How do you get it all done (trying again as last post won't show) - 6th grade

[mdefields]

Okay, no idea what went wrong, but I can't even open my last post to delete it and copy it - says it is in some group, but I posted from the LSMGC forum.

 

I am doing a much more classical education 6th grade than either 4th or 5th. I can't seem to be able to cut any of the subjects/curricula I've planned, but I also don't have any idea how to get so much done in a day. Can anyone help?

Here is our 6th grade list (again, sigh):

Math: MM6; supplemented with Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss my Math by Danica McKellar and Numbersense and math puzzle book)

 

Writing: WWS1, Creative Writer 1

 

Spelling/Vocab: Word Roots Beginning

 

Grammar: AG (1/2 the book in one year - DD says she wants to go to public school in 8th grade, so want to be done with this by then just in case she doesn't change her mind).

 

Geography: Mapping the World with Art

 

Reading: Witch of Blackbird Pond, Hero and the Crown, The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, etc.

 

Science: She goes to a public alternative school once a week and has science there, but will also do a unit on electricity and one on anatomy

 

Art: Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain, art history books from library, fashion design, crafts, etc.

 

Social Studies: What Your 6th Grader Needs to Know (history, stories, poetry, etc.), Egypt, Romans, maybe Civil War

 

With the one day at school (four hours - some learning, but light - mostly social and fun) - we really only have 4 days to do school per week. We need to do math, writing, reading every day - but then how do we fit the rest in without burnout? Thanks for any help!!

[freesia]

Okay, no idea what went wrong, but I can't even open my last post to delete it and copy it - says it is in some group, but I posted from the LSMGC forum.

 

I am doing a much more classical education 6th grade than either 4th or 5th. I can't seem to be able to cut any of the subjects/curricula I've planned, but I also don't have any idea how to get so much done in a day. Can anyone help?

Here is our 6th grade list (again, sigh):

Math: MM6; supplemented with Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss my Math by Danica McKellar and Numbersense and math puzzle book)

 

Writing: WWS1, Creative Writer 1

 

Spelling/Vocab: Word Roots Beginning

 

Grammar: AG (1/2 the book in one year - DD says she wants to go to public school in 8th grade, so want to be done with this by then just in case she doesn't change her mind).

 

Geography: Mapping the World with Art

 

Reading: Witch of Blackbird Pond, Hero and the Crown, The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, etc.

 

Science: She goes to a public alternative school once a week and has science there, but will also do a unit on electricity and one on anatomy

 

Art: Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain, art history books from library, fashion design, crafts, etc.

 

Social Studies: What Your 6th Grader Needs to Know (history, stories, poetry, etc.), Egypt, Romans, maybe Civil War

 

With the one day at school (four hours - some learning, but light - mostly social and fun) - we really only have 4 days to do school per week. We need to do math, writing, reading every day - but then how do we fit the rest in without burnout? Thanks for any help!!

I don't think that it looks overwhelming. However, here are some ideas for where you can cut if you need to.

 

Plan on getting the Math Mammoth done and use the others if you have time.

 

The assignments in WWS are a bit uneven, so you might want to "give yourself permission" to spread some over 2 days. I don't think you need Creative Writer also. IF you want to do it, then see it as an extra and maybe tell yourself it might take 2 years.

 

You have a lot of art--if you do get overwhelmed you could consider cutting there, too.

 

You can alternate science and social studies units and not try to do both at once. Study Egypt, then do the electricity study, then Romans, etc.

 

We do a 4 day a week schedule (except math is 5 day)because of our co-op. We do a little more on all the other days. I only began to find it hard to juggle everything at around 8th grade.

[Desert Strawberry]

Trim it down and spread it out. Don't try to do everything every day. It's too much. 

 

Maybe use that fifth day for the fun math. 

 

Choose one of each. Alternate if you really want both.

 

Alternate topics each day/week/month. Mondays-art. Tuesdays-history. And so on. Or take a week or two or a month to really immerse yourselves in each subject. I find we learn more and accomplish more when we spend a month on something than we did when we alternated by the day or tried to squeeze in everything.

[Mrs Twain]

Perhaps this will be of use to you--I posted the blurb below on the 5th grader schedule thread which is also currently in the Logic subforum.  We have a strict schedule in order to get all of our subjects done.  We do CC one day per week for 24 weeks of the year.

