A complete 1st grade homeschool curriculum

1. Unit 1: First Sounds, First WordsThe letter sounds, taught in the order that makes real words fastest — your child reads their first word (at) in week one.6 skills ▸close ▾

   • Sounds s, a, t, pThe sounds s, a, t, p
   • Blending i and nThe sounds i, n — and real blending
   • Sounds m, d, g, oThe sounds m, d, g, o
   • The sounds c, k, e, u, rThe sounds c, k, e, u, r
   • Sounds h, b, f, lThe sounds h, b, f, l
   • The last letter sounds, plus the word theThe sounds j, v, w, x, y, z — and the word 'the'
2. Unit 2: Words With More in ThemSentences, the two-letters-one-sound teams (sh, ch, th, ng, ck), and words that start with two quick sounds (stop, flag).6 skills ▸close ▾

   • Reading sentences with the words I and aReading whole sentences — and the words 'I' and 'a'
   • Two letters say shTwo letters, one sound: sh
   • More pairs ch and thMore hand-holders: ch and th
   • Endings ng and ckThe endings ng and ck
   • Blends at the startTwo sounds at the start: bl, st, tr and friends
   • Reading like a championBig finish: reading like a champion — and 'to' and 'no'
3. Unit 3: The Vowels Grow UpSilent e (cap becomes cape), the vowel teams (ee, ea, ai, ay, oa, ow, igh), and chopping longer words into chunks.8 skills ▸close ▾

   • Silent e with aSilent e makes the vowel say its name: a_e
   • Silent e with i and oSilent e with i and o: i_e, o_e
   • Teams ee and eaTwo vowels together: ee and ea
   • Teams ai and ayThe teams ai and ay
   • Teams oa and owThe teams oa and ow (the 'oh' one)
   • The igh sound, and the words said and wasThe sound igh — and 'said' and 'was'
   • Words with two chunksLonger words: two chunks
   • Read a little storyCheckpoint: read a whole little story
4. Unit 4: The Tricky VowelsBossy r (car, fork, bird), the two sounds of oo, the loud ow/ou, and oi, oy, aw, ew.8 skills ▸close ▾

   • Bossy r, arBossy r: ar
   • Bossy r, or, erBossy r: or, er
   • Bossy r, ir and urBossy r: ir and ur
   • Moon and book ooThe teams oo (moon) and oo (book)
   • The ow sound in ou and owThe loud teams: ou and ow
   • Teams oi and oyThe teams oi and oy
   • The sounds aw and ew, and the words they and whatThe teams aw and ew — and 'they' and 'what'
   • All my vowel soundsCheckpoint: every vowel sound you own
5. Unit 5: Real ReadingEndings (-s, -ing, -ed), soft c and g, silent letters, three-chunk words, reading with expression, and the last tricky words.8 skills ▸close ▾

   • Endings s and ingEndings that do work: -s, -ing
   • The ending edEndings from the past: -ed
   • Soft c and gSoft c and soft g
   • Silent kn, wr, mbSilent letters: kn, wr, mb
   • Words with three chunksThree-chunk words
   • Reading smoothly with punctuationReading smoothly: punctuation is stage directions
   • Tricky words reviewTricky-word round-up
   • I am a readerYou are a reader: the final story

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1. Unit 1: Counting, Comparing, and the Number LineThis is the on-ramp for the whole year. Your child stretches counting from small sets up to 120, learns to count on from any number instead of always starting at 1, and meets the number line as a picture of counting they already know how to do. It also builds the words 'more, fewer, same' and the idea of a group of ten as a bundle — both come back constantly for the rest of the year.8 skills ▸close ▾

   • Touch and countChild counts a set of up to 20 pictured objects by touching or tapping each one exactly once and states the total.
   • Counting to 120Child extends one-to-one counting to sets of up to 120 objects arranged in bundled groups of ten plus extra ones.
   • Count in any orderChild explains that counting the same set in a different order or arrangement gives the same total.
   • Count on from hereChild counts on from a stated number between 1 and 20 to find a total, without restarting the count at 1.
   • More, fewer, or sameChild compares two pictured groups of objects and taps which has more, fewer, or the same amount, after counting both.
   • Hop on the number lineChild locates a stated number on a number line by hopping forward one mark at a time from zero or another known point.
   • Count on anywhereChild uses a number line to count on from a two-digit starting number in a context never used during instruction, such as counting on from a page number or a scoreboard number.
   • Counting to 20Child recalls the count sequence in order from 1 to 20 without skipping or repeating a number.
2. Unit 2: What the Equals Sign Really MeansThis unit teaches the equals sign as 'the two sides show the same amount' — not 'now write the answer.' Every equation starts as objects: two matching groups, a join story, a split story. Number sentences come after, as the record of what already happened with real things.8 skills ▸close ▾

