (with me or by herself, her choice), 20 minutes Spanish, either history/geography/science, some type of art or music (e.g. practice piano or an art project). How many of these would you try to do in one day? And for how long? I know it's different with each child/family, but if I could get just a few opinions/suggestions I'd be so happy. :) -
Managing Story of the World with Multiple Ages
Guest posted a topic in General Education Discussion Board
Next year will be second year homeschooling. My six year old son will be in "first grade" and we are both very excited to start the first Story of the World book. My problem is that I have two other children who will be in kindergarten next year. My other son is five and my daughter is four. She will be five in December, but I thought I could start her homeschooling early so as not to have three different grade levels all at once the following year. She seems quite ready for basic math and basic reading. My main concern surrounds Story of the World. Should I begin next year? If it is too challenging for the the young ones (which I highly suspect) then that means the following year I will have two different levels for History. I was trying to combine as many subjects as I could to better manage my day. Has anyone tried to teach Story of the World with multiple children who were close in age? I could wait a year and start them all at the same time, but my first grader is quite ready and eager. I also have a two year old who will eventually be home schooled and I am concerned about having soooo many different levels in so many different subjects. I expect different levels in reading and math, but I was hoping to combine history, science, and Bible whenever possible. Any advice? Thanks. -
Hi, just after some advise after purchasing the Story of the World. My eldest son is 5yrs 10 months old and we live in the UK. A month ago we started with FLL 1, so far we both love the program, he is learning lots and really enjoying himself at the same time. I also have a copy of WWE 1 which I intend to start in the early part of next year. My problem is with the History spine, the narrations seem much more difficult with lengthy sections to narrate from when compared to WWE 1. To me they look more suitable to 3rd grade in comparison. If I am honest, to narrate from SOTW chapters would make my brain ache. I think this is because I did not learn this skill at school and never really felt as though I had a good grasp of language skills. Something I do not wish to pass on to my children. Could someone give me their advise, could I perhaps ask the review questions after each chapter, colour a picture, complete a black line map etc... I really feel like the amount of narration in WWE 1 is plenty, for example " what is the one thing do you remember about the passage?" Many Thanks
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Im planning dds 1st grade curriculum and Im torn.. I really want to follow the WTMs suggestions and Im fairly sure we will go with their suggestions for Grammer, History, Music and Spelling: Spelling Workout First Language Lessons Story of The World Color The Classics.. etc. When it comes to Art and Science, I can't decide! Any input is appreciated: Artistic Pursuits vs Drawing with Children? WTMs suggested Science spines vs Elemental Science? ***(I am trying to keep the costs down and so far the WTMs suggestions are very reasonable. I know Artistic Pursuits is costly but I can make it work and Ive heard a lot of great things about it. Elemental Science is reasonable BUT by the time you buy all of the required resources it gets costly.) I was also thinking of throwing in Handbook of Nature Study. So any info/tips/suggestions you have, Im very grateful. Let me know what you have used, what you like, what you dont like, am I missing anything? Etc. Thank you to anyone who answers.
