Natalija Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 I am SOOOOO late planning for the coming year! I am trying to decide between doing TOG together for my 7th and 9th grade dd's or MFW, spearating their studies. Problem is, I am running out of time to plan TOG if I go that route. If I order by the end of the week, I will haev less than one week before we go on vacation then maybe a week, max 2 when we get back. I read a post where someone was spending months planning TOG! Can someone tell me if it is dobale ordering TOG (for the first time) this late and having limited time to adjust to the learning curve and plan at least the 1st 9 weeks? MFW is ready to go, from what I read. But I like the discussion questions in TOG. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaissance Mom Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 The thing with TOG is that you can take forever planning every little thing out (and then probably have to tweak your plans as you go) or just jump in and give it a try. Here's what I would recommend if you go with TOG: Order your year plan and Map Aids (it's a real time saver and cuts prep time in finding the right maps to use each week). Use the resource lists available free online for the 1st weeks to order books right away. When you first get your year plan, find the Loom and read the introduction to the year plan, the document on socratic questions (I think that's what it's called), and your unit introduction. Of course, you can read anything else that's on the Loom, too, if you have time. Then, spend your time just going through the 1st 3 weeks familiarizing yourself with where everything is and what type of information you have there. Plan your assignments, print out student activity pages, print out maps, and you're good to go for the first couple of weeks. I probably wouldn't even try and cover all the subjects during those first few weeks either. For Tapestry, I might just do history, geography, and lit. Add in the others as you get your feet under you. THEN, you can catch your breath and plan out the rest of the unit. You can look at your year plan to figure out what books your library has, which ones you want to buy, which alternates might work, consider buying any of the supplemental products (Writing Aids, Evaluations, etc.). So, yes, it's perfectly doable within your timeframe to start Tapestry IF you don't try and do too much too soon. Have fun -- we've loved Tapestry and are in our 4th year plan! Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalija Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 Thanks so much, Monica! Great idea! That seems so much less overwhelming! Bite-sizes piece....just the way I like it!! I did print out the 1st week free sample....so many pages for just ONE week!!! And that doesn't include the maps, student activity pages! I did not see the Resources page. I get a little confused on the website. My next step is to find the Resources page/book list. I really like some of the main books used in MFW Ancients....like Notgrass Exploring World History, Victor Journey Through the Bible ( which we already have). Would it be just plain crazy to try to work those in also?? We can't spend tons of time on it though. I would like to add in The Iliad and the Odyssey as well. I guess I need to see the TOG Yr 1 book list again...once I find it!! Can you tell me how much time to expect my 7th adn 9th grader would take for TOG? Any guidelines would be helpful! We are very busy with music....lots of driving and practice time. See I need to see if it is doable for us. I guess you can make it what you want it to be, no? Thanks so much for taking the time to respond! I really appreciate it!!:) Looking forward to your reply! God bless! Natalija Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 For the first term, I would recommend putting both your kids in the Dialectic stage. This would make the planning easier. You can then decide if your 9th grader is ready for Rhetoric level for the 2nd term on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalija Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 Thanks, Rhonda! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I spend about a day or 2 prepping a term or unit. Making a notebook, organizing books on the shelf etc. I don't plan out each activity daily. We accomplish the week's goals in a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaissance Mom Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I did print out the 1st week free sample....so many pages for just ONE week!!! And that doesn't include the maps, student activity pages! I did not see the Resources page. I get a little confused on the website. My next step is to find the Resources page/book list. I really like some of the main books used in MFW Ancients....like Notgrass Exploring World History, Victor Journey Through the Bible ( which we already have). Would it be just plain crazy to try to work those in also?? We can't spend tons of time on it though. I would like to add in The Iliad and the Odyssey as well. I guess I need to see the TOG Yr 1 book list again...once I find it!! Can you tell me how much time to expect my 7th adn 9th grader would take for TOG? Any guidelines would be helpful! We are very busy with music....lots of driving and practice time. See I need to see if it is doable for us. I guess you can make it what you want it to be, no? You could look at the 1st 2 yellow-edged pages in each week of the 3 free weeks to look at primary resources (left-hand page) and alternates (right-hand page). Go to this page http://www.lampstandbookshelf.com/ and click on Resource List in the blue bar at the top. You'll have to create an account for yourself (which is free) to access the list. Since the 1st 3 weeks of yr 1 are free samples anyway, you can actually tell the resource list to just show you the books you need for week 1 (or 2 or 3) for the D level. That's the best way to just see wks 1-3. For the whole 1st unit, use that resource list or go to http://www.bookshelfcentral.com/ and use their drop down search list. You can work in your favorite resources as you wish. Just be sure to take something out of the Tapestry plan so you don't overassign. At the D level, The Illiad and The Odyssey are read in the form of Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff. At the R level, exerpts from The Illiad and the full text of The Odyssey are assigned. There's no way to accurately predict how much time the work should take. It depends on what you decide to assign and how your children deal with it. The good news is that you can, and should, custom fit it to your family. Blessings, Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalija Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 Thank you all! You are all so helpful!!:001_smile: I apprecaite it!! God bless, Natalija Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalija Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 Hi Monica, I pm'ed you last night about a a different question. Thanks, Natalija Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renaissance Mom Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Natalija, I haven't received a PM. ??? Monica Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Um. Weeks? :lol: Okay I got my Tapestry what? 3-4 weeks ago. First I looked through the plans and decided which spines I needed to own. Then I decided which books my library had. Then I decided which I could sub out. Then I decided which to buy. After that, I printed off all of reproducibles for Weeks 1-9. Then we made our binders, our assignment sheets, and our fileboxes. Now, all I need to do is photocopy all of my weekly plans and give them to the kids to break down into their daily plans. BUT, you'd better account for at least a week of reading through her stuff before any of this. Now, if you've bought all the books, that's a little different. But she says account for about 3 weeks of "fog" and I'd say that's about right assuming you're motivated and keep moving forward. I've been at a dead stop for a week now..... Need to get to a copier.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwka Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Once you get your TOG, just read for a day or two. Choose books, check if your library has them. Try to make a schedule, starting with history and literature assignments, history and literature discussions. Then add Writing, Geography, Worldview, Arts, Activities. You don't need to use all of the subjects for the first few weeks, just get the basics established (I did not do any writing for my UG for the whole first unit). Adjust schedules after using it for the first few weeks, you will see what works and when. Print pages of your choice weekly or before each unit. TOG suggests that your D and R students should be involved in planning on a weekly basis, so once you know what should happen every week, they can fill their planners accordingly. Relax. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.