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Just Finished!!


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I have to share here, since everyone else thinks I'm crazy!

 

I've finally finished my 1st grade curriculum plans for History, Geography and Science, a la Well-Trained Mind! It is costing me a grand total of $3.00 (for the Usborne Ancient World book I already bought). :D

 

It has taken a lot of time and research, but I have 36 weeks planned along with library books listed for their appropriate week. I'm excited!!

 

Does anybody else do this and create their own full curriculum from scratch, or am I really crazy like my DH thinks?

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For those who asked. :) Keep in mind that this curriculum is in no way "optimal" - I'm working with limitations of availability from my library. I chose some series over others based on my son's interests as well. I'm doing a 4-day week, so alternating days of science and history.

 

For science, TWTM recommends 20 weeks of animals, 10 weeks of the human body, and 6 weeks of plants. I decided to break them down systematically (more for myself than anyone else) so I chose texts based on systems. I don't have a "spine" for science. We're also constantly experimenting with stuff - I almost chose to unschool science again this year, but decided to cover the basics.

 

Week 1: Beginning Taxonomy. Book: Tree of Life by Rochelle Strauss

2: Monerans & Protista by Alvin Silverstein

3. Germs by Don Nardo

4. A World of Microorganisms by Robert Snedden + Fungi by Alvin Silverstein

5 & 6. Intro to the Animal Kingdom - National Geographic Encyclopedia of Animals

7. Sponges, Jellyfish & Other Simple Animals by Steve Parker

8. Lobsters, Crabs, & Other Crustaceans by Daniel Gilpin

9. About Mollusks: a guide for children by Cathryn P. Sill

10. What is a Fish? by Robert Snedden

11. What is an Insect? by Robert Snedden

12. About Amphibians by Cathryn P. Sill

13. About Reptiles by Cathryn P. Sill

14. What is a Bird? by Robert Snedden + About Penguins by Cathryn P. Sill

15. About Rodents by Cathryn P. Sill

16. About Marsupials by Cathryn P. Sill

17. What is a Mammal? by Robert Snedden

18. About Mammals by Cathryn P. Sill

19. The Puzzle of the Platypus by Jack Myers

20. Screech! A Book About Bats by Melvin Berger

 

Human Body

21. Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body

22. Organs! how they work, fall apart, and can be replaced by Nancy Winslow Parker

23. The Skeletal System by Cheryl Jakab (Seymour Simon comes a close 2nd)

24. Muscular System by Cheryl Jakab

25. The Circulatory System by Cheryl Jakab

26. The Respiratory System

27. The Nervous System

28. The Digestive System

29 & 30. body review: The Human Body by Seymour Simon

 

Plants

31. A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston

32. Taking Root by Allan Fowler

33. Understanding Photosynthesis with Max Axiom by Liam O'Donnell

34-36. Plant by David Burnie (DK)

We are also avid gardeners, so this will be a lot of hands on work the last few weeks.

 

Back with History in a bit!

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For History, I'm using Usborne World History: Ancient World as my spine, then adding library books on top of that. Here's my week-by-week breakdown:

 

1. Ancient World (AW): First Farmers, Towns, Civilizations (pgs 3-7)

Library (L): Eyewitness Mesopotamia by Philip Steele

 

2. AW: Crafts & Trade, Kings & War (8-9)

continue Eyewitness Mesopotamia

 

3. AW: Farmers of the Nile, Mummies & Pyramids (10-13)

L: We're Sailing Down the Nile by Laurie Krebs

Who Built the Pyramids? by Jane Chisholm

 

4. AW: same as week 3

L: Tut's Mummy: Lost & Found by Judy Donnelly

The Great Pyramid by Elizabeth Mann

 

5. AW: Cities of the Indus Valley, Europe's First Villages, & The Monument Builders (14-19)

L: Savitri: A Tale of Ancient India by Aaron Shepard

The Biography of Cotton by Carrie Gleason

 

6. AW: Palaces & Legends, Life on Crete (20-23)

L: The Hero & The Minotaur by Robert Byrd

Greek Myths by Geraldine McCaughrean

 