   • Same or not sameChild taps 'same' for a pictured equation like 4 objects = 4 objects and 'not same' for 4 objects = 5 objects.
   • Sort true and falseChild sorts a mixed set of true and false number sentences (3=3, 4+1=5, 5=2+3, 4+1=6) into 'same' and 'not same' piles by counting both sides.
   • The total can go firstChild explains, using objects, why 5 = 2 + 3 is true even though the sum is on the left.
   • Make both sides matchChild finds the missing number of objects needed so that 3 + __ = 5 using counters.
   • Find the missing numberChild identifies the missing-number card that makes a pictured equation true when the blank appears in different positions (start, middle, end).
   • One group or twoGiven two new pictured groups never seen in the unit (10 buttons vs. two groups of 5 buttons), child judges whether a proposed equation is true or false.
   • What the equal sign meansChild recalls that the equals sign is read aloud as 'is the same as,' not 'makes' or 'equals the answer.'
   • Count to prove itChild compares a bare-match equation (6=6) with a false addition equation (6=7) and states which is true using object counts as evidence.
3. Unit 3: Adding and Subtracting Within 10, FluentlyThis is where addition and subtraction within 10 go from 'act it out with objects' to 'know it fast.' The big idea is the fact family: three numbers like 3, 4, and 7 make one part-part-whole story, and knowing one fact unlocks three related ones.8 skills ▸close ▾

   • Joining to 10Given an object picture showing two groups joining (e.g. 3 ducks and 4 ducks), the student taps the numeral card showing the total.
   • Taking away to 10Given an object picture showing a group with some taken away, the student taps the numeral card showing how many are left.
   • Fact families to 10Given a completed part-part-whole picture (e.g. 3 red counters and 4 blue counters make 7 counters), the student explains why the same three numbers can make an addition fact and a related subtraction fact.
   • Make a matching factGiven one addition fact within 10, the student generates the matching subtraction fact using the same three numbers.
   • Joining or taking awayThe student sorts a mixed set of within-10 addition and subtraction fact cards into 'joining' and 'separating' piles by the story action, not the numbers shown.
   • Counting on to addThe student counts on from the larger number to solve an addition fact within 10, using fingers or a number line, without recounting from one.
   • Joining stories and taking-away storiesGiven a new within-10 object picture never seen in class, the student decides whether it shows a joining or a separating story and picks the matching number sentence.
   • Fast facts to 10The student recalls the sum or difference for within-10 facts quickly (within about 3 seconds) without counting all objects one by one.
4. Unit 4: Making a Ten: Addition and Subtraction Within 20Children learn to regroup numbers past 10 into one ten plus extra ones, using ten-frames as the visual model. This covers make-a-ten addition, take-apart-a-ten subtraction, and then applying both in problems with three numbers or two steps.10 skills ▸close ▾

   • Pairs that make 10Recall the ten-partner (addend pair summing to 10) for any number 1-9, shown with objects.
   • The full ten frameRecognize a full ten-frame picture as the quantity ten without recounting each unit.
   • Moving keeps the totalExplain why moving counters to fill a ten-frame does not change the total number of objects in a make-a-ten addition problem.
   • Make a ten to addExecute the make-a-ten strategy to solve an addition fact within 20 using a ten-frame and loose counters.
   • Take apart to subtractExecute the take-apart-a-ten strategy to solve a subtraction fact within 20 by removing loose ones before the ten.
   • Find the right frameIdentify which of two pictured ten-frame regroupings correctly represents a given make-a-ten addition or subtraction.
   • Add in any orderCompare two different orders of adding the same three numbers and determine both totals are the same.
   • Pick a pair for tenSelect which two of three given numbers to combine first in order to make a ten, when more than one valid pairing exists.
   • Two step storiesSolve a two-step word problem within 20 involving three whole numbers by sequencing an addition and a subtraction (or two additions).
   • Choose how to solveApply the correct within-10 or within-20 strategy to a novel mixed problem set presented in an unfamiliar picture format with no strategy label.
5. Unit 5: Tens and Ones to 120This unit gives a name to the bundle of ten your child has been making since Unit 1 and using in Unit 4's make-a-ten work: a ten. Every two-digit number becomes a story of some tens and some leftover ones, built entirely with bundles and base-ten pictures before any digit appears.10 skills ▸close ▾

