Grade One Curriculum Picks
Many of these curriculum picks can be borrowed for preview purposes through the Learning Commons Search Portal or accessed through our Sora virtual library at no cost. If you are ready to purchase, some recommended curriculum may be available through our Used Bookstore, or resources can be purchased from one of our comprehensive vendors.
Vendor websites are pick-and-choose, and some optional or alternate suggestions may be listed, so carefully select your items.
Overview of Grade 1 Curriculum Picks
Here is an overview of the curriculum picks that we suggest for Grade 1. Please note that some subjects provide more than one option. For more information about the curriculum, please refer to the information under Detailed Information for Grade 1 Curriculum Picks (further down this page).
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Phonics/Reading/Printing Skills |
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The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading is also recommended as a Kindergarten Pick. If you started using this resource in Kindergarten, you may wish to continue using it for grade one.
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Mathematics |
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Science (for standards not well covered In Come Sit By Me) |
Physics and earth/space science standards are only partially covered in Come Sit by Me. Sky, Weather, Sun, Moon, and Stars AND Light and Sound Unit Study Kits are recommended. My Pals are Here Science International 2nd Edition Level 1 Textbook, Workbook and Teacher's Guide addresses many of the Grade 1 standards and is an option for families wanting a more traditional and structured science curriculum. See correlations to BC's curriculum standards. |
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Optional Resources (not detailed below) |
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Detailed Information for Grade 1 Curriculum Picks
Phonics/Reading/Printing Skills
Option 1: All About Reading Level 1 with Interactive Kit; Handwriting Without Tears My Printing Book (or Canadian Handwriting Book A)
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Option 1a: All About Reading Level 1 with Interactive Kit Important Note: Level numbers on these books don’t refer to grade levels. Lessons are mastery-based, not grade-level-based. This means that students are placed where they are at ability-wise, not according to age or grade level. The Interactive Kit only needs to be purchased once and then can be used for all subsequent levels of All About Reading. Description of Level 1: Students will be actively involved in the learning process. This is a multisensory program; your student will learn through sight, sound, and touch. Everything is taught in context, and your student will apply what he has learned right away. Your student will be engaged in thinking, processing, comparing, and learning. There are five key components of reading—and this program teaches all of them thoroughly:
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Option 1b: Handwriting Without Tears My Printing Book Description: offers developmentally appropriate, multisensory strategies for early writing. The program follows research on how children learn best and includes materials that address all styles of learning. Innovative letter order and style are developmentally appropriate and promote easy learning for every letter. This student edition is for first-grade students or those working at that level.
Other Optional or Supplementary Resources: My Printing Book Teacher's Guide |
Option 2: The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading; Fun With Letters Magnetic Activity Set; Explode the Code 1 and 2 (teacher's guide is only required for a few activities and is considered optional)
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Option 2a: The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading Description: A plain-English guide to teaching phonics. Every parent can teach reading; no experts need to apply! 231 lessons; 369 pages. The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading cuts through the confusion, giving parents a simple, direct, scripted guide to teaching reading and is user-friendly, affordable, and easy to follow — supplying you with everything you need to teach reading in one book. Supplementary Resource (highly recommended): Fun With Letters Magnet Activity Set |
Option 2b: Explode the Code 1 and 2 Note: These books are not required, but they are a good companion resource to use with Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading because they enable students the opportunity to practice what they are learning and practice printing letters. Some families may choose to use My Printing Book (Handwriting Without Tears) for more direct printing instructions instead, or in addition to this resource. Description: based on the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading, which supports multisensory, structured, sequential, cumulative, and flexible instruction. Explode The Code® is a research-based, multisensory program geared to improving literacy with direct, systematic, phonics instruction. Build the essential literacy skills needed for reading success: phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and spelling with the Explode The Code series. Other Optional or Supplementary Resources: Teacher's Guide; the program is also available online |
Mathematics
Math U See is not mentioned here simply because it is not available from our Curriculum Pick provider(s), although it is a strong option, especially in the primary grades. Math-U-See can be ordered directly from the Canadian Distributor, Math Canada. Place an order by phone at 250-590-6761 or toll-free at 1-888-854-6284.
