Combining First Grade & Third Grade

[TN Mama]

This is early, I know, but just curious who out there is hsing their first and third graders? What are you using to make life easier?

 

I'm currently hsing my 2nd grader and my younger is in ps for K. Just thinking ahead to next year and the possibility of having both home.

[Scuff]

We started that this year, along with a 4yo who has decided she's in kindergarten. So, I went from one child in 2nd and one in k-lite, to 3 children eager for their own complete curriculums. Ah!!! But we've taken it one week at a time adding in the extras and it's been working out ok. The first two weeks I focused on just the basics and getting that done. This past week we added history and hebrew and next week we'll add in science. Taking it slow has given me time to adjust! Someone here also suggested taking care of the youngers first. That has worked well. I get DS started in something he can do independantly and then do reading with each girl. once reading is over I can get them both started in math, while working with DS on his things that he needs mom for. Then, we do the stuff that we do together; history, hebrew, science, ect.

 

It's an adjustment, but you adjust. So don't worry about it too much. Just take it one step at a time.

[Rosy]

I have a 2nd, 1st and pre-K...we do Bible, Science, History and read-alouds together, and then DS works on reading/phonics while DD8 does math. I give the younger kids a break while DD8 does grammar, and she does a few things in the afternoon while they're cleaning their rooms after our quiet time. It took me a couple weeks to figure out where their schedules overlapped and which subjects didn't require my undivided attention...and there are times when I don't hit everything I want to with DS, those times I just have to trust that we'll be able to catch up when everyone is a little older.

[Alana in Canada]

I have a third and fifth grader--same spread, if slightly different grades!

 

We've been hsing for four years now and I think I have finally come up with a satisfactory procedue.

 

We do everything--except math and garammar together. (And I realised only this week that both should be doing R&S, instead of just one. R&S covers the same topics in different depth--but in the same order. If they were both in R&S, then I could talk about "types of sentences" for example when we do our writing--and both would know what I'm talking about!)

 

The key is to require different things. The best example is history. I read the spine to both. They are both required to narrate the material. I may scribe for the younger and then dictate the material back to her to write, the older is expected to do it on his own. But the older is also required to read more difficult books and extra selections based on our weekly topic. He's also expected to write a book summary and outline from another source.

 

Grades 1 and 3 are very easy to combine: just be aware you have to demand a bit more from the older in terms of skills as you progress.

[rafiki]

.

[KellieMI]

Last week I tried something new with my boys, 3rd and 1st grade. I do the core subjects (reading/writing/math) with each one while the other has free time. In the afternoons we do our read alouds, history, and science. I rotate who I begin with, so they know "who goes first." Up until then, I would go over the instructions and get one going independently, while I worked with the other one. They always seemed to have questions and everything took for ever. This is working out well, and they each enjoy their own "mom time."

 

Kellie

[Sarah CB]

I have a 1st and 3rd grader and I do most of their subjects together. We're working through FLL 3 together. My 3rd grader does the dictation exercises and writes down all of his work. My 1st grader writes down some of his work and skips the writing exercises.

 

I also use Tapestry of Grace, so all of our read-alouds for history, literature, etc. are all done together. The assignments are tailored to the writing ability. On Friday we did a mini-book for our scrapbooks - ds (grade 1) told me what to write on his and he drew the pictures. Ds (grade 3) narrated his for me but then I wrote it down and he copied it into his book himself.

 

They have different math books and different handwriting levels.

 

I have really been enjoying teaching them together this year. It makes it a little more interesting to have two students at the table and it saves me a lot of time.

 

We start Writing With Ease soon and I'm trying to figure out how to make it work for both of them.

[Mom0012]

I have combined my 1st and 3rd grader in SL Core 2 for history, bible, read alouds, readers and science. We don't do SL Language arts. They do everything else separately except for art.

 

Lisa

[Melissa B]

In the morning we do math, language arts and foreign languages - each child separately. In the afternoons we do history, science, geography, literature, music and art all together. I do plan to separate the girls for science next year. And each child has a literature list to read individually on her own time.

[CactusPair]

I have a 1st and 3rd. We do history together, any read-alouds, conversational French, bible story reading and lessons, and trying to do science together, but ds is being a thorn right now. Oh, and any memory work is also done together.

 

we've also just started a music dvd program that we'll do together. if i do any formal art (projects or history) that will be together, too.

 

when we start latin (one day), we'll do that together, too.

 

they do most of their extracurricular classes together, too (less driving!)