A Sample First Grade Plan

A friend of mine asked me to help her plan a good first grade year for her son. This is my daughters first grade year, but slightly tweaked for a child who is coming in from the public school system. All the prices and order numbers are from www.rainbowresource.com unless otherwise noted.

English
Begin formation of letters every day, copying 1 letter 6 times perfectly four days a week. After all letters can be written start copying a meaningful sentence from one of the books we are reading. Using Phonics Pathways, study phonics ten minutes a day, also read 1st grade readers. Have a free reading time to read easy books. My suggested first grade reading sequence is Fabulous Phonics Little Books, $10.75 014953, Bob Books sets 1-3 $55.95 BOBSET, Pathway Reader Preprimer, $5.75 001951, Bob Books sets 4-5, Pathway Reader Days Go By, 001952 $5.75, Pathway Reader More Days Go By, 005107 $5.75. I would also intersperse any picture books you have that are on the child’s level.

Literature
I read aloud to her Aesop’s Fables illustrated by Milo Winters read two a week and have the child narrate, Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare Audio version can be found here http://www.alcazaraudioworks.com/schooling.html for $19.95, listen to 3 during the year or read three from Tales from Shakespeare by Mary and Charles Lamb. Blue Fairy Book $8.25 005755, read two a week, Just So Stories listen to audio during tape time 014183 $23.95, King of the Golden River, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Red fairy Book, St. George and the Dragon, The Velveteen Rabbit, Little House in the Big Woods, Brighty of the Grand Canyon most of these can be found at the library or most book stores. Always look for the unabridged versions.

Math
Begin Math-U-See or Miquon Math 001184 Orange Book $5, 001185 Red book $5. Annotations $11.50 001191, Notes to teachers 001190 $5 and First Grade Diary $5 001192. Cuisenaire Rods $14.25 006380.

Science
Work on the beetle collection. Raise and observe butterflies Live Butterfly Garden $17.25 003539 or hermit crabs Hermits Haven 026722 $21.95. Identify during or after nature walks, draw and write names in nature journal ($6.75 001270), of 5 bugs, birds, flowers, rocks, and trees-perhaps pressing (Flower Press 018080 $5.50) and gluing some things. Read The Burgess Bird Book $5.95 024241. If you don’t have field guides you may want the Audobon ones for insects, birds, flowers, rocks and trees. Also a good rock identification kit such as the Rocks and Minerals Basic Collection $14.00 002277 helps a lot in identification.

History
Story of the World 1 CD, $30.75 025448 this book starts out with the earliest peoples as wanderers/hunters, where we know that Adam and Eve farmed and had flocks other peoples did wander/hunt, also it does get into the belief of gods and idols you may want to introduce this or skip these chapters until later. Fifty Famous Stories Retold text is free and for purchase here http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=baldwin&book=fifty&story=_contents, or you can purchase the audio version here http://www.alcazaraudioworks.com/schooling.html for $19.95 Viking Tales is free and here http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/hall/viking/viking.html. Benjamin Franklin by Ingri D'Aulaire $13.95 003451, George Washington by Ingri D'Aulaire $13.95 003439, Buffalo Bill by Ingri D'Aulaire $12.95 000193. You will also want a large wall map one option is $11.75 031952, also get a globe.

Poetry
Read When We Were Six, When We Were Very Young, Children’s Garden of Verse and Falling Up all of which can be found in the library or at most book stores. Read 1 to 4 a day.

Memory Work
Memorize 15 poems, 10 scriptures and 15 songs onto memory tape.

Spanish
Use Jumpstart Spanish, watch Spanish movies once a week (Lyric Language $10.50 027266, Bilingual Baby $13.95 015212, Hola Amigos Set $48.50 034847) and use Spanish phrases (Kids Stuff Spanish $18.95 from here http://www.bilingualkids.com/) in every day conversation. Know 200 nouns in Spanish by the end of the year.

Music
Continue or begin piano. Play with instruments once a week with a little direction on how to do it. Watch 32 lessons from Calvert Melody Lane found here https://store.calvertschool.org/pc-160-9-discoveries-in-music.aspx this kit includes the above DVD’s, a lap harp and music, recorder and music and a triangle. Learn 12 new songs from Wee Sing Sing-alongs and Wee Sing Fun and Folk, sing in primary program. Attend Strauss festival or some other music festival or child friendly concert, study 6 compositions each by Mozart $8.50 016309, Schumann $8.50 016316 and Wagner $8.50 016322.

Handwork
Sewing felt shapes Lace a Swamp creature puppets $10.50 001212, Sew a stuffed animal kit Puppy $11 030387 or Dolphin and Baby $11 030384, Weaving potholders and other loopy projects $12.50 001729, Leather coin holder $2.15 003435.

Logic
Use Dr. DoRiddle $10.99 016244, read riddles books, do Lollipop Logic $9.50 000419. Play strategy games like checkers, Rush Hour Junior, $12.25 005257, Four in a Row or Toot and Otto $6.75 015310 and Set $9.75 008706.

Geography
Paddle-to-the-Sea $9.25 012450, Tree in the Trail $9.25 007001 and Seabird $9.25 007003. Have the child color in the area on the map ($16.95 007006) as each place is discussed make a little canoe, tree and seagull respectively to move across the maps as each place is discussed. Occasionally look at the locations on the wall map and globe. Also build a world map puzzle $7.75 017359, and US map puzzle $11.50 029604 sometimes.

Scriptures
Read stories from the real scriptures episodes broken down here http://www.schoolofabraham.com/storiedscriptures.htm. Have one on one study time with Mom or Dad studying topics of his choosing or just him reading the Book of Mormon once a week. Listen to Scripture Stories on tape from the distribution center.

Art
Continue with art plan. Study John Waterhouse, Peter Breugal, and Glenn
Olsen by looking at 6 paintings from each, visually memorizing one painting at a time for two weeks each. Purchase a Glenn Olsen calendar the other can be purchased from Angela Zimmermon for $16 a set paypal to thousandpraises@gmail.com or you may print out your own at http://cgfa.dotsrc.org/fineart.htm.

Church History
Read children’s biography of Brigham Young, John Taylor, pioneer stories with pictures from Friend.

Physical Education
Swim, bike, trampoline, hike and walk. Take 3 classes through the parks and rec at $35 each.