First Grade Curriculum Overview 2020

Now that you know what worked last year, and how I want to change things this year, you may be interested to know just what I chose for this year and why! I am here to share all of Little Man's subjects with you. There are a couple I am still finalizing, but if you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, I'll be sharing any updates there. Now for the run down of subjects for Little Man:

Bible:
For Bible I am using what my mom did with me when I was little, and recently shared it with me. It's old and I can't find a link to it, sorry. It is more of a 'Bible Curriculum' in that it has a Bible story, and then questions. Since my curriculum this year is more 'traditional', I want to make sure that Little Man is still getting opportunities to share what he learned during a reading, to make sure he is retaining information.

Read Alouds:
Last year we did The Playful Pioneers and loved it! Our favorite part was the rich literature we were able to read aloud together as a family (and for the past 6 weeks, even my husband got to join in!). This year isn't looking exactly the same, but I still want fun books that I can read aloud as I nurse my newborn. As you'll see in History, we will be going over American History. For read alouds I'll read some that we read as extras for The Playful Pioneers, as well as some that I've collected over the course of this past year. I am linking some of them here:




History:
My tired of school, 5th grade self said my kids would never do Abeka, but here I am using it for my 1st grader! Technically it's just a history and geography workbook, and I will be doing my very best to make it as fun as possible. I'm hoping that with the amazing read alouds we will be doing, it will make the 'boring' history facts come alive to Little Man. My mom had given me this workbook we had used, and I just can never say no to free! 

We will also be using the Culture Club at our homeschool group as geography as well. I am also adding this fun activity book to go with our United States learning. Some things are a bit above his reading level, so we will just pick and choose what to do this year.

Science: This is one I haven't quite nailed down yet. I know I will be using the Usborne Body Book (see review here) as a health and body science book. Little Man also likes Magic School Bus books, and we might use those as a jumping off point for different topics. I also want to use these beautiful Anatomy books to explore nature. There are some great, free nature study resources on Pinterest that I plan to use to journal what we are exploring outside. Oh, and the Ocean Anatomy book is on my current wish list!




Phonics :
We will continue to use what I did last year. Explode the Code, Phonics games and readers, and the vintage phonics program my mom gave me. His reading has come a long way this past year, and I am excited about how much it will grow this next year! I have some general goals with his reading, but I really want him to be able to go at his own pace.

Handwriting: I will continue with A Reason For Handwriting (review here). I will be doing Book A with Little Man, and follow their recommendation for transitioning him to cursive for 2nd grade.


Math:
Here is the biggest change, I think! I am switching from Saxon to Math U See. After seeing siblings go through this curriculum, and after research, I think this will fit my son and our family a little better. I am starting with Alpha, although I think we will be speeding through the first part of the curriculum. Having a dvd teacher, and simple worksheets to work through, will make things a little easier, as we transition to having a newborn again.

I want to add that things like art, critical thinking skills, and practical skills will be a part of our year too! I like to add art projects to our science, and I will continue to include our Timberdoodle games for thinking skills.

That is it! I am hoping as the year progresses, I can update you on my opinions on each subject, what readers my son enjoys, and how the transition really is working. If you have any questions on any of this, leave a comment below, or ask me on Instagram or Facebook!
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