If you allow you kids to correct thir own work with the answer key...

[siloam]

Talk to me. Do they really learn and begin to do it the right way, or do you find out later that they have been doing the work slopply knowing they will be able to correct it without consequences later?

 

Right now the only thing I have my oldest self correct is her dictation. The rest I correct, and as you might imagine I do a lot of correcting and it is only going to get worse. I would love to have her do more self correcting, but only if she continues to learn. If she is going to use it to cut corners then I would rather put the time in now rather than later.

 

Heather

[happygrrl]

I let the kids correct, but noticed the sloppy work phenomenon you mentioned. The solution that worked for us is that I have them mark the problems/exercises incorrect with a red pen, rather then correct them (using the key) right away. They also have to "grade" the entire paper before beginning correction work. Right now the sight of a paper covered in red is enough a deterrent. It also means that when they do correct work it is at least several minutes after looking at the correct answer, so they have to re-think the answer not just copy from the key. Does that make sense? I have to say that we have been doing this with grammar and math, and the kids enjoy the "grown up" task of correcting, as well as the independence it gives them to have the work completed (rather then waiting on me).

 

That was a hurried answer, I hope it helps!

[Ellie]

My dc didn't do that much that had to be corrected, but I always corrected their math (when we did it, lol) because I wanted to see what kinds of mistakes they were making. I also did all the corrections on Easy Grammar; many others have found, to their dismay, that when they allowed the dc to make EG corrections, the dc were actually making *lots* of mistakes but, um, lying about it, so that they had to start back at the beginning and do it all over.

[amtmcm]

DD8th checks all of her own daily work and I grade her quizzes. We go over all of her work together about twice a week. If I notice any trends in missed sections or multiple mistakes on a quiz then we work through those together. I think that making her own corrections helps to reinforce the material. Last year I did all the grading and we never seemed to get around to her looking at what she was missing so the errors would continue. With her doing her own checking it prevents repeated errors.

 

DD4th and I do most of her schoolwork together and I check it as we go. I rarely need the answer key for her schoolwork so it is quick to correct on the spot.

[Quiver0f10]

My main reason for correcting my kid's work myself is so I can have them redo any wrong answers. If they self correct they see the answers and can't really redo them.

[Shelly in the Country]

I have a little bit of a different approach to this. For my oldest, I only spot check most daily work. I check daily math assignments and we go over any that are missed. I read her writing assignments and give feedback. I also look over daily assignments as she is doing them to check for neatness. But I rely on tests to make sure she is absorbing the material from subjects like science, history, spelling, grammar, etc. This has worked fine for us. When she was younger though, I checked everything, and I check everything for ds6.

[AudreyTN]

My main reason for correcting my kid's work myself is so I can have them redo any wrong answers. If they self correct they see the answers and can't really redo them.

 

Mine are still younger, but that's my reason... I do have my oldest two compare their work when they do the same thing. Then they talk it over with each other and both end up with the right answer.

[HiddenJewel]

I allow my oldest to correct her own work. But that won't be the case with all my dc. Personality has a lot to do with being able to handle that privilege.

[3byzaz]

This has also been a bit of a struggle for me as well. My oldest boy is a great kid - very honest, but kind of a bear to school. We have always had trouble over 'corrections' - he is super smart, but will miss a bunch. Then, when I give it back to correct, he is usually mad at me. I have tried lots of strategies for this constant problem.

 

When I switched him to CLE LA last spring, he didn't do well at first. Mostly an effort/attitude issue as LA is a huge strength. Anyway, I started grading the lessons also and he was doing very poorly - D's & F's. And, lots of struggles with the corrections. I finally decided to let him use the key and deal with all his errors on his own. He loves it and is doing awesome now. He lessons are B's and A's. I was concerned that he wouldn't do very well, but it has been great and we don't have to have the anger anymore. He is doing great on the quizzes and tests also.