   • A bundle is a tenGiven a picture of a bundled group of ten objects, the child names the group 'a ten'.
   • Bundle and count leftoversGiven a pile of 11-19 loose objects and a rehearsed prompt ('make a ten, count what's left'), the child bundles ten and states the leftover count, using the exact routine modeled in guided practice.
   • Tens and onesGiven a base-ten picture showing some bundles of ten and some loose ones (up to 9 bundles, 9 loose), the child taps the matching two-digit numeral.
   • Count from 1 to 20The child recites the counting sequence from 1 to 20, in the exact rote order rehearsed daily since Unit 1, when asked to 'count as high as you can.'
   • Count on from any numberThe child counts aloud starting at any given number below 120, continuing at least ten counts forward.
   • Tens and no onesGiven the spoken number word for a decade number (e.g. 'seventy'), the child taps the base-ten picture showing that many full tens and zero loose ones.
   • Ten ones make tenGiven the picture of exactly ten loose objects (no bundle drawn yet), the child taps the numeral 10 rather than a numeral suggesting 'one and zero' as separate leftover groups.
   • Switch the digitsGiven two two-digit numbers with the same digits in reversed order (e.g. 34 and 43), the child taps the base-ten picture matching each, showing the amounts differ.
   • Tens and ones anywhereGiven a spoken two-digit number in an unfamiliar context (a shelf of toy count, a page count) with no bundle picture shown, the child taps the matching group of objects arranged in an unfamiliar layout (a ten-frame array instead of straw bundles).
   • Numbers past 100Given a numeral between 100 and 120, the child taps the picture with ten full bundles plus the matching loose ones.
6. Unit 6: Comparing and Adding Two-Digit NumbersChildren use tens-and-ones thinking from Unit 5 to compare two two-digit numbers (check tens first, then ones) and to add a one-digit number to a two-digit number (check whether the ones cross past ten).8 skills ▸close ▾

   • Compare the tensGiven two two-digit numbers shown as base-ten block pictures, child taps which number has more tens.
   • Compare the onesWhen two two-digit numbers have the same number of tens, child taps which has more ones to decide which number is greater.
   • Tens beat onesChild explains, using tens and ones language, why a number with more tens is always greater regardless of its ones digit.
   • Add ones to tensGiven a picture story of a two-digit number of blocks with a one-digit number of blocks added, child taps the numeral that names the total when no new ten is formed.
   • Make a new tenGiven a picture story where the ones pile reaches or passes ten, child taps the numeral total after bundling a new ten.
   • Guessing when we make a new tenBefore adding, child predicts whether a given two-digit-plus-one-digit picture story will cross a new ten, without completing the addition.
   • Compare or addChild sorts a mixed set of two-digit comparison problems and two-digit-plus-one-digit addition problems by which strategy applies, without solving them.
   • Coins worth moreGiven a new context never used in instruction (comparing two piles of coins where one pile has fewer coins but a coin looks physically bigger), child taps which pile has more value using tens-and-ones reasoning transferred from blocks.
7. Unit 7: Measuring Length and Telling TimeOne shared idea runs through this whole unit: measuring means laying same-size units end to end with no gaps and counting them. That logic applies to length (cubes, paperclips) and then to clocks, where the same idea of 'fair, consistent units' shows up as hours and half-hours.9 skills ▸close ▾

