TOG and It's Heavy Planning Rep

[johnandtinagilbert]

I just wanted to say that TOG gets what I consider a "bad rap" sometimes b/c some people find it's a giant planning monster. I wanted to offer some encouragement and simplify that process a bit. I'll make this sound easy, b/c I honestly think it is.

 

1. Choose books from list. Since there are so many subject areas in TOG, go to that area and choose the book. I spent about 1 hour choosing books in 4-levels for 2 Units. I follow the SL "book basket" by often getting the other books (I didn't choose as spines) and having them lying around for personal enrichment.

 

2. Decide your daily schedule. I.e. Monday - vocab, reading; Tuesday - mapwork, reading; Wednesday questions, start project....you get the point. You have to design what days to do what, and you may try a few things before you find your comfy groove, but since we all handle when we teach a variety of subjects M-F, we are totally capable of this step too.

 

3. Plug in materials, all provided by TOG, into your daily schedule (#2) This takes as much time as counting book pages and dividing them up, printing your copies, and having them ready for your dc in whatever way ya'll school. The beauty...it's all there for you.

 

The most time consuming, extensive portion of the program is Teacher's Notes, which does take time to read. Whether or not you study them, take notes, etc. is up to you, but if you have dc in Grammar Stage, this will just be for your own education. If you have older dc, then you'll need to do this for teaching. It takes less time than reading all of their materials, though, and the benefit is growth as a person and as an instructor. The thing here is that you're not planning anything b/c everything is laid out for you. You're preparing by reading.

 

Many people don't realize that TOG promotes self-planning for D and R students...so you're kinda skipping step 3 before you know it b/c the dc are doing that part!

 

All that to say, when you first look at the girth of TOG...it's intimidating...but once you pass the TOG Fog, it's a breeze, and I've never felt saddled down by daily plans that don't match my family, nor crazy b/c I have to figure out every little details. The little details are provided, I just decide how I want to use them, or not ;)

 

I hope this helps or encourages someone who might have been intimidated to give it a try. It is a fabulous program and has brought the joys of history to my family in ways I didn't even find possible.

Edited June 9, 2010 by johnandtinagilbert

[Susan in TN]

In terms of planning for TOG, I do virtually all my planning for a few hours before the start of each year and unit. Before the year starts, I go through the reading list for each level and see what I can use from the library, what we already have, and what I want to purchase - I make notes of these in my teacher's binder. Before each unit, I make workbooks for the kids and decide generally what kinds of subjects/activities/extras I want to try. I do very little planning during the unit - aside from reading the weekly notes and checking to see what I need to reserve at the library.

 

I don't know if I would have used TOG when I had only grammar-stage kids, but I find that it's program for dialectic and rhetoric students to be absolutely incredible!

[Heather in WI]

Thanks for the timely post. :-)

 

We're using year 1 in the fall for 1 dialectic stage child and 1 upper grammar stage child.

 

I've been reading all the TOG posts lately with :bigear:

[tennismomkelly]

Thanks for the post, Tina! :D I'm in the middle of planning my 1st unit of TOG. You're absolutely right. It really isn't as time consuming as it may seem. One of the things that really helped me was reading a lot of different threads on how others plan their units. Then I was able to see how it might work for us. I finally get the "big picture" of TOG. I can't wait to get started!

[bethben]

I plan out the whole year during the summer in bits and pieces. I also print out all the maps and literature sheets all at one time. I write up a plan that looks much like Sonlight with what to read each day. When it gets to the actual school year, I just open and go. It takes me 5-10 minutes at the end of the week to plan for the next week. I actually like the planning.

Beth

[AngelBee]

Really good advice Tina. Thanks :)

[jewel7123]

I was scrolling down to the end and thinking, I'll bet AngelBee bumped this up, lol! :D

[TXMary2]

Excellent advice, Tina. You were instrumental in my decision to buy TOG - along with a RL friend that uses it too. I am so thankful for your no-nonsense advice!

 

TOG really is that simple! For the teacher notes, there are times I have just outright read them to my D/R student and we discuss as we go.

[AngelBee]

Excellent advice, Tina. You were instrumental in my decision to buy TOG - along with a RL friend that uses it too. I am so thankful for your no-nonsense advice!

 

TOG really is that simple! For the teacher notes, there are times I have just outright read them to my D/R student and we discuss as we go.

This is what I am actually thinking of doing this year with ds18. I can't invest tons right now since he graduates in June and we will still be going.

