Science for 1st and 3rd graders

[HomeBASE]

Hi! New here! Several years ago, before my oldest was even school-aged, I started reading The Well-Trained Mind and got way overwhelmed. My son is now in 2nd grade and we've bounced back and forth between a couple of boxed curricula. I recently picked TWTM back up and decided to give it a try. I really would like to keep my soon-to-be 1st and 3rd graders together as much as possible and I have decided accomplish this by placing them in the same History (starting with the Ancients). Then I see that it is recommended (but not required) for the students to study the correlating science. If I were only teaching my 1st grade daughter, I wouldn't bat an eye at this. But I'm concerned that the recommendations (animals, human body and plants using illustrated children's encyclopedias) would not be thorough enough for my 3rd grader. I have long considered Apologia science, but each text being a year-long study is sort of turning me off as well because I wouldn't be able to cover everything I wanted to in one year. I don't know where we would start. Anatomy? But that's supposed to be the last one in the sequence, right? Up to this point my son hasn't done any structured science study, just fun projects here and there. Any advice?

 

Sorry if that came out like babble. I'm very tired. :tongue_smilie:

[Shawndrese]

Hi! I'm pretty new here myself...and will also be teaching 1st and 3rd next year (for the most part :D). I think I've finally decided to try AIG Gods Design next year. It follows TWTM and has different levels for different ages. I'm hoping we like it :001_smile:

[ChandlerMom]

I would choose the science that best serves for 3rd grader and let your 1st grader tag-along. IMO it is easier to take something a bit hard and reduce the requirements for one child than try to add meat to a lower level one (for example, do the lesson with both but only have the older write up the report). Some programs are designed for a range of ages. You might consider unit studies, or multi-age programs like BFSU or RSO. I mention RSO because I've found it works well with my 3rd and 1st graders working together and I've found it very straightforward (and hence gets done). They are doing Life Sciences right now as well as an intellego unit study on the solar system (one of their interests).

[chepyl]

We are using Real Science 4 Kids biology, and I have an anatomy coloring book to add to it. It is meant to ne a semester course, bit we have gone slowly and filled a year. You could get level 1 and do that if you wanted more content. We are doing prelevel 1. It is easy to teach and has a few good labs with it.

[ALB]

I would agree with choosing science based on your 3rd grader. You don't have to start with Biology. You could do chemistry, or even earth science and astronomy instead. Elemental Science has curriculum that also follows WTM science.

 

Or, if you want to do Apologia, you can finish a book in half a year. That way you could do 2 a year. Lots of people don't follow the WTM science sequence, and its perfectly fine!

[Mandylubug]

Hi there! I am teaching these exact ages/levels right now. I am using TWTM methods, and using the Children's Encyclopedias for Animals and Human Body and the activity book for plants. I find it quite appropriate for my third graders as well as my first graders. The older boys are required to do more narrating and reading but it is all a fun adventure for all of them. I personally would not want it any other way. I enjoy picking our topics for the week and then going to the library to pick out "fun read" books to go along with our topics. The kids are quite involved in the topics of interest and really enjoy it. They are learning so many things and have never complained about it. My older boys will read some of the books to their younger sisters. They will all look at the books for hours at a time, enjoying the topics discussed. Our science is one big discussion that continually builds.

[swiegers]

I'm going to teach my 2 kids together next year as well (for us the new school year will start in Sept). But it will be Gr 3 and K and we will be doing animals, because that is what my 3rd grader is interested in. We'll be reading the same books for the two of them, but doing slightly different activities.

[Mrs Twain]

You might look at BFSU if you want something that covers multiple branches of science each year instead of taking one year for each. I have used BFSU volume 1 with my 1st and 3rd graders this year, and I am thoroughly impressed with the program. It is certainly not open-and-go, but if you are willing to put a little bit of time into the preparation of the lessons, it is a fantastic science curriculum.

[ondreeuh]

I'd do REAL Science Odyssey Life Science by Pandia Press. It's recommended for grades 1-4, and we really enjoyed it in 2nd grade.

 

Also check out Mr. Q Life Science - it's free to download, and the intro pages say it's recommended for ages 6-9.

[HomeBASE]

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful suggestions! I so appreciate it!

[BatmansWife]

I'd do REAL Science Odyssey Life Science by Pandia Press. It's recommended for grades 1-4, and we really enjoyed it in 2nd grade.

 

This is what I was going to suggest. We will be using it for 3rd. You can even get a kit at Home Science Tools to go with it...and extra student pages.

[2_girls_mommy]

I have a 4th and 2nd grader which means at one point I had a 3rd and 1st grader. I always teach science to the older, and the younger comes along. I have the younger do drawings (she really enjoys them and is quite artistic. ) for her science notebook and label them. I have her do a little writing, and then she dictates to me a couple of sentences about what she learned. I do not expect her to grasp all that the older does, but she is getting familiar with the topics.

 

Because my older started the WTM recs in 1st, my younger has missed the whole animals/human body/plants study. We will be back to life science next year when the younger is in 3rd grade like yours. We will back to the 1st grade year for her for the first time.

 

I will teach logic level science to the older, but use some of the WTM's grammar life science materials that I still have on hand to work with younger on the topics like the Usborne First Encyclopedias. The older child will have more science writing to do. The younger will carry on with narrations and drawings for her notebook like she has always done.

 

Other science that we do:

I also do little units on science topics out of the sequence occasionally just because it fits into our other topics or the time of year, to try to keep the younger familiar with things that she was too young to grasp the first time. So the day that we were getting our garden ready, I pulled out a science book that I have on seeds and we read that and she did a little worksheet on it. SOTW also sometimes has little science activities that go with what we are studying and I try to take advantage of those too. If they offer an elem. science class at co-op next year I will stick her in it. And we do the science fair once a year where she gets to pick her topic and go really in depth on it for a month or so.

[SilverMoon]

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Edited April 21, 2023 by SilverMoon

[raisingknights]

I have used Considering God's Creation with my boys during the early-mid elementary years. It covers all areas of natural science and can be expanded upon to suit your needs.