cdrumm4448 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Our first three days of homeschooling are not a good indication of what we can accomplish by homeschooling, and when we get back from vacation Friday, we are going to try again Monday for the month of July. What should a second grader's schedule look like for work and break times? I wanted to bang it all out for the first three hours in the morning, but that seems hard for my son (he's 7). When we try to take a break, he takes advantage of stopping and has a really hard time getting going again. I don't want to experience a lot of fighting and frustration every day. What do you do? How do you strike a balance that works for everyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 My 7-year-old son is the same way. Workboxes have helped a lot - it's something concrete and visual (once you're done with what's in these drawers, you're done for the day). We do take frequent breaks, and it is hard to get going again - so what I have to do is make sure there's something he wants (watching TV, reading comics, whatever) that is a reward once ALL of his schoolwork is done. This helps him be a little motivated on his own to get through it. Also, keep in mind that (for me, at least) schooling IS harder during the summer. Their friends are out of school, there are fun activities going on, and the warm sun is beckoning. :001_smile: I expect less in the summer than I do the rest of the school year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Our first three days of homeschooling are not a good indication of what we can accomplish by homeschooling, and when we get back from vacation Friday, we are going to try again Monday for the month of July. What should a second grader's schedule look like for work and break times? I wanted to bang it all out for the first three hours in the morning, but that seems hard for my son (he's 7). When we try to take a break, he takes advantage of stopping and has a really hard time getting going again. I don't want to experience a lot of fighting and frustration every day. What do you do? How do you strike a balance that works for everyone? My 2nd graders' days typically look something like this (in this order so that there is a break between writing assignments): math- approx 20 mins read aloud to me- approx 15 mins phonics/spelling- approx 15 mins nature study read aloud by me- approx 15 mins copywork (used for handwriting, grammar, mechanics instruction)-approx 15-20 mins I do not give breaks in between b/c it is too distracting to back on track and I have to finish and move on to older kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Our first three days of homeschooling are not a good indication of what we can accomplish by homeschooling, I may be sticking my nose in where it's not wanted, but why are you starting school in the middle of the summer? Has your ds been in a public school before now? If so how long has he been out? I ask because if he has been in school, he really needs some time to de-school before starting a rigorous schedule of homeschooling. The change may be too much all at once, with no break in between. I personally would not start any real curriculum until fall. Take time over the summer for some interest led learning...go to the library and follow his lead on a topic. Go for nature walks. Do art in the backyard. Sign up for a summer reading program. Give him time to remember that learning IS fun. Sorry if I'm way off base, it just seems strange to begin homeschooling in June. My dd8 just finished 2nd. She doesn't have problems transitioning like my older dd does but here is what we did...15-20 minutes of Spelling 3x a week, 5-15 of English type stuff 2-3x a week, 45-60 minutes of Math 4-5x a week, 45 minutes of History type read aloud 4-5x a week (we only spent so much time because she loved it) and I tried to have her read every day for about 15-20 minutes. We also did Five in a Row which took anywhere from 20-60 minutes depending on the time we had. At their age, they just don't need a lot of formal seat work. But that's just my opinion. She was usually done by noon and had some informal breaks in between. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Our first three days of homeschooling are not a good indication of what we can accomplish by homeschooling, and when we get back from vacation Friday, we are going to try again Monday for the month of July. What should a second grader's schedule look like for work and break times? I wanted to bang it all out for the first three hours in the morning, but that seems hard for my son (he's 7). When we try to take a break, he takes advantage of stopping and has a really hard time getting going again. I don't want to experience a lot of fighting and frustration every day. What do you do? How do you strike a balance that works for everyone? My daily schedule changes do to the current needs of my kids. Is this your only homeschooling child? Is this really the FIRST three days of homeschooling of the first three for this year? What curriculum are you using? IS the 3 hours your total for the day for school? If you are just starting out I would get started slowly. Spend a few weeks developing a routine for the 3Rs. If your goal