   • Shortest to longestChild orders three pictured objects from shortest to longest by direct visual comparison.
   • Use a helper objectChild identifies which of two objects is longer when they cannot be placed side by side, by comparing each to a third object.
   • Measure with cubesChild counts how many same-size units (cubes) span a pictured object, laid end to end with no gaps.
   • Big and small cubesChild explains why measuring the same object with a bigger unit gives a smaller number than measuring with a smaller unit.
   • Which has more cubesChild compares the measured lengths of two different objects using the same unit and says which is longer using 'more/fewer' language.
   • Clocks on the hourChild taps the analog clock picture that shows a spoken time to the hour.
   • Slow hand, fast handChild explains, using the picture of a clock, why the little hand moves much more slowly than the big hand.
   • Clocks at half pastChild taps the analog clock picture that shows a spoken time to the half hour.
   • Hour or half hourChild decides whether a spoken time is closer to 'just started the hour' or 'halfway through the hour' by looking at where the big hand points on an unfamiliar clock picture.
8. Unit 8: Organizing Data and Composing ShapesThe last unit of the year, split into two halves that share one idea: a rule applied consistently is what makes a sorted group or a split shape trustworthy. First half: sorting objects by one rule, building simple picture graphs, and comparing counts. Second half: combining small shapes into bigger ones, and splitting circles and rectangles into equal halves and quarters.9 skills ▸close ▾

   • Sort by one ruleWhen shown a set of up to 10 mixed pictured objects and one stated sorting rule (e.g. by color), the child taps the correct bin for each object.
   • More, fewer, sameGiven a picture graph of three categories (up to 10 total objects), the child taps the category with more, fewer, or the same number, using 'is the same as' language from Unit 2.
   • Same total, new groupsGiven the same set of 9 pictured objects sorted first by color and then by shape, the child explains that the total count of objects stays the same even though the category picture looks different.
   • Put shapes togetherGiven two small 2D shapes (e.g. two triangles), the child taps the picture showing the larger shape they combine to make (e.g. a square).
   • Build a towerGiven a pictured composite shape made of 3-4 small shapes not seen in instruction, the child taps which two named 3D solids (e.g. cube, cone) could stack to make a similarly shaped tower.
   • Halves or notGiven a picture of a circle or rectangle cut into two pieces, the child taps whether the pieces are halves (equal) or not equal shares.
   • Four equal piecesGiven a picture of a rectangle split into four pieces of different sizes, the child explains why it is not split into fourths even though there are four pieces.
   • Halves into fourthsGiven a circle already split into two equal halves, the child taps the picture showing how one half could be split again to make four equal quarters.
   • Picture graphsThe child recalls that a picture graph has bars or pictures that stand for objects being counted, when asked to identify a picture graph among other pictures.

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1. Unit 1: Weather, Sky and SeasonsNine weeks of watching the actual sky: daily weather, wind you infer, sun that warms, shadows that move, puddles that vanish, and a family severe-weather plan.9 skills ▸close ▾

   • Today's weatherDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about naming today's weather and comparing days.
   • Finding the windDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about how we know wind exists without seeing it.
   • Sun and shadeDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about sunlight warming things and shade keeping them cool.
   • Shadows moveDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about shadows changing with the sun's position.
   • Where puddles goDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about where puddle water goes.
   • Dress for the weatherDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about choosing clothes and plans to match the weather.
   • Our tree todayDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about what the adopted tree looks like right now and predicting its change.
   • Staying safe in stormsDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about what to do when severe weather comes.
   • Weather all togetherDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about putting all the weather ideas together.
2. Unit 2: Pushes, Pulls and Things That MoveForces at floor level: pushes and pulls, ramps and races, collisions, balanced tugs, light and shadows, magnets, and a ball-run build that fails on purpose.9 skills ▸close ▾

   • Sort pushes and pullsDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about sorting pushes and pulls.
   • Big pushes go farDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about bigger pushes making things go farther and faster.
   • Steep ramps go fastDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about steeper ramps and faster rolling.
   • Crash and turnDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about bumps and collisions changing which way things go.
   • Two equal pullsDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about two pulls that cancel out.
   • Blocking the lightDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about materials blocking light and making shadows.
   • Our tree and pushesDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about what changed on the tree and finding pushes and pulls at home.
   • Magnets pull some thingsDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about magnets pulling some things and not others.
   • Build a ball runDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about building something, watching it fail, and fixing one part.
3. Unit 3: Living Things and Their PlacesAlive or not, what living things need (with a control cup), body parts with jobs, babies and parents, habitats, traveling seeds, and a sit-spot that produces a real question.8 skills ▸close ▾