 

Here is my current 5th grader's schedule.  We start at 8:00 and end about 3:00 (with breaks).

 

Math

English

--Break--

Composition

Spelling Review 

--Lunch/Break--

Science (BJU online which involves watching a video and doing an assignment every day)

--Break--

Workbooks (Vocabulary, Logic, IEW Fix It, Daily Reading Comprehension, R&S Spelling)

History read aloud (we take turns reading aloud to each other)

Review Memory Work (CC, Gettysburg Address, IEW Poetry, other misc)

Lapbook (one activity per day to finish 3 x history,  2 x science, and 1x civics lapbooks per year)

Special Subject (Monday-- Art or Music, Tuesday--Geography, Wednesday--Studies Weekly Science, Thursday--Studies Weekly Social Studies)

 

Fridays are either CC or a variation of a normal day.

 

Duolingo during free time.

[MamaSprout]

Perhaps this will be of use to you--I posted the blurb below on the 5th grader schedule thread which is also currently in the Logic subforum. We have a strict schedule in order to get all of our subjects done. We do CC one day per week for 24 weeks of the year.

Here is my current 5th grader's schedule. We start at 8:00 and end about 3:00 (with breaks).

Math

English

--Break--

Composition

Spelling Review

--Lunch/Break--

Science (BJU online which involves watching a video and doing an assignment every day)

--Break--

Workbooks (Vocabulary, Logic, IEW Fix It, Daily Reading Comprehension, R&S Spelling)

History read aloud (we take turns reading aloud to each other)

Review Memory Work (CC, Gettysburg Address, IEW Poetry, other misc)

Lapbook (one activity per day to finish 3 x history, 2 x science, and 1x civics lapbooks per year)

Special Subject (Monday-- Art or Music, Tuesday--Geography, Wednesday--Studies Weekly Science, Thursday--Studies Weekly Social Studies)

Fridays are either CC or a variation of a normal day.

Duolingo during free time.

Our daily schedule is very similar (except we do Latin instead of LA)

 

I dump everything into a spreadsheet so I know what my pace is and can make some up front decisions about what we have time for each week.

 

For example, I compacted the two first chapters from CPO Earth Science so we have time for Science fair. I cut vocabulary and grammar completely this year b/c it is well covered in our Latin, and I want time for music practice. I dropped an online class and a history component b/c we just didn't need them after I looked over my spreadsheet. There is a version of what I use in my sig, along with a weekly assignment sheet I like.

 

I tweek as the year goes on, and stay flexible with bunny trails.

HTH

[Space station]

I don't think that it looks overwhelming. However, here are some ideas for where you can cut if you need to.

 

Plan on getting the Math Mammoth done and use the others if you have time.

 

The assignments in WWS are a bit uneven, so you might want to "give yourself permission" to spread some over 2 days. I don't think you need Creative Writer also. IF you want to do it, then see it as an extra and maybe tell yourself it might take 2 years.

 

You have a lot of art--if you do get overwhelmed you could consider cutting there, too.

 

You can alternate science and social studies units and not try to do both at once. Study Egypt, then do the electricity study, then Romans, etc.

 

We do a 4 day a week schedule (except math is 5 day)because of our co-op. We do a little more on all the other days. I only began to find it hard to juggle everything at around 8th grade.

I agree with freesia. Some days you will need two days to get a WWS assignment done. Some days you can occasionally get 2 WWS assignments done in one day, but not often enough that it would equal out so that you would have time for Creative Writer, especially if she is only doing this 4 days a week. I would save the Creative Writer for the end of the year and only do it if you have extra time for it.

[threedogfarm]

I dump everything into a spreadsheet so I know what my pace is and can make some up front decisions about what we have time for each week.

 

For example, I compacted the two first chapters from CPO Earth Science so we have time for Science fair. I cut vocabulary and grammar completely this year b/c it is well covered in our Latin, and I want time for music practice. I dropped an online class and a history component b/c we just didn't need them after I looked over my spreadsheet. There is a version of what I use in my sig, along with a weekly assignment sheet I like.

 

I tweek as the year goes on, and stay flexible with bunny trails.

HTH

 

Could you explain how you put everything onto the spreadsheet?  Are the column headings the numbered days of school and the row headings are the subjects with each lesson/chapter/assignment going in the appropriate box?  In other words do you plan out the year and then start changing manipulating the schedule so that everything that is necessary is fit in?

