Calvert 1st Grade Science Complete Set

Description

The Calvert 1st Grade Science Complete Set provides a comprehensive foundation for young learners beginning their scientific journey. This thoughtfully designed curriculum transforms abstract concepts into concrete learning experiences that capture children’s natural curiosity about the world around them. With ten engaging worktexts and a detailed two-part teacher’s guide, this secular science program offers everything homeschooling families need to create meaningful scientific exploration right in their own home.

What Makes This Curriculum Special

Observation-Based Learning Approach

The cornerstone of this curriculum lies in developing critical observation skills that will serve your child throughout their educational journey. Rather than simply memorizing facts, children learn to ask questions, make predictions, and draw conclusions based on what they see and experience. This approach mirrors how real scientists work, giving your first grader an authentic introduction to scientific thinking.

Manageable Learning Units

Each colorful worktext is designed to be completed in just 3-4 weeks, creating frequent opportunities for celebration and accomplishment. This structure works particularly well for homeschooling families because it allows flexibility in pacing while maintaining steady progress. If your child masters a concept quickly, you can move ahead, or take extra time for deeper exploration if needed.

Topics That Spark Wonder and Discovery

Human Body and Health

Your child will explore the amazing machine that is their own body, learning about different body systems and how to maintain good health. These lessons naturally connect to daily life experiences and help children develop body awareness and healthy habits.

Five Senses Exploration

Through hands-on activities, children investigate how they experience the world through sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. These lessons often become family favorites as they involve simple experiments that siblings can enjoy together.

Animal and Plant Studies

The animal and plant units encourage outdoor exploration and nature study, perfect for families who enjoy incorporating field trips and nature walks into their science education. Children learn about animal behaviors, plant growth cycles, and the interconnections in nature.

Energy, Machines, and Physical Science

Simple machines and energy concepts come alive through household experiments and observations. These topics lay groundwork for future physics studies while demonstrating how science applies to everyday tools and activities.

Perfect for Diverse Homeschooling Approaches

Structured Yet Flexible

This curriculum works well for families who appreciate having a clear roadmap while maintaining the flexibility to adapt lessons to their child’s interests and learning style. The detailed teacher’s guide provides confidence for parents new to teaching science, while experienced homeschoolers can easily supplement with additional activities.

Multi-Child Friendly

The engaging visual design and hands-on activities make this curriculum naturally appealing to siblings who might want to participate in experiments and observations. Many activities can be scaled up for family science time or adapted for different age levels.

Integration Opportunities

The broad range of topics connects naturally with other subjects. Animal studies can enhance your reading time with nature books, machine exploration can tie into history lessons about inventions, and health topics can reinforce life skills and character development.

Teacher Support That Builds Confidence

Comprehensive Teacher’s Guide

The two-part teacher’s guide removes guesswork from science instruction. You’ll find step-by-step teaching instructions, complete answer keys, alternative assessments, equipment lists using common household items, and suggestions for extending learning through additional activities and experiments.

Assessment Made Simple

Regular self-tests help children gauge their understanding, while unit tests provide clear benchmarks for progress. These assessments can help you identify areas where your child might benefit from additional practice or enrichment activities.

Resource Lists and Activities

Beyond the basic curriculum, the teacher’s guide includes lists of supplementary resources, suggested field trips, and additional experiments that can enhance your child’s learning experience based on their particular interests.

Adapting for Your Family’s Needs

For Visual Learners

The colorful, illustration-rich worktexts naturally appeal to visual learners, while the hands-on experiments provide concrete representations of abstract concepts.

For Kinesthetic Learners

The emphasis on hands-on activities and observable experiments makes this curriculum particularly engaging for children who learn through movement and touch.

For Different Paces

The 45-minute lesson design can be easily modified for families with shorter or longer attention spans. Lessons can be split across multiple days for younger children or combined for those ready to move more quickly.

Building Lifelong Learning Skills

This curriculum goes beyond teaching science facts to develop critical thinking skills, scientific vocabulary, and research abilities that will benefit your child across all subjects. The emphasis on observation and questioning prepares young learners for more advanced scientific study while fostering intellectual curiosity that extends far beyond the classroom.

Educational Attributes

Grade Level: 1st Grade

Subject: General Science

Skill Level: Beginner

Learning Style: Visual, Kinesthetic, Multi-sensory

Educational Approach: Observation-based, Hands-on Discovery

Curriculum Type: Complete Course, Secular

Practical Attributes

Lesson Count: Approximately 150-180 lessons

Estimated Completion Time: 3-4 weeks per worktext, 45 minutes per lesson

Answer Key Included: Yes

Content/Scope Attributes

Topics Covered: Human body, five senses, animals, plants, energy, health, machines, light, sounds, physical science

Real-world Applications: Health and wellness, nature observation, simple machines in daily life, environmental awareness

Format/Usability Attributes

Format: Print worktexts with teacher’s guide

Reproducible: Worktext pages are consumable; teacher’s guide includes reproducible worksheets

Special Features

Hands-on experiments using household items, vocabulary development, self-tests and unit tests, equipment lists provided, additional resource suggestions, step-by-step teacher instructions