Our Curriculum – 1st grade (and a toddler)

This year is our first grade year and our second year of homeschooling. We are loving it. We try to make it fun. I try to use lapbooking and crafts to go along with as many lessons as possible as this is good for Avarie and her learning style. Leyton, who is only 2, likes to participate. She enjoys the songs that we sing and the skip counting songs and like to color and do legos while we are learning. Though he sometimes thinks playing the piano during our learning time is a better option 🙂

• Reading: We use Explode the Code (Book 2) then Avarie reads one of two readers to me or a chapter from a library book.  She also reads at least two books each day to her brother. She loves “teaching him” as he learns his alphabet and letter sounds.
• Literature:  We are reading the Core A list from Sonlight this year. This includes some great classics as well as James Herriot’s Treasury for Children.  We also are reading through the American Girl series to go along with our American Girl Club on Currclick. Avarie loves this Club with its history, reading comprehension, and crafts.
• History: With Classical Conversations, we are working on one timeline history event each week. This history sentence is set to song and we practice it singing and saying. Then we checkout library books that go along with the topic for extra, more in-depth learning. This is great because we can focus on what we find interesting or need more education on with regard to the history sentence. Classical Conversations provides a resources list but we usually pick out age appropriate books from the library. In addition, we have the Story of the World books and we read chapters that go along with the sentence from these as well.
• Math: Along with learning skip counting with Classical Conversation, Avarie is using Math Mammoth Complete 1-A  and Complete 1-B. In addition we have the worktexts for Place Value from Math Mammoth. We also supplement with some workbooks because Avarie likes to mix up the math time. We use Kumon First Grade Addition and Math Made Easy: 1st Grade, which Avarie LOVES, LOVES, LOVES – mostly because she gets a star sticker for each page, which gives her the satisfaction of visual progress. She loved the kindergarten book so we are doing the 1st grade book this year too.
• Science:  Classical Conversations provides us with weekly memory work for Cycle 3, which focuses on human body and chemistry this year. We are making a paper human body and will be memorizing the periodic table in the second half of the year. We use the My Body book with the human body and I hope to find some great resources for Chemistry. In addition, we are doing a 1-year Nature Study through Simple Schooling which is an interactive, online science course. Avarie enjoys the embedded videos and exercises. We purchased the optional workbook to go along with it to emphasize what is taught. The lessons are short and have fun embedded tests and quizzes, which she thinks are fun to do.
• Geography: We are studied US geography with Classical Conversations. We have a laminated US Map that they trace in class and we trace at home. We also review the US states and capitals in class and at home. We have found some fun state capital songs that Avarie loves and Leyton thinks is fun to dance to. Her favorite is the Animaniacs song.
• Latin: In additional to learning some vocabulary at Classical Conversations and learning John 1 in Latin, we are using Prima Latina this year for Latin. However, we are using it at a slow pace. We do not do it every day but take probably two weeks per lesson while integrating the extra vocabulary words from Classical Conversations. We do Latin vocabulary most days but a full lesson 3 days a week.
• Handwriting: Though we integrate some copywork into our week including copying our Pledge of Allegiance, Pledge to the Bible, Pledge to the Christian Flag, and our Bible memory work such as John 1, we primarily use Handwriting Without Tear for Handwriting. We completed My Printing Book as the year began and then began Printing Power. We will likely finish this and begin Cursive Handwriting before the year is over.
• Music and Fine Arts: Classical Conversations has a fine arts component that we enjoy. It teaches basic music reading and classical music and art. The focus depends upon the cycle. They work on learning to play the tin whistle as well. In addition, Avarie takes piano lessons and does drawing with Mark Kissler’s 3-D drawing lessons online, which she loves. Especially the Mini Marshmallow lessons! I would very much like to add some more art appreciation to our schedule but its pretty full. We may do a summer thing regarding art. We’ll see what I come up with. I use education.com and The Old Schoolhouse toolbox to come up with crafts each month. She also has ballet and gymnastics each once a week.
• Bible: We are memorizing John 1 in English and in Latin with Classical Conversations and then we use Egermeier’s Bible Story Book for additional Bible Study.
• Foreign Language: We are studying Spanish and adding Mandarin Chinese the second half of the year. With Spanish, we are using the First 1000 Words in Spanish by Usborne as well as taking live Spanish courses through CurrClick, which Avarie has really enjoyed. She loves participating over the web with the microphone and sometimes webcam. She thinks its fun to interact with the other students and teacher on the live classes. We have purchased Rosetta Stone for Mandarin Chinese, homeschool version, which we will be learning together. We also have the First 1,000 words in Chinese as a references as well.