Weeks 1-9 • Focus: Self, Family, and Community
The first quarter establishes foundational academic skills and, just as importantly, the routines and rhythms of your homeschool. The focus is on creating a joyful, secure learning environment where the child feels known and confident. Themes revolve around the self, family, and the immediate community, providing a relevant and concrete starting point for learning.
Academic Skills:
Social-Emotional Skills:
Establishing identity, belonging, and homeschool routines
Chrysanthemum
by Kevin Henkes
I Like Myself!
by Karen Beaumont
Your Name Is a Song
by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Begin with Chrysanthemum. Discuss the characters, setting, and what happens in the story. Focus on answering questions about key details. 1R1, 1R3
Create an "All About My Name" art project. Explore the letters and story behind the child's name, connecting to the theme of identity. 1.1a
Use counting bears or other manipulatives for simple sorting and counting games to build number sense up to 50.
Read I Like Myself! Use a free printable "All About Me" worksheet as a template for a poster. Draw pictures and complete simple sentences. 1RF1a
Take a "Five Senses Walk" around the yard or neighborhood. Name things you see, hear, smell, and touch. This builds observational skills. 1-PS4-2
Read Your Name Is a Song. Discuss the rhythm and meaning of names in different cultures.
Discuss family traditions, both big and small, like a special weekly meal or holiday celebration. 1.1b
Introduce simple games like "Shut the Box" or "Make 5" with cards to practice addition facts within 5 and 10.
"Taste Test" experiment: Blindfold the child and have them taste different fruits to identify by taste alone. This isolates the sense of taste.
Introduce your chosen online platform (Zearn or Khan Academy Kids) for a short, engaging session of 15-20 minutes.
Create a simple personal timeline using photographs from birth to present, introducing concepts of past, present, and sequence. 1.7a
Review the week's stories and have the child share their "All About Me" poster, practicing speaking and listening skills.
Free play with manipulatives like LEGOs, pattern blocks, or Unifix cubes to build spatial reasoning and number sense.
Worksheets & Printables:
Activities & Experiments:
Establishing expectations and understanding community roles
Our Class is a Family
by Shannon Olsen
What If Everybody Did That?
by Ellen Javernick
Read Our Class is a Family. Discuss why we have rules at home, in the car, and in a community. Differentiate between a "rule" and a "law". 1.4a
Collaboratively create and write down "Our Homeschool Rules," focusing on positive behaviors.
Read What If Everybody Did That? Identify the main topic of the book. 1R2
Focus on building fluency with addition and subtraction within 10. Use number bonds to show how numbers can be decomposed. 1.OA.6b
Write a short informative text titled "How to Be a Good Helper," supplying facts from experience. 1W2
Discuss the concept of being a responsible citizen. 1.3b
Plan and conduct a "Sink or Float" experiment. Gather household objects, make predictions, test, and record results.
Play "Addition War" with cards - each player flips two cards, adds them, and the higher sum wins.
Review the week's stories and practice retelling main ideas.
Math game day - review addition/subtraction within 10 through games and manipulatives.
Multimedia:
Math Games:
Two-week unit exploring family history, time, change, and continuity
The Relatives Came
by Cynthia Rylant
Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born
by Jamie Lee Curtis
Prepare interview questions for a grandparent or older relative about their childhood. Questions like: "What games did you play?", "What was school like?" 1.8b
Read family stories and identify characters, settings, and events. 1R3
Introduce the equal sign as meaning "the same as". Use a balance scale with blocks to show 5 = 3+2. 1.OA.7
Look at baby pictures of child and parents. Discuss similarities in features. 1-LS3-1
Conduct the family interview (in person or by phone/video).
Create a "Then and Now" T-chart comparing the relative's childhood to the child's own.
Write a short narrative about the relative's story, focusing on sequence of events. 1W3
Progress to solving for unknowns: 4+?=7. Use objects to find the missing part. 1.OA.8
Share family stories and celebrate the connections between generations.
Activities:
Math Materials:
Learning about jobs in our community and how they contribute to society
Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do
by Kathryn Heling
Community Helpers
Informational texts
Identify community helpers: firefighter, doctor, mail carrier, teacher, sanitation worker. Discuss their roles. If possible, arrange a field trip. 1.5a
Compare stories about helpers (literary) with informational texts explaining their jobs. 1R5
Word problems with three numbers: "A mail carrier delivered 5 letters to our house, 3 to the next house, and 6 to the last house. How many in all?" 1.OA.2
Begin shared research: Choose one helper, gather information from 2-3 sources.
Create thank-you cards for community helpers to practice civic participation.
Introduce biomimicry: Design equipment that mimics an animal part, like protective gear that is hard like a turtle's shell. 1-LS1-1
Complete shared research project with 3-4 facts answering "What does a baker do?" 1W7
Continue practicing three-addend problems using community helper contexts.
Present research findings about chosen community helper.
Lesson Plans:
Books & Media:
Introduction to geography, spatial reasoning, and sky observations
Me on the Map
by Joan Sweeney
There's a Map on My Lap!
by Tish Rabe
Introduce maps vs. globes. Teach cardinal directions (N, S, E, W) and label classroom walls. 1.5a
Read mapping books, using illustrations to understand concepts. 1R7
Create a map of the child's bedroom or backyard using symbols and a simple legend.
Measure objects in the mapped room using non-standard units (paper clips, LEGO bricks). 1.MD.2
Begin sky journal: Draw sun position in morning and afternoon, note moon shape at night. 1-ESS1-1
Write directions from the door to the bed using spatial words and cardinal directions. 1W2
Use Google Maps to zoom from house to country to world, understanding scale.
Order three objects by length; compare using terms longer/shorter. 1.MD.1
Continue sky observations, looking for patterns in sun and moon positions.
Treasure hunt using cardinal directions and the maps created.
Activities:
Online Resources:
Consolidating learning and celebrating achievements
This lighter week is designed to review concepts, celebrate learning, and conduct informal assessments. It's also time to prepare your first quarterly report for the district.
Play favorite math games: "Addition War", "Shut the Box", and "Make 10" to review addition/subtraction fluency within 10.
Re-read favorite stories from the quarter. Have child retell one story in their own words, identifying characters, setting, and events.
Direction game: Give cardinal directions and have child point or move that way. Review community helper roles through role-play.
Review five senses activities and sky observations. Look at science journal together and discuss patterns noticed.
Create a "Quarter 1 Portfolio" with best work samples. Celebrate accomplishments with a special activity or treat.
Observe your child's ability to:
Academic Skills:
Content Knowledge:
Use this week's observations to write your first quarterly report for your school district, including:
| Title | Author | Week(s) Used |
|---|---|---|
| Chrysanthemum | Kevin Henkes | Week 1 |
| I Like Myself! | Karen Beaumont | Week 1 |
| Your Name Is a Song | Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow | Week 1 |
| Our Class is a Family | Shannon Olsen | Week 2 |
| What If Everybody Did That? | Ellen Javernick | Week 2 |
| The Relatives Came | Cynthia Rylant | Weeks 3-4 |
| Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born | Jamie Lee Curtis | Weeks 3-4 |
| Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do | Kathryn Heling | Weeks 5-6 |
| Me on the Map | Joan Sweeney | Weeks 7-8 |
| There's a Map on My Lap! | Tish Rabe | Weeks 7-8 |
Continue your homeschool journey with Quarter 2: Exploring Our World, featuring seasonal changes, cultural celebrations, and animal adaptations.
Continue to Quarter 2