How much time do you allot for schoolwork in 2nd grade?

[gandpsmommy]

Is two hours a day about right to plan for seatwork (i.e. Latin, math, handwriting, spelling, grammar, history, writing)? We would, of course, do assigned, free, and family reading at a separate time, and cover art, music, and physical education with classes/lessons. Science would be a fun family pursuit. Does two hours sound reasonable?

[JudoMom]

Is two hours a day about right to plan for seatwork (i.e. Latin, math, handwriting, spelling, grammar, history, writing)? We would, of course, do assigned, free, and family reading at a separate time, and cover art, music, and physical education with classes/lessons. Science would be a fun family pursuit. Does two hours sound reasonable?

 

For us, 2 would be tight for all of that. It would take us more like 2 1/2-3 hours. That being said, I know some people are able to keep seatwork at 2 hours for 2nd grade.

 

How's that for indecisive and unhelpful :001_huh:?

[Chris in VA]

It takes us about 30 minutes to do a Saxon 3 lesson (sometimes more if we do every little thing), about 10 for a Rod and Staff Grammar lesson (but we tend to do 3 or 4 at a time, maybe 2ce a week), about 15 minutes for SWO, and about 15 minutes for Latin (Prima Latina). History is usually reading SOTW, with an activity or mapwork and/or a narration--maybe 25 minutes for that, depending. We are supposed to be doing handwriting, but I've dropped the cursive ball. So let's see, thats--30+10+15+15+25=95 minutes right there. Count in a snack, and maybe some extra time here or there, and I'd say, yes--2 hours is plenty.

[Unicorn.]

depends on the child, and the programs you are using, but I would say that 3 hrs is more reasonable. I have one dd who gets her work done, and made it her mission to be finished by lunch last year. She doesn't dawdle at all and in 2nd, it was still about 3 hrs. That may or may not have included history.

 

I would allow yourself/child 3 hours, and then be really happy if they get done early! :D

[Emmy]

I think 2 might be a little tight, but it could be do-able. My oldest is doing 1st this year and he spends 2 hours on LA and Math (with no latin yet) and then history, science, music, art are all later.

[Jenny in Atl]

We do a bit more, but then my dd7 wants to. I would say she spends about 3-4hrs but that includes about an hour of reading. She does math , grammar, reading (both quiet and reading aloud), science, history, journal, Latin, and Spanish.

[chiguirre]

Next year I'm planning on about 2.5 hrs of school. We'll do Reading (Pathway readers), phonics (ETC), Math, FLL/WWE, SL 1 and science. I keep it short even if we don't finish because ds also does 1.5 hrs of 1 on 1 therapy and more than 4 hrs in a day is just too much. We work 1 hr on Saturdays and about .5 hr on Sundays to keep up.

 

I do think it's important to break up the day for little kids. We almost never do a straight 2 hours. We'll do reading, have a snack, do math, read aloud and finish with a phonics worksheet.

[CLHCO]

However, I will add that I'm not doing Latin or spelling yet. He is still reading out loud to me and we'll start spelling after he gets a bit further along. Handwriting takes very little time, grammar very little time, math and reading take longer still.

 

Science is informal so I don't include that into the 2 hours. It comes later when he hangs out and watches his sisters go through Rainbow Resources. History adds some time to that twice a week, perhaps an extra 30 minutes. However, violin and read alouds are a separate time, along with P.E. activities.