Horizons Math 1

Horizons 1st Grade Math

Horizons 1st Grade Math is a print-based, teacher-led math curriculum for first graders. The full course runs 160 lessons across two student workbooks plus a teacher's guide, covering place value, addition and subtraction facts (with carrying), telling time, money, measurement, fractions, shapes, bar graphs, estimation, and counting by 1s through 10s to 100.

Horizons uses a spiral curriculum design, which means concepts are introduced briefly, then revisited again and again across the year with a little more depth each time. This contrasts with mastery-based programs, which work through one concept thoroughly before moving to the next. Spiral curricula are usually a better fit for kids who get bored doing the same kind of problem repeatedly, and for parents who'd rather their child see a concept five times across the year than spend a whole unit on it once.

The teacher's guide walks you through each day's lesson, with daily lesson plans, answer keys, teaching tips, a readiness evaluation test, and 80 supplemental worksheets for concepts your child needs more time with. A manipulative schedule at the front of the guide lists which manipulatives appear in which lessons. The manipulatives themselves aren't included in the kit, and many families will consider them optional.

Horizons 1st Grade Math is nonreligious. Christian references begin in the grade 4 level of the series.

Horizons 1st Grade Math is a good fit for a first grader who's ready for a full math curriculum, and for a parent who wants a fully scripted lesson plan rather than building their own. The colorful pages and spiral approach make it a particularly good fit for kids who lose interest with extended drilling on one concept, or who are deflated by black-and-white workbooks.