Homeschool Curriculum Blog Online Learning for PreK-8th

Time4Learning presents a logical and sequential approach to teaching science.

In the first grade science curriculum, students distinguish between living and non-living things, are introduced to earth science, and learn about some of the people who have contributed to the field of science.

The Time4Learning program combines illustration, animation, real pictures, audio, text, video and embedded simulations in multimedia online lessons and activities.  It also combines math and writing skills in cross-curricular activities that are completed both on and offline.

In first grade, science themes and concepts are integrated within the language arts curriculum, giving students the opportunity to enjoy cross-curricular study. Units will use first grade science vocabulary to teach thematic units such as; biomes, weather, planets, constellations, pollution, oceans, marine animals, mammals, and plants. First graders also have the advantage of learning science through the science program itself which focuses on three major units of study: Living and NonLiving Things, Earth Science, and Contributions to Science.

Students will learn how to distinguish between living and nonliving things by exploring habitats, basic needs, features, and life cycles. Students will, through learning science vocabulary, focus on the classification of animals into scientific categories, with a feature on amphibians. First Grade Science vocabulary used in Earth Science will use graphic organizers to show weather patterns and to identify seasons. Thunderstorms and the Water Cycle will be highlighted through 1st grade vocabulary lists, vocabulary worksheets and interactive activities. As a bonus, Jane Goodall is featured as a contributor to science, allowing children to explore her experience working with chimpanzees in Africa. Try one of our science sample lessons.

Using a combination of interactive lessons, offline worksheets, and assessments, Time4Learning First Grade Science curriculum correlates to all state standards and benchmarks.

To find out more about the First Grade science program at Time4Learning, try out one of the demo lessons, ask a question in our parents forum, or even view the entire First Grade Science scope and sequence. Sign up today to let your First Grader experience the fun and learning encompassed in the Time4Learning First Grade Science Program.

Posted under elementary homeschool curriculum, first grade curriculum, grade levels, homeschool curriculum, science

A first grade reading program should be taught using a system of first grade reading lesson plans including interactive activities, learning games, printable worksheets, assessments, and positive reinforcement. Guided reading is a vital part of a first grade reading program.

First grade language arts lessons should cover all English language arts strands. The major language arts strands for a first grade reading program are vocabulary development, reading comprehension, literature, writing strategies, writing applications, English language conventions, listening and speaking. While these language arts strands might surprise you, they are all critical lessons for a first grade reading program.

A first grade reading program helps children learn the basic features of reading skill. First grade children learn to translate letter patterns into spoken language using phonics, syllabication, and word parts. They apply this knowledge to achieve fluent oral and silent reading skill.

At this reading level children identify letters, words, and sentences. They match oral words to printed words and during guided reading, the reading teacher asks children to identify the author and title of each reading selection. Children classify reading level appropriate categories of words (for example, colors, foods, animals).

Phonics are important in a first grade reading program. Reading skill develops as children learn to decode elements of words using phonics. Language arts lesson plans emphasize initial, medial, and final sounds in single-syllable words; create and state series of rhyming words, include consonant blends; add, delete, or change target sounds to change words (for example, change met to get or cat to sat); blend two to four phonemes into recognizable words (for example, /b/ i/ g/ = big; /k/ i/ t/ e/ = kite); and segment single-syllable words into their components (for example, /d/ o/ g/ = dog; /r/ i/ ch/ = rich).

At this reading level children learn to use consonant blends and long-and short-vowel patterns. They develop the reading skill of using vowel digraphs and r- controlled letter-sound associations. Language arts lesson plans help children read common, irregular sight words. The reading program explains compound words and contractions, root words, inflectional forms, and common word families.

A first grade reading program also offers children guided reading experience with children’s literature appropriate to the first grade reading level.  First grade language arts lesson plans help children develop reading skill by describing elements of plot and setting, identifying characters, and discussing each story’s beginning, middle, and end.