is to "bang it out " in the morning then just develop the habit of getting the 3Rs done right after breakfast. As you get used to the routine the time requirement to get this accomplished should decrease. Time spent with a 7yo on Reading, writing and math will probably average around 1hr -1 1/2 hrs......if you spend 20-30 min per each. Once you feel like you have that under control then add in the extras. Experiment if you and him like to do every subject every day or divide the extras of the week and have a longer time to explore each subject. I aim for about 2 hours per day on academics for my 7 yo which includes the 3Rs + history/science/Latin/etc. We also will spend 1hr (more or less depending on our mood) doing art/music/nature study/read aloud type of activities usually at a separate time of the day. So our daily schedule right now is ~ 2hour stretch to include all academics + ~1 hour doing fun stuff. We spent last year slowly adjusting our schedule until he could work through all his academics in one long stretch. I always kept the 3Rs in one stretch so if nothing else happens we have the basics covered. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I have never done breaks with either of my kids, and this includes my son with ADHD. Here is what 2nd grade (for the child without ADHD) around here usually looks like: Math 30 minutes--lesson and independent practice Spelling 10 minutes--independent Grammar 15 minutes--with mom as scribe Writing lesson 15 minutes--with mom sitting there but not as scribe Literature 20 minutes--on couch, student reads to himself then we discuss History 20 minutes--on couch, mostly read alouds with some narration and discussion Science 20 minutes--on couch, read aloud, discuss, and if there's an activity, then we get off the couch and do it That's two-ish hours. Sometimes things run long and we go as long as three hours. I find that doing the work that requires skill aquisition and output first thing works best. Switching between tasks more frequently rather than taking breaks can help. So if the math lesson has three distinct parts then I might do the first, then do grammar, then do the second math thing, then do spelling, then do the third math thing. If for some reason we have to take a break then I try to have something fun to do after the break (like reading a story for history or doing a science experiment). I also find that having consistant expectations from day to day is important, starting at the same time, generally the same output expectations, not giving in to whining, that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted July 1, 2009 Author Share Posted July 1, 2009 I am homeschooling in July because the only way my husband would approve of us homeschooling is if we do a test run this summer. He wants to make sure we can all do this before we pull him out of school. He attends a private school and may lose his place there if we pull him out, so we want to be certain homeschooling is for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Oh, that's tough! Poor little guy needs a break from school, time to decompress and de-school. Hmm, does your dh require you to do "school at home" with him or is he giving you leeway in choosing? If you can choose, you can still do a lighter version of school and still get an idea if it's going to work. As you have read, for 7yo you don't need a lot of time to get school done. He's probably so squirmy because he's ready for summer break ;) Do what you can to make it a fun, new adventure! Do school outside, take those trips to the library, do math facts while jumping rope or swinging, etc. Basically focus on the 3 R's, which won't take more than 1-1 1/2 hours and then make science a nature or insect study...something he likes. History could be a couple picture books and maybe "Liberty Kid's video's." What curriculum are you trying to use. Maybe we can help you get creative to meet dh's needs and your little guys need for a break:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I am homeschooling in July because the only way my husband would approve of us homeschooling is if we do a test run this summer. We were in the same place last summer. Luckily, you can do an impressive amount of work in a short time (at that age, we can get math, LA, history, science and more done in about 90 minutes - 2 hours!), so what I did was make sure that AFTER school was done, they still got their "summer" experiences in - swimming, playing with friends, being out and about. I don't know if this is the case with your husband, but mine was worried about whether I could be disciplined enough to be consistent every day, not about how many hours I put in. We did work every day, so he was happy. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 We are on a lighter schedule for the summer, but in late August we will be back to full schedule. My second-grader's schedule will be: Read-aloud by mom (1/2 hour) Math (30-40 minutes) Explode the Code (10 minutes) Read-aloud to mom (15 minutes) Writing With Ease (10 minutes) Primary Language Lessons (10 minutes) History (30 minutes, 3x/wk) Science (45 minutes, 2/x wk) Spanish (20 minutes, 2x/wk) We usually start at 8:45 and end by 11:45 with a 15-minute snack break around 10:30. I set a timer, and when snack is over, we go back to work. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesa Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I agree your ds needs to decompress.... thats a tough situation for sure. Ok for 2nd grade it's super easy to get everything in before lunch. If you son is too wiggly try letting him do his school work while sitting on a yoga ball. This helps my son immensely. I also set a timer for breaks (if breaks are needed, AND earned) if my son is slacking off then he loses his break. They only lose it once or twice and then they get to work lol. What currics are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Lynx Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I'm pretty minimalist for 2nd grade. Our schedule is this: @20 minutes of math @20 minutes of grammar/writing @20 minutes of spelling/phonics Whatever time I spend reading history, or literature, or whatever to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 I'd keep it light and spend no more than 20 min max on each subject. In 2nd we do math, memory work, LA which is phonics or reading, copywork or a handwriting book and then alternate between science and history doing a narration for each once a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdrumm4448 Posted July 2, 2009 Author Share Posted July 2, 2009 I ordered Singapore and Miquon Math, as he REALLY likes and flourishes in math. Language Lessons, Modern Press Spelling, SOTH1 (we spend probably an hour on history because he loves it so much), he reads for 15 minutes and writes a short narrative, I read to him for 15 minutes, science has been hard to do as we were using a free curriculum on the internet, but it has been too hard to organize. We also need to practice the violin every day (or every other day at least), and I told his little sister (4) I would get her her own books to use for school. The Target Dollar Spot workbooks aren't cutting it anymore. That's all I can think of right now as we're still on vacation. There's also Latin, but we haven't even tried that this summer yet. I think I will start with a very limited school schedule Monday (Math) and see how it goes. When we have that under our belt (15-20 minutes) I'll add something else. That's a great piece of advice. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I ordered Singapore and Miquon Math, as he REALLY likes and flourishes in math. Language Lessons, Modern Press Spelling, SOTH1 (we spend probably an hour on history because he loves it so much), he reads for 15 minutes and writes a short narrative, I read to him for 15 minutes, science has been hard to do as we were using a free curriculum on the internet, but it has been too hard to organize. We also need to practice the violin every day (or every other day at least), and I told his little sister (4) I would get her her own books to use for school. The Target Dollar Spot workbooks aren't cutting it anymore. That's all I can think of right now as we're still on vacation. There's also Latin, but we haven't even tried that this summer yet. I think I will start with a very limited school schedule Monday (Math) and see how it goes. When we have that under our belt (15-20 minutes) I'll add something else. That's a great piece of advice. Thanks. Do you try to do all these subjects every day? If I were you I'd arrange the schedule something like this: Math -- ~20-30 minutes Language Lessons (do you mean First Language Lessons?) -- ~15 minutes Practice Violin Reading -- ~15 minutes History OR Science -- interest led. alternate every other day or so Spelling -- ~10 minutes While son practices violin, you work with dd on her phonics. Dd listens in on history and science and participates as she wants (i.e. coloring page). I wouldn't try to add in Latin right now. Try to break up the routine a bit. As others have suggested, maybe try one or more subjects outside, at the library, etc. Of course, this depends on your son's distractibility.;) Good Luck trying to finesse giving your son a much needed break and meeting your dh's expectations. By the by, and don't feel that you need to answer me, what are your dh's expectations? What is the criteria by which you both decide that hs'ing will work? If you haven't done this, please consider sitting down with your dh and setting *realistic* goals/expectations for this summer. Really, a few weeks is not enough time to decide whether or not hs'ing will work. It's not fair to either you or your ds; although, I do understand not wanting to lose a place at a good private school. