PollyOR Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Please tell me this gets better. I've always enjoyed planning (actually, more than doing) but between learning/planning TOG and starting BJU Biology I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. The lyrics to "Working in a Coal Mine" are stuck in my head. :lol: Well I been workin in a coal mine Goin down down Workin in a coal mine Whew about to slip down Five oclock in the mornin I'm up before the sun When my work day is over I'm too tired for havin fun Lord I am so tired How long can this go on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I just finished planning my first two quarters. Whew! It was a lot of work. And I only have one student.....and she is a kindergartener. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 You have me biting my nails! How long are we talking?? (Anxiously awaiting TOG in the mail to plan our first unit.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Just so that everyone doesn't freak out...I was able to plan a unit for a 2nd grader in a 3 hour stint over one weekend and then it took me 20 minutes on Sundays before the week started to plan out the rest of the school work (math ect.). I took 9 weeks of weekly calendars and did a plan like Sonlight (i.e. I spaced out the week's book readings into a daily plan). I then added what activity we would do that week and when and also put in there when we would have the history discussion and map work. We didn't do vocabulary. So, when it was time to plan the week on Sunday, I just took my already completed schedule ala Sonlight style and added in the rest of his work (math, language arts, ect). Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) Which I know doesn't make you feel any better! With 5 dc using TOG, and printing out copies of the following for every single week/per child: Reading Assignments (both pages) Weekly Overview (only the side with timeline, vocab, and famous people) Writing Assignments Student Activites (all pages per child's level) 2 Maps each Sorting and initialing the copies while the next set is printing. Pulling SOTW activity pages and putting them in the appropriate week. Writing out the vocab lists for the UG dc as his copywork during our vocab time. Filing each week in a labeled file folder so when we start the week, I don't have to do anything for them, I just need to study my notes and order books for the following week. All told, I took about 1.5 days (including a zillion child interruptions) :) It took me about 3 weeks to even feel like I was getting a handle, in 3 months, it was "old hat" The TOG FOG is real, but once you figure out your system, it only gets better and is so worth the fog time :) Be encouraged, TOG Rocks! Edited June 25, 2009 by johnandtinagilbert forgot something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanna Tomlinson Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 This is my third year teaching TOG. For me, TOG planning does not take as much time as other programs I have used. Next year I will be teaching 14yods, 11yods,10yods, 8yodd, 5yodd. Summer: 1)Select books - I gather all of the books in our house that may apply to the time period. At this point, I ONLY look at the TOG Reading Assignment pages. I only look at the right hand page to see if we already own something, otherwise I go with the primary TOG selections. At this point I will write on the pages the title of any book we already own that can substitute for a TOG selection. This takes about 1 hour/unit. (total 4 hours) 2) order books - I only ordered the first two units to spread out the cost. This took about an hour. 2)Sort and organize books (took a long time...days, but this involved cleaning my whole schoolroom) 3) Plan hands on activities and field trips. I have gone through each unit in about 1 hour and highlighted the activities we want to do. I just look at the overview pages; it also helps to have the activity books on hand. Don't get bogged down in this phase by reading all the other stuff. Planning some of the field trips has taken longer, but this involves our whole co-op. Total summertime planning: 9 hours, plus cleaning schoolroom which has to happen whatever program I use. Every week I print out the SAP's, maps, and Reading Assignment pages. (My kids know to go to the TOG manual for their timeline and vocab) Total weekly planning: about 30 minutes a week including planning non-TOG subjects. Planning my TOG co-op Comp& Lit class takes about 4 hours per unit. This is more work because I am planning for several students and I write a syllabus. Another aspect of planning may be gathering supplies for the crafts/activities. I hope to do this ahead of time this year, but with a good list it shouldn't take that long. Try not to get bogged down reading everything in the TOG manual. It is so rich and no family can do everything. When you feel like you have planned enough for your family, just stop and enjoy the learning.:) HTH, Leanna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Polly, I think it took me a whole week to plan my first TOG week. That was more because I was learning where everything was and having to make a lot of decisions about what to use. The next week only took about a day, and now it takes probably about a half an hour to an hour (not reading the teacher notes). Now I am used to where everything is and can grab it and plan it out quickly. I hope you find a good balance, and keep your sanity! Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmy Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Heather - are you buying the books for TOG? I remember from the old WP group, you were not a library person. (neither am I - that's why I'm asking!