 

So I thought I will get books "I" want for now and go over teachers notes with him. :)

[mama2cntrykids]

I'm interested in learning more about ToG and this thread is a benefit to me. Thanks!

[JoyinIndo]

Thank you for this post. It helps a lot!!

Blessings,

JoyinIndo

[Georgiana Daniels]

Aside from the fact that I'm ridiculously excited about all the planning and have been enjoying it thus far, I do appreciate the breakdown and simplification. Thanks! This makes it much easier as I think, "What next?" during the process.

 

Of course, I have littles so it should be easy already and I, no doubt, make it more convulted than necessary :D

[JadeOrchidSong]

My question for Tina OP or anyone else is, how do you get the books? Do you buy them or borrow from the library?

I want to do TOG down the road when my dc are over upper grammar age. But I find that the books are the hardest for me. If I have all the books I need, then planning won't be too hard.

[LaissezFaire]

I have planned out TOG a lot in the same way you have and we love it. It does take some time to get familiar with but once you have a system the planning is really not so bad, the most time consuming part is probably reading the Teacher's Notes but that would be true for any curriculum.

 

We get some of our books from the library, others I buy used or from Rainbow Resource. RR is usually cheaper than Bookshelf Central.

 

We don't do every single part each week (Arts, geography, history, Literature, church history). Some weeks we omit the church history and arts. it depends on what else we have going on that week.

 

Since I am mostly using it for my dialectic students I make a calendar with all of the weeks reading, I like them to break it up into whatever chunks they would like, as long as they have finished the reading by the day I have planned for discussion (often Monday of the following week). We work on Geography and TimeLine one day and focus on literature Worksheets on another day. It's fairly simple once you find the combination that works for you.

Edited January 31, 2011 by LaissezFaire

[johnandtinagilbert]

Excellent advice, Tina. You were instrumental in my decision to buy TOG - along with a RL friend that uses it too. I am so thankful for your no-nonsense advice!

 

TOG really is that simple! For the teacher notes, there are times I have just outright read them to my D/R student and we discuss as we go.

I'll be doing that today. We have been busy with other things, so I eliminated our regular lecture, handed the TN to my boys and said make sure you're ready for discussion. They took notes and we're off to the races today.

 

My question for Tina OP or anyone else is, how do you get the books? Do you buy them or borrow from the library?

I want to do TOG down the road when my dc are over upper grammar age. But I find that the books are the hardest for me. If I have all the books I need, then planning won't be too hard.

I happen to have an amazing library system, so I use it primarily for the grammar stage books. I prefer to buy the D and especially the R level books b/c more of them are used for multi-weeks and/or I allow notes in high school materials. So, to answer your question, a little bit of both. I have also found, books from other sources I own (SL, Veritas, WTM, Ambleside) can easily be subbed. We just subbed a book for Africa from SL (I think...a friend gave it to me) and we had a blast. Essentially, whatever works :) Many times over, I borrow first, then when I see the book is great or is used extensively, I buy it used. Over time, we've really built up our library.

 

I have planned out TOG a lot in the same way you have and we love it. It does take some time to get familiar with but once you have a system the planning is really not so bad, the most time consuming part is probably reading the Teacher's Notes but that would be true for any curriculum.

 

We get some of our books from the library, others I buy used or from Rainbow Resource. RR is usually cheaper than Bookshelf Central.

 

We don't do every single part each week (Arts, geography, history, Literature, church history). Some weeks we omit the church history and arts. it depends on what else we have going on that week.

 

Since I am mostly using it for my dialectic students I make a calendar with all of the weeks reading, I like them to break it up into whatever chunks they would like, as long as they have finished the reading by the day I have planned for discussion (often Monday of the following week). We work on Geography and TimeLine one day and focus on literature Worksheets on another day. It's fairly simple once you find the combination that works for you.

Thanks for the input. There are so many ways to do TOG, you just have to play around a bit and find your own groove. It really isn't that hard.

 

AngelBee...I thought this must be you, too :D Good for you using your time wisely!

[TXMary2]

I use a fabulous library in a neighboring town, the used book store and Amazon to get the books.

[dani3boys]

I just wanted to say that TOG gets what I consider a "bad rap" sometimes b/c some people find it's a giant planning monster. I wanted to offer some encouragement and simplify that process a bit. I'll make this sound easy, b/c I honestly think it is.

