Jump to content

Menu

1st g science?


bbrandonsmom
 Share

Recommended Posts

Anyone? I read the whole first section of TWTM, and there didn't seem much for science. A bunch of suggestions, but no curriculum until 2 or 3rd g. Ds is 5.5 and very interested in science, so I'm trying to find something that will work. I looked briefly at the More Mudpies to Magnets-I guess that's a K-1st book? Has anyone used it? I think we'll follow along with the animal, body, plant deal from TWTM, but I'm still looking for something, well, I'm not sure exactly. I guess something that goes over the subjects more than just the questions suggested in the book? Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We've been having a blast with R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey. It's super fun and easy to follow (compared with past science that we've tried). It follows the classical curriculum suggestions by starting with a year of Life, followed by Earth/Space, Chemistry and Physics, then doing them all over again for the Logic and Rhetoric years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I recommend considering Elemental Science. Biology for 1st grade. It follows TWTM ideas but pulls it all together in a very easy to implement lesson plan. HTH

 

:iagree: Oh, I totally second that suggestion! We are getting ready to start first grade too, and I am in love with ES. She bases the first part of her curriculum, animals (20 weeks), on Kingfisher's First Animal Encyclopedia (not a great book, but it's somewhere to start) along with two books of experiments. (The very first week we're making camouflage with newspaper and starting work on a diarama.) I am going to supplement with my wonderful, can't-live-without-it DK Animal Encyclopedia. Next is the human body (10 weeks), followed by plants (6 weeks).

 

But yes, she lays everything out for you for the entire year, including experiments and crafts, and provides a complementary student workbook. Love it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding is a fabulous program. I really love that the author runs a Yahoo! Group for questions, and he's very quick and thorough with responses.

 

:iagree:

You should at least look at it. Sounds like you were where I was. I love TWTM but I felt the science recs were missing...something. Then I found this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not doing a curriculum. :) I went with the recommendations from TWTM to spend 20 weeks in Animals, 10 weeks on the Human Body, and 6 weeks on Plants, then came up with my own curriculum.

 

Here's the thread where I linked up my science & history lists.

 

And just to make it easier, here's my list of science books for the year.

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.

 

HTH! If you're on a budget, every single one of these books is coming from my library, so I'm basically doing science for free this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both Intro to Science and Biology are full year programs and either one would work for first grade, you just have to choose. Do you want to spend one year on biology (Biology for the Grammar Stage) or do you want an overview of the different areas of science (Intro to Science)? Also, if you are starting the WTM cycle (ie. ancients), I would start with Biology.

 

Hope that helps! If you have anymore questions, I'm around :).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...