acabrera0607 Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Posted this on another board but realized this is the board I meant to post it to....sorry new to the site Okay so here is what I am thinking for my 6yr old 1st grade son (yea I know we are starting late but money has made it where we have to this year to get what we want) Science: Apologia Astronomy with the Junior Notebooking Journal Math: Math in Focus Grade 1 Handwriting: Either Cursive First or McRuffy Handwriting Cursive Book History: Story of the World Volume 1 with Activity Book Spelling: Horizons Spelling and Vocabulary or All About Spelling (can't decide so any help would be greatly appreciated) For Reading/English/Grammar/LA I am at a complete loss. I posted a few minutes ago asking for recommendations...I am leaning towards StoryTown but it is EXPENSIVE. So I am really wanting to hear any comments on great programs combining LA/Grammar/Reading for 1st grade.(Oh btw if I do use StoryTown it encompasses spelling, reading, grammar, etc so I would use their spelling program and drop the above spelling) I have also considered Write Source, any comments or thoughts on that curriculum? Is it a complete LA curriculum? Any recommendations or comments on any subjects would be great as I am still new to all of this :thumbup1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 How well is your child reading? Do you need a phonics program (maybe even instead of spelling)? I would just pull books from the library for reading, unless you would feel more comfortable with a formal reading program. We don't start formal grammar here until 3rd grade, but I do like Climbing to Good English for first grade (it is a mix of phonics and writing good sentences. . .capitals, periods, etc.) I also really like Writing with Ease 1 for first grade to practice narrating and for copywork. I think your plan looks really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Looks great. I wish I had started w/ Math in Focus. I would say go with All About Spelling. I wish I had started with that too! I love Story of the World. The only thing you have in that list which I would question is the Apologia Science. Apologia Elementary is very very wordy and there are not a lot of pictures and such. Unless your first grader is *extremely used to long read alouds and has very high comprehension, and he loves Science, Apologia would really not be a great fit for that age. You could just wait a year or two and in the mean time just read library books and watch Bill Nye DVDs, Moody DVD's, and Get Discover Kids, Ranger Rick and Nature Friend Magazine. I never did much formal Scirence until 4th grade and my children loved Science and knew all kinds of wonderful things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Oh, the best thing I can recommend for reading is Adventures in Phonics by CLP. Rock solid and easy to use. No frills, but it worked wonders. Or Phonics Pathways combined with ETC which can be a good follow up if he is already reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acabrera0607 Posted August 27, 2013 Author Share Posted August 27, 2013 I'm new to all the abbreviations...what is ETC? lol. I've figured out most of them over the past few weeks but still lack on knowing a few of them. As far as Apologia....I first saw it in the Timberdoodle core package which I was originally going to get until my Type A personality kicked in and I started evaluating each subject and deciding I wanted to fit each subject specifically to my children. I thought I read mostly good reviews on Apologia for first grade but I will definitely look again before I order. I looked into BJU Science for first grade and McRuffy (I believe that was the other one). Both of those were more a general overview of science which is great, but I thought he might like it better learning one topic and then moving on to the next. I've been saying any time I find what I think I want I always stumble across something else that intrigues me. Math the only other option I was looking at was enVision Math which looked very interesting but I kept hearing mixed reviews. I like the fact that MIF is the US version of Singapore and my son is a math wizard (plus my best friend is an elementary school teacher and that is the book they use so I had the opportunity to get a great close up look at MIF). Phonics Pathways is what is included in Timberdoodle's core curriculum. The only reason I am hesitant on it is it's really black and white with no pics from the samples I've seen and my son does not like it if he is staring at a white page with black words and nothing to visually entertain him. Of course, what 1st grade does, right? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorisuewho Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 If you want something colorful with a lot of action (movement) Logic of English Foundations is awesome. But it is pricey. Phonics Pathways is a solid program; I like it a lot and I have used it. It is inexpensive, but yes, it is just black and white and to the point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Hmmm...so for reading, you want something colorful...Phonics pathways is VERY boring. It definitely is not colorful or very interesting. You'll have to poke around for other suggestions on that one, then. Lots of people have been talking about Logic of English lately, if you can afford that. I believe The Reading Lesson is colorful. And you can get the Nora Gaydos readers which are cute and colorful, too. I believe Timberdoodle sells both of those, as well. FOr boys, the idea is to make it as quick and painless as possible. For my son, the faster the "reading lesson" was over, the happier he was. Timberdoodle's suggestions will probably be along those lines. Just some more ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted August 27, 2013 Share Posted August 27, 2013 Oh- I was going to add...if you use All About Spelling, then you will cover all the rules and all the phonograms to solidify spelling and reading forever. So, you can use a less intense reading program... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyraTooters Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Subbing so I can see all the suggestions! We're getting ready to hs our first grader so thus is perfect timing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marylandhsmom Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Sorry to jump in, but should you do phonics first before spelling? (I also have a 1st grader and was just curious) Or do you do both at the same time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 (edited) On 8/27/2013 at 1:44 PM, acabrera0607 said: For Reading/English/Grammar/LA I am at a complete loss. I posted a few minutes ago asking for recommendations...I am leaning towards StoryTown but it is EXPENSIVE. So I am really wanting to hear any comments on great programs combining LA/Grammar/Reading for 1st grade.