Time4Learning teaches a comprehensive first grade reading curriculum using fun, first grade reading activities to build a solid reading foundation. To find out more about the First Grade language arts program at Time4Learning, try out one of the demo lessons, ask a question in our parents forum, or even view the entire First Grade Language Arts scope and sequence. Sign up today to let your First Grader experience the fun and learning encompassed in the Time4Learning First Grade Language Arts Program.

Posted under Homeschool, elementary homeschool curriculum, first grade curriculum, grade levels, homeschool curriculum, language arts, learning to read, reading curriculum

A First Grade math curriculum should be taught using a combination of interactive activities, learning games, printable worksheets, assessments, and reinforcement. Manipulatives are very important for First Grade math lessons. And a First Grade math curriculum should cover all the math strands, not just arithmetic. The major math strands for First Grade curriculum are number sense and operations, algebra, geometry and spatial sense, measurement, and data analysis and probability. While these math strands might surprise you, they are all critical lessons for a First Grade math curriculum.

Time4Learning teaches a comprehensive First Grade math curriculum using fun, interactive math activities to build a solid math foundation. 

During First Grade, math students will be expected to read and write numerals to 100, to count objects to 100 or more, to compare and order whole numbers to 100 or more using a variety of methods including usage of the symbols <, =, and >, and the vocabulary of less than, equal to, and more than. They will learn to apply these lessons to real-life scenarios. First grade math students will learn ordinal numbers from 1st to 10th or higher.

Counting is an important skill for a First Grade math student. The children will learn to count orally to 100 by 2s, 5s, and 10s with or without a hundred chart. They will learn to count forward or backward by 1s beginning with any number less than 100. Using a hundred chart they will learn to count forward by 10s starting at any number less than 10.

First Grade math students will be learning about place value. They will know the place value of any digit in a whole number less than 100. They will learn about place value patterns and about how zero is a place holder for expressing place value.

During this year, First Grade math students will be learning addition and subtraction. The children will demonstrate that they know addition means putting together, and subtraction means taking away. They will solve basic addition facts using concrete objects and thinking strategies such as ‘count on’, ‘count back’, ‘doubles’, ‘doubles plus one’, and ‘make ten’. They will learn about the commutative and associative properties of addition and learn fact families up to 18. Using concrete materials such as coins, diagrams, and number expressions, first grade math students will show equivalent forms of the same number.

In First Grade math studies, children will show a basic understanding of measuring lengths, weights, and capacity by selecting appropriate units to use for measurement. They will use standard and non-standard units to measure, compare, and order objects according to their lengths and weights.

First Grade math students will also study time, temperature, and money. They will show they understand these concepts by use of digital and analog clocks, calendars, and thermometers. Children studying first grade math will learn and compare money values including the quarter (25 cents), half-dollar (50 cents), and dollar (100 cents).

There are 100 math activities in the First Grade curriculum, and children can either move through them sequentially, or pick and choose from the lessons, using the Activity Finder. Parents can easily follow their child’s progress by logging into the child’s portfolio and viewing day by day lessons or a customizable and printable report than can be sorted by subject, lesson type, or date range.

To find out more about the First Grade math program at Time4Learning, try out one of the demo lessons, ask a question in our parents forum, or even view the entire First Grade Math scope and sequence. Sign up today to let your First Grader experience the fun and learning encompassed in the Time4Learning First Grade Math Program.

Posted under elementary homeschool curriculum, grade levels, homeschool curriculum, math, online math curriculum

A good kindergarten reading program curriculum relies on many learning tools - kindergarten reading worksheets, reading activities, reading games, reinforcement exercises, and assessments. And kindergarten language arts lessons should cover all English language arts strands. The major language arts strands for a kindergarten reading program are vocabulary development, reading comprehension, literature, writing strategies, writing applications, English language conventions, listening and speaking. While these language arts strands might surprise you, they are all critical lessons for a kindergarten reading program.

Kindergarten reading lesson plans, reading worksheets, and reading activities teach reading skills covering all the language arts strands. Kindergarten reading activities provide an opportunity for children to get a basic understanding of reading skill, decoding, and phonics. These very young children learn through guided reading, reading worksheets, language arts games, and many creative methods that make the kindergarten reading program fun for them.