 

I find the more he can be independent on school work the better we do!! More peace in the home and our relationship. Now, my middle one could probably not be trusted at this point to correct his own. But, corrections are a huge problem with him too!! :confused:

[Julieofsardis]

DD8th checks all of her own daily work and I grade her quizzes. We go over all of her work together about twice a week. If I notice any trends in missed sections or multiple mistakes on a quiz then we work through those together. I think that making her own corrections helps to reinforce the material. Last year I did all the grading and we never seemed to get around to her looking at what she was missing so the errors would continue. With her doing her own checking it prevents repeated errors.

 

DD4th and I do most of her schoolwork together and I check it as we go. I rarely need the answer key for her schoolwork so it is quick to correct on the spot.

 

Mine are 9th and 4th. But other than that, I could have written this post. My dd learns math well by this method. She gets that immediate feedback of incorrect answers. That way she doesn't reinforce doing something the wrong way. She checks each problem as she does it. I then have her do the test with no answers and she must make 90% before she can move on.

[Colleen]

 

Right now the only thing I have my oldest self correct is her dictation. The rest I correct, and as you might imagine I do a lot of correcting and it is only going to get worse.

Which subjects/programs are you correcting?

 

[Amy loves Bud]

My oldest is also 11, and I generally correct most of his work. Then we sit down and go over the things he has missed. He will correct math himself, but then we work through the problems he missed.

 

My experience is that this is some of the best teaching/learning that happens around here - going over mistakes and learning from them.

[Baseballmom]

I allowed my oldest to correct his own math work when he was 10. After 6 weeks I realized that he was not marking wrong answers wrong. He is a very obedient, sweet, kind boy but the temptation was too much for him. He wanted to make me happy and when he was getting only a few wrong I was happy. When I realized this was going on, I made him continue on in his daily assigned work, plus he had to go back and redo every assignment he had done over that 6 weeks. He would probably never do it again, but I wouldn't put him in the way of temptation like that again. So what do I do now? They come to me after they complete 4 problem for correction. This way they don't get through the whole assignment only to realize they have been doing it wrong. I really hate it, but it is my job to make sure they are learning, and it works for us. Ocassionally, when I am too busy they will correct each others work, but only when I am in the room.

 

Blessings~

Dorothy

[PollyOR]

We had one of those "temptation" experiences here. My dd, who is usually VERY obedient, was overwhelmed with the amount of work in her math lessons and started just writing the answers as if she had worked the problem mentally.

 

Because of that experience, it depends on the subject and how the answer book is laid out. For example, in Analytical Grammar I check her parsing before she diagrams the sentences. I have her check the diagramming so she can learn from her mistakes. I would like to let her check the parsing too, but I think it would be too tempting to turn the page and look at the answers for the diagramming.

 

I do find that my kids become lax if checking their own work all the time. Knowing that mom might check it randomly seems to keep them on their toes.

[siloam]

Which subjects/programs are you correcting?

 

Math

Latin

Grammar

Science

 

For her younger siblings it is math, dictation/copywork and grammar. It doesn't sound like a lot but between the actual correcting and fetching the books to correct with it takes a half an hour a day.

 

I think there are a couple of issues bothering me. The biggest is that I can only find time to correct on the weekends, so that means she can get the same thing wrong all week because she misunderstood. Doesn't really seem fair. Second is that in a couple of years I will have even more to correct. Third is that she is having problems with her science answering the questions, which is causing HUGE problems. I give them back to her to correct, but before I have it corrected again she has to take the test and she is not doing well on the tests. She really needs to have the corrected answers more quickly so she can use them to study with. Yet the test answers are of course in the same place as the question answers. I really want to allow her to use the manual to self correct I just don't want to tempt her to cheat either.

 

Heather

[Amy loves Bud]

Heather,

 

I'm going to challenge you here to imagine if your daughter were in PS and she came home with poor grades on her tests. Then, when questioned, she told you that the teacher never graded her homework in time for her to realize she was doing something wrong, so she repeated the same mistakes on her tests that she made on her homework.