Option 1: First Grade Math With Confidence Complete Set (Instructor Guide and Student Workbook)
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Description: A hands-on Grade 1 program that develops confidence, fluency, and conceptual understanding through short lessons, games, manipulatives, and written practice. Grade 1 topics include:
See how Math with Confidence aligns with BC’s curriculum in our Math with Confidence Correlations to BC's Curriculum Spreadsheet |
Option 2: Singapore Math 2022 Edition 1A and 1B Student Books and Home Instructor Guides
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Singapore Math 2022 Edition Note: This program is advanced compared to our BC curriculum standards,, making placement tests more important than perhaps other programs. The long term goal would be to complete book 6B by the end of Grade 7. Books should be completed at the student's pace, which means the grade level on the cover may not correspond with the student's actual grade level. Description: epitomizes what educators love about the Singapore math approach, including the CPA progression, number bonds, bar modeling, and a strong focus on mental math. It's a no-fuss, straightforward program that balances supervised learning and independent practice. The recently released Primary Mathematics 2022 Edition uses the same approach as previous Primary Mathematics editions, but features entirely new content and lesson structures.
Additional Support: Singapore Math Live offers instruction, encouragement, and support for parents and students |
Multisubject
Come Sit By Me Volume 2
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Note: addresses standards in ADST, Art, Bible, English, Health, Science, and Social Studies; additional math and phonics instruction is required. Come Sit by Me literature packs are available via the HCOS Learning Commons Search Portal. Description: A Canadian picture book unit study. You and your student spend one week on each book, reading the book each day, followed by your choice of the dozen or more activities. Units cover themes such as snow, poetry, grandparents, bugs and more. The suggested activities are listed for all subject areas, from math to music, science to social studies and many in between! Each book study has one or more connected Bible stories and a related memory verse. Also suits multi-level teaching. The following books are recommended to use with this volume (not included) to address BC’s Big Ideas in Science and Social Studies. As this would only provide 9 weeks of study, it is recommended that the other books be borrowed from the library or purchased separately. Here are a few books that align with the content areas of BC's curriculum, which you may choose to purchase and have on hand in case you experience a delay in borrowing some of the 36 books used in this unit study :
Other Children's Picture Books Used: the other books used in this book are Big Sarah’s Little Boots (Bourgeois), Franklin and the Tooth Fairy (Bourgeois), Katie’s Hand-Me-Down Day (Wark), Prairie Fire (Reynolds), To the Post Office with Mama (Farrell), Pettranella (Blades), Emma and the Silk Train (Lawson), Just Like New (Manson), Bear on the Train (Lawson), Alfie’s Long Winter (McEvoy), Pedrito’s Day (Garay), Don’t Dig So Deep, Nicholas (Harrison), Weighing the Elephant (Ye), The Name of the Tree (Barker), Sing a Song of Mother Goose (Reid), Hiding (Collins), I Went to the Bay (Miller), Eenie Meenie Manitoba (Heidbreder), Emma’s Eggs (Ruurs), Simon Finds a Feather (Tibo), Where Does a Tiger-Heron Spend the Night (Carney), A Mountain Alphabet (Ruurs), A Prairie Alphabet (Bannatyne-Cugnet), The City ABC Book (Milich), Have You Seen Bugs (Oppenheim), Effie (Alinson), and The Night the Stars Flew (Bogart) |
Science
Sky, Weather, Sun, Moon, and Stars Unit Study Kit
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Type of Resource: HCOS Unit Study Kit
Description: Explore the wonders of creation in this exciting kit! Investigate patterns, journey to the stars, walk on the moon, and play with weather! You will be able to make art projects, create your own planetarium, observe the moon, listen to traditional stories, make a model of the solar system, graph the weather, make rain, and much more! You will be able to read engaging books, watch fun and fantastic videos, play games, make crafts, and choose from dozens of projects to create the ultimate self-directed learning experience for your first grader. This kit is divided into sections based around driving questions. You will have the opportunity to choose your materials and projects in each section of the kit. The materials, projects, and activities contained in the kit have been carefully selected to address the big ideas, competencies, and content of BC's Modernized Curriculum.
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Light and Sound Unit Study Kit
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Type of Resource: HCOS Unit Study Kit
Description: Turn on all the lights and make some noise! Investigate light and sound through experiments and activities. Create a xylophone, send sound waves through water, make salt dance, tell stories with shadow puppets, craft a suncatcher, and much more! You will be able to read engaging books, watch fun and fantastic videos, play games, make crafts, and choose from dozens of projects to create the ultimate self-directed learning experience for your first grader. This kit is divided into sections based around driving questions. You will have the opportunity to choose your materials and projects in each section of the kit. The materials, projects, and activities contained in the kit have been carefully selected to address the big ideas, competencies, and content of BC's Modernized Curriculum.
Download the Unit Study Kit Guide |