Another Scheduling Question - Advice Needed

[AlmiraGulch]

I'll be homeschooling my rising 8th grade dd13 for the first time starting in the fall. I've selected curricula, but I'm having difficulty deciding how many days of each subject she should do, and how much per day.

 

Here's where I am:

 

TRISMS: Covers history, geography, reading, and includes IEW for writing. Will do every day for however long it takes to get the assignments done. 2.5 - 4 hours is what I'm reading.

 

VideoText Algebra: Daily....will follow the writer's suggested lesson plan.

 

Rainbow Science: Supposed to be 3 times per week, with 2 reading days and one lab day. We're planning to do 4 days per week instead, 2 readings, lab, 2 readings, lab.

 

Rosetta Stone Spanish: How many days? How long?

 

Mavis Beacon Typing: How many days? How long?

 

Fallacy Detectives: How many days? How long?

 

Wii Fit (or something else physical): 30 mins - 1 hour, 4 - 6 days per week, depending on what she feels like doing.

 

She will also attend a 4 hour enrichment program from 9 - 1 on Fridays.

 

I want her to be challenged but I don't want to kill her and beg to go back to PS!

 

Any comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

TIA!

 

Quincy

[charmama4]

I have a rising 8th grader as well and also pulled him out of PS last year.

 

Regarding your schedule, here's what we are doing and I suggest to you:

Typing 1-2 days for 15-20mins.

Logic 3-4 days for 30-45mins. We will be using Mind Benders, Fallacy Detective and Reading/Science Detectives. I thought about alternating between them so not to get bored with just one thing.

 

I"m sorry to say don't know about the Spanish but, I'm sure someone will chime in to help. I am not familiar with TRISM, VideoText Algebra, or Rainbow Science but, it all sounds OK. Just remember, as I have learned over the past year, if it doesn't work you can always tweak it!!!!

 

BTW, love the WII fit!!!! We do it at home for family entertainment. The kids love to see mommy lose her balance on the tight rope!!!

[AlmiraGulch]

Thanks so much for your feedback!

 

Anyone else? I really would like to continue to learn from others' experiences.

[amtmcm]

 

TRISMS: Covers history, geography, reading, and includes IEW for writing. Will do every day for however long it takes to get the assignments done. 2.5 - 4 hours is what I'm reading.

 

VideoText Algebra: Daily....will follow the writer's suggested lesson plan.

 

Rainbow Science: Supposed to be 3 times per week, with 2 reading days and one lab day. We're planning to do 4 days per week instead, 2 readings, lab, 2 readings, lab.

 

Rosetta Stone Spanish: How many days? How long?

 

Mavis Beacon Typing: How many days? How long?

 

Fallacy Detectives: How many days? How long?

 

 

 

 

Hi Quincy,

 

Welcome to homeschooling! We just finished our first year and loved it!

 

Don't be disappointed if your DD doesn't love Trisms. I tried Around the World in 180 Days which is a similar research based geography/cultures curriculum and my DD begged me for a textbook. It was just too different from what she was used to at school. I loved the research, and we would stack lots of books in front of us on the floor and read through them together to find the answers. It felt like a treasure hunt to me, but my DD was totally freaked out by it. Since it is the main component of your curriculum you will be able to take your time and work through any hiccups, but I just wanted to give you a heads up so you're not discouraged if she balks. This will give you the opportunity to work through it together and for you to find out her learning style. I think Trisms looks excellent and I'm hoping to use it with my younger DD when she's older.

 

Rainbow Science is awesome and we both loved it. It takes about 1 1/2-2 hours per week. I'd recommend doing the quizzes which are posted on their website. They will really help retention. Your schedule sounds great - you'll be able to complete the whole book in 1 year.

 

We did Critical Thinking 1 hour per week. I think Fallacy Detective has about 40 lessons? So that works out to about 1 lesson per week.

[AlmiraGulch]

Hi Quincy,

 

Welcome to homeschooling! We just finished our first year and loved it!

 

Don't be disappointed if your DD doesn't love Trisms. I tried Around the World in 180 Days which is a similar research based geography/cultures curriculum and my DD begged me for a textbook. It was just too different from what she was used to at school. I loved the research, and we would stack lots of books in front of us on the floor and read through them together to find the answers. It felt like a treasure hunt to me, but my DD was totally freaked out by it. Since it is the main component of your curriculum you will be able to take your time and work through any hiccups, but I just wanted to give you a heads up so you're not discouraged if she balks. This will give you the opportunity to work through it together and for you to find out her learning style. I think Trisms looks excellent and I'm hoping to use it with my younger DD when she's older.

 

Rainbow Science is awesome and we both loved it. It takes about 1 1/2-2 hours per week. I'd recommend doing the quizzes which are posted on their website. They will really help retention. Your schedule sounds great - you'll be able to complete the whole book in 1 year.

 

We did Critical Thinking 1 hour per week. I think Fallacy Detective has about 40 lessons? So that works out to about 1 lesson per week.

 

Thanks for the heads up about TRISMS. I know she may not like it, but I'm hoping for the best! When selecting curricula I narrowed the search by subjects and then let her make the final selection, so she's the one who actually selected TRISMS. Still...we'll see how it goes. I'm not married to anything, particularly since this is our first shot at homeschooling. Honestly, i'm just hoping for a better experience than public school, and we'll build from there.

 

Thanks again!

 

Thanks again!

[amtmcm]

When selecting curricula I narrowed the search by subjects and then let her make the final selection, so she's the one who actually selected TRISMS.

 

You should be in good shape then. My DD told me from the start she didn't like the looks of Around The World and I bought it anyways because it suited me, I was enthusiastic about it and I hoped my enthusiasm would be contagious.

 

Best wishes for a smooth and successful year!

[AlmiraGulch]

I really appreciate everyone's input so far, but I'd love to hear from more of you "experts" out there!

 

So.....bump.... :)

[johnandtinagilbert]

Rosetta Stone Spanish: How many days? How long? Daily 20 min

 

Mavis Beacon Typing: How many days? How long? Daily, 15 min. until she is proficient, then drop it as a class and require a portion of her assignments to be typed.

 

Fallacy Detectives: How many days? How long?2-3 days, 20 min.

 

Wii Fit (or something else physical): 30 mins - 1 hour, 4 - 6 days per week, depending on what she feels like doing.

 

She will also attend a 4 hour enrichment program from 9 - 1 on Fridays.

 

I want her to be challenged but I don't want to kill her and beg to go back to PS!

 

Any comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

TIA!

 

Quincy

Quincy,

Welcome to the wide world of home schooling. Congrats on your decision. These boards have served me well since 2001, I'm sure you will find the same.

I added, in red, my suggestions. These are the requirements I have placed on my children of similar age. This past year we did typing and once they were descent typers, we dropped it. They actually think its cool that they can type, so they choose to do a bit of work on the computer. It's just one of those skills.

My preference, as a teacher, is always that they practice a little each day, instead of choosing one day to knock it out, thus my logic recommendation. I have found my children process better this way and tend to forget less.

Your schedule looks great. You have chosen excellent materials, with proven success. Nicely done.

Best wishes on a great school year.