(Oh btw if I do use StoryTown it encompasses spelling, reading, grammar, etc so I would use their spelling program and drop the above spelling) I have also considered Write Source, any comments or thoughts on that curriculum? Is it a complete LA curriculum? Any recommendations or comments on any subjects would be great as I am still new to all of this :thumbup1: How well is this kid reading? If he's ready for AAS to be his only source of phonics instruction, I'd skip a reading program. If he isn't at that level, I'd set AAS aside for a little while and focus on phonics and reading skills. If by reading If he isn't reading well, skip grammar. If he is and you feel the need to add some, the older First Language Lessons (levels 1 and 2 combined in one book) can be picked up cheap on the used market. This will cover grammar, poetry, usage, and a few other extras. It's all in bite-size pieces. Either way, you don't have to start grammar in first grade. I don't know what else you mean by English/LA. I generally think of grammar, spelling, writing (penmanship or composition), and reading (instruction or literature) as our English block. On 8/28/2013 at 6:17 AM, marylandhsmom said: Sorry to jump in, but should you do phonics first before spelling? (I also have a 1st grader and was just curious) Or do you do both at the same time? Phonics first. Study phonics until they're reading fluently. Then a phonics based spelling book can take over when they no longer need daily phonics instruction. Edited July 10, 2022 by SilverMoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Sorry to jump in, but should you do phonics first before spelling? (I also have a 1st grader and was just curious) Or do you do both at the same time? Some spelling programs include phonics. I would get a child started on reading first, and add in spelling after. We use AAS, and the author recommends doing Level 1 of AAR first, and then adding in the spelling program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama2Three Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 I'm new to all the abbreviations...what is ETC? lol. I've figured out most of them over the past few weeks but still lack on knowing a few of them. As far as Apologia....I first saw it in the Timberdoodle core package which I was originally going to get until my Type A personality kicked in and I started evaluating each subject and deciding I wanted to fit each subject specifically to my children. I thought I read mostly good reviews on Apologia for first grade but I will definitely look again before I order. I looked into BJU Science for first grade and McRuffy (I believe that was the other one). Both of those were more a general overview of science which is great, but I thought he might like it better learning one topic and then moving on to the next. I've been saying any time I find what I think I want I always stumble across something else that intrigues me. Math the only other option I was looking at was enVision Math which looked very interesting but I kept hearing mixed reviews. I like the fact that MIF is the US version of Singapore and my son is a math wizard (plus my best friend is an elementary school teacher and that is the book they use so I had the , opportunity to get a great close up look at MIF). Phonics Pathways is what is included in Timberdoodle's core curriculum. The only reason I am hesitant on it is it's really black and white with no pics from the samples I've seen and my son does not like it if he is staring at a white page with black words and nothing to visually entertain him. Of course, what 1st grade does, right? lol ETC = Explode the Code. You'd probably start at Level 1, but they also have A, B, and C in case your DS needs more prep before starting a phonics program. I used Phonics Pathways with ETC. Loved the combination. The black and white of PP is a little boring, but it's great in that there are no pictures to "help" the child read the word... which means that your DS couldn't "cheat" by looking at the picture and then guessing on sounding out the word. ETC is a little more fun, so when PP started to get old, I would spend more time in ETC, then go back to PP. Even 5 minutes a day does wonders. Good luck! I spent so much time figuring out what would work for my son -- I bought and resold a lot of curricula, called it my catch and release system, lol. But really the most important thing is just doing it... slow and steady wins the race. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TyraTooters Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Does AAS have a spelling program? I'm going to get it (I think) to help my six year old. He is reading pretty darn good. Can read a chapter book if it wasn't for how long they are. He really likes the level 2 and 3 'I can read' books we can get from Walmart and can ready any book from the young readers section in the library. He just has a difficult time with spelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 Does AAS have a spelling program? I'm going to get it (I think) to help my six year old. He is reading pretty darn good. Can read a chapter book if it wasn't for how long they are. He really likes the level 2 and 3 'I can read' books we can get from Walmart and can ready any book from the young readers section in the library. He just has a difficult time with spelling. AAS is a spelling program, that happens to be based on phonics rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Does AAS have a spelling program? I'm going to get it (I think) to help my six year old. He is reading pretty darn good. Can read a chapter book if it wasn't for how long they are. He really likes the level 2 and 3 'I can read' books we can get from Walmart and can ready any book from the young readers section in the library. He just has a difficult time with spelling. Yes--the company has both All About Reading and All About Spelling (AAS). It helped my kids a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acabrera0607 Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 Thanks everyone. Phonic Pathways was on the core for Timberdoodle and while I do agree wholeheartedly that no pictures means no guessing (as this was my big complaint with Horizons Phonics K) I also think absolutely no pictures would completely turn my son off to doing it. He already dislikes phonics though he is actually really good at it, so I am really trying to avoid anything that will make the process more painful. I think we may try LOE Foundations....looks to be complete for spelling, phonics, reading, and grammar. (If I am wrong on this someone please correct me) Still looking but that is the way I am leaning so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherOfBoys Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 It looks good. If money is tight try: CTGE and WWE (main book) I would add Climbing to Good English for phonics/spelling kind of/grammar and it's cheap. Then also add WWE1 (Writing with Ease) to your history and science, you only need the main book which covers 4 years (not the workbook). We combine history and science at this age because you can get animals out of the history to study. The 3 r's are the most important so if money is tight get those first. Apologia Science is wordy for this age, IMO. I wanted to love it so bad but it's sitting on the shelf for two years, I think. It isn't very cheap either for this age. You can see what we are doing in my signature. I LOVE my curriculum this year and so does my son. If it gets too hard I have my drop subjects (Spelling is the first to go, Memory work would be next, then Science because I can do that after history is done if I want) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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