First week of First Grade Activities
I thought I'd share what we did for the first week of 1st Grade after having posted the "School in a Box" ideas.
We did academic and elective-type subjects for approx. 3 hrs. per day. Free play time and meals were interspersed. Sports approx. 1 hr./day. The only rule about subject matter was no videos.
Each day we covered more subjects than I would have planned if I had done lesson plans. I felt it was a lot, maybe too much, but my daughter didn't seem to mind. She wanted to do these activities together. And she suddenly is very interested in learning to read. (The summer reading program at the library helped spark her interest.)
When she needed a suggestion for the next activity , she chose one from the cards in the box. Otherwise she came up with many of the activities herself.
Child-led: she chose the activity (usually un-prompted), and pretty much did it herself.
Monday
1. Spelling: Moveable alphabet work (parent-suggested).
2. Read Aloud: The Son of Tarzan, Hand Rhymes (child-suggested).
3. Phonics: letter sounds, blends, alphabetize (parent-led).
4. Math: games, clock (child-led).
5. Sewing: draw pattern for a doll dress, cut out front, pin, cut out felt fabric (child-led).
6. Art: drawing, computer sketch (child-led).
7. P.E.: swimming.
Tuesday
1. Science/Nature: study snails (real ones -- child-led).
2. Reading: Reader Rabbit Books 1-8 (child-led).
3. Grammar: sentence "strips" (one word per card); verb -- action words activity (parent-led).
4. Read Aloud: Play Rhymes, The Son of Tarzan (child-suggested).
5. History: read about North American explorers (parent-led).
6. Phonics: Word Bird Makes Words with Hen (short e sound, 3-letter words); discuss "oo" as in book vs. "oo" as in boo (parent-led).
7. Music: listen to/sing children's songs (child-led).
8. Crafts: Play-Doh (child-led).
9. P.E.: soccer.
Wednesday
1. Calendar: months of the year, birthdays, time between birthdays, current month, saints' feastdays, Christmas (child-suggested).
2. Catechism: read a brief bio. of St. Norbert, founding of monasteries (child-suggested).
3. Community: Hurrican Katrina, New Orleans refugees in Superdome -- read news -- discussion (child-suggested).
4. Science/Nature: behavior of polar bears -- National Geographic photos (parent-suggested).
5. Read Aloud: My House/Mi Casa, First Day of School, A Birthday Surprise (parent-led).
6. Spanish: read from bilingual books, Spanish story time at library.
7. Reading: some of the words in read aloud; several phonics concepts covered in context (parent-suggested).
8. P.E.: park time.
Thursday
1. Assisted Reading: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel; Rain, Rain, come Again (child-suggested).
2. Math: Addition and subtraction -- oral and manipulative (parent-led).
3. Geography: study weather map (newspaper) -- Bay Area and United States -- locate our town, locate New Orleans, several other cities (parent-led).
4. Handwriting: Practice uppercase and lowercase: Ss, Zz, Rr, from workbook pages (parent-led).
5. Phonics: discuss vowels and consonants, short vowel sounds; work with CVC word/picture cards (parent-led).
6. Reading: Reader Rabbit, Book 9 (child-led).
7. Art: draw/color on computer (child-led).
8. Computer: online games: following directions; putting sentence fragments together to make a sentence (child-suggested).
9. Recess: Friend comes over to play in the afternoon.
Friday
1. Math: counting out quantities 1-10 (beans), match to numeral cards; addition 10+1 to 20+9; calendar review (parent-led).
2. Writing: note/email to friend (child-led).
3. Art: draw bears; Play-Doh: make baseball players, bases, and bat and ball (child-led).
4. Religion: pray for hurrican Katrina victims (parent-led).
5. Music: sing children's songs (child-led).
6. Poetry: read aloud Mother Goose Rhymes: pick one to memorize (child-suggested).
7. Creative writing: wrote four very short stories about toy bears (parent-suggested).
8. Spelling: sound out and spell several words.
9. Phonics: computer games: CVC words; match first letter sounds (child-led).
10. P.E.: swim.
We did academic and elective-type subjects for approx. 3 hrs. per day. Free play time and meals were interspersed. Sports approx. 1 hr./day. The only rule about subject matter was no videos.