 

I can't imagine that you would stand for that, would you? The bottom line here is that she needs to be getting feedback from you on a regular basis, so you must figure out a way to get her work checked and review it with her in a timely manner. If you really can't find the time to check it yourself have her check it and review the missed problems withyou. It seems to me that the potential for dishonesty is not as bad as the potential for her to learn to hate school because she is allowed to continue making the same mistakes over and over without learning from them.

 

I'm being blunt because I have a lot of respect for you and I've gleaned a great deal from your posts here. So I hope you take this in the spirit it is intended - the desire to help. :001_smile:

 

Good luck!

[siloam]

Heather,

 

I'm going to challenge you here to imagine if your daughter were in PS and she came home with poor grades on her tests. Then, when questioned, she told you that the teacher never graded her homework in time for her to realize she was doing something wrong, so she repeated the same mistakes on her tests that she made on her homework.

 

I can't imagine that you would stand for that, would you? The bottom line here is that she needs to be getting feedback from you on a regular basis, so you must figure out a way to get her work checked and review it with her in a timely manner. If you really can't find the time to check it yourself have her check it and review the missed problems withyou. It seems to me that the potential for dishonesty is not as bad as the potential for her to learn to hate school because she is allowed to continue making the same mistakes over and over without learning from them.

 

I'm being blunt because I have a lot of respect for you and I've gleaned a great deal from your posts here. So I hope you take this in the spirit it is intended - the desire to help. :001_smile:

 

Good luck!

 

Yep that has been my problem. To date it means that after she does bad on the test and I finally get her all the corrected papers, she studies again and retakes the test. Now she still isn't doing great on the tests but she does pass them then. Consequently we should have been done with this book awhile ago and yet we are a little over half way through.

 

Not taking it the wrong way at all. I tried this last weekend to write out the answers for her to get them to her before the test (not a quick answer), and that did help. She got a C on the test she took this week (73%). It just dawned on me that if SHE wrote out the answers it would probably stick better and I could really use the break.

 

I do need to probably start checking work daily. I haven't for two reasons. First and foremost is all the books I would have to haul upstairs as I would have to do it in front of the TV (6 math books, 2 Latin folders, 2 science books, 4 grammar books and 2 CW teacher books and 2 spelling books). I always do stuff in front of the TV, so that doesn't bother me it is the multiple trips hauling it all and then having to have dh pause things repeatedly why I go chase down the little things I forgot the first time. I can make it happen it is just a pain. I need to ether get over it though or let dd take it over though. Maybe I could start out just doing the science given that is the subject where we are having problems.

 

The only issue I have with her take it over is that she still hasn't learned to read the text and answer questions well, and she really needs to do that.

 

Heather

 

[8filltheheart]

Math

Latin

Grammar

Science

 

The biggest is that I can only find time to correct on the weekends, so that means she can get the same thing wrong all week because she misunderstood. Doesn't really seem fair. Second is that in a couple of years I will have even more to correct. Third is that she is having problems with her science answering the questions, which is causing HUGE problems. I give them back to her to correct, but before I have it corrected again she has to take the test and she is not doing well on the tests. She really needs to have the corrected answers more quickly so she can use them to study with. Yet the test answers are of course in the same place as the question answers. I really want to allow her to use the manual to self correct I just don't want to tempt her to cheat either.

 

Heather

 

Why is it that you can you only correct on weekends? Feedback should really be immediate. Grading should be of equal priority as teaching.

 

I sit with my younger kids while they work so that I see their mistakes right away and make sure it doesn't carry through even an entire lesson.

 

My older kids, I grade as they complete math and science. Lit/history/theology discussions take place weekly (this is for high school. for elementary, these discussions are daily).

[teacalm]

My dd8 always wants her work checked right away so she can scratch her finished subjects from her planner. Sometimes, I'm still in the middle of teaching one of the kids. We all work on the table, so when I let her have the answer key (like to math and vocab), I'm actually looking at what she's checking while she's doing this. When I notice that she erases an answer and put a check on it, I get on her case immediately and ask her to give me her workdbook and key. If she intentionally changes it without correcting it herself, I give her about 3-4 more problems like it (if this is math). If it's self-correcting a subject like vocabulary (Sadlier Oxford answer key), and she just hastily erase her answer to write the correct one on the answer key, I ask her to give me her workbook and she has to tell me the meaning of the word.