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 Thank you, thank you! I know...this too shall pass. :) Part of my problem is I have NEVER used a curriculum plan like this. I bought textbooks, etc. for each individual subjects. I pieced things together throughout the year. Planning the school year in advance is a new experience for me. And then, there was the whole book decision. We just don't have the $ to own every book. I spent hours searching our library's online catalog to determine what they have. Then, I had to decide what to borrow and what I should purchase. Phew! Another aspect of this (I think) is that I own a digital version. That adds printing time. Of course, I'm not printing everything, but I'm sure I'm spending more time doing that than someone who owns a print copy. Thank you for sharing. My hope is renewed. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmonyartmom Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I just commented on my blog about my process. I have rhetoric level students and we use the library as much as possible and I order the rest through Amazon.com. This is our fifth year using TOG. I usually start out by choosing the books we will use to cover the topics listed in the General Info pages. Then I look at the Accountability Questions to see which ones we will want to discuss and make sure those are going to be covered in the books we choose as well. After that, I will read the suggested teacher's notes for history, literature, and geography. I then look at the writing suggestions for the week and see if any of the topics fit our interests and make a note to cover the topic at our Monday meeting. I enter the assignments into Homeschool Tracker and pop in the Loom and check any info for the week there. I print out any student activity pages or charts that I want the boys to use during the week. I use MapAids to print out any maps we will need as well. That is about it....pretty painless once you get the system down. I think the first unit has taken me about three hours to plan. Here is a link to my Tapestry of Grace blog entries that you might like to read: Harmony Art Mom's Tapestry of Grace Entries Hang in there! Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 And then, there was the whole book decision. We just don't have the $ to own every book. I spent hours searching our library's online catalog to determine what they have. Then, I had to decide what to borrow and what I should purchase. Phew! I had the same issue. I went to our library's website and input the books for unit 1. They had TWO of them. :glare: Argh. So I think I'm just going to buy them all. I really was hoping to only buy the books we would be using multiple times in one year/unit but coordinating with the library is going to be more of a pain for me than it's worth. On top of that, I am stretching years 1 and 2 into 1.5 years each. So I have to go through and decide which weeks we will be spending one week on, and which weeks we will be spending two weeks on. Then, I always check the reviews for the books on Amazon. I will substitute a book if the reviews are poor, or if I have a recommendation for a great book on the subject that TOG isn't using. Also, I am making weekly checklists for dd5 with all of her assignments in excel. I think that using the TOG pages as checklists would be too cumbersome for her (and for me, I like to have everything on one page rather than have to check over several pages). I am also printing out all of the maps and SAPs we will need, making vocabulary lists, and I still need to make copywork pages for each week. Yeah.....it takes a lot of time. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 Barb, thank you! I see myself visiting you blog regularly from now on. About the library....our library actually has many of the LG, UG, and dialectic books. And if not, they have many, many similar books on their shelves. Not being the world's most organized person I don't want to use the library, but I'm going to have to for my grammar stage kids. I did purchase most of the rhetoric level books. I felt those were necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 It gets better. I've got four units under my belt, and I just planned the next two units for my four children in a grand total of two days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Here is a link to my Tapestry of Grace blog entries that you might like to read: Harmony Art Mom's Tapestry of Grace Entries Hang in there! Barb Wow! Thank you so much for posting your blog! About to enter the fog.... Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Heather - are you buying the books for TOG? I remember from the old WP group, you were not a library person. (neither am I - that's why I'm asking!) Yes I do buy the books. I get most my new books off of Amazon, catching their buy 4 for the cost of 3 sale when ever I can. Used I buy off of half because if you buy from the same person you get a discount on the shipping charges. I am also on both BookMooch and Paperback Swap. It isn't cheap, but it hasn't been outrageous either. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 One plus? I finally found the perfect use for my Desk Apprentice. It looks beautiful with the rainbow of hanging files. Aaaah! Back to printing, organizing, and filing. This will make my life easier in the long run. This will make my life easier. This will make my life easier. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PollyOR Posted June 26, 2009 Author Share Posted June 26, 2009 Want to see what I worked on today? Scroll down past the "sob story" and click on the pics. TOG files Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Very nice!!! Looks pretty. :D I kind of did the same thing, I have all of my printed pages/maps etc. in pocket dividers in between each unit in my binder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pongo Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Just so that everyone doesn't freak out...I was able to plan a unit for a 2nd grader in a 3 hour stint over one weekend and then it took me 20 minutes on Sundays before the week started to plan out the rest of the school work (math ect.). I took 9 weeks of weekly calendars and did a plan like Sonlight (i.e. I spaced out the week's book readings into a daily plan). I then added what activity we would do that week and when and also put in there when we would have the history discussion and map work. We didn't do vocabulary. So, when it was time to plan the week on Sunday, I just took my already completed schedule ala Sonlight style and added in the rest of his work (math, language arts, ect). Beth I did TOG for 3 years. This is about what it took me times 3 kiddos, total about 9-10 hours per unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Want to see what I worked on today? Scroll down past the "sob story" and click on the pics. TOG files I want one! :D Looks like you are getting a good start, now the key is to not loose momentum. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 (edited) I find TOG super simple to organize and prepare. I don't get all fancy like some with bound workbooks and the like. I print out all the maps for each week, all the Teacher's maps so I have them on-hand. I print out all the SAP's. I then highlight any Q's I want my son to answer on his SAP's, three-hole punch the pages, throw in some blank lined paper, and put each week (SAP's, Maps, lined paper) behind a weekly tab in a three ring binder. I put 9 weeks into a binder at a time and hand it to him at the beginning of our unit. I have a word doc for our weekly schedule. At the beginning of each week I will input his daily assignments for math, science, LA, etc., and print it out for him. He will then add in his TOG assignments to the schedule in daily increments how he sees fit and then slide the completed schedule into the front of his 3-ring binder (the front "view" sleeve). Voilà , he is ready for his daily work. This truly takes no time at all. It's super simple. As for weekly teacher prep. This is something I have to do weekly, not something that I feel can be done too far in advance. So I open my Teacher's Notes each week, highlight things I want to discuss, questions I want to ask, etc., and away we go on discussion day. I could make it more difficult, more time-consuming, just...more...but I don't. I keep it simple. History is NOT the main focus of our school, nor does it need to be the main focus of my teaching. As for the pre-prep. I have printed out lists of the books used in years 2-3. While we were completing Y1 last year, I had already inputed requests on paperbackswap, and viewed what my library has for Y2 this year. I made purchases for the books I knew I would not be able to get at the library, and those that had huge waiting lists at paperbackswap. I also received many books from paperbackswap for Y2 and they are sitting on my shelves waiting to be read. ;) I have done the same with Y3 already, though I have not purchased any books yet since I have plenty of time. But, I have already received several Y3 books through paperbackswap, so I am way ahead of the game. I only use TOG with one student, so take that into consideration, but TOG does not have to be super prep-intensive. Now, I may say differently when we get to Rhetoric...but for now...I find it super easy and very streamlined. I do NOT use everything TOG offers though. We skip the activities, the vocab, and the timeline work. All just busy work to my son. We focus on history, lit, and worldview...the rest is just gravy. TOG's primary readings, SAP's and Mapping is fattening enough all on it's own. ;) Edited June 26, 2009 by Melissa in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 ...working in the coal mine with you. Goin' down, down. Thanks for posting, actually some of your replies are helping me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 I've been doing TOG planning off and ono all week. In the past it's been the weekly prep that has been the hardest for me to do but this year I'm planning out my units in advance. The first year is the most time consuming because you're not quite sure how TOG will work on a practical basis. I spent the first year tweaking things and ended up with a planning sheet that works really well for us. I posted some pictures of my new system for planning out a unit of TOG on my blog. I'm hoping that with this advance planning I'll end up with a "pick up and go" TOG year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omma Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Sarah, I just finished making 27 file folders (one set of 9 for each of my 2 dc and one set for myself with the teacher maps and library lists, planning schedules, etc). I feel better knowing that someone else has done something similar! :D I have only done it for TOG and I'm not sure if I'll try to include other subjects like you have done. I also still have to break apart my SOTW activity book and make copies. It has been fun, though I am a bit bleary-eyed right now! :tongue_smilie: Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Sarah, I just finished making 27 file folders (one set of 9 for each of my 2 dc and one set for myself with the teacher maps and library lists, planning schedules, etc). I feel better knowing that someone else has done something similar! :D I have only done it for TOG and I'm not sure if I'll try to include other subjects like you have done. I also still have to break apart my SOTW activity book and make copies. It has been fun, though I am a bit bleary-eyed right now! :tongue_smilie: Brenda That's really funny. I think I'm going to even make weekly folders for my 3 (soon to be 4) year old. I have this vision of the kids pulling out the new week's folder while I have a coffee and rest in the knowledge that *everything* is in there. Ahhh. And I'm not sure why, but there's just something about seeing it all hanging neatly on the wall that gives me great joy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 That's really funny. I think I'm going to even make weekly folders for my 3 (soon to be 4) year old. I have this vision of the kids pulling out the new week's folder while I have a coffee and rest in the knowledge that *everything* is in there. Ahhh. And I'm not sure why, but there's just something about seeing it all hanging neatly on the wall that gives me great joy. Lol....I don't make weekly folders...I make daily folders! How insane is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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