Seeking advice for 1st grade

[Guest LindaK]

I am a new home schooler and I would appreciate the advice of more seasoned home schoolers on what materials to purchase for my first grade daughter. The only program I have purchased thus far is Singapore Math, 1A and 1B (workbooks, textbooks and Home Instructor's Guide). I would appreciate all suggestions on all other subject areas (e.g. Science, History, Phonics, Language Arts, Spelling, Geography, etc.) Thank you for your help! Please e-mail me privately at: LMKnyc@aol.com LindaK

[jenL]

After lots of research on here (I'm new too), everyone was very supportive of The Story of the World, Vol. 1 - Ancients for history. I had been leaning toward it anyway from all the research I had done. However, it was nice to receive confirmation from veterans who share my teaching mindset.

 

Have you looked at Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum? It's a great resource that forces you to analyze your child's learning style and your teaching style, and to then choose currriculum from there. She also has a website www.cathyduffyreviews.com. That was a big help when I was getting started this year for K. I'd highly recommend looking into it as you make your choices.

 

Good luck! :)

[Emilylou]

http://www.heartofdakota.com/

 

I am using Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory. I have heard great things about Hearts of Dakota.

 

Happy Curriculum shopping~

[Samiam]

I would highly suggest to any new homeschooling to read lots and lots of books, any you can find, about homeschooling. Obviously, read TWTM, since you are at this website, which stems from that book. Then read any other HSing books you can find at the library. Then re-read TWTM. That should be your first step in HSing, educating yourself on what your goals for HSing are, what kind of student you think your child might be and what kind of student you want her to be in the future, the different types of philosophies of HSing, ala classical, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, etc.

 

There are literally 100's of curriculums. As a matter of fact, there is a thread that is not too old, probably back on the 2nd or 3rd page by now, with lots of responses, regardign what people will be using for 1st grade next year. If you read that, you can literally see there are SO many choices.

 

Don't buy anything now. Read books for yourself for the first month at least. After you have done that, and have a general idea what your goals are, then start looking at buying things and for recommendations. If you are a true WTM wanna-be, like many of us here are, that book will give you lots of recommendations to start with.

[Sunshine State Sue]

Some of my experience:

1. Cathy Duffy's books were extremely helpful when I started

2. We loved Story of the World - read my review in this thread. We used the maps in the activity guide for geography.

3. I didn't worry about spelling until 5th grade. We started using Megawords in 5th grade, which is intended for 4th grade and up. You don't really need to start spelling in 1st grade. But, you can if you want. There are many programs to choose from.

 

Good luck! :seeya:

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I am going to use Heart of Dakota for my twin boy's that will be in K and daugther that will be in 1st. My box should be here next week and I'm hoping to start in April. We will school 4 days/week throughout the summer. They recommend Singapore math with their guides. :001_smile:

 

You should take a look at the Heart of Dakota website. Their program looks so sweet!

[muffinmom]

You can see in my signature what I used for first grade this year...I was very pleased with these choices--they worked well for me and my ds. But I think that is key...try to understand your style of teaching and what your child would respond to. And sometimes, you'll have to just choose a curriculum to have something to compare to. If I've learned anything from other homeschoolers, it is that it's OK to change your mind if something's not working. Pick something that seems like a good bet but don't be derailed if it doesn't work. You can always move on to something else, even in midstream.

 

Good luck!

[dalynnrmc]

Curriculum is purely an individual family thing.

 

I second suggestions to read WTM, other books at the library, WTM again, and Cathy Duffy's website.

 

I second the statements about paying attention to your teaching style, and add an emphasis on your child's learning style. Google is your friend.

 

From there, curricula vary widely in how they approach a subject as far as learning/teaching styles, whether they are religious/Christian or not (and to what extent), and especially as to cost. If you dont' have an idea of what you're looking for before you begin looking, you will be completely overwhelmed. ;) Research first, buy later!

 

 

Almost everyone here will recommend Story of the World for history. ;) Also look into Mystery of History! I really like the looks of Hands-On Geography for this age, too.. if I was going to do geography with a first grader. LOL

 

Keep in mind that, for a first grader, history and science are completely back-burner to the core subjects. You've got math covered; find something for phonics/reading instruction before you worry about trying to add anything else. :) And welcome to the wonderful life that is homeschooling!

[suzf242]

Hi. I agree that the best thing to do for now is just to read good books with your dd while you decide what approach you want to take.

 

What has fit our lifestyle the best is a Charlotte Mason-style philosophy. There is a huge amount of information about Charlotte Mason at the Ambleside Online website. The website also contains curriculum suggestions as well.

 

http://www.amblesideonline.org/

 

Good luck in finding what works for you!

 

Suzanne

[katemary63]

Some of the things we really liked for 1st grade are:

 

A Reason For Handwriting

Abeka Phonics and Language

The Library

[ElizabethB]

We're doing first grade this year. I also have taught remedial phonics since 1994, so I have experience teach a lot of different phonics programs.