 

This happens fast and when any of my kids are dishonest, I make them do another page of whatever it is they happen to "cheat" on.

 

I still check my kids work every single day. Hard, hard work.

[PollyOR]

Heather, could you have your kids bring the books to you as part of their daily "end of the day" chores?

 

We do Rod & Staff science so you may not find this helpful. I put science review questions on a Rolodex. 11yo goes through these every morning. She reads the question, tries to answer and then flips the card to read the answer. I've seen a marked difference in dd's science scores when I don't have her do the cards. These take a lot of time to make, but I do plan to use them with a younger child.

[siloam]

Why is it that you can you only correct on weekends? Feedback should really be immediate. Grading should be of equal priority as teaching.

 

I sit with my younger kids while they work so that I see their mistakes right away and make sure it doesn't carry through even an entire lesson.

 

My older kids, I grade as they complete math and science. Lit/history/theology discussions take place weekly (this is for high school. for elementary, these discussions are daily).

 

Time. I work one on one with each of the kids for 1-1.5 hours each. Add in workout time, getting ready for the day, chores, science, history, RA's, and crafts (which was cut for lack of time all last week) and I am busy from 6:30am, have a 1.5 hour break mid day for lunch and online time (should be less, but being honest and working on cutting it back-I just need a certain amount of recharge time) then we finish hs around 5:30-6pm and I make dinner, we have family time and put the kids to bed. By then if I correct things I have to haul it all upstairs to the living room to do so, which is a huge pain. Though it would be manageable to do just science, so I think I have a solution to my biggest problem.

 

This is only with their independent work, stuff I do with them they get immediate feedback on. My ds has nothing that I have to correct, my 2nd dd only has her math and copywork and even then I don't give her stuff back for corrections, but we go over it together then next week. My 3rd dd also has grammar along with math and dictation and most of it I do still go over with her as well. The list above is for my oldest and of those only science is a problem, and her I am requiring to attempt to fix her own errors without me at first.

 

Heather

 

 

 

[siloam]

Heather, could you have your kids bring the books to you as part of their daily "end of the day" chores?

 

We do Rod & Staff science so you may not find this helpful. I put science review questions on a Rolodex. 11yo goes through these every morning. She reads the question, tries to answer and then flips the card to read the answer. I've seen a marked difference in dd's science scores when I don't have her do the cards. These take a lot of time to make, but I do plan to use them with a younger child.

 

Polly,

 

I will have to consider that. Currently they do bring everything over to my desk, so I could have them take it upstairs. I will have to see if dh is OK with it. The Living Room is more or less his territory and while he isn't picky about how clean most of the house is, he really likes that room to stay neat. It might drive him nuts, but it might not if he understands why. It is worth asking.

 

Heather

 

[JudoMom]

Yep that has been my problem. To date it means that after she does bad on the test and I finally get her all the corrected papers, she studies again and retakes the test. Now she still isn't doing great on the tests but she does pass them then. Consequently we should have been done with this book awhile ago and yet we are a little over half way through.

 

Not taking it the wrong way at all. I tried this last weekend to write out the answers for her to get them to her before the test (not a quick answer), and that did help. She got a C on the test she took this week (73%). It just dawned on me that if SHE wrote out the answers it would probably stick better and I could really use the break.

 

I do need to probably start checking work daily. I haven't for two reasons. First and foremost is all the books I would have to haul upstairs as I would have to do it in front of the TV (6 math books, 2 Latin folders, 2 science books, 4 grammar books and 2 CW teacher books and 2 spelling books). I always do stuff in front of the TV, so that doesn't bother me it is the multiple trips hauling it all and then having to have dh pause things repeatedly why I go chase down the little things I forgot the first time. I can make it happen it is just a pain. I need to ether get over it though or let dd take it over though. Maybe I could start out just doing the science given that is the subject where we are having problems.