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My dd is in first grade, though she can read a bit above grade-level. We will be using either Phonics Pathways or The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading to continue with her phonics development. There are lots of words she can read but doesn't know the phonics rule behind. The problem is that I'm not sure what to do about spelling. She can read words that she isn't even close to spelling, since we haven't gotten to all the rules. A lot of the reading she has just picked up naturally because she enjoys it so much. Do I start with a spelling program (like AAS or similar) at the beginning, and let her advance in her phonics book at a faster rate ? Or do I move slowly through the phonics books, teaching her the rules and how to spell the words? If we were working on just reading in PP or OPGTR, she would likely be moving much faster. Does that make any sense? My husband says I'm over-thinking all of this, since she's just 6. I really want her to have the most solid foundation possible. Thank you for any input. -
My son will be entering 1st grade next year. I would really like for him to be apart of Target (the gifted program) at our local public school. His kindergarten teacher ( at his classical Christian school) said she would suggest that he be part of any advanced programs in 1 st grade. He is smart but I really do not think he would be considered gifted. I am considering getting the Cogat bundle from Critical Thinking Co. to prepare him for the test in September. Here are the contents with space if anyone wants to add less expensive options (prufrock etc): The critical thinking co. = Less expensive alternative -Mind Benders® Book 2.... -Can You Find Me? K-1...... -Building Thinking Skills® Primary".......... -Mathematical Reasoning™ Level B".......... -Math Analogies Beginning.................. -Thinking Skills for Tests Workbook..... -Thinking Skills for Tests Guide............ Any experience with these books? Are they worth the time? Would the Developing the Early Learner books be beneficial? I figure it is worth a try. If he does not get accepted to Target, he will at least get some good practice with critical thinking. I know that moms have strong feeling about prep for tests like this....please don't throw any rocks. :leaving: Any equivalent books that can be recommended with prufrock? Would the Developing the Early Learner books work for any of this? -
My son will be entering 1st grade next year. I would really like for him to be apart of Target (the gifted program) at our local public school. His kindergarten teacher ( at his classical Christian school) said she would suggest that he be part of any advanced programs in 1 st grade. He is smart but I really do not think he would be considered gifted. I am considering getting the Cogat bundle from Critical Thinking Co. to prepare him for the test in September. Here are the contents with space if anyone wants to add less expensive options (prufrock etc): The critical thinking co. = Less expensive alternative -Mind Benders® Book 2.... -Can You Find Me? K-1...... -Building Thinking Skills® Primary".......... -Mathematical Reasoning™ Level B".......... -Math Analogies Beginning.................. -Thinking Skills for Tests Workbook..... -Thinking Skills for Tests Guide............ Any experience with these books? Are they worth the time? Would the Developing the Early Learner books be beneficial? I figure it is worth a try. If he does not get accepted to Target, he will at least get some good practice with critical thinking. I know that moms have strong feeling about prep for tests like this....please don't throw any rocks. :leaving: Any equivalent books that can be recommended with prufrock? Would the Developing the Early Learner books work for any of this?
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My son will be entering 1st grade next year. I would really like for him to be apart of Target (the gifted program) at our local public school. His kindergarten teacher ( at his classical Christian school) said she would suggest that he be part of any advanced programs in 1 st grade. He is smart but I really do not think he would be considered gifted. I am considering getting the Cogat bundle from Critical Thinking Co. to prepare him for the test in September. Here are the contents with space if anyone wants to add less expensive options (prufrock etc): The critical thinking co. = Less expensive alternative -Mind Benders® Book 2.... -Can You Find Me? K-1...... -Building Thinking Skills® Primary".......... -Mathematical Reasoning™ Level B".......... -Math Analogies Beginning.................. -Thinking Skills for Tests Workbook..... -Thinking Skills for Tests Guide............ Any experience with these books? Are they worth the time? Would the Developing the Early Learner books be beneficial? I figure it is worth a try. If he does not get accepted to Target, he will at least get some good practice with critical thinking. I know that moms have strong feeling about prep for tests like this....please don't throw any rocks. :leaving: Any equivalent books that can be recommended with prufrock? Would the Developing the Early Learner books work for any of this?
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My son is 6 and we school yr round. We are completely in first grade materials (almost 2nd grade with math). I am having a hard time figuring out how much time per subject. For k I planned to do x amount of lessons each week, but I think we would do better with a set amount of time. Right now we are doing an hour each day of 1 subject (math-Monday, reading-Tuesday, science- Wednesday, and history-Thursday). I find that by the end of the. Hour he is burnt out and I think it's bc it's too long for him to sit and work on 1 subject. I would like to do all of our subjects daily so he has a variety of things each day. So what do you think is a good set amount of time for a young 6 yr old?