Each day we covered more subjects than I would have planned if I had done lesson plans. I felt it was a lot, maybe too much, but my daughter didn't seem to mind. She wanted to do these activities together. And she suddenly is very interested in learning to read. (The summer reading program at the library helped spark her interest.)
When she needed a suggestion for the next activity , she chose one from the cards in the box. Otherwise she came up with many of the activities herself.
Child-led: she chose the activity (usually un-prompted), and pretty much did it herself.
Monday
1. Spelling: Moveable alphabet work (parent-suggested).
2. Read Aloud: The Son of Tarzan, Hand Rhymes (child-suggested).
3. Phonics: letter sounds, blends, alphabetize (parent-led).
4. Math: games, clock (child-led).
5. Sewing: draw pattern for a doll dress, cut out front, pin, cut out felt fabric (child-led).
6. Art: drawing, computer sketch (child-led).
7. P.E.: swimming.
Tuesday
1. Science/Nature: study snails (real ones -- child-led).
2. Reading: Reader Rabbit Books 1-8 (child-led).
3. Grammar: sentence "strips" (one word per card); verb -- action words activity (parent-led).
4. Read Aloud: Play Rhymes, The Son of Tarzan (child-suggested).
5. History: read about North American explorers (parent-led).
6. Phonics: Word Bird Makes Words with Hen (short e sound, 3-letter words); discuss "oo" as in book vs. "oo" as in boo (parent-led).
7. Music: listen to/sing children's songs (child-led).
8. Crafts: Play-Doh (child-led).
9. P.E.: soccer.
Wednesday
1. Calendar: months of the year, birthdays, time between birthdays, current month, saints' feastdays, Christmas (child-suggested).
2. Catechism: read a brief bio. of St. Norbert, founding of monasteries (child-suggested).
3. Community: Hurrican Katrina, New Orleans refugees in Superdome -- read news -- discussion (child-suggested).
4. Science/Nature: behavior of polar bears -- National Geographic photos (parent-suggested).
5. Read Aloud: My House/Mi Casa, First Day of School, A Birthday Surprise (parent-led).
6. Spanish: read from bilingual books, Spanish story time at library.
7. Reading: some of the words in read aloud; several phonics concepts covered in context (parent-suggested).
8. P.E.: park time.
Thursday
1. Assisted Reading: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel; Rain, Rain, come Again (child-suggested).
2. Math: Addition and subtraction -- oral and manipulative (parent-led).
3. Geography: study weather map (newspaper) -- Bay Area and United States -- locate our town, locate New Orleans, several other cities (parent-led).
4. Handwriting: Practice uppercase and lowercase: Ss, Zz, Rr, from workbook pages (parent-led).
5. Phonics: discuss vowels and consonants, short vowel sounds; work with CVC word/picture cards (parent-led).
6. Reading: Reader Rabbit, Book 9 (child-led).
7. Art: draw/color on computer (child-led).
8. Computer: online games: following directions; putting sentence fragments together to make a sentence (child-suggested).
9. Recess: Friend comes over to play in the afternoon.
Friday
1. Math: counting out quantities 1-10 (beans), match to numeral cards; addition 10+1 to 20+9; calendar review (parent-led).
2. Writing: note/email to friend (child-led).
3. Art: draw bears; Play-Doh: make baseball players, bases, and bat and ball (child-led).
4. Religion: pray for hurrican Katrina victims (parent-led).
5. Music: sing children's songs (child-led).
6. Poetry: read aloud Mother Goose Rhymes: pick one to memorize (child-suggested).
7. Creative writing: wrote four very short stories about toy bears (parent-suggested).
8. Spelling: sound out and spell several words.
9. Phonics: computer games: CVC words; match first letter sounds (child-led).
10. P.E.: swim.
posted by none at 8:02 AM
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