Thoughts (critique and suggestions welcome) on K curriculum

[bbmom]

I am working on K curriculum for next year and I think I have it narrowed down to the following:

 

Five in a Row

Happy Phonics with Explode the Code workbooks and movable alphabet

Right start math with a couple Montessori math activities added

Galloping the Globe

 

Will also supplement with art/music class and movement.

 

Am I missing anything? Do I need additional grammar, spelling, history, or science for K? Any and all input (good or bad) welcomed. Thanks so much!

[Chris in VA]

I think you are good to go. Not sure about GtG, but the other stuff seems fine. Some of the 5 in a Row activities might be pick and choose--a little over K level, but ymmv.

I'd personally add in a nature walk once a week or so, and have your child narrate to you.

[patchfire]

I would definitely start some gentle narration. I wish I'd done it earlier with dd1 and will definitely be doing more with ds (who will be in K next year).

 

What about handwriting? Is there enough practice in the ETC books?

 

We're going to do some science kits (Thames & Kosmos Little Labs, Magic School Bus kits), but no formal science. I'd judge spelling based on where reading is at, or as interest dictates.

[sandra in va]

I agree that you might want to add in handwriting if it is not included in the phonics program.

 

Also, I love FIAR for K and adding in GTG is a great idea. I would just caution you to either do FIAR as your main program and add in some of the ideas from GTG as they fit or use GTG as your main program and do FIAR books as they fit in. Doing both full steam could be too much.

 

FIAR is fabulous on its own - but I did add in some extra read alouds when we used it. I got titles from the SL K program and also some biographies. SL's read aloud list is fantastic. Also, you can easily add in copywork from the FIAR books you are using. This is a great way to develop copywork skills and cement the FIAR book.

 

Hope you have a fun K-year. Sounds like you're off to a great start!

[mlktwins]

I've just settled on our K program for next year. I have twins and one is more advanced than the other so I may have to move forward faster for one and stay on track with the other.

 

Here's my plan:

-Currently using OPGTTR and will use ETC for K

-RightStart A and will supplement if necessary (probably will Singapore)

-HWT for Handwriting

 

Lots of reading!!!! Will be covering some history and science as we go along (fun stuff). Also, may start a foreign language (Rosetta Stone). I'm also scheduling in PE to burn some energy :-).

 

I will also likely start FLL for my advanced learner.

 

Mendy

[Dinsfamily]

It looks great to me. I was planning on doing GtG with my K'er this year before I decided to do SL instead. I'm going to add it in lightly in 1st just because I like the look of it.

[MissKNG]

It looks good to me as well. I did add science in K because my big girl is a science nut. We will do the 3 R's, Bible and science pretty much. And projects, music, read alouds.

[Tracy]

We are doing FIAR for K this year, and we love it. We do the vocabulary suggestion from the teacher's manual, and I keep a running list of what words we do with what books, because dd likes to look back at them now and again. We also use it for copywork. (But if your child is not writing yet, you might want to do a handwriting program. We just used Kumon books and then moved to copywork.) We also do narration with FIAR on the last day, sometimes as a Q&A and sometimes we do it more like a skit.

 

Science is FIAR's weak point. I don't think that you necessarily need science in K, but if you want science to be part of K, you really can't count on FIAR. We are using Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. For less than $30, you get 3 years worth of very meaty but age-appropriate science lessons. (Review on my blog: http://myfamilyiseternal.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-of-building-foundations-of.html)

 

IMO, you shouldn't do grammar in K, even if the child is capable of it, UNLESS the child has a particular passion for it. There is lots of time for that later. Also, I don't think that you should do both spelling and phonics. Do phonics until the child is beginning to read write things on his own. That is when a phonics-based spelling program can be substituted for phonics.

 

As for social studies, I think that FIAR has enough for the average child. My dd4, though is very, very passionate about it (she is giving her friend a hand-drawn map of Angola for her birthday!). So we add in our own unit studies. She picks a place or a person, and we get books from the library. We mark them on our map, along with the FIAR places. We have studied everything from Bach to Pakistan this way, and I am amazed what wonderful books I have found at the library.

 

Best of luck!

Tracy