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 A few more suggestions. Start with math since he really likes it to get started on a positive note. Then perhaps work on the Language lessons and spelling. If he needs a "break" between LL and spelling then alternate subjects that require him to DO something with your reading to him. So a morning routine might look like Math LL Mom reading Spelling Him reading Writing narrative Alternating Science/History leaving your afternoons free. SO you are starting and ending on a positive fun subject for him. Violin is done separate from "school".....although if you have to report to someone is would be reported as school. another alternate type of schedule would be to do the 3Rs in morning... Math LL Spelling Him reading Writing narrative and leave the others for after lunch Mom reading Alternating Science/History. Practice violin. Just get in the routing of "we do school work right after we eat." The quicker he gets done the more time he has to play/etc. in am before lunch and in the afternoon. There really isn't one correct answer. Make a list of what you want to do each day.....in addition to school include everything such as housework/cooking dinner/exercise/whatever and then keep arranging them until you have the perfect schedule for your family! Also remember that summer schedules are always a little messy.....at least they are around here. I hs year-round and we settle into a very predictable routine in the fall/winter/spring but always.....always.... unpredictable and messy for summer. It is hard to stay in our predictable easy routine of school in the morning and outside/errands in the afternoons when the afternoons have a triple digit heat index. Little sister adds an element of chaos in the mix. I also have a dd almost that age. I get her busy with an open ended activity.....pattern blocks/watercolors/playdoh/etc. and while she is busy I work with my 7yo. I alternate the activities by day and keep them up and away so it is a novelty for her to play with them when I pull them out. SO this means she only plays with playdoh on Tuesday mornings which means she will actually spend a great deal of time playing with it. The activity isn't the important part it is the novelty of only having that particular item to play with once per week. Another recent discovery I've made is Leapfrog videos in particular Letter Factory. I'm not normally an advocate of the video babysitter but these keep her interest and she is learning her letter sounds with them. I don't do workbook activities at that age and have found that having her at the table "working" is a huge distraction for my son. Who wants to do 2nd grade math when little sis is getting to color and do mazes! Have a great vacation and I hope you get off to a great start next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillieBoy Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 For 2nd last year with a 6 year old we did this: Math 1 hour (WTM recommends 40-60 minutes at this grade level) 10 minute break Language Arts, VIE 30-45 minutes, spelling 15 minutes 10-15 minute break Latin 30 minutes Geography 20-30 minutes Lunch 1 hour; we did music appreciation during lunch and always did something physical, recess per say after History (HO) 2 hours MWF, Science 2 hours T, TH 15 minute break Elective her choice(sewing, cooking) M, F, Elective my choice (money management) W, Art 30 minutes (could run into hours) T, TH 1 hour of read aloud classics (me) and 1/2 hour of read aloud (her) something related to current topics, and 1/2 hour self read her choice. Everyday, anytime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmamato3 Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 i just wanted to encourage you to also sit down with DH and set *realistic* expectations for how just a few weeks of schooling at home can be a "true" read on whether homeschooling is going to work. honestly, it took us nearly the first half of our first year homeschooling to find a groove, for MOMMY to learn how DS learned, etc . . . and that was in tandem with the schoolyear. i agree that the summertime schooling is MUCH more difficult . . . though we've pressed on and I've tried my hardest to stay the course with the 3R's. we've done a terrible job with having constistent reading and read alouds, which normally are our favorite part of the day. but the grammar, phonics, and math has been consistent . . . so i think STARTING to school in the summer is an even harder way to test whether it's a good system. my $.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura W. Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 My second grader has the following schedule: "Group" subjects (done with siblings) - all together about 60-90 minutes Bible FIAR History (T, Th) Break (30-60 minutes) "Individual" subjects - total time for these averages 45 minutes. Math Language arts Also, every Wednesday is an "Educational Fun Day". We play educational games, use educational software, do art projects, watch Magic School Bus DVDs - things like that. It provides a break from regular school during the middle of the week. (When we lived in the US, we did lots of field trips instead of having a "Fun Day" each week). HTH. Blessings, Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 Suggestion #1: We do NOT do math for more than 15 minutes in a row. But we do math twice a day, for a total of 30 minutes a day (or so). You might want to consider that--breaking up the subjects if he's getting too bogged down. It can make a big difference. Suggestion #2: Charlotte Mason suggests alternating subjects that are completely different, so the child doesn't get bored and start tuning you out or the child doesn't get burned out. Here's how we alternate the subjects so they're different: 1. Start with math (lots of work for him.) 2. Literature - where you read to him while he plays with a toy. Then he gives you an