 

1. Choose books from list. Since there are so many subject areas in TOG, go to that area and choose the book. I spent about 1 hour choosing books in 4-levels for 2 Units. I follow the SL "book basket" by often getting the other books (I didn't choose as spines) and having them lying around for personal enrichment.

 

2. Decide your daily schedule. I.e. Monday - vocab, reading; Tuesday - mapwork, reading; Wednesday questions, start project....you get the point. You have to design what days to do what, and you may try a few things before you find your comfy groove, but since we all handle when we teach a variety of subjects M-F, we are totally capable of this step too.

 

3. Plug in materials, all provided by TOG, into your daily schedule (#2) This takes as much time as counting book pages and dividing them up, printing your copies, and having them ready for your dc in whatever way ya'll school. The beauty...it's all there for you.

 

The most time consuming, extensive portion of the program is Teacher's Notes, which does take time to read. Whether or not you study them, take notes, etc. is up to you, but if you have dc in Grammar Stage, this will just be for your own education. If you have older dc, then you'll need to do this for teaching. It takes less time than reading all of their materials, though, and the benefit is growth as a person and as an instructor. The thing here is that you're not planning anything b/c everything is laid out for you. You're preparing by reading.

 

Many people don't realize that TOG promotes self-planning for D and R students...so you're kinda skipping step 3 before you know it b/c the dc are doing that part!

 

All that to say, when you first look at the girth of TOG...it's intimidating...but once you pass the TOG Fog, it's a breeze, and I've never felt saddled down by daily plans that don't match my family, nor crazy b/c I have to figure out every little details. The little details are provided, I just decide how I want to use them, or not ;)

 

I hope this helps or encourages someone who might have been intimidated to give it a try. It is a fabulous program and has brought the joys of history to my family in ways I didn't even find possible.

 

:iagree:

 

Tina,

 

I always appreciate what you have to say about TOG! It might seem overwhelming at first, but once you figure out how it will best fit your family, it is easy to use.

[AngelBee]

Another great post about using TOG, especially in a large family or with Grammar level :)

 

http://harmonyartmom.blogspot.com/2009/03/tog-question-from-reader-how-to-make-it.html

[AngelBee]

AngelBee...I thought this must be you, too :D Good for you using your time wisely!

I have been pouring over PR and TOG and figuring out a system. :D

 

I am actually impressed with how many books I own from YR2 UNIT 1.

 

Some are not exact matches. Like I have a collection of Aladdin stories, so I will be using that instead of the one listed. Same with King Arthur selection.

 

For some, I may sub with internet links as I am on bedrest and can not make it to library right now.

 

I have also tied in SOTW and MOH 2 since I own them already. I decided to just make ds18 do what I am doing for now. That will lower cost and have him read TN and D selections for now as I do not think I own one of the R selections.

 

I also may reduce some reading and add some fun things like color sheets or activites from my SOTW AG.

 

Trying to tie what I have with the BEAUTIFUL structure and layout of TOG.

 

I was even thinking of doing a blog series "TOG on the cheap!" :lol: I could write out our journey. :)

 

Oh.....and we are starting today. :) I figure why the heck not. Even if we start slow, no shame in that! :D

[jewel7123]

 

I was even thinking of doing a blog series "TOG on the cheap!" :lol: I could write out our journey. :)

 

I'd be a subscriber! :D What's your blog address?

[OregonNative]

I looked at TOG this year and love the program! My reasons for not purchasing it were cost, the books ( my kids would hate them), using two different levels. I printed out sample lesson plans and did not find planning to seem like an issue at all. I think ppl run into issues when they try to do it all instead of picking bits and pieces.

[johnandtinagilbert]

I have been pouring over PR and TOG and figuring out a system. :D

 

I am actually impressed with how many books I own from YR2 UNIT 1. That is AWESOME! How helpful!

 

Some are not exact matches. Like I have a collection of Aladdin stories, so I will be using that instead of the one listed. Same with King Arthur selection.

 

For some, I may sub with internet links as I am on bedrest and can not make it to library right now. That's a great idea. I sometimes use the Inter-net linked ency. I own to do just that. I allow my older children to search, too.

 

I have also tied in SOTW and MOH 2 since I own them already. I decided to just make ds18 do what I am doing for now. That will lower cost and have him read TN and D selections for now as I do not think I own one of the R selections. Do you know about the schedules that show the MOH/SOTW commonalities? Each level of MOH has one on it's coresponding yahoo group. I.e. somebody else did the work for you :)

 

I also may reduce some reading and add some fun things like color sheets or activites from my SOTW AG. We enjoy that. Often times, our summaries take the place of Writing Aids, especially b/c we're writing from another program currently.