 

The only issue I have with her take it over is that she still hasn't learned to read the text and answer questions well, and she really needs to do that.

 

Heather

 

 

Can you make a teacher's bag? Get a nice tote bag or 2 and store all of your TMs in those, along with a red pen. Someone here suggested this to me, and it really is a help. I can just grab the bag and their completed work folders and take where ever I need to.

[siloam]

Can you make a teacher's bag? Get a nice tote bag or 2 and store all of your TMs in those, along with a red pen. Someone here suggested this to me, and it really is a help. I can just grab the bag and their completed work folders and take where ever I need to.

 

I feel like Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day when the virus concept dawns on him and he hits himself on the head. It is so simple and obvious I don't know why I didn't think of it, but that is the perfect solution to all of it!!

 

And I already own the perfect black, roomy, unused bag for it. :D

 

Thank you!!

 

Heather

[8filltheheart]

I'm sorry but I still don't understand why grading immediately is such a hurdle. To grade all 4 kids' worth of math, science, copywork, dictation,and grammar that are the ages of your kids shouldn't take more than 20-30 mins max/day. It just isn't that big of a time commitment.

[siloam]

I'm sorry but I still don't understand why grading immediately is such a hurdle. To grade all 4 kids' worth of math, science, copywork, dictation,and grammar that are the ages of your kids shouldn't take more than 20-30 mins max/day. It just isn't that big of a time commitment.

 

Well with the help of the gals here it has been worked out, but it usually takes me minimum of 30 mins because I don't just mark things wrong I figure what part of the math problem is wrong and give hints, draw diagrams and such to help them think about it correctly. With science I have been filling in whole answers to multiple problems, so it can take up to an hour.

 

The bigger issue is when to do that. I have no time during the day except for my mid day recharge time, which really does help my attitude, so I don't want to push out that time. It isn't worth snapping at the kids later. I know my limits. That leaves at night at about 9:00 PM when I sit down with dh to watch TV. I have roughly 14 books to haul upstairs to correct or use in making corrections, plus a bunch of loose leaf papers, plus writing supplies and any other odds and ends. Dh has already been watching shows at this point, so with each trip I make I have to walk in-between him and the TV. I just hate asking him to deal with multiple trips (plus anything I forget, and any water or what not I decide to get-it adds up). He will do it, but it just gets old for both of us. Either I end up sitting down stairs till 10 alone, which I highly resent, or I wait till the weekend where I can haul up a new set of books in between each show and there is enough that needs to be corrected to keep me busy till the next break. That works with our life style.

 

This is one area of hs that hasn't grown with us as we hsed. I am very CM and RB in style in the early years. Even with math I didn't need to correct my oldest dd's math daily. I just correct the whole book when she finished and we went back and corrected errors. She never had issues with comprehension that needed dealt with, now I do it weekly just in case. Correcting things weekly is new, and worked fine all last year. It is just with the addition of science this year and testing in science that things have fallen apart. I am adapting, but please be a little more understanding when I don't adapt quite as quickly and fluidly as you do. Suggestions on how to make it work are also welcome. Just telling me you can't see how I don't have my act more together (which is how I interpret, "I'm sorry but I still don't understand why grading immediately is such a hurdle.") isn't productive. I just makes me defensive. We all have areas where we don't have it together, which is why I am asking for help.

 

Heather

 

Edited October 5, 2009 by siloam

[Colleen]

Time. I work one on one with each of the kids for 1-1.5 hours each. Add in workout time, getting ready for the day, chores, science, history, RA's, and crafts (which was cut for lack of time all last week) and I am busy from 6:30am, have a 1.5 hour break mid day for lunch and online time (should be less, but being honest and working on cutting it back-I just need a certain amount of recharge time) then we finish hs around 5:30-6pm and I make dinner, we have family time and put the kids to bed. By then if I correct things I have to haul it all upstairs to the living room to do so, which is a huge pain. Though it would be manageable to do just science, so I think I have a solution to my biggest problem.