The Time4Learning Reading and Language Arts curriculum for kindergarten level introduces young learners to age-appropriate literature.  The online activities support the students learning of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and text comprehension.  The Writer’s Corner introduces the students to the process of story-building by selecting backgrounds, objects, and characters from the stories they are reading to create their own stories.  These are then able to be printed out and shared.

Detailed teacher’s guides provide multiple suggestions for offline activities, including handwriting practice, additional worksheets, and activity plans to supplement the online instruction.

There are almost 200 language arts activities in the kindergarten curriculum, and children can either move through them sequentially, or pick and choose from the lessons, using the Activity Finder. Parents can easily follow their child’s progress by logging into the child’s portfolio and viewing day by day lessons or a customizable and printable report than can be sorted by subject, lesson type, or date range.

To find out more about the Kindergarten reading program at Time4Learning, try out one of the demo lessons, ask a question in our parents forum, or even view the entire kindergarten scope and sequence. Sign up today to let your kindergartener experience the fun and learning encompassed in the Time4Learning Kindergarten Reading Program.

Posted under grade levels, homeschool curriculum, kindergarten curriculum, learning to read, reading curriculum

I think summer is a great opportunity to focus in a little bit on individual courses and grade levels with the Time4Learning program.  If you have been considering using the Time4Learning homeschool curriculum for your child, you may be curious how the program works, what is included, and how much is, or isn’t required of you and your child.  This summer series will hopefully answer those questions in detail, and make you feel better able to make decisions about whether the Time4Learning curriculum is right for you and your child.

We’ll start off the series with a look at Kindergarten Math.  This is an incredibly important place to begin, because early elementary math is the foundation that all other math instruction is built on.  Clear and comprehensive coverage of the basics of arithmetic are vital to long term math success.

The Time4Learning Kindergarten Math curriculum is a fun, interactive way to build the necessary collection of skills needed for early math mastery. Kindergarten math students will be learning basic math concepts. In case they haven’t picked it up during their preschool years, kindergarten math students will be learning to count to 100, and to read and write numbers to ten. Kindergarten children will learn about cardinal numbers, which indicate quantity, and ordinal numbers, which indicate position.

While learning to count to 100, kindergarten math students will be counting by   1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s. They will learn the concept of odd and even numbers and be able to identify them. Kindergarten math students will also be introduced to sets, addition, and subtraction. They will use numbers and pictures to count objects in a set. They will compare two sets and tell which is equal to, more than, or less than the other.

Kindergarten math will teach them to create number stories using objects so they’ll learn strategies for solving number problems. This will develop an awareness of how addition and subtraction are used in everyday activities. The children will be able to use addition and subtraction concepts to move forward or backwards along a number line.

Just like all of the math levels, the T4L Kindergarten program uses a combination of learning games, lessons, and printable worksheets.  There are over 100 math activities in the kindergarten curriculum, and children can either move through them sequentially, or pick and choose from the lessons, using the Activity Finder. Parents can easily follow their child’s progress by logging into the child’s portfolio and viewing day by day lessons or a customizable and printable report than can be sorted by subject, lesson type, or date range. 

To find out more about the Kindergarten math program at Time4Learning, try out one of the demo lessons, ask a question in our parents forum, or even view the entire kindergarten scope and sequence. Sign up today to let your kindergartener experience the fun and learning encompassed in the Time4Learning Kindergarten Math Program.

Posted under grade levels, kindergarten curriculum, online math curriculum

A quality middle school homeschool curriculum needs to cover a wide spectrum of subjects in order to prepare students for the rigors and requirements of high school. Time4Learning provides grade appropriate lessons and activities that meet state and national standards for learning.

The curriculum is varied, and includes lessons, activities, quizzes, animations,  audio, and video instruction.  It was developed over more than a decade by CompassLearning, and offers language arts, math, science, and social studies.