 

Here are my recommendations for teaching a young student to read:

 

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/newstudents.html

 

I do not recommend the use of more than 5 sight words, and explain how and why here (I've remediated too many students suffering from too many sight words): http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/sightwords.html

 

If your daughter got any sight words in K, you may have to unlearn some sight word guessing habits, here's my remedial reading advice if that's the case:

http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/remedialstudents.html

 

Whatever phonics program you choose, my daughter really enjoyed working from a white board, it held her interest more. (She also liked choosing the color of marker we were using for the day!) In my Webster's Speller link in my signature, I explain how I used the white board with her.

 

I also have a fun free game that is a good complement to any phonics program: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Phonics/concentrationgam.html

 

Good luck and enjoy! We've enjoyed it so far.

[Lovedtodeath]

I would appreciate all suggestions on all other subject areas (e.g. Science, History, Phonics, Language Arts, Spelling, Geography, etc.)

 

I emailed you. One of the first things we need to know is if you want to keep your curriculum secular.

 

Language Arts: First Language Lessons is painless and DD loves it. She seems to want/need more, so I am adding in the LA from http://engquistacademy.webs.com/.

We are also working through Writing With Ease, if you only get one thing for first, then go with it. It is the best I have ever seen.

 

History: It depends on the maturity of your child and what is important to you. We tried Sonlight and complicated Read-alouds are just about the worst thing for my DD. lol. I am working on a guide for Story of the World right now, but I don't plan to use this with DD yet. At first we were doing a geography of my own making, that is similar to Winterpromise Children Around the World, but it was too involved. We are now using Five in a Row and really loving it. You read the same picture book 5 days in a row and lessons are based off of the book. It is something we really enjoy and we are learning a lot. It includes Literature study, Art, literature, geography, character lessons, etc. even some math. It is just right for us. No pressure.

 

Science: We really like our Winterpromise program, Shoot and Sprout, Buzz and Bite. REAL science Oddysey from Pandia Press sounds really good too. Both have a lot of projects. Just getting one God's Design Science book and a DK E-guide of the same topic is an easy way to implement science without it taking a lot of time. God's Design has a few paragraphs on the topic and then an experiment and review questions. The E-guide provides pictures, additional information, and websites with even more.

 

Phonics: To finish out phonics I am going through The Ordinary Parents Gude to Teaching

Reading by Jessie Wise, I also copied phonogram flashcards from my library's The

Writing Road to Reading. It is fast and simple this way and requires little writing.

 

This is the progression suggested from Orton-Gillingham (they are the best when

it comes to phonics IMO, they would recommend Recipe for Reading):

 

You can start with the kit, "Sensational Strategies for Beginning Readers", This kit

addresses the first 31 sounds of the English language, which is the foundation

in which everything else is built on. Children should have mastery reading and

spelling with these first 31 sounds before moving on to more advanced concepts.

After your child has mastered these sounds we recommend the book, "Recipe for

Reading", by Nina Traub. This book will provide you the sequence for

introducing new sounds beyond those first 31. It also provides you with

phonemic awareness and multi-sensory activities, as well as, words and sentences

for dictation. After all the skills are learned in "Recipe for Reading", we

recommend the series "How to Teach Spelling" by Laura Rudginsky.

 

For spelling, All About Spelling is an excellent program. It teaches

phonetically and multisensory, also including dictation. Once you get the hang

of how they teach, if you really can't continue to spend that much on spelling, you can try to switch to How to Teach Spelling by EPS, which has all

of the same material as All About Spelling, but is much less expensive, and

doesn't have near the guidance for the teacher.

 

For reading, we just pick things out at the library and write down

one or two sentences about the book. We were also able to obtain public school

reading books from Goodwill. For handwriting, I got Startwrite software and Draw

Write Now books from Drawyourworld.com.

 

I feel sheepish submitting this sense the general consensus is to not give specific curriculum suggestions, but I couldn't resist.:tongue_smilie: HTH

 

 

Edited March 24, 2009 by Lovedtodeath

[Alanae]

I'm new to homeschooling myself and I hate to even say much, but I figure it can't hurt to tell you what is working for us.

 

Explode the Code Online is a phonics program for 1st on up an is really FUN! My 4 yr old is rather adavance and is on book 1 on ETC online and LOVES it as a supplement to our regular phonics program (Phonics Pathways). It's only $35 at the Homeschool Buyers Coop.

 

Science we are using another 1st grade curriculum and best of all its FREE! http://www.eequalsmcq.com/Thank%20you%20for%20downloading%20Life%20Science.htm It's a free, printable, Student and Teacher edition for Life Science. My son is also liking this since it's not too overly difficult and the projects are simple things I can find around the house so as to not add to our homeschool total this year :P

 

Geography is another favorite of ours atm. Geography Songs is a CD and workbook program that sells for $25. This is my son's favorite class for now and I usually save it until last just to get him to do his work lol

 

We are still working out the rest of our schedule but you might also want to consider HWT (handwriting without tears) for writing.

