Year 6 Curriculum Review: 1st Grade
As we wrap up our sixth year of homeschooling (what!) I’m evaluating what worked and what didn’t. This year, we had a first-grader, a fourth-grader, a seventh-grader, and a ninth-grader. I hope this honest review helps you as you choose curricula for the upcoming school year!
The Good and the Beautiful Math 1 PDF
I used The Good and the Beautiful elementary math levels for my older girls. It worked well for them, but my son didn’t like it. The lessons were too long and wordy for him. It was too easy and not engaging. I still recommend this curriculum as a starting point as the PDF version is free online.
Curriculum Report Card
⭐Ease to Teach A+
❤️ Kid Approval C
📅Prep Time A+
💰Value A+
🔁Would We Use Again? No
Singapore Primary Math 2
Since my son flew through Math 1 we moved on to Math 2 in January. For Math 2 I chose Singapore Math because I’ve heard wonderful things about it for years. I really like how this curriculum presents math. It really makes kids think through the process of mathematics. The lessons take more prep than The Good and the Beautiful, but it’s worth it. I would highly recommend this curriculum for kids that excel at math.
Singapore Math
2nd Grade
⭐Ease to Teach A
❤️ Kid Approval B
📅Prep Time A
💰Value A+
🔁Would We Use Again? Yes
Hooked on Phonics
My son was struggling with reading, so I wanted to take this year to focus on phonics. When I tell you this curriculum is a Godsend, I mean it. Not only does my son love it, but it’s also very low-prep for me, which is amazing as a homeschool mom of four. He really loves the stickers that come with it and playing on the app. It’s easy to tailor the lesson plans to his attention span.
Hooked on Phonics
⭐Ease to Teach A+
❤️ Kid Approval A+
📅Prep Time A+
💰Value A+
🔁Would We Use Again? Yes
Handwriting Without Tears
We started this book in kindergarten, but didn’t get all the way through it. We continued with this in the first part of first grade. The lessons are short and easy to follow. Overall, I think this is a solid writing curriculum.
Handwriting Without Tears
Kindergarten
⭐Ease to Teach A+
❤️ Kid Approval B
📅Prep Time A+
💰Value A+
🔁Would We Use Again? Yes
Draw Write Now
My first grader really likes the drawing element of this curriculum. I liked that we could pair this with Earth Science. The biggest struggle for him was the amount of sentences in the copy work. Most weeks, it took him three days to complete the copy work and drawing. We’ll continue to supplement with this book, but it didn’t work for us as his primary writing curriculum.
Draw Write Now
Book 6
⭐Ease to Teach A+
❤️ Kid Approval A
📅Prep Time A+
💰Value A+
🔁Would We Use Again? Yes