oral narrative about what you read (this is easy for him.) 3. Handwriting/copywork (work for him) 4. History - where you read to him or with him and do a project or coloring sheet or something fun. (easy for him) 5. Reading - where he reads to you (work for him.) 7. Science - you or he read, then do an experiment, if applicable. (easy for him) 6. Finish with a little more math--a worksheet or something. (work for him) See what I mean? Go back and forth from things he has to work hard at, to the things that are easier on him. Suggestion #3: It's only been 3 days. It takes at least that long for a new routine/habit to form. Remember how it seemed to always take 3 days or so for a new habit to form/be broken when your son was a baby? (Like they would cry for their pacifier for 3 days, but after that they didn't need it anymore? Or they would cry when put to bed for 3 days, but after that they slept without crying?) Keep plugging away at it. Suggestion #4: For this past year in 1st grade, I had to revamp our schedule quite a bit in the first few months. Sometimes it just takes trial and error. Too bad dh is pressuring you. You don't have much time. But it's ok to revamp as needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HFClassicalAcademy Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I have our tentative schedule set up on my blog. We followed a similar one this year pretty well for 1st grade. This one includes my k and pre-k'er. Maybe you can get an idea from it! Tentative Schedule for New Year I also blogged about how to go about making a schedule that you will actually stick to. That one is posted here. HTH!!!! Liz in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 (edited) 2nd grade? Native Language and Literature - 45-60 minutes (reading, composition, spelling, recitation and oral expression practice, pretty much anything) Music - 20-25 minutes (theory: solfeggio, lots of listening and recognizing the examples of classical composition and some theoretical points on them; also learning bits of the history of music) Mathematics - 10-15 minutes (a couple of exercises to repeat what was studied the day before, but in another language, since we aim for balanced bilingualism) National and Religious Education - 15-20 minutes (reading the texts related to it, studying together the architecture of churches/synagogues and works of art that are related to the episodes from the Bible, etc.) Break (for about half an hour, needed to eat something, take a walk or doing something physical, switch languages and get into the "English mode") English: Reading and Literature - 30-45 minutes (reading aloud, recitation, silent reading and then reading comprehension exercises, stuff like that) English: Spelling/Writing - 10-15 minutes (spelling dictation and correction, working on calligraphy) Mathematics - 30-45 minutes (revise, lesson, individual practice) Geography - 15-20 minutes (world geography, work on the globe and workbook) Lunch and chores (about an hour and half total) Somewhere in the afternoon - whether directly after lunch or no - an hour of "silent study/reading" in the home library, during which a child may study or read whatever they want, regardless of the language and regardless of whether it's a part of curriculum or no. We did this hour only Mon-Thu. Friday instead we did Hebrew for an hour or two in the afternoon (really the basics - reading some "normal" texts and some Torah with translation, a prayer or two, nothing huge, we never made a serious emphasis on the Jewish element, we just wanted to grow up in a mildly Jewish cultural atmosphere) Friday evening / Saturday we did none schoolwork at all Sunday we had a little adapted school day, excluding the English part and doing classics instead (same as with Hebrew - an hour or two, nothing huge and formal, nothing stressful, reading a bit of historical stories, doing some very basic Latin/Greek grammar points... basically it was more preparing for the real classical education in the years to come than anything else). Edited July 5, 2009 by Ester Maria . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ummto4 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Bread and butter (daily): - School reading using old readers from Googlebook. We're going to start with 2nd reader this year from various writers. (15-20 mins) - Webster Advance Phonics (2x/wk) or SP Dictation (3x/wk). Length: 15-20 mins for SP dictation, and 10 mins for Webster. - Primary Language Lesson (15 mins) - Math (2x/day), around 20 mins each. - Religious instruction. In addition, we schedule the following subjects to be accomplished weekly as follows: - Science with lab and notebooking (2x/week). - Nature Story Reading with narration and copywork (1x/week). - Literature with narration and copywork of interesting passages (1x/week). - History with narration and either mapping or studied dictation (2x/week). - Cursive (3x/week) - Geography story and knowledge (this one is from Charlotte Mason geography and BFSU) with narration ~ 1/week. I expect this will take us around 2.5-3 hrs to finish school daily, including folding my Kindergarten daughter to the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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