 

This is only with their independent work, stuff I do with them they get immediate feedback on. My ds has nothing that I have to correct, my 2nd dd only has her math and copywork and even then I don't give her stuff back for corrections, but we go over it together then next week. My 3rd dd also has grammar along with math and dictation and most of it I do still go over with her as well. The list above is for my oldest and of those only science is a problem, and her I am requiring to attempt to fix her own errors without me at first.

 

Heather

 

I wonder if you're making the best use of your time? I ask because what you describe sounds far more consuming than necessary, in my experience. As far as correcting is concerned, the primary subject I correct is math. Yes, it can take some time, but I generally correct one child's math work right after he's finished. I do it there at the table where school takes place and the guys are doing a variety of work. With older students, I tend to set writing assignments and science tests aside and look at those later in the day. I find that copywork and dictation take just a glance. Edited October 5, 2009 by Colleen

[8filltheheart]

I am adapting, but please be a little more understanding when I don't adapt quite as quickly and fluidly as you do. Suggestions on how to make it work are also welcome. Just telling me you can't see how I don't have my act more together (which is how I interpret, "I'm sorry but I still don't understand why grading immediately is such a hurdle.") isn't productive. I just makes me defensive. We all have areas where we don't have it together, which is why I am asking for help.

 

Heather

 

 

I wasn't trying to tell you that you didn't have your act together. I was simply trying to point out that it isn't all that complicated of a process to grade immediately if you simply sit down and do it during the day. Goodness, you wrote about how hard it is to haul 14+TM's upstairs in order to grade and doing it in front of the tv and having to have your dh pause things for you if you had forgotten something and had to go and get it.........that makes is sound like grading is extremely burdensome to you. It is precisely why I commented that it shouldn't seem like such a big deal. Sometimes we blow situations out of proportion in our own minds.

 

After your last description about writing out all those comments on your kids papers, I think you are making grading more complicated than it needs to be. You are placing the burden of making corrections on yourself and not on the student. If there is lack of understanding vs. careless errors, one way to deal with it is to simply comment "see me" and expect them to come to you for a discussion so that you can confirm their level of comprehension prior to their correcting the work. If it is careless errors, then make them re-do the work.

 

Or you could consider simply grading the work with your child sitting beside you and discussing the question/answer instead of spending all the time writing out the answers. Then they see the mistakes as you grade and through your interaction you can determine if it is lack of understanding or carelessness. Either way, the child is taking an active part in the grading and knows what is expected in terms of correcting.

 

Alternatively, if it takes an hour to write out corrections, I would simply not have her do the assignments in writing until you have both sat down and discussed the questions prior to her answering them. That way you know she understands and her writing out the answers affirms her comprehension vs. her writing out incorrect answers that reinforce her misconceptions.

 

There are multiple ways of dealing with the grading without it consuming your nights. Obviously you have to find a method that works for you as well as for your children.

[PeterPan]

Momof7 hit on what I was thinking with this whole thing: why are they making so many errors? I'd work on reducing the errors, then grading won't be so cumbersome. If they're missing a lot on the math assignment, maybe you need to tweak how you're teaching, do more of the exercises from the text together before handing them the written work, whatever. If they're missing a lot of the science, maybe they need to work on reading comprehension or another skill that is holding them back.

 

And no, nothing gets done efficiently in front of the tv. That's relaxation. If your day is too full to get all the school subjects done in a reasonable amount of time and get the grading done within your physical limits (need for sleep, downtime, etc.), then I'd drop a subject. Might sound harsh, but at some point we all have our limits, kwim? Some things might be good but just as good later.

