Our School: First Grade Curriculum

I don't have a first grader this year, though I've already taught it twice and have one next year, so I think I can tell you how it goes for us.

The Original:

Religion:
St. Joseph’s First Communion Catechism
Any Lives of the Saints Book

Math:
(Option 1): Recommended in Syllabus
Arithmetic 1 (www.abeka.com)
Arithmetic 1: Tests & Speed Drills (www.abeka.com)
(Option 2):
Saxon Math 1 Homeschool Kit (www.saxonhomeschool.com)

Reading/Phonics:
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (Siegfried Engelmann)

Handwriting:
Writing Can Help Series, Book B: Manuscript Practice (Marie Picard)
blank composition book

Poetry:
The Harp and Laurel Wreath (ed. Laura M. Berquist)
A Child’s Garden of Verses (R.L. Stevenson)

Art:
Child-Size Masterpieces: Mommy, it’s a Renoir! - Text (Aline D. Wolf)
Child-Size Masterpieces: Mommy, it’s a Renoir! - Intermediate Steps
Aesop's Fables
Our Lady of Guadalupe Marian Grotto Kit
Advent Candles Kit (www.illuminatedink.com)
O Antiphon Christmas Card Kit
Stations of the Cross Grotto Kit (www.illuminatedink.com)

Music:
36 Traditional Roman Catholic Hymns: A Book for Singing with Acc. CD Recordings
Peter and the Wolf (narrated by Janet Schulman) with CD (www.amazon.com)
Carnival of the Animals (comm. by B.C. Turner) with CD
Bach's Goldberg Variations (A.H. Celenza) with CD
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (A.H. Celenza) with CD
The Farewell Symphony (A.H. Celenza) with CD

How it Shakes Out for Us:


Religion:
We follow the syllabus with the addition of daily saint reading.

Math:
Will likely use Abeka 1.  At this level, the math is easy enough that we don't find it distracting.

Reading/Phonics:
We will likely follow the syllabus, but start out ahead in the lesson numbers.

Handwriting:
We will likely trace our poetry stanza for the week and then copy it into our notebooks to illustrate on Friday.

Poetry:
Follow the syllabus, except with the change mentioned above.

Art:
Follow the syllabus, minus some of the art projects.

Music:
We well likely continue our Music Masters rotations.  We also read the hilarious, "Lives of the Musicians" , color a page in our notebooks, and do a retelling.

































FIRST GRADE


I don't have anyone in first grade this year, bubasically how I would, if I did.


Recitation
Poems from Child's Garden of Verses by Stevenson (2-4 lines/wk)
Catechism prayers and questions

Reading
Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (2+ lessons/wk)


Writing
Handwriting Without Tears  (2+ pages/week)
Whatever copy work I could get them to do daily from poem
Chalkboard or review sheets for all the letters and numbers


'Rithmetic
Math Mammoth (2 pages/day)


Religion
St. Joseph First Communion Catechism  (1 lesson/2wks)