7 & 8. AW: Palaces & Tombs, Warriors & Traders (24-27)

L: Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff

Greek gods & goddesses by Geraldine McCaughrean

 

9. The Empire of Hammurabi, The Hittite Empire (28-29)

L: The Great Empires of the the Ancient World by Thomas Harrison

 

10. The Egyptian Empire, Temples & Gods, Life at Home (30-35)

L: Ancient Egypt by George Hart

Exodus by Brian Wildsmith

 

11. The People of Canaan, Raiders of the Mediterranean (36-37)

 

12. The Hebrew Kingdoms (38-39)

L: The Coming Storm by Ben Avery (a historical fiction graphic novel - fun!)

 

13. Traders from Phoenicia (40-41)

L: Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet by Don Robb

 

14. The Assyrians at War, The Assyrians at Home (42-45)

L: Renew The Great Empires if needed (still looking for something good here)

 

15. The City of Babylon, The Power of Persia (46-49)

L: The Babylonians by Martha E. H. Rustad

Biblical accounts of Nebuchadnezzar and Darius

 

16. The Greeks at War, Life in Ancient Greece, The City of Athens (50-55)

L: Ancient Mathematicians by Rob Staeger

The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky

The Parthenon by Elizabeth Mann

 

17. same text as week 16

L: Wise Guy: the Life and Philosophy of Socrates by Mark David Usher

What's Your Angle, Pythagorus? by Julie Ellis

 

18. Alexander the Great, Riders of the Plains

L: The Great Alexander the Great by Joe Lasker

 

End first half of the year...

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I am SO jealous of your planning abilities! I wish I could do that, but I can't seem to make the time. I try not to ever say I don't *have* time for things, because I'm sure I don't have any less time than the next person with two kids. lol I just can't figure out how to use less of it for whatever I'm doing so I can use more of it for something else I want to do. Anyway, I'm jealous!

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Second half (and I hope this is helpful to someone!)...

 

19. The People of Early China (60-61)

Ancient China by Arthur Cotterell

Confucius: the Golden Rule by Russell Freedman

The Biography of Rice by John Paul Zronik

 

20 & 21. China's First Emperor, The Han Dynasty (62-65)

The Great Wall by Elizabeth Mann

The Five Chinese Brothers

Liu & the Bird: a Journey in Chinese Calligraphy by Catherine Louis

The Pet Dragon by Christoph Niemann

 

22. The People of Ancient Japan (66)

(I couldn't find much) Ten Oni Drummers by Matthew Gollub

Japanese Taiko (music CD)

 

23. The Riches of Arabia (67)

Queen of Sheba by Naomi Lucks

 

24. Life in Ancient Africa (68-69)

African Folktales by Roger Abrahams

 

25. The Ideas of India (70-71)

Becoming Buddha by Whitney Stewart

The Barefoot Book of Animal Tales

 

26 & 27. The First North Americans (72-73)

Terri Cohlene Legends - Little Firefly, Dancing Drum, Quillworker, Turquoise Boy, and Ka-Ha-Si and the Loon

 

28. The People of Ancient Peru, The Olmecs, and Ancient Cities of the Americans (74-77)

L: Aztec, Inca & Maya by Elizabeth Baquedano

The Biography of Chocolate by Adrianna Morganelli

The Biography of Rubber by Carrie Gleason

 

29. The Celtic Tribes (78-79)

The Ancient Celtic Festivals and How We Celebrate Them Today by Clare Walker Leslie

 

30. The Rise of Rome, The Roman Army (80-83)

Romulus & Remus by Anne F. Rockwell

Who Were the Romans? by Phil Roxbee Cox

Ancient Rome by James Simon

 

31 & 32. Life in a Roman Town, Fun and Games (84-87)

The Roman Colosseum by Elizabeth Mann

Pompeii: Lost and Found by Mary Pope Osborne

 

33 & 34. The Spread of Christianity (88-89)

The Harpercollins Visual Guide to the New Testament by Jonathan Reed

The Very First Christians by Paul Maier

 

35. The Fall of Rome (90-91)

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Soldier! by David Stewart

 

36. Review

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