1st grade homeschool plan, day by day
A free 1st grade homeschool plan, a day at a time: phonics and reading, math, science and history and read-alouds, with a checklist to print each day.
1st grade is the year most children become readers. This plan moves from short words to silent e, vowel teams and two-syllable words, and in math from facts within 10 to adding within 100, tens and ones, time and measuring.
What the year covers
Reading
A spelling pattern a week: short vowels, letter pairs and blends as a fall review, then silent e, the endings -ed and -ing, and the vowel teams ai, ay, ee, ea, oa and ow; in spring, bossy r (ar, or, er, ir, ur), oo, ou, ow, oi and oy; then compound and two-syllable words, contractions and endings. Sight words are the Dolch first grade list, then the second grade list. A new library story each week at levels 3 to 6, and a reread of last week's.
Math
Counting to 120 and a review of facts within 10 in the fall, with fact families, the equal sign and making ten to add within 20; in winter, taking away within 20, story problems, tens and ones, and comparing two-digit numbers; in spring, adding within 100, measuring and telling time; then shapes, halves and fourths, coins and skip counting.
Science and history
The same weekly topics as the other grades, at 1st grade depth: sound as vibration and light that passes through or is blocked, the patterns of the sun and moon and of daylight through the seasons, how plants and animals use their parts, young animals and their parents, and history and social studies with timelines, maps with keys and directions, and then and now.
Read-alouds
A read-aloud every day from Peabody's free library at levels 5 to 9: fables, old tales, true books and longer stories, most tied to the week's topic, each with one thing to talk about.
How a day goes
A 1st grade day takes about 85 minutes: 25 for reading, 25 for math, 20 for the topic and 15 for the read-aloud. Reading and math in the morning and the topic and story later works well for many families.
Each day has a page with the four parts, the links it uses, and a checklist to print. About 85 minutes in all.
Weeks 1 to 18 are ready now. The rest of the year will appear here when it is written.
The year at a glance
| Week | Reading | Math | Science or history |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Short a and short i | Counting to 120 | All about me |
| Week 2 | Short o and short u | Adding within 10 | My five senses |
| Week 3 | Short e, and all five short vowels | Taking away within 10 | Seeing and hearing |
| Week 4 | Letter pairs: sh, ch and th | Fact families and missing numbers | Rules and getting along |
| Week 5 | Endings ck, ng and nk | The equal sign | Weather watch |
| Week 6 | Blends with l and r | Adding three numbers | Sun and shade |
| Week 7 | Blends with s, and blends at the end | Making ten to add within 20 | Day and night |
| Week 8 | Endings -s and -es | Doubles and near doubles | Fall changes |
| Week 9 | Review: short vowels, letter pairs and blends | Review and story problems | Maps of my world |
| Week | Reading | Math | Science or history |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 10 | Silent e: a_e | Taking away within 20 | Living and nonliving |
| Week 11 | Silent e: i_e | Story problems within 20 | What animals need |
| Week 12 | Silent e: o_e, u_e and e_e | Comparing story problems | What plants need |
| Week 13 | Endings: -ed | Tens and ones | Animal homes |
| Week 14 | Endings: -ing | Numbers to 120 | Pushes and pulls |
| Week 15 | Vowel teams: ai and ay | Comparing two-digit numbers | Ramps and rolling |
| Week 16 | Vowel teams: ee and ea | Ten more and ten less | Snow and ice |
| Week 17 | Vowel teams: oa and ow | Adding tens | Animals in winter |
| Week 18 | Review: silent e, endings and vowel teams | Review: place value and facts | Community helpers |
| Week | Reading | Math | Science or history |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 19 | Long i: igh and y | Adding a two-digit and a one-digit number | Needs and wants |
| Week 20 | Long e: y at the end | Adding tens to a two-digit number | Water on Earth |
| Week 21 | Bossy r: ar | Subtracting tens | Land on Earth |
| Week 22 | Bossy r: or and ore | Comparing lengths | Getting around, then and now |
| Week 23 | Bossy r: er, ir and ur | Measuring with units | Homes, then and now |
| Week 24 | Two sounds of oo | Telling time to the hour | School, then and now |
| Week 25 | ou and ow | Telling time to the half hour | Bones and muscles |
| Week 26 | oi and oy | Graphs and data | Heart and lungs |
| Week 27 | Review: r, oo, ou, ow, oi and oy | Review: adding, measuring and time | Healthy habits |
| Week | Reading | Math | Science or history |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 28 | Compound words | Flat shapes and their sides | Seeds and growing |
| Week 29 | Two-syllable words | Putting shapes together | Bugs and small creatures |
| Week 30 | Endings: -le | Halves and fourths | Life cycles |
| Week 31 | Contractions | Solid shapes | Sink or float |
| Week 32 | Endings: -er and -est | Coins | Build it strong |
| Week 33 | Long vowels at the end of a syllable | Skip counting | Taking care of Earth |
| Week 34 | Endings: -ly | Mixed story problems | Wind and air |
| Week 35 | Beginnings: un- and re- | Fast facts within 20 | Summer and sun safety |
| Week 36 | Review: the year's spelling patterns | Year review and math games | Looking back on my year |
Records, without an account
Press "Mark this day done" and the day is ticked off in this browser. If you keep Peabody's Record Book, the same button writes the day into it: a school day on the attendance chart, the minutes for each subject in the hours log, and the books in the reading log. It all stays on your device; nothing is sent to us.
More than one child
Teaching more than one child? Turn on family mode and pick the grades you teach. The science or history topic and the read-aloud are for everyone together, and each child's reading and math come from their own grade on the same day.
Questions
My child is still learning letter sounds. Should we start here?
Start with the kindergarten plan's reading instead, and keep 1st grade math if it fits. Each subject can sit at a different place; the level finder on this site can help you choose.
How fast should a 1st grader read by the end of the year?
The standards ask for 1st grade books read accurately, at a steady pace and with expression, going back to fix mistakes. Children vary; the reread each Friday is where you hear the progress.
What should a 1st grader know by the end of the year?
Most standards expect reading words with letter pairs, silent e and vowel teams, adding and subtracting within 20, tens and ones, and telling time to the half hour. Our page on what a 1st grader should know lists it in plain words.
Is it really free?
Yes. There are no ads, no paid upgrade and no account. The plan is built from Peabody's own free pages, so it costs nothing to use and the links don't break.
Do we have to start in August?
No. The days are numbered, not dated. Start on day 1 whenever you begin, skip a day when life happens, and pick up where you left off: the plan shows the next day you haven't marked done.
How long does a day take?
About an hour and ten minutes in kindergarten: twenty minutes each for reading and math, and fifteen each for the topic and the read-aloud. Split it into short sittings if that suits your child better.
What if the reading is too easy or too hard?
Children vary a lot. If the letter sounds are already known, move faster through the reading weeks; if blending is hard, stay on a week longer. The reading level finder on this site can help you see where your child is.
Related
Peabody Year needs no account. Which days are done is kept in this browser, and the Record Book keeps its records on this device. No child's name or work is ever sent to Peabody.