 

Thanks in advance.

[MamaSprout]

Could you explain how you put everything onto the spreadsheet?  Are the column headings the numbered days of school and the row headings are the subjects with each lesson/chapter/assignment going in the appropriate box?  In other words do you plan out the year and then start changing manipulating the schedule so that everything that is necessary is fit in?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I've attached my final spreadsheet for my dd for this year to this post. I keep a separate spreadsheet for my tutoring students, classes and programs I run, etc, still broken out by week.

 

I list the materials I'm using across the top and the week down the side. I do this because it functions more like a checklist. I can cross off each week as we finish it in each subject.

 

So if dd is in week 10 in SpellWell, but a bit behind in Latin, say week 8, it's no big deal. I can see at a glance if I have a built in "make up week" coming up, if we need to step up the pace to catch up, or just accept we won't be finished the week I though we would. I can also see if I have too much scheduled in a week.

 

When I'm actually creating the spreadsheet, I list my materials (subjects) across the top and weeks down the side. I do try to keep mine "Landscape" width b/c I live and die by my 3 ring binders. If you needed more space, you could set it up on a legal page.

 

After I know what I'm using, I start with the spine for my subject, decide how much of it I want to cover and divide by my number of weeks. If there is a natural pace (HOK12, Ancients portion actually breaks out nicely for a school year), I just plug it in. If something is a little more complicated (like compacting Lively Latin2), I open up the material and make an intelligent guess, knowing I might need need to adjust a few pages here and there. Something like Science, I skim the material and make a judgement call. All three Focus On CPO books have similar first chapters. I don't need to spend a lot of time doing those every year.

 

I finish with plugging in supplements and extras in places where it makes sense.

 

I put the weekly details in the student planner sheet in my signature. The students keep track of their own sheets, either in a binder or pocket folder with the three prong thingees.

 

I don't do the assignment sheets more than a week ahead, and I fill them in in pencil. It takes me maybe 10 minutes per student, a tad longer for dd b/c her reading/ literature list is pretty fluid. 

 

Since I started doing this, we've actually finished almost everything we've planned. Major schedule overhaul can be done with a cut and paste.

 

 

HTH

Spreadsheet 2014-2015.pdf

[...................]

Last year in 6th grade we pretty much pushed my son to the limit and stressed ourselves out.  We started 2 months early and ended 1 month late on our school year, and I felt like my son was getting ready for college instead of getting ready for 7th grade.   We were doing about the same amount that you have listed there, except we were also taking time for our testing every month, testing took 2-3 full school days. 

 

This year we have scaled back.  My son and daughter are doing the subjects that really matter to them, or that really matter in their stage of life.  I think you have two choices, stress the whole year, or do less.  You can cut Vocab, cut Mapping the World by Heart, cut official Art and just leave the books and materials around for whatever she likes to do.

 

After cutting those two things, I think your plan looks like it can be reasonably accomplished in 4 days per week.  

 

Also, you do not need formal literature study.  Really, you can just do one book, or wait till 7th and 8th grade.  Usually the formal Lit studies at this age aren't all that deep and meaningful.  Just one would do, really. Probably The Hobbit.  Wonderful book, so much character development....the movie ruins it.  You can't see the character development.  In the JRR Tolkien books, character development is everything.   

 

Hope this helps.

[RootAnn]

So the fifth day of "school" is a half-day? or is she "done" when she gets home? I'll assume you really only have four days.

 

Math:  MM four days per week with the "supplements" (which neither of my first two girls would like because they are so kissy-kissy/boyfriendish) would be extra / left around for reading / assigned as "homework" if you really want to torture your kid

 

Writing: If you are there to hand-hold & walk her through stuff, you will be able to tell when she can move onto the next lesson (2-in-one-day) & when she needs something spread out over two or more days. Once you are done with a "week" (Week 1, for example) of WWS, give her one day of Creative Writer. You won't get done with either book in a standard school year this way, but that's what you've chosen by including two resources and having one day missing as part of your schedule.

 

Grammar:  AG has their "two year program" timeline - so that should be do-able.

 

I'd have one "block" each day (~1 hr) that rotates through Spelling/Vocab, Mapping the World, Art, and Science (since most of your science is at the PS).  So, Day 1 is Spelling/Vocab, Day 2 Mapping, Day 3 Art, Day 4 Science.