[laughing lioness]

For phonics we have used AlphaPhonics in conjunction with ETC. All of our kids are very strong readers.

For language arts I would recommend FLL. Also, Language Aquisition Through Poetry Memorization from IEW

For spelling, you could use the words from your phonics program. We have also like sequential spelling. It's finally what worked for us, but there are a slew of spelling programs out there.

For Geography I would suggest getting the continent puzzles from Timberdoodle. Each country/state is it's own piece, colorful. worth the money. I would also read with a globe/atlas at hand.

For science, MSB books and videos. Tobin's Lab has some awesome resources of great books, Bill Nye DVD's, nature journal.

History- SOTW, books and CD's. There are activity guides as well.

[Targhee]

One of the most challenging things about HSing is finding the curriculum that is right for you. It isn't that making this match is so hard, it's that there are so many good and exciting curricula out there that you can get really bogged-down or overwhelmed (or broke) by all the options. And if you're like me you leave no stone unturned in your search. The best recommendation I can make is to start a list of things you are interested in/seen highly recommened and then go view all the samples or get your hands on them at a homeschool convention. I had a very long list of science curricula last year, and after I actually flipped through them at the homeschool convention I decided on something completely different.

 

Read, read, read - WTM is chock full of curriculum recommendations, as are other books. I've been very happy to find LCC, which has helped me pare down the curriculum choices. Read the message boards, read online reviews... you will end up finding things that work (and don't work) for you and your DC.

 

Now, having said all that, I ;) think Singapore is an excellent choice for math. For science I really like Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding, and lots of nature study. For history SOTW is thorough and has a lot of activities to go along with it, but I prefer the shorter A Little History of the World (but I don't do a 4-year history cycle either).

 

If you'd rather have someone make the recommendations for you and you not have to do the research might I suggest a prepare curriculum like TOG or SL?

 

Have fun exploring everything out there!!

[Dinsfamily]

One of the most challenging things about HSing is finding the curriculum that is right for you. It isn't that making this match is so hard, it's that there are so many good and exciting curricula out there that you can get really bogged-down or overwhelmed (or broke) by all the options. And if you're like me you leave no stone unturned in your search. The best recommendation I can make is to start a list of things you are interested in/seen highly recommened and then go view all the samples or get your hands on them at a homeschool convention. I had a very long list of science curricula last year, and after I actually flipped through them at the homeschool convention I decided on something completely different.

 

Read, read, read - WTM is chock full of curriculum recommendations, as are other books. I've been very happy to find LCC, which has helped me pare down the curriculum choices. Read the message boards, read online reviews... you will end up finding things that work (and don't work) for you and your DC.

 

 

Well said!! I had a great plan before I went to a convention last year. Actually looking at the materials completely changed my mind and my plan. Also, follow what you think is best for your family. I found that we just didn't mesh well with curricula that others love (eg HOD). The student/teacher combo can make a lot of difference.

[Cornerstone Classical]

FLL 1

ETC

 

MFW 1st grade

HTH:001_smile:

[alpidarkomama]

Here is what we're using for those subjects now and/or soon (DD turns 6 in June):

 

Math - Singapore Math 1A (LOVE IT!!!!)

 

Science - we've done 5 lessons so far from R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey (Pandia Press) and it's perfect for us; we've been using the free sample but plan to purchase it. We also enjoy activities from Handbook of Nature Study.

 

History - we're on the 3rd chapter in Story of the World and it's working really well for us

 

Phonics - Explode the Code 2

 

Language Arts - I just ordered First Language Lessons

 

Haven't decided about spelling. Story of the World contains a nice amount of geography, so we're not doing a separate study.

[Closeacademy]

I've done first grade twice now and I have found that it is best to concentrate on mathematics, phonics/reading and penmanship. Once you have a fluent reader you can move onto Latin and spelling and composition.

 

SOTW is great for a child who is ready to listen to history each day but you can also hold off for these studies until 2nd or 3rd grade. I've found that nature studies, reading books about animals and just answering their questions is an excellent stress-free science program for this age.

 

Good luck and I wish you a wonderful homeschool journey.:001_smile:

[TxMama]

What has worked well for us this year....

 

Reading/phonics/spelling- 100 Easy Lesson + All About Spelling 1

 

History- Story of the World + Activity guide. We usually skip the projects but my son really enjoys the maps and pages.

 

LA. First Language Lessons and Writing with Easy.

 

Geography- in addition to the map study including in the SOTW activity guide we are reading a Holling C. Holling title. We are reading 1 chapter per week of Paddle to the Sea and use it to explore physical geography.

 

Science. I read a science related book daily, do a weekly nature study with Barb's Outdoor Hour as a help, and have a weekly science experiment day. I recently wrote post about our science here. I reread WTM section on science and first grade and we covered those very topics this year without planning on it.

 

Have a great year!

 

Best of luck, mama!