 

As for us, I'd say we're in the check as you go category. Some of those subjects take SO little time to check when in the moment and would require more brainpower to check later. Dictation I glance at while she reads it back to me. Actually, I often just ask her if she did certain things or remembered such and such, then we're done. So that's just 30 seconds to check when you're in the moment. If they're actually MISSING stuff on the dictation, I'd alter my dictation style. With my dd, I went through a period would I would ASK her if she knew words I was uncertain of her knowing. So sometimes you head off the errors at the pass, rather than correcting them later. For math, I go above and beyond, doing all the odds in the student text on a whiteboard with her as part of our lesson time before handing her the worksheet. In other words, she's already done enough to fully grasp it, and she flies through the homework page accurately (on a good day, lol). I had someone choke when I told them I have her do all that, but it WORKS. So sometimes lots of errors mean you need to tweak your style. She basically does her homework accurately, save careless errors. If she had lots of errors, I would change my teaching. Science, well that's reading comprehension, at least with what we're using. If you think you have issues there, something like Reading Detective or the McCall-Crabbs books might help. It's a big jump from narrating what you thought was important (CM) to catching what the textbook writer thought was important. Sometimes they need help to bridge that gap and build that skill. The BJU science includes discussion questions in the tm that work them through the student text to make sure they understood it. Maybe what you're using has that? It's one more step and takes time, but again it's a way to teach to head off mistakes.

Edited October 5, 2009 by OhElizabeth

[siloam]

I wasn't trying to tell you that you didn't have your act together. I was simply trying to point out that it isn't all that complicated of a process to grade immediately if you simply sit down and do it during the day. Goodness, you wrote about how hard it is to haul 14+TM's upstairs in order to grade and doing it in front of the tv and having to have your dh pause things for you if you had forgotten something and had to go and get it.........that makes is sound like grading is extremely burdensome to you. It is precisely why I commented that it shouldn't seem like such a big deal. Sometimes we blow situations out of proportion in our own minds.

 

After your last description about writing out all those comments on your kids papers, I think you are making grading more complicated than it needs to be. You are placing the burden of making corrections on yourself and not on the student. If there is lack of understanding vs. careless errors, one way to deal with it is to simply comment "see me" and expect them to come to you for a discussion so that you can confirm their level of comprehension prior to their correcting the work. If it is careless errors, then make them re-do the work.

 

Or you could consider simply grading the work with your child sitting beside you and discussing the question/answer instead of spending all the time writing out the answers. Then they see the mistakes as you grade and through your interaction you can determine if it is lack of understanding or carelessness. Either way, the child is taking an active part in the grading and knows what is expected in terms of correcting.

 

Alternatively, if it takes an hour to write out corrections, I would simply not have her do the assignments in writing until you have both sat down and discussed the questions prior to her answering them. That way you know she understands and her writing out the answers affirms her comprehension vs. her writing out incorrect answers that reinforce her misconceptions.

 

There are multiple ways of dealing with the grading without it consuming your nights. Obviously you have to find a method that works for you as well as for your children.

 

Sorry I took it the wrong way!

 

Right now my time is maxed out during the day. It is normal for us to have just finished or still be finishing hs when my dh walks in the door. I don't have 20 mins extra. The last 3 weeks I have had at least one day where I didn't even finish my oldest dd's hs before dh walked into the door. I would have to cut something from hsing to do corrections during the day and I am just not willing to do that right now. The notes I make are only in 2 programs. One is her science, which has only been for the last two weeks and is what prompted the original post. I realized it wasn't going to work long term. The second is Singapore math, the challenging problems. That is the way the program is designed. It is considered normal and OK to have to try a problem more than once. I don't do a thinking skill program, because Singapore is where I develop thinking skills. I could have her ask me face to face but both of us prefer the written method. My oldest has the tendency to push me to give her the answer. Then she gets it trouble for pushing me, and it creates a negative environment. If I do it in writing she knows she has to try, and I am ok with her getting it wrong as long as she has tried first. Either way I would have to figure out what she did and why it was wrong. The notes I make in math are not extensive, just little pushes in the right direction. It just works for us. The rest of the correcting only gets circled if it is wrong. Really I am not doing it for everything. :D

 

But JudoMom did come up with a simple and effective solution for me, so I will get the corrections done daily, and the way I like them done. Doing it daily will also eliminate the Science problems, so everyone should be happy...well the kids will be once they get used to it. I told them I was going to do them daily this afternoon and they hated the idea. :lol: Kids are so funny.

