Suggestions for what to add to complete Gr.1 Curriculum?

[sahmoffour]

I pulled my kids out of public school, and we are starting homeschooling after Christmas Holidays.  I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to use for everyone, and have almost everything figured out.

 

So far here's my plans for my youngest two, they're in K and Gr.1.  I also have kids in Gr.4 & 6.

 

Kindergarten:

Phonics Pathways

ETC and Happy Phonics to supplement and add in fun games.  Are these three complimentary to each other and the way they teach phonics?

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting K

Singapore Earlybird Textbook

Pattern Blocks and Patternables for fun

 

Grade 1:

He's struggling a bit with reading.  Before I pulled him his teacher told me we really need to read a lot with him over Christmas to help him catch up.  Little does she know we already read with him as much as we can and I noticed he's a bit slow to catch on.  (She only assessed his reading twice since school started!)  He's showing some dyslexic tendencies but not too bad.  He can read all of the Bob Books, but not fluently.  He struggles with blending.

Phonics Pathways, ETC and Happy Phonics

AAS Level 1

Zander-Bloser Gr.1

Singapore 1A & 1B

Miquon to supplement

 

For Science we're just going to do some Magic School Bus DVDs.  For History/Geography they can maybe just sit in with the older two as we go through Around the World in 180 Days.

 

Is that enough for Gr.1?  Do I need to add in some Grammar/Writing Instruction and do you have recommendations?  I tried WWE and FLL years ago with my older two at our first homeschooling attempt and it wasn't a good fit.  Way too dry/scripted for our liking.  If it helps my Gr.1 guy is a "Perfect Paula" type guy who does well with workbooks.

 

 

[IHaveNoIdeawhatIAmDoing]

We hated Happy Phonics. I know that it's different for everyone, but I had to put that out there. I wish I hadn't spent the money on it. 

[boscopup]

For the K'er, have you looked at Singapore Essential Math K? Many like it better than Earlybird, and it's much cheaper to boot! It provides a good lead-in to the grade 1 Standards Edition texts. Book A is super easy. You could probably just jump into Book B and do that for the remainder of the year.

 

Phonics Pathways is enough for phonics, unless your kids LIKE to write also. If your grade 1 child is still struggling with blending, Phonics Pathways is *wonderful* for that. After several weeks of using it with both a 6 year old and a 3.5 year old (precocious one that was already blending CVC words), I saw a huge jump in ease of blending for both children the very same week, despite being in completely different spots of the book. That was cool to watch.

 

I wouldn't worry about grammar and writing (beyond handwriting) with the grade 1 child if he's not reading well yet. In fact, my grade 1 child is doing just math, phonics, and reading. His phonics and reading double as handwriting, since there is plenty of writing in both (I'm using R&S for those). I used FLL and WWE earlier in the year, and he liked them and did well with them, but there is only so much time in the day, and I don't want him spending hours on school. He's a wiggly little guy and has a hard time focusing. So we put all our focus on learning to read and doing math (which he's good at, so he enjoys that). He tags along in history and science for fun, but I consider him "done with school" if he's done math, reading, and phonics for the day. Those are the important subjects right now. When he is reading well, we'll add in composition and grammar and such. There is plenty of time to get those in.

[fdrinca]

I wouldn't add grammar/writing, especially as your child is still new to reading. Wait until reading proficiency picks up, then introduce writing. I'd add some narration exercises to get into the habit of "thinking" like a writer. That is, they're performing the same tasks that they would if they were writing, but without the mechanics, fine motor skills, etc. 

 

My two new readers and writers enjoy writing in their journals a few times a week. I've been adding a few skills as they write. My 1st grader is now at the point where I expect him to sound out every word to write (instead of asking me), start with capital letters, and end with punctuation. It's a great exercise if there are other kids to school because it's very student-led.

[sahmoffour]

Thanks, I was really wondering if I should be adding in anything else before he's reading proficiently.  

 

As for Happy Phonics, I was picking it as my youngest is a super "Wiggly Willy".  I like Phonics Pathways as it can be as short and to the point as I need it to be, but my son also needs it to be "fun" or he'll dread reading.  So I thought HP would be a good addition for him, even though I've heard the initial prep is ridiculous!  I added the ETC more for my child in Gr.1, as he loves workbooks.  I'll offer them to my K'er whenever he seems receptive to it.

 

For my K'er, I didn't look at the SM Essentials.  I liked the looks of The Earlybird, and wasn't sure if the black and white that I heard Essentials is in would hold his attention.  So far all they've covered at school is counting to 10.  As for Gr.1 and up, we'll be using the US Edition.  Is Essentials a good lead-in for the US Edition as well?

 

Thanks for the idea about the journaling!  He's been writing in a Home Journal once a week with public school and seems to enjoy it, so I think I'll continue it.  It's a good starting off point anyways!

[boscopup]

 

For my K'er, I didn't look at the SM Essentials.  I liked the looks of The Earlybird, and wasn't sure if the black and white that I heard Essentials is in would hold his attention.  So far all they've covered at school is counting to 10.  As for Gr.1 and up, we'll be using the US Edition.  Is Essentials a good lead-in for the US Edition as well?

 

Yes, Essentials should lead into US Edition just fine.

 

I've used Essentials with my two youngest kids, and they both really enjoyed it, despite the lack of color. The pages are still "fun" without color.

 

[boscopup]

Also, I highly recommend using C-rods with the Singapore K and grade 1 programs.

[sewingmama]

Personally I wouldn't worry about writing, grammer or even spelling (although AAS might be helpful in learning to read) until your son can read a bit better.

 

Phonics Pathways was great for my kid who had trouble blending. Blending is very developmental...a lot of kids can take a while to get it. Don't worry too much yet.

 

Everything else looks fine.

[silver]

FWIW, my daughter loves Essentials because it's black and white. We're working slowly through book A as a preK math, and she calls it her "coloring school" because I let her color a page when she's done with the math on it.

[sahmoffour]

Thanks everyone, I'm going to get Essentials instead.  After your reviews I searched about it some more and it seems to be a popular opinion!  I'm also ordering the whole Miquon set with C-Rods to help reinforcement.