 

Trying to tie what I have with the BEAUTIFUL structure and layout of TOG. Ain't it purty!?!

 

I was even thinking of doing a blog series "TOG on the cheap!" :lol: I could write out our journey. :) DO IT! DO IT!

 

Oh.....and we are starting today. :) I figure why the heck not. Even if we start slow, no shame in that! :D

YOU ROCK!

 

I'd be a subscriber! :D What's your blog address?

:iagree:

 

I looked at TOG this year and love the program! My reasons for not purchasing it were cost, the books ( my kids would hate them), using two different levels. I printed out sample lesson plans and did not find planning to seem like an issue at all. I think ppl run into issues when they try to do it all instead of picking bits and pieces.

That is so true. I always tell newbies to keep off of pg. 5....when I started, I thought I had to do both pages...whew! it was exhausting for the dc.

[strawberry]

What do you ladies think of doing only two units a year, or one unit a semester? Would this be a better way to "do it all" and stretch your dollar? (Is this s post hijack? I'm always so hesitant to post a new thread...)

[johnandtinagilbert]

What do you ladies think of doing only two units a year, or one unit a semester? Would this be a better way to "do it all" and stretch your dollar? (Is this s post hijack? I'm always so hesitant to post a new thread...)

No hijack! We actually do about 3 units per year. I like to dig deep and allow my pokey puppy (15yo) time to enjoy our studies and not be rushed. I have to speedy ones, too, so I just give them more reading :D My "how to" use 2TOG weeks in 3-calendar weeks is on my home school launch page (in siggy).

 

MANY people do one unit per semester and stretch their buck. It's kind of a "whatever floats your boat" here.

[carrie_irene]

This is super helpful info for me as I just purchased Yr1 and am starting to gather resources! Thank you!

 

As an aside...we are trying to decide if we should start this fall....or wait till fall of 2012. My oldest will be in 1st this fall...though he is reading and doing math far beyond that. And the next one will be kinder age, though she too is reading and trucking along beyond most kinder's already. My next after will be nearly 4 in the fall.

 

So waiting.....I have older kiddos....my 3rd can definitely get some of it. My second is older, writing better, and so on. But waiting also means waiting....and I am not always so good at that!

 

THanks, Tina, for the OP.....great info here!

[AngelBee]

I looked at TOG this year and love the program! My reasons for not purchasing it were cost, the books ( my kids would hate them), using two different levels. I printed out sample lesson plans and did not find planning to seem like an issue at all. I think ppl run into issues when they try to do it all instead of picking bits and pieces.

Honestly, you can combine soooooo much! You are not "stuck" doing two levels.

 

Ds11 will be doing some LG, UG, and D. Based on his ability and my convience. :D

 

Ds18 will be doing D mostly as I am not willing right now to invest in things he will only use til June (he is graduating).

 

So it is all lined up with HUGE amounts of info, books, vocab, geography, art, activities,etc. YOU select what you do, who does it, and what you skip. :)

 

There is no reason you can't mix the 2 together especially at age 9 and 6.

[BBG580]

What do you ladies think of doing only two units a year, or one unit a semester? Would this be a better way to "do it all" and stretch your dollar? (Is this s post hijack? I'm always so hesitant to post a new thread...)

 

My kiddo is going to be a first grader so we are definitely stretching two units out over the course of one year. We are specifically using Year 2/3&4 which are so packed with historical content that it is going to be overwhelming enough as it is.

 

I've already started planning the first half of our year (we start July 11 this year) via file folders and I am planning on doing two of the large unit projects, one focused on the colonists and one focused on Native Americans. Because that one unit will be with us for 16 weeks we'll have time. We are also super hands on, crafty kind of people and she will enjoy that along with the Plymouth Colony History Pocket and the ToG lapbook. We will be doing a lot of reading aloud, of course, but stretching it out over the course of the day and she'll probably hear some of the fiction books on audio during her rest time in her room.

 

We are not doing the Writing Aids, she will be doing PR1 and some basic copywork of vocab words and short Bible verses and that is plenty of writing for a 6 year old. We are also skipping Evaluations this year, just don't think they are necessary for us yet but will probably start the following year.

