First Grade Curriculum

K5-2nd grade can be considered one large unit because in these grade levels the same skills will deepen and expand as you work through phonics, math, and writing at levels K-2. For this reason I really recommend choosing a curriculum program you can learn and use well for these years.

Overview

• Reading skills - continue learning more complex phonics combinations in English, like consonant digraphs and trigraphs and vowel digraphs. If you want to know more about how the reading process builds on itself, I suggest checking this out.

• Math - Three of the four processes (add, subtract, multiply) will be introduced by the end of 2nd grade by most curriculums. You can anticipate getting through addition as a concept, place values, and very beginning subtraction by the end of kindergarten. Two to three digit subtraction and addition with carrying and borrowing can be expected by the end of first grade as well.

• Writing - Monitor writing formation well, because ingraining writing habits early on is so important. If your child memorizes turning the pencil the wrong way to form a letter or number, it will take a long while to correct that. (Ask me how I know) It’s also why I recommend montessori style lined paper for writing practice.

Phonics & Language Arts:

• Abeka Letters and Sounds, Grade 1 - we used this for all four children and it didn’t let me down.

• All about reading

• Veritas Press Phonics Museum Combo Pack (Purchase in K5 if you think you want this for both years)

• Abeka Language 1 - I would replace with Language Lessons 1 & Writing with ease 1 by Peace Hill Press had I known it was out there! I find abeka easier to use with multiple children, but we made writing with ease work for all of my kids, and IEW at times, too.

• Abeka Spelling 1 if you want spelling, I didn’t unless I felt the child could handle the additional work.

• FREE spelling curriculum note: McGuffy Readers can be found on Project Gutenberg and they are great, with loads of phonics practice and spelling lists!

Reading:

• Phonetic readers that are not terrible or confusing

• Phonics games or game like manipulatives - we have and use this Blast Foundations set by Really Great Reading

• Arnold Lobel books are the BEST like Frog and Toad. I love me some Arnold Lobel.

• Stories based on child’s interest

• Stories based on enjoyment for the kids and for my enjoyment too. I don’t like badly written children’s books.

• Chapter book read alouds, I personally love the classics.

Math:

• Abeka arithmetic 1

• Masterbooks 1

Penmanship/Writing:

• Your choice. The above abeka work really has more than enough writing to satisfy me.

• Writing with Ease level 1 is a favorite of mine, but has worked for some of my children and not as well for others. It incorporates reading comprehension, copywork, and dictation work. It is my personal favorite.

• We used IEW Bible Heroes for my three boys when in k5, 2nd, and 4th grade. Pro tip - Use narration practices and also for littles, use yellow or colored marker to write what they should then trace on the worksheets.

History/Social Studies:

• Story of the World Volume 1 text and activity guide/workbook, plus audio. I bought everything used except the text itself.

• Pinterest for resources that go with Story of the World, including book lists

• Work on community helpers: Police officers, firefighters, we even got to visit the county commissioners and tour our local courthouse once at this age. This is part of good citizenship studies in Texas.

Science:

• Suggested Resource I would have used: Nature Study Club, Little Explorers or Junior Explorers depending on the child

• Concepts to work on:

  • Living things

  • Non-Living things

  • Fun science experiments (We have Noeo Science Mini Units for human body on deck this school year 2023-2024)

  • Discuss science concepts as part of everyday life

  • Get outside with nature journaling art supplies.

Enrichment:

• Go to local museums, just check exhibits first because they can be inappropriate for littles. But don’t be afraid to go to musical performances, museums, and more. Your child can handle it and you won’t regret the time spent training them how to engage with these events and places!

First Grade: What I wished I would have done differently & what went well

• I would have had grace for myself, like I needed with kindergarten work. I tried really hard to not let my insecurity about homeschooling hit my kids, but I was often really stressed out that I was not doing things ‘right’ or doing enough.

• I would not use Abeka 1 Language. Abeka is INCREDIBLE and I think it is sound, well done, and super helpful to someone who is unsure about what they’re doing. I wish I had found Writing With Ease 1 and First Language Lessons 1 at this point. The format is so different from workbooks that I wish I would have started with them just for ease and habit in our family with these type of resources.

• I would have started family read-alouds with abridged classics. I mean, most of my kids have had that in first grade, but my oldest two went a little longer without family style learning which I love and wish I had realized I could do sooner.