CHC Lesson Plans: First Grade

LANGUAGE ARTS
Reading at the second/third grade level; exposure to over 7,000 words
Good communication skills: eye contact, sharing, listening
Creative thinking and speaking skills (story-telling)
Introduction to spelling; mastery of 148 words
Beginning language skills: capitalization; punctuation; vowels; vocabulary; writing; word study; sentences; introduction to nouns, verbs, and prepositions
Manuscript penmanship

MATH
Counting and writing to 200; counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s; ordinal numbers through 10; cardinal numbers
Addition facts (trading, missing addends, column addition)
Subtraction facts (two-digit numbers, trading, missing subtrahends)
Beginning fractions (whole, ½, ⅓, ¼), tables, and bar graphs
Geometry and measurement (units of measure, perimeter, estimation)
Telling time to ½ hour; calendar (days of week, months of year)
Solving simple word problems and selecting correct operation
Working with and writing dollars and cents; adding and subtracting money
Place value; sequencing

SCIENCE & HEALTH
Recognition of our Creator; learning to classify and group
Simple experimentation; scientific method and scientific inquiry
Plants (growth, seeds, roots, leaves); how seeds travel
Animals (mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, snakes); carnivores, omnivores, herbivores
Vertebrates and invertebrates; skeletons and exoskeletons
Migration and hibernation
Senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste
Seasons and weather
Living and nonliving things
Insects (harmful and helpful); arachnids and spiders

RELIGION
Who God is; who I am; why I am here; where I am going; how to get there
Basic catechetical truths; participation in the life of the Church and liturgical seasons
Practical, living faith: sacrifice, obedience, prayer, charity, forgiveness
Introduction to daily prayer: hand-made prayer book

NON-CORE AND ELECTIVES

Product Code: LP1
Format: Softcover
Binding: Loose-leaf, 3-hole drilled
Page Count: 110 pages
Dimensions: 8.5″×11″
ISBN: 9781946207296
Returnable? No, view return policy.
Consumable? Yes, purchase one per student.
Answer key: None required.

Q: What is the difference between core and non-core subjects?

A: A helpful feature of CHC lesson plans is the distinction between core and non-core subjects. Core subjects are the “basic essentials” of education, often thought of as the “Three R’s.” Core subjects such as math, grammar, and science are clearly labeled as such in CHC’s daily lesson plans, making it delightfully easy to trim the day’s schedule as needed. CHC’s flexible program allows non-core subjects, such as Latin, art, and penmanship, to be returned to the schedule as time permits; the focus on core subjects ensures that the student will be exposed to all that is necessary for his grade level, without placing undue demands on student or teacher in times of family “overload.”

Q: Why a four-day week? What about Wednesdays?

A: CHC lesson plans for preschool to fourth grade are designed around a four-day week. Taking off one flex-day each week provides that needed break to keep homeschooling burnout at bay.  Wednesdays are days you can assist at Holy Mass together, schedule dental and medical appointments, or dive into those all-day projects that have been beckoning. It can be a day for a mini-unit study, meeting with other families in your homeschooling group, field trips, visits to the elderly, volunteering, sewing costumes for the Feast of All Saints, making Christmas cards, or practicing your upcoming Nativity Play. Wednesdays can also be a day for mom simply to play catch-up, enjoy a sewing project, make a special dinner, or do remedial work with a child needing help—the ideas are as individual as each family and do count as school!

From fifth grade to eighth grade, CHC lesson plans follow a five-day week, since the student’s work load increases in the middle school years.

Q: I like the idea of lesson plans, but want to retain control over what I teach and when I teach it. I am wary of plans that are overstructured. Can you give me an idea of CHC’s approach?

A: CHC lesson plans combine the flexibility of a self-designed curriculum with the reassurance of knowing that one is providing a complete education. By following CHC’s lesson plans, homeschooling parents have the assurance that “all the bases are covered,” so that they can relax and enjoy sharing in the academic discoveries of their children. With CHC’s lesson plans, the family tailors the studies to fit the family; with public school, private school, or a very structured home study school, the program tailors the family to fit the studies.

Q: I would like to purchase one copy of the lesson plans and copy it for my other children. Would this break the copyright since I’m only using them with my children and not a group?

A: The copyright on lesson plans is a standard copyright, which allows unlimited use of the material as long as copies are not made of the work. If families were to photocopy the plans for more than one child – for all the children in the family – then the price of the plans would have to be much higher. The additional bonus to using one lesson plan per child is twofold: You will enjoy writing in the plans and having a permanent record to look back on, and we are constantly updating and adding new materials and ideas when we reprint each lesson plan. We both win when the copyright law is honored; CHC and its authors and artists receive payment they have earned, which in turn enables CHC to continue to publish more materials for your growing family!