How Many Workbook Pages Per Child Per Day? (sorry ... LONG)

[Negin]

We usually have school for about 4-5 hours a day total.

A few afternoons a week, the dc are free.

Other days, they have extra math practice with their grandfather (Singapore), or dd goes to French class at the Alliance Francaise, or when dh has the time, he teaches them science or something that interests them.

I absolutely do not teach or spend time with them in the afternoons. That is my time to relax, take a nap, or cool down from the crazy heat :chillpill:.

So my question is about the afternoons that they have free, or even the weekends that they are free and have no friends over or activities to do. I feel that now that dd is almost 12 and is about to start 7th grade, she should be getting more homework. So far, I feel that I have been too lenient with them. She gets a few pages of Worldly Wise or some other similar workbook-type assignment to do. But she's not the type to ever go above and beyond the work that I assign for her :rolleyes:. She does the bare minimum and that's it.

How much homework is too much? How can I tell how many pages of, say WW, or some other book I should assign to her? For ds also.

I do feel that they have enough time. I would like to push them further and feel that now is right time to do so. According to various sites that I have seen, about 2 - 2.5 hours of homework per day, at 7th grade and up, is reasonable.

Any tips, advice, thoughts ... would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting scared and worried since I often feel that my dc are a bit behind, particularly when it comes to LA. Until recently, our LA, has unfortunately been too relaxed and unstructured. I don't feel that way with math.

Before I know it, the high school years will be here :eek:. I want to make sure that I have done the best that I could given the truly short amount of time I have with them.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Well we actually just quit doing wordly wise, but when we did it, My dd would read through the new list monday, to familiarize herself with it, exercises 1A & 1B tuesday, 1C&1D wednesday, 1E Thursday (thats the passage) and I would have her use the words in sentences friday. We Would do 1 list a week.

 

A few questions, do you do health and geography? Any electives? I am wondering if maybe that would help rather than add more to what they are already doing. My dd is also going into 7th, have you looked into a logic program? I would look at what she is doing rather that add more, unless you are already doing all that with her! Also, another thing to think about, is add in more research reports! Make a list of what she does not know at the beginning of the year, and have her pick 1 thing a week to research and put together some sort of report by the end of the week. HTH:001_smile:

[Negin]

Well we actually just quit doing wordly wise, but when we did it, My dd would read through the new list monday, to familiarize herself with it, exercises 1A & 1B tuesday, 1C&1D wednesday, 1E Thursday (thats the passage) and I would have her use the words in sentences friday. We Would do 1 list a week.

A few questions, do you do health and geography? Any electives? I am wondering if maybe that would help rather than add more to what they are already doing. My dd is also going into 7th, have you looked into a logic program? I would look at what she is doing rather that add more, unless you are already doing all that with her! Also, another thing to think about, is add in more research reports! Make a list of what she does not know at the beginning of the year, and have her pick 1 thing a week to research and put together some sort of report by the end of the week. HTH:001_smile:

Thank you for this. This is really helpful. :001_smile:

Yes, I just ordered a logic program and some other stuff - waiting patiently for them to arrive. I'm also looking into having them start doing research reports on a more regular and serious basis.

[Oney Jones]

I have been too lenient with them. She gets a few pages of Worldly Wise or some other similar workbook-type assignment to do. But she's not the type to ever go above and beyond the work that I assign for her :rolleyes:. She does the bare minimum and that's it.

 

Why would she? ;) If doing the assigned number of pages gets the job done (i.e. she learns the lesson) then why not stop? "Busy work" doesn't serve anyone well except maybe a two year old who is into everything. KWIM?

 

How much homework is too much? How can I tell how many pages of, say WW, or some other book I should assign to her? For ds also.

 

As many as it takes to get the lesson's objectives across and learned.

 

According to various sites that I have seen, about 2 - 2.5 hours of homework per day, at 7th grade and up, is reasonable.

 

As I understand it (and recall from junior high and high school) homework is given 1) so that teachers can ascertain what the student learned from the day's lecture and readings; 2) because much of the class time is spent in lecture and waiting for the teacher's time to allow a short tutorial/help session; 3) because much of class time is "wasted" getting a room full of kids settled and focused and/or other things that always seemed to crop up and interrupt the day.

 

Any tips, advice, thoughts ... would be greatly appreciated.

 

Just my 2 cents. :)

 

I'm getting scared and worried since I often feel that my dc are a bit behind, particularly when it comes to LA. Until recently, our LA, has unfortunately been too relaxed and unstructured.

 

Can they read well for information? For leisure? If so, then continue to encourage reading of all kinds of materials.

 

I don't feel that way with math.

 

:hurray:

 

Before I know it, the high school years will be here :eek:. I want to make sure that I have done the best that I could given the truly short amount of time I have with them.

 

So true! I think you and I share a similar secret desire. I wanted to teach my children (or at least introduce to them) everything so that others wouldn't be able to say, "You didn't learn that in school? Oh, you were homeschooled. That's why" or some such comment. I've come to the conclusion that 12 years is not even remotely enough time to touch on every single thing out there in the world that is worth knowing. However, Negin, if they read well for information and leisure and are library/information literate (meaning you can give them a subject matter and they can find valid, viable, and scholarly information on that subject) and they understand how to keep their bank accounts in the black then they will be set for a life in the real world.

 

:grouphug:

 

 

ETA: About the library literacy comment above. In my library technician classes my professors (all men and women who hold masters or PhD's in library and information sciences) have said that students coming into college these days have no idea how to really do research. Many freshmen students think that a google search and a copy/past from BettyBlogger is sufficient for research and citing. My own public librarian has expressed much frustration at youngsters who are supposed to be researching and writing. These young students will ask her for help and when she points them in the right direction with several verified resources to consider the students get angry (and often rude) and just want her to find the information for them. People need to know how to search for information on a subject, decide what information to use, sift through it for the pertinent-to-their-situation information and write to support their personal stand on an issue or write to inform others without plagiarizing and give proper credit where and when it is due.

 

If kids can do that they can become self-educating, thus life-long learners with a passion for knowledge.

Edited May 26, 2010 by Oney Jones

[Negin]

Oney, thank you for your helpful 2 cents. :grouphug:

The library literacy here is our challenge. There are no good libraries here :001_huh:. I guess, they'll have to take a class in that once they start college.