 

So, I guess we may be skipping a lot of what ToG has to offer and I am definitely just choosing what I like and leaving the rest. I bought ToG for the excellent teacher notes and support via the website and its longterm usability. Frankly, I have no idea how anyone can do four full units in a one year based on what I've read and planned for Unit 3, though I do hear that Year 2 is the busiest content-wise of the four years.

[AngelBee]

This is super helpful info for me as I just purchased Yr1 and am starting to gather resources! Thank you!

 

As an aside...we are trying to decide if we should start this fall....or wait till fall of 2012. My oldest will be in 1st this fall...though he is reading and doing math far beyond that. And the next one will be kinder age, though she too is reading and trucking along beyond most kinder's already. My next after will be nearly 4 in the fall.

 

So waiting.....I have older kiddos....my 3rd can definitely get some of it. My second is older, writing better, and so on. But waiting also means waiting....and I am not always so good at that!

 

THanks, Tina, for the OP.....great info here!

Found this while looking for resources for Year 2. :)

 

http://highland.hitcho.com.au/ancienthistory.htm

 

I would start this fall. Just go LIGHT! Make it fun and take the year to get YOURSELF aquainted with TOG. :)

[AngelBee]

My kiddo is going to be a first grader so we are definitely stretching two units out over the course of one year. We are specifically using Year 2/3&4 which are so packed with historical content that it is going to be overwhelming enough as it is.

 

I've already started planning the first half of our year (we start July 11 this year) via file folders and I am planning on doing two of the large unit projects, one focused on the colonists and one focused on Native Americans. Because that one unit will be with us for 16 weeks we'll have time. We are also super hands on, crafty kind of people and she will enjoy that along with the Plymouth Colony History Pocket and the ToG lapbook. We will be doing a lot of reading aloud, of course, but stretching it out over the course of the day and she'll probably hear some of the fiction books on audio during her rest time in her room.

 

We are not doing the Writing Aids, she will be doing PR1 and some basic copywork of vocab words and short Bible verses and that is plenty of writing for a 6 year old. We are also skipping Evaluations this year, just don't think they are necessary for us yet but will probably start the following year.

 

So, I guess we may be skipping a lot of what ToG has to offer and I am definitely just choosing what I like and leaving the rest. I bought ToG for the excellent teacher notes and support via the website and its longterm usability. Frankly, I have no idea how anyone can do four full units in a one year based on what I've read and planned for Unit 3, though I do hear that Year 2 is the busiest content-wise of the four years.

As of now, I am planning on covering it in a year.

 

However, to save money and time we are NOT doing all of the readings. I would rather do more hands on than that much reading.

 

But I LOVE that it gives me so many reading options and that if I end up with a bookworm, there is no lack of book resources for them to delve into.

[AngelBee]

Super boring blog but I will post the journey there:

http://bixbyblog.blogspot.com

 

Hopefully it will get more lively. :001_huh:

[jewel7123]

Super boring blog but I will post the journey there:

http://bixbyblog.blogspot.com

 

Hopefully it will get more lively. :001_huh:

 

It's ok.....I don't even have a blog yet, lol. I know I should.......just not sure how to go about it and I just figure it would eat up so much time.

[AngelBee]

It's ok.....I don't even have a blog yet, lol. I know I should.......just not sure how to go about it and I just figure it would eat up so much time.

It hasn't eaten any of my time. I ignore it! :D

 

I figure it can keep my hsing notes in one place that others can use it, so what the hay! :)

[mamato3 all-boy boys]

 

Many people don't realize that TOG promotes self-planning for D and R students...so you're kinda skipping step 3 before you know it b/c the dc are doing that part!

 

 

 

Just wanted to agree. This year, my 6th grader is told what books to read and when things are due. He plans it out for himself. I don't really care *how* he plans it, just as long as there is a plan, it gets done, and he understands the material and can talk about it during our history discussions! I look forward to loosening the apron strings gradually each year as he takes more and more responsibility for learning!

[johnandtinagilbert]

 

Just wanted to agree. This year, my 6th grader is told what books to read and when things are due. He plans it out for himself. I don't really care *how* he plans it, just as long as there is a plan, it gets done, and he understands the material and can talk about it during our history discussions! I look forward to loosening the apron strings gradually each year as he takes more and more responsibility for learning!

It does feel GOOD. My dd will enter into self planning next year. This year, she would read, then keep a log. It was her baby step. I can't believe she's there already!

[AngelBee]

It does feel GOOD. My dd will enter into self planning next year. This year, she would read, then keep a log. It was her baby step. I can't believe she's there already!

:( It goes sooooo fast!