First Grade Curriculum

READING- We are still in Phonics Pathways: Clear Steps to Easy Reading and Perfect Spelling through the end of this year. We are also reading library books on our Science and history topics as well as fun reading. Have them spend about 30 minutes a day.

MATH- Abeka First Grade Math is my choice. We have also used Math 1: Homeschool Kit (Homeschool Math Grade 1)from Saxon for first grade. ( I recommend this in a later grade.) I prefer Abeka here. I feel my children got a rigorous math program without making them hate math. It is a fun workbook. Saxon seemed too simplified at this stage for my kids. You will see later that we shift out of Abeka in the future.

GRAMMAR- We use First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind (Vol. Levels 1 & 2).  It is a two year volume.  We finished the first grade portion early with one child and moved onto second grade and we finished with just a few weeks to spare with my son. This is just a matter of pace. It is very age appropriate and I really like how they have you memorize your parts of speech definitions. It transitions well into the 3rd grade curriculum that I like. Remember, this book is first and second grade in one.

PHONICS- Adventures In Phonics Level B is a book I have used, but my children have never liked it. It is very thorough and you can do the Kindergarten one as well if you like. It is lettered, A, B, C etc... I have also used Abeka Phonics. This is more fun for the child, but I feel that the lessons are not as thorough and harp on the same thing throughout the whole year and truly miss the phonics rules. The first one I mentioned really focuses on the phonics rules.

SPELLING- My favorite is Spelling Workout, Level A (Student Edition). It goes through 6th grade and we have done all of them. I switched to Abeka this year and it is highly academic and overkill if you ask me. No reason to stress out your little munchkin in first grade. Next year, we go back to Spelling Workout. It produced a 6th grader that can spell very well. We did one page a day for three days, wrote the words on Thursday and tested on Friday.

HISTORY- I use The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child; Volume 1: Ancient Times: From the Earliest Nomads to the Last Roman Emperor. We have used Abeka's, "My America, My World" as a supplement.  I like doing this when I feel like the history for the other kids is above my first graders abilities. At least then, I feel like I am getting some history into their spongey little minds.
Now, if we are in a different time period, my first grader jumps in with us wherever we are. This can be a challenge as The Ancients is more suited for a first grader. The workbooks are awesome. I love how comprehensive this curriculum is. It is as thorough as you want to make it or as simple as you need it to be.The workbook is called The Story of the World. Activity Book 1: Ancient Times (Revised Edition) (Bk. 1)

SCIENCE-I use 3 books. I use one every 9 weeks or so ending in the spring with the Green Thumbs book so we can plant outside. These are not workbooks, they are reference books that are colorful and full of information. They are very kid friendly. We have the kids write a narration or give a dictation based on their ability and then draw a picture to go with it. This builds strong reading comprehension. I ask questions as well to help guide them on the right track if necessary. The Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia (Kingfisher First Reference) The Kingfisher First Animal Encyclopedia (Kingfisher First Reference) Green Thumbs: A Kid's Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening (A Kid's Guide series). Now, for a second choice, Abeka's "Discovering God's World" was good too. I have done this one in the past and it was fine. Not nearly as in depth, but just fine.


WRITING- At this point, writing is coming from Grammar, history, science and memory work. It varies and I make sure they write every day. You have to choose how much based on their level of ability. The main goal for me at this age is legibility. This is where we start perfecting our letters. We did start cursive with Dahalo this year because he was ready for it, but the others have waited. I did not use a formal cursive though, but I will for second grade. At this age, most can copy short sentences and can write simple letters to relatives or friends. Spend about 20 minutes a day writing.

BIBLE- I have used formal Bible curriculum before, but wasn't impressed. Of course, I haven't tried to many. Here is what I like to do. I have several children's bible books around the house and some character building curriculum that I combine. I also have a computer program. So, I just use what I have. They always have some sort of bible story or lesson from the bible. We share prayer requests and then spend some time in prayer before we begin each school day. Sometimes, I teach out of a book I am reading if they contain some simple lessons that can be adapted to children. This is a great time for children to learn how to pray, how to study the word of God and how to memorize it. We spend 10 minutes a day on memory. Many times, it is learning scripture.  The Bible Story Hour is our favorite for this age. Character Classics : "Little Larry" Attentiveness (Books and CD) (Character Classics) is a great character building course that has a CD with the lesson put to classical music. It's great to introduce your kids to classical music at the same time as teaching them biblical values. I can't hear Mozart without singing the lyrics to a character classic, neither can my kids.

HEALTH- We added a health book in one year with Abeka. It was a good idea I think. We talked about some basic things you cover as a parent anyway, but it's a fun little work book.

MEMORY-  We learn Psalm 23, Ephesians 6 and all the grammar poems along with reviewing our Mission Statement.