 

So, every day:  Math 1 hr, Writing 45 min, Grammar 30 min (?), Block Rotation 1 hr, Reading 1 hr (?) & History 45 min (?) = 5 hours per day +/-

 

Doesn't look impossible.

[mdefields]

Wow! This forum has the BEST homeschoolers on it - thank you for the GREAT suggestions!

 

Just for clarification: I use the Danica McKellar books because they are the only thing my DD can stand (she loves kissy-kissy/boyfriend stuff - LOL) - we actually use them to teach the math and then use MM for extra problems, and I don't care if we don't get through all of MM6 this year - I just want her to be okay with math. I also don't do a formal literature study, but if I don't choose some literature for her to read during the year, she would mostly read (even though she is a prolific reader) "junk food" books. I have to assign "literature." Hoping someday this is not the case. :)

 

The ideas about using blocks was fantastic! Since AG will only last 11-17 weeks, I'm thinking to do AG and then CW1 (whatever we can get done with it - she loves writing fiction which is why I felt it necessary to offset the kind of writing she's not really into but that I think is needed). And doing blocks of history and then science and then maybe another one is also great!

 

Or - I love this alternative idea as well: "I'd have one "block" each day (~1 hr) that rotates through Spelling/Vocab, Mapping the World, Art, and Science (since most of your science is at the PS).  So, Day 1 is Spelling/Vocab, Day 2 Mapping, Day 3 Art, Day 4 Science.

So, every day:  Math 1 hr, Writing 45 min, Grammar 30 min (?), Block Rotation 1 hr, Reading 1 hr (?) & History 45 min (?) = 5 hours per day +/-"

 

I am totally fine with mapping the world taking more than one year, but DD has been asking for geography and really has no idea where things are, so it's a very important part of this year. I do think we need more than one day a week for history, so maybe longer blocks would work better there. Maybe a mix of the two - hour long blocks throughout the week for some things (Vocab, Art, Science) and longer blocks for history, AG, CW1. Reading is often done out of "school" time anyway, so I'm not too worried about that.

 

I know I'm rambling. Sorry. I've got to sit with it and decide what to do, but now I feel like I have some choices that I didn't see before. Thank you all again so much for the wonderful advice! This can be done in a sane manner!

[mdefields]

Ooh, I just realized since DD loves to write fiction, we could use CW1 over the summer as a bridge activity! Thanks again for helping me out of the box!

[RootAnn]

Just for clarification: I use the Danica McKellar books because they are the only thing my DD can stand (she loves kissy-kissy/boyfriend stuff - LOL) - we actually use them to teach the math and then use MM for extra problems, and I don't care if we don't get through all of MM6 this year - I just want her to be okay with math.

Well, more power to her. My third kid is more the bf-crazy type (already!), but she's already crazy about math (wants to marry 12*3, for example) so I don't think she'll need the McKellar books. I think the goal of "being okay with math" is a great one, FWIW.

 

I do think we need more than one day a week for history, so maybe longer blocks would work better there. Maybe a mix of the two - hour long blocks throughout the week for some things (Vocab, Art, Science) and longer blocks for history, AG, CW1.

It looked like your history was more involved than your science - which is why I threw down 45 min/day for each of the four days. (Perhaps it wasn't clear in my post?) The important thing is how you look at things & it sounds like you have a better handle on the possibilities.

 

If something goes wrong during the year, you might consider a Loop Schedule. You have subjects you do every day (Math, AG/CW, WWS, History) and then do as many of the remainder ones (Vocab, Art, Science, Mapping) as you can. Stop when you run out of time. Start back with every day subjects & then onto the next item in your loop. It looks like:

Day 1:  Math, History, WWS, AG/CW, Vocab, Art

Day 2:  Math, History, WWS, AG/CW, Science, Mapping, Vocab

Day 3:  Math, History, WWS, AG/CW, Art 

Day 4:  Math, History, WWS, AG/CW, Science, Mapping

Where the amount of the "extra" you get to depends on how the other subjects that day went & what you are up to (field trip, park day, just let her read the rest of the day so you can take a nap or get some laundry done).

 

More info in: "Anyone else use a loop schedule" / also "If you have a long loop schedule, can you please share"

 

But "blocks" are a lot easier, IMO, and better to start with. But loops get done ... and sometimes that's what we need!

