homeschool planning
We have a new system in place, thanks to all the horizontal time I have had for planning. I am too weary to be up very much, but too well to actually sleep during all my down-time, so I plan and scheme.
First, I made a lovely chart for each child.
From Drop Box
Then I set up folders for each subject.
MATH
They use Math-U-See (which rocks!) and are fairly independent with it. They watch the video and do the worksheets and I correct them. At this pace they will get through a little more than one lesson a week. If a lesson seems really hard I can print extra worksheets off of the Math-U-See website and add them to the folder.
READING
Each child has a basket of >10 page sequenced readers. Dandy has Open Court Decodables and Chickadee has the same, along with some BOB books. They read them to each other and to the pets until they can read smoothly, then they read them to a grown-up. If you visit us, we may ask you to be read to.
LANGUAGE ARTS
This folder contains a mix of word-puzzles, draw-and-write sheets, some projects from Language Lessons for the Elementary Child, poems to copy and make into lapbooks, the workbooks for the Pathway readers, etc.
SPELLING
We use the Sequential Spelling which (duh) lists words in sequences: ow, cow, how, plow, growl and so forth. Words that the kids miss during Sequential Spelling time make it their own private lists. So, though 5 words a day may seem like a lot, they are 5 words in a familiar series, so it is more feasible than you may think. This folder merely holds a constantly updated list of missed words.
LATIN
We use the Prima Latina material for vocabulary lists and the audio CD for correct pronunciation. The children can make flashcards and drill each other. Again, this folder holds a constantly updated list of words.
HISTORY
We use the Story of the World audio CDs which I got from the library and put onto my iPod, along with the Bible (where there is overlap) so that each day the children can listen to one bit (4-10 minutes) and then make an artifact. I just ordered the History Through the Ages Timeline figures and we'll start making our giant wall timeline. If making an artifact for the timeline doesn't suit them, they can do a draw-and-write.
As the history curriculum unfolds, we will feed in the science. Right we are still in early history and the development of agriculture. Our science lesson for this part takes part in our own agricultural projects, with some hands-on domestication of animals on the side.
As I'm typing this up, I realized that I need to start over with Genesis 1:1 and Plate Tectonics. I love how, if you just teach history, you'll hit all the sciences as you go.
As an aside, my niece mentioned to me that she had several teachers who did not teach any history, as it wasn't on the WASL, our state's standardized test. ARGH.
Back to the plan, if all the chart is complete by Friday evening there is a treat, ice-cream or pie at the corner diner most likely. If it is not complete by Friday evening, it will get done on Saturday morning, which cuts into free-play time.
The other happy benefit of this plan is that, after attaching the relevant worksheets to the chart, I can pop the whole thing into a file to document to the state that I am filling my hourly requirements.
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