 

Heather

 

[siloam]

I wonder if you're making the best use of your time? I ask because what you describe sounds far more consuming than necessary, in my experience. As far as correcting is concerned, the primary subject I correct is math. Yes, it can take some time, but I generally correct one child's math work right after he's finished. I do it there at the table where school takes place and the guys are doing a variety of work. With older students, I tend to set writing assignments and science tests aside and look at those later in the day. I find that copywork and dictation take just a glance.

 

I don't hs all the kids at once. When I work one on one with them we are doing something together the entire time, and if they have worksheet pages, or anything like that they do it after we work together, but then I am working with the next child. That did work when they were little and everyone did math at once and I could keep an eye on everyone.

 

JudoMom gave me a great solution to the hauling books problem, so I can do them daily. And if I am correcting daily I don't have to write out my oldest dd's science answers because she will have the time to correct them herself before the test. That is what was killing me. Writing out answers to 25 science questions a week. Ok not that bad because she did get some right, but they seem to be long answers and I have to write slowly if they need to read it...it wasn't a good combo. I am glad to have it solved. :D

 

Heather

[siloam]

Momof7 hit on what I was thinking with this whole thing: why are they making so many errors? I'd work on reducing the errors, then grading won't be so cumbersome. If they're missing a lot on the math assignment, maybe you need to tweak how you're teaching, do more of the exercises from the text together before handing them the written work, whatever. If they're missing a lot of the science, maybe they need to work on reading comprehension or another skill that is holding them back.

 

Agreed. I am working on that in science. I just needed a game plan and I think I have one now. Her biggest problem there is laziness. If she can't remember the answer or reason it out she just guesses instead of finding the right one (this is only the 6th grader the rest I read to at breakfast and call it good). Math won't end though for two reasons. All my kids are slightly dyslexic/disgraphic. Because I also am I can't just glance at a page and see that it is right. My oldest will write out that every 7x4 problem equals 21. Because it is so close to the right answer I won't catch it unless I use the answer key. Singapore also has a lot of problems that are supposed to be hard, and require multiple tries that is just part of the program (nope not willing to change programs). With dictation I have to check for transpositions of letters, words and phrases. Again I have the tendencies to make the same errors so I need the original with me or I will miss them. For example when my Dad when back to college when I was in High School he had me check his writing paper, and every word he wrote backwards I read as if it was written perfectly correct. Luckily my Mom caught them. ;) Lets us not discuss my spelling. To check it I must use the original. They are all slow writers so the older two I have do their dictation via min-recorder which I record over the weekend. Thus the need to check them. My 3rd dd has to have her copywork checked because she does all sorts of transpositions, adding of letters and leaving out of words that is typical of dyslexics. Her dictation she does with me right there.

 

And no, nothing gets done efficiently in front of the tv. That's relaxation. If your day is too full to get all the school subjects done in a reasonable amount of time and get the grading done within your physical limits (need for sleep, downtime, etc.), then I'd drop a subject. Might sound harsh, but at some point we all have our limits, kwim? Some things might be good but just as good later.

 

Actually if I am not correcting something, working ahead on some area of the kids schooling (I love math I work ahead in all the math books) I am doing sudoku problems. TV just has never been my thing. I just want to be with dh. I would rather have my computer time at lunch and correct papers and night then have no time at lunch and free time at night. Plus we stay up till 11:30-12am. Correcting papers till 10 still gives me 1-2 hours of down time.

 

Heather

[Colleen in NS]

all the books I would have to haul upstairs as I would have to do it in front of the TV (6 math books, 2 Latin folders, 2 science books, 4 grammar books and 2 CW teacher books and 2 spelling books).

 

I was going to respond to this part, and then read JudoMom's idea of a tote bag. All I was going to say is that I have a pile of TMs on my LR table and floor, that live there. They don't live on the bookcases anymore, because I need them every day by the couch (we do school on the LR couch). So, the TMs live where I school - a bit messy, but makes things easier for my correcting time.

 

Hugs to you - you are doing a great job figuring things out for yourself!

[siloam]

Had it all done in less than an hour with only 2 trips up and down the stairs (I always forget something).

 

Heather