[Pen]

Okay, no idea what went wrong, but I can't even open my last post to delete it and copy it - says it is in some group, but I posted from the LSMGC forum.

 

I am doing a much more classical education 6th grade than either 4th or 5th. I can't seem to be able to cut any of the subjects/curricula I've planned, but I also don't have any idea how to get so much done in a day. Can anyone help?

Here is our 6th grade list (again, sigh):

 

Mornings: 3 hours

Math: MM6; supplemented with Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss my Math by Danica McKellar and Numbersense and math puzzle book)   --1 hour/day

 

Writing: WWS1, Creative Writer 1  30 min/day

 

Spelling/Vocab: Word Roots Beginning  15 min/day

 

Grammar: AG (1/2 the book in one year - DD says she wants to go to public school in 8th grade, so want to be done with this by then just in case she doesn't change her mind). 30 min/day

 

 

 

Reading: Witch of Blackbird Pond, Hero and the Crown, The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, etc. 45 min per day

 

 

Afternoons: however many hours you think it should be (3?) choose one area below and concentrate on it for the whole time-- also try to squeeze a bit more in during commute times, reading at bedtime, documentary movies and so on.

 

Geography: Mapping the World with Art

 

Science: She goes to a public alternative school once a week and has science there, but will also do a unit on electricity and one on anatomy

 

Art: Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain, art history books from library, fashion design, crafts, etc.

 

Social Studies: What Your 6th Grader Needs to Know (history, stories, poetry, etc.), Egypt, Romans, maybe Civil War

 

With the one day at school (four hours - some learning, but light - mostly social and fun) - we really only have 4 days to do school per week. We need to do math, writing, reading every day - but then how do we fit the rest in without burnout? Thanks for any help!!

 

 

See interspersed above...will give you 1 hour math, 2 hours language arts (you can adjust that balance if needed) 4 days per week, and 3 hours each of the other subjects per week.

[Reefgazer]

My kid had a lot of outside activities in 6th and we were overwhelmed and had to cut back also.  I think your schedule is a tad too much.  Here's where I would cut:
 
Math: Cut out a supplement.  If your main math program isn't enough to cover things you need to with just one supplement, I'd look for something else.

 

Writing: Either WWS1 or Creative Writer, but not both.

 

If you are still overwhelmed, I would cut one (in the following order):  one science unit, ditch the Civil War studies, and then possibly art (unless she really loves it).



 
 

Okay, no idea what went wrong, but I can't even open my last post to delete it and copy it - says it is in some group, but I posted from the LSMGC forum.
 
I am doing a much more classical education 6th grade than either 4th or 5th. I can't seem to be able to cut any of the subjects/curricula I've planned, but I also don't have any idea how to get so much done in a day. Can anyone help?
Here is our 6th grade list (again, sigh):
Math: MM6; supplemented with Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss my Math by Danica McKellar and Numbersense and math puzzle book)
 
Writing: WWS1, Creative Writer 1
 
Spelling/Vocab: Word Roots Beginning
 
Grammar: AG (1/2 the book in one year - DD says she wants to go to public school in 8th grade, so want to be done with this by then just in case she doesn't change her mind).
 
Geography: Mapping the World with Art
 
Reading: Witch of Blackbird Pond, Hero and the Crown, The Hobbit, Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, etc.
 
Science: She goes to a public alternative school once a week and has science there, but will also do a unit on electricity and one on anatomy
 
Art: Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain, art history books from library, fashion design, crafts, etc.
 
Social Studies: What Your 6th Grader Needs to Know (history, stories, poetry, etc.), Egypt, Romans, maybe Civil War
 
With the one day at school (four hours - some learning, but light - mostly social and fun) - we really only have 4 days to do school per week. We need to do math, writing, reading every day - but then how do we fit the rest in without burnout? Thanks for any help!!

[LanaTron]

 

 

 

Geography: Mapping the World with Art

 

 

Art: Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain, art history books from library, fashion design, crafts, etc.

 

Social Studies: What Your 6th Grader Needs to Know (history, stories, poetry, etc.), Egypt, Romans, maybe Civil War

 

 

 

I think that Mapping the World with Art would be enough art and social studies, so that you woudn't need to do those other resources.

 

My dd will be in 2 co-ops plus girl scouts.   :driving: 

 

If you'd like to see what we will be doing, along with a link to a .pdf of her general weekly schedule, take a look here.