The following is a sampling of topics covered in the middle school grades using the Time4Learning curriculum:

6th Grade – pi, inverse operations, adding and subtracting fractions, percents, parts of speech, reading styles, genres of literature, paraphrasing, commonly misspelled words, early civilizations, American immigration, plants, energy, force, and motion, electricity, and magnetism

7th Grade – rational operations, number theory, probability, polygons, graphs, permutations, vocabulary skills, summarizing, comprehension, literature, writing, US History from the explorers to the 1970’s

8th Grade – rational and irrational numbers, pre-algebra, plane geometry, 3D geometry, graphing, ratio, rate, and proportion, vocabulary skills, summarizing, predicting, comprehension, informational articles, sentence types

These are just a few of the core areas covered in the Time4Learning middle school homeschool curriculum.  If you would like to see samples of some of these lessons, head over to our demo page.  To find out how other members are using the Time4Learning homeschool curriculum with their middle school students, check out our Parents Forum, where you can read about their experiences and ask your own questions. 

Posted under grade levels, homeschool curriculum, middle school curriculum

A quality elementary homeschool curriculum needs to cover a wide spectrum of subjects in order to prepare students for the rigors and requirements of middle school. Time4Learning provides grade appropriate lessons and activities that meet state and national standards for learning.

The curriculum is varied, and includes lessons, activities, quizzes, animations, audio, and video instruction.  It was developed over more than a decade by CompassLearning, and offers language arts, math, science, and social studies.

The following is a sampling of topics covered in the elementary grades using the Time4Learning curriculum:

Kindergarten: Number systems, geometry, measurement, probability, money, time, temperature, sounds, letters, words, parts of a book, five senses

First Grade:  Odd and even numbers, estimation, shapes, time, measurement, vowels, contractions, compound words, rhyme, vocabulary, decoding, earth science, living and non-living things, water cycle, wants and needs

Second Grade: Number sense, fractions, adding and subtracting money, patterns, phonics, fluency, reading comprehension, synonyms and antonyms, life cycle, force and motion, earth and space, maps and globes, types of jobs

Third Grade: Place value, number lines, multiplication and division, word problems, symmetry, prefixes and suffixes, homophones, idioms, summarizing, scientific investigation, matter, ecology, Vikings, early explorers, colonization

Fourth Grade: Rounding numbers, multiple factors, averaging, expressions and equations, plot, main idea, theme, cause and effect, literature, simple experiments, matter and energy, ancient civilization, geography, civics

Fifth Grade: Roman numerals, exponents, dividends and divisors, order of operations, Latin and Greek roots, making inferences and drawing conclusions, electricity, weather, early dynasties, Ancient Greece, early American history

These are just a few of the core areas covered in the Time4Learning elementary homeschool curriculum.  If you would like to see samples of some of these lessons, head over to our demo page.  To find out how other members are using the Time4Learning homeschool curriculum with their elementary age students, check out our Parents Forum, where you can read about their experiences and ask your own questions. 

Posted under elementary homeschool curriculum, grade levels, homeschool curriculum

I’ve obviously been using the Time4Learning curriculum too long.  It has made me a Time4Learning snob, I’m afraid.  I was talking to a friend whose child is in public school the other day, and we were discussing some troubles her son was having in his fourth grade class.

My friend’s son has always been very good in math.  His teacher is even giving him accelerated work because he has mastered his daily work so easily.  But in language arts, he is really struggling.  Reading comprehension is especially difficult for him.

In hopes of being helpful to my friend, I blurted it out before I even thought it through: "Can’t your son just take third grade language arts until he catches up?"

My friend looked at me like I had really lost it this time.  I had to backtrack for a good five minutes and explain how the homeschool curriculum we use allows for flexibility in levels of learning.  I explained that in the homeschool world, grade level isn’t as important as individual achievement. 

I’m so thankful that there is a curriculum that allows for the strengths and weaknesses of each child, and doesn’t punish for working at different rates and levels, but instead supports them in mastering subjects at their own pace. 

If you have a child who is working at different academic grade levels in different subjects, you might find that the Time4Learning homeschool curriculum is a perfect fit for him or her.  No one child is alike.  Fortunately, there is a curriculum that doesn’t expect them to be. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if EVERY school were like that??

Posted under grade levels, homeschool curriculum, problems at school