Paintedlady Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I've got an aquaintance/friend coming over tomorrow to talk about hsing her dd, who she wants to homeschool for this year only. Friend says her dd has no learning disabilities and can read, but not well. She has already been using Horizons math with her and seems satisfied with it, so I think she's good there, but she needs a solid phonics program. I'm thinking of suggesting SOTW 1 for history but not sure after that. I need to help her find a phonics program for sure, but what else does a first grader really need without overwhelming them? Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 (edited) Well, I'd debate whether a first grader needs SOTW...but I guess this isn't the place for it... :p I think the popular contenders for phonics programs are: ETC, AAR, OPGTR. (My DD uses none of the above... :D. We will be using Adventures in Phonics, Starfall/moreStarfall, ClicknRead) Your friend could also include: Science (the WTM recommends a study of animals, human body & plants; we're using a textbook as a spine but adding on library books/experiments) Art Handwriting (lots of people like HWT for remedial stuff, we just do our own simple copywork each morning with a focus on letter formation) Writing (WWE is the WTM rec) Spelling (AAS gets a lot of talk) Grammar (FLL is popular) My bright DD doesn't yet read well; we are choosing to wait on formal spelling, grammar and writing until 2nd grade... So, our complete curriculum is math (we love Singapore), phonics/reading, science, handwriting, and then a year-long Little House study (with history, geography, science, & art elements). Edited August 28, 2012 by alisoncooks clarity & elaboration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Well, I'd debate whether a first grader needs SOTW...but I guess this isn't the place for it... :p I think the popular contenders for phonics programs are: ETC, AAR, OPGTR. (My DD uses none of the above... :D. We will be using Adventures in Phonics, Starfall/moreStarfall, ClicknRead) Your friend could also include: Science (the WTM recommends a study of animals, human body & plants; we're using a textbook as a spine but adding on library books/experiments) Art Handwriting (lots of people like HWT for remedial stuff, we just do our own simple copywork each morning with a focus on letter formation) Writing (WWE is the WTM rec) Spelling (AAS gets a lot of talk) Grammar (FLL is popular) My bright DD doesn't yet read well; we are choosing to wait on formal spelling, grammar and writing until 2nd grade... So, our complete curriculum is math (we love Singapore), phonics/reading, science, handwriting, and then a year-long Little House study (with history, geography, science, & art elements). Definitely not a need, but just so much fun! How about that? :tongue_smilie: Thanks for all the suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 LOL, we plan on doing SOTW in a couple of years, when lil' sis can tag on more. :) Thought of some other phonics recs: McRuffy (which looks very cute, was on my contender list) Saxon Horizons (who knows... if she likes their math, she may like their phonics) the Spalding spin-offs (which I know nothing about) IEW's PAL Phonics Pathways Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Woods Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 We are using AAR LEvel 1 and Reading Eggs. We switched from OPGTR. DD needs more visual and activties to keep her interested and it is working out great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Here is my 1st Grade curriculum list on my blog complete with links to where to buy them/find more information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I loved Rod and Staff 1st grade. The reading/phonics includes everything you need including dictation and spelling without a formal spelling workbook. You make little spelling cards (or you could use actual tiles if you have them) each day with the phonics rule you are working on. Later dictation is added using the words you are learning. Then I added SOTW 1 and a little fun, WTM style science. We had a good year. R&S is a lot of paper/book work. I adjusted it both times to the needs of the child. But it covers everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blondeviolin Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 You can see what we're doing in first grade this year in my signature. My only suggestion, though, would be to make sure she focuses on the correct things. In public school, content subjects are often glossed over in favor of the three Rs. I also agree that the biggest focus would be to make sure the child is proficient in the three rs for her age before adding in anything content-wise. Also, make sure she is doing enough writing. Kids in PS do a lot more writing than my daughter does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Wonderful! Thanks so much for all the suggestions. I'm going to print this out and go over the options with her tomorrow. If anyone else has suggestions, I'm all ears. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2pandc Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 I'm a huge fan of Logic of English for that age. My daughter went into kindergarten in public school reading. But she stayed at the same level all year. Didn't make much progress. I have found that sight reading just isn't working for her past three letter and common four letter words. The rules and phonics has totally changed her reading capabilities in just 6 weeks so far. She's understanding why words are spelled a certain way and is able to identify the patterns in English. All about spelling and reading are similar in approach I believe. If her daughter is struggling, I would definately suggest a phonics approach instead of the general sight reading and memorization approach most schools take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 If she is only homeschooling for one year, I think the recommendations should be different. I would not worry about sotw (unless she is really into it!). I would look at the common core standards and/or your state standards to get an idea of what the public school kids are doing. I would focus on mainly on reading for first grade. So something for phonics, reading books - getting to at least Frog and Toad level by the end of the year (though depending on the school the expectations may be higher). For writing, practice handwriting and writing to a prompt (for example "What did you do this summer?" "What is your favorite food and why?" "If you could have any pet in the world, what would it be?"). Lots of read alouds would be great as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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