   • Alive or not aliveDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about sorting alive, not alive, and once-alive.
   • What seeds needDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about what seeds need to sprout and grow.
   • Body parts with jobsDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about animal body parts and what each part is for.
   • Babies and parentsDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about animal babies resembling their parents.
   • Where animals liveDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about matching animals to the places that meet their needs.
   • How seeds travelDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about how seeds get to new places.
   • Our tree's storyDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about the tree's story across three seasons.
   • Watch and wonderDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about watching quietly and asking a science question.
4. Unit 4: Stuff and What It DoesMaterials and their properties, choices that fit purposes, water's three states, changes you cannot undo, sound as vibration, an instrument build, and the year's capstone question.10 skills ▸close ▾

   • Made of whatDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about sorting objects by what they are made of and how they feel.
   • Picking the right stuffDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about materials chosen because their properties fit the job.
   • Ice, water, steamDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about ice, water and steam being the same stuff.
   • Can you undo itDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about changes that can be undone and changes that cannot.
   • Shaking makes soundDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about shaking and vibrating things making sound.
   • Loud, quiet, high, lowDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about loud versus quiet and high versus low sounds.
   • Change your instrumentDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about changing a design to change its sound.
   • My tree all yearDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about the tree's whole year of changes.
   • The big safariDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about finding weather, forces, living things, materials and sound in the real world.
   • Ask and find outDo the hands-on exploration, then show Clara you can talk about asking a question and planning how to find out.

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1. Unit 1: Me, My Family, My StoryHistory starts at home: the child's name, family, growth, daily sequence, traditions, an elder interview, their address, homes near and far — bound into a book they author.9 skills ▸close ▾

   • My name storyDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about knowing and telling the story of their own name.
   • My familyDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about who is in their family and how family members help each other.
   • Then and nowDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about how they have changed since they were a baby and what stayed the same.
   • My day in orderDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about putting the events of a day in order.
   • A family traditionDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about what a tradition is and naming one of their family's.
   • Life long agoDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about asking an older person what life was like long ago.
   • Where I liveDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about saying where they live, from street to country.
   • Different homesDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about homes being different while meeting the same needs.
   • My story bookDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about telling their own story from their book.
2. Unit 2: Rules, Jobs and MoneyCivics and economics at kid scale: why rules exist, fair vs equal, community jobs, needs and wants, earning and the save-spend-share jars, a family market, real votes, and a signed family constitution.9 skills ▸close ▾

   • Why we have rulesDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about why games and families have rules.
   • Fair and the sameDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about the difference between everyone getting the same and everyone getting what they need.
   • Community helpersDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about community jobs and what would happen without them.
   • Needs and wantsDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about sorting needs from wants.
   • Where money comes fromDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about money coming from work and trading for things.
   • Save, spend, shareDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about choosing to spend, save or share money.
   • Trading things and jobsDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about goods you can hold and services people do.
   • Voting togetherDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about how voting lets a group decide fairly.
   • Making our own rulesDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about making rules together and agreeing to follow them.
3. Unit 3: Maps and PlacesGeography by making: mapping the bedroom, symbol keys and treasure hunts, a field-tested walk map, land and water, cardinal directions, how places shape lives, and the room-to-Earth zoom.8 skills ▸close ▾

   • My room mapDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about what a map shows and drawing a place from above.
   • Treasure map symbolsDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about map symbols standing for real things.
   • Our walk mapDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about mapping a walk using landmarks in order.
   • Land and waterDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about telling land from water on a map and naming landforms.
   • North, south, east, westDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about using north, south, east and west.
   • Hot and cold placesDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about how the place people live shapes how they live.
   • From home to EarthDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about how home fits inside town, state, country and Earth.
   • Our map fairDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about making a map with a key and showing it works.
4. Unit 4: People and the PastThe past through evidence: old objects as clues, school and travel and communication then vs now, the town's own story, symbols and holidays treated plainly, changemakers, a review museum and a sealed time capsule.10 skills ▸close ▾

   • Clues from old thingsDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about using old objects as clues about the past.
   • School long agoDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about how school long ago was different from now.
   • Travel then and nowDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about putting ways of traveling in order from long ago to now.
   • Talking then and nowDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about how people far apart talked long ago and now.
   • How our town changedDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about finding out how their town has changed.
   • Flags and symbolsDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about flags and symbols standing for groups and places.
   • Holiday storiesDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about holidays remembering and celebrating things.
   • People who changed thingsDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about how a real person saw a problem and changed things.
   • Our learning museumDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about showing and explaining what they learned all year.
   • My time capsuleDo the activity together, then show Clara you can talk about making a time capsule for their future self.

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