1st Grade Curriculum Picks (2024-2025)

These are my 1st grade curriculum picks for my middle child. I have decided to leave off specific levels on my curriculum pick blog posts for my older boys this year in an effort to preserve their privacy. My middle guy loves reading, but is less fond of math.

Individual Subjects:

Reading/Literature

We are moving toward focusing on reading comprehension and literature this year. I’m looking at some of the literature guides from Memoria Press. My goal is for him to practice reading 30 minutes per day, whether he is working on a literature guide or not.

Math

He is picking up where he left off with Christian Light Education math. We will change levels at an odd point in the school year and I have made peace with that. Christian Light Education is a procedural and spiral math program. It is very similar to, but less expensive than, Saxon. I think it’s a little easier to test out of or skip certain portions with Christian Light. There is certainly plenty of practice.

Grammar

We are doing First Language Lessons for a gentle and fun introduction to grammar. I also used it with my older son when he was in 1st grade. This takes us maybe 5 minutes at the most.

Handwriting

My son is moving from individual letter formation to copy work this year. I purchased him the Cycle 3 Handwriting Sheets in print from Claritas Publishing. These will go along with the memory work we are doing as a family. There is also some copy work included with the Memoria Press literature.

Bible

Primarily, he will work on memorizing Sparks verses. He is also joining Trail Life this year, so he will have some additional Bible verses to learn for that.

Spelling

Building Spelling Skills from Evan-Moor is inexpensive and seems to get the job done for us. I’ve purchased it from Amazon. It is a very basic, workbook format spelling curriculum – nothing flashy.

With 3rd Grade Big Brother:

History

We started the 4 year Well-Trained Mind history cycle when big brother was in 1st grade, so we’re on Early Modern now. My middle guy informally listened to history last year as desired, but this year it’ll be an official subject for him. We’ll be using Story of the World: Volume 3 as our spine, along with a lot of supplemental books for fun.

I bought the audio version on Audible. Since my children are young and need me for nearly everything, the audiobook is a helpful tool for our homeschool. This year, all 3 kids will color the corresponding coloring sheets as they listen to the chapter.

I also have corresponding supplemental books that we will read throughout the year. Those will be listed in an upcoming blog post.

Science

We also use the 4 year Well-Trained Mind rotation for science. This year we are studying chemistry. I think we’ll be going the Claritas memory work + assorted books + occasional experiment route this year, rather than doing a prefab science curriculum. The chemistry books will also be listed in an upcoming blog post.

Edit: I began the school year and determined that this was going to be too much…we will be using Mystery Science instead.

Memory Work

My middle guy has informally participated in memory work in the past, but will be an official part of it this year. We are on Claritas Cycle 3, which includes early modern history, chemistry, Bible verses, Latin, hymns, timeline, math, grammar, and geography. I bought the memory work guide in physical book form from Claritas Publishing. I also highly recommend getting a Cross Seven membership, which has all of the memory work set to song. Claritas memory work matches up to the Well-Trained Mind 4 year cycle, which is convenient for us.

Latin

At some point, each child will split off and do their own Latin. Last year, my oldest was in 2nd grade and I intended for him to do Latin alone. However, Song School Latin is engaging and fun, and my younger kids loved it too. We will pick up where we left off at the end of last year. Our family has enjoyed the multisensory approach with the audio CD, the video lessons, and the workbook.