Would love your comments/btdt advice on next years schedule (1st grade)

[Hazelt"nut"]

Link to my blog is

www.hazelnutacademy.blogspot.com (http://www.hazelnutacademy.blogspot.com)


Thanks for any and all input and sorry for a couple of typos...it always happens with kids sitting in my lap during computer time.
Sheryl

[ELaurie]

is lovely.

The only suggestion I have to offer, and I offer this tentatively because I really know very little about Awanas, is that you might consider reading stories from a well written Child's Story Bible if you don't already plan to do so. I've heard only good things about Awanas, but I don't know whether they cover the Bible in a chronological fashion, or tend to jump around a bit.

Enjoy your first grade year with your dd!

[Chris in VA]

I like your blog! And your schedule.
We use Saxon a year ahead, too. I've never consistently used the meeting book, preferring to hang a poster-sized calendar on the wall, and put stickies for each (number) date in the proper box (iykwim! lol). I used a wipe-off sentence strip to write out the entire date, hanging it above the calendar.
One thing I would say to be sure to do is to count as in the meeting. It gets tedious, but the repetition is very useful for learning math facts. Also, count the money at least a couple times a week. They are subtly introducing place value then.
Now that we are in Saxon 3, we just hung a regular calendar on the wall. Just a couple days ago, dd said she wished we could go back to doing it the other way! Time is fleeting.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I think it looks great. Two things you might want to consider depending on your DD: having her read aloud to you every day and daily copywork. My oldest was reading fluently in first so reading aloud for her meant working on slowing down, speaking clearly, and working on varying her tone to make listening to her more interesting. For my second, about half the year was continuing to build fluency, and now that I'm comfortable with her reading level we're working on the same skills as my oldest. I'm not familiar with Language Lessons for the Very Young, so I don't know if it includes daily copywork. If it doesn't then I would add some more copywork using maybe the Bible verses from AWANA or a sentence or two from a book she is reading.

[Hazelt"nut"]

Thank you everyone for the input. Except for a few minor tweaks I feel good about the choices. Here's hoping I can pull it all together during summer break.

Sheryl in GA

[Calming Tea]

I enjoyed your blog and your schedule looked nice. It looks like a fun, do-able year.

I wonder about LA thought. Journaling is a little tough with a first grader. Word spacing, spelling, can really get in the way for the child.

My son is using RFH A right now because he's finished K. But he really won't be official first grade until next school year. I find it's very difficult to expect a child to write or even copy anything until they are really reading very well and also to sit down with them and teach them how to make proper space between words. Their handwriting also has to be good enough not to be a hindrance to what they're thinking.

I would replace journaling with copy work. Maybe then towards the end of the year you can let her journal. :o)

Also, I didn't see spelling in there. I personally would not rely on the Queen's Language lessons series for spelling I don't know if you're waiting to finish ETC before starting spelling.

THis year my son will be doing spelling and phonics in tandem because I find that even though ETC includes some spelling, my son would really like to begin writing some stories and he can't do that until he's *confident* in spelling at least some simple words.

Those are my thoughts. I'm in the same stage as you and don't consider myself a wise sage, it's just things that I would do differently, fwiw.