How many hours do you spend on school subjects per day?

[cakemom]

I have an almost 3rd grader an almost 6th grader and we spend about 4 1/2 to 5 hours a day on school. I am trying to find out if 1) I am expecting too much for their age or maybe we are not doing enough??? and 2) how we can modify our schedule to be more effective and incorporate everything we need to cover. Any ideas are welcome. Here is what we do and for about how long:

 

*Bible 30min. (pray, read bible and discuss together)

*chores 30min. (each have a daily job to do)

*quiet reading 30min. (they read from a book of their choice)

*unit study 60-90 min. (lapbooking that includes either a science or History topic)

 

*Literature (read aloud) 30 min. ( I read aloud from a book that goes along with our unit topic and then we discuss/review

 

*Math 30-40min. (one lesson in their CLE light units)

*L.A. 30-40min. (one lesson in their CLE light units)

 

Sometimes I feel like we are not doing enough. :confused:

[Susie in CA]

Well, we don't count bible, chores and free reading as school time. If these things are taken out of the total you are left with @ 3 hr of school. This is enough for the 3rd grader but may not be enough for the 6th grader.

 

Susie

[cakemom]

What would be sufficient for a 6th grader? Time wise and subjects covered?

[8filltheheart]

What would be sufficient for a 6th grader? Time wise and subjects covered?

 

A good rule of thumb is approx 1 hr/grade level up to middle school (so ~1 hr/day for 1st, 2 hrs/day for 2nd, etc) Middle school is approx 6-8 hrs/day and high school is approx 7-9 hrs/day.

 

My 6th grader's subjects are:

 

LA: grammar, spelling, poetry, lit, writing

science

history

math

French

religion

PE (she is in a competitive sport and does not do a separate PE program)

and art, though we just do that anyway

 

LAs takes the longest amt of time per day (grammar and spelling take approx 15 mins each/day. Reading (poetry/lit) is about 45 mins/day. Writing is about 30-45 mins/day.

 

Science is ~30-45 mins/day

History is ~60 mins/day (about 30 mins with me and 30 mins independently)

Math is ~60 mins/day

French is 30-45 mins/day

religion is ~15-20 mins/day

 

I'm not including PE or art b/c those are really individual dependent.

[Guest mrsjamiesouth]

I have an almost 3rd grader an almost 6th grader and we spend about 4 1/2 to 5 hours a day on school. I am trying to find out if 1) I am expecting too much for their age or maybe we are not doing enough??? and 2) how we can modify our schedule to be more effective and incorporate everything we need to cover. Any ideas are welcome. Here is what we do and for about how long:

 

*Bible 30min. (pray, read bible and discuss together)

*chores 30min. (each have a daily job to do)

*quiet reading 30min. (they read from a book of their choice)

*unit study 60-90 min. (lapbooking that includes either a science or History topic)

 

*Literature (read aloud) 30 min. ( I read aloud from a book that goes along with our unit topic and then we discuss/review

 

*Math 30-40min. (one lesson in their CLE light units)

*L.A. 30-40min. (one lesson in their CLE light units)

 

Sometimes I feel like we are not doing enough. :confused:

 

 

I think if you are combining the 2 for a Unit study, the 6th grader should be given additional work to go along with the Unit. Also, you should add Vocab and a Writing program.

[cakemom]

I appreciate these comments!

 

I was sort of suprised that a middle school student should be working on school subjects for 6-8 hours a day. My thinking was that since they are getting basically one on one attention (like tutoring), that you would not have to spend as much time at it as one going to an actual school.

[NanceXToo]

I appreciate these comments!

 

I was sort of suprised that a middle school student should be working on school subjects for 6-8 hours a day. My thinking was that since they are getting basically one on one attention (like tutoring), that you would not have to spend as much time at it as one going to an actual school.

 

Oh, I totally agree with you. A homeschooled student getting one on one attention can complete the same amount of work in WAY less time than someone sitting at public school can.

 

My daughter just finished fourth grade. We spent anywhere from 2 1/2 to 4 hours a day on schoolwork, depending on what we were doing. Like, if we were doing some sort of hands on project it might take longer than if we were just doing more of the basics. (Like when we did various colonial crafts and recipes, or made a covered pioneer wagon out of a shoebox, strips of cardboard and an old teeshirt, or went to the creek to examine, sketch and collect samples for a landscape model we were doing etc). And the time spent on school stuff included her illustrating her daily journal entries, us reading together, etc. Most days we never spent more than 3 hours on school stuff.

 

Now, that doesn't mean when that time was up that she never did anything educational. Outside of school stuff, we watched educational shows, played educational games, continued reading together, went on many outings and field trips, and activities and programs, most of which I considered educational.

 

I think next year for fifth we'll be doing pretty much the same thing, spending the same amount of time on school stuff.

 

I don't feel that we're not doing enough. We do a variety of things she could never, ever do in public school, she's benefiting from the learning intensive nature of one on one instruction, and I can see that she's learning. So really there is no reason for you to think you aren't doing enough. You are, and then some. :)

[robsiew]

I appreciate these comments!

 

I was sort of suprised that a middle school student should be working on school subjects for 6-8 hours a day. My thinking was that since they are getting basically one on one attention (like tutoring), that you would not have to spend as much time at it as one going to an actual school.

 

This was what I thought too... before I read WTM! That ruined the idea of "short" school for the kids and I! :lol:

 

I think one thing I've come to realize over the last 2 years I've homeschooled is my homeschool does not have to look like PS at home. Yes, if I just trained them in what the school does...we could have school done in 2-3 hours EASY PEASY!! But, my children would really be no better off than if they were in PS as far as academics go.

 

Once I read WTM it opened my eyes to the **quality** of education my children could receive and I haven't looked back. Even though it means more time in school... they will be so much better off. The things they are learning to do take time... reading, writing, challenging math.... they take time!

 

I quickly had to stop toting the idea that we would be in school less time... really, over all we are at this point (think NO HOMEWORK!), even as they get into MS/HS I know kids in honors classes that are in school all day and come home to hours upon hours of homework. So... I think overall, following a WTM schedule will be less time and you are not creating busy work... it all serves a real purpose.

 

To answer your question... I school four kiddos... the younger two each school 30 min. for the 4.5 y/0 to 1 hour or so for the 6 y/o. My 8 and 9 y/o do about 3-4 hours... so without really planning it, we kind of follow the 1 hr./grade rule naturally. When all is said and done (with together and everyone's individual work school takes about 4 hrs. here)

[Ester Maria]

I was sort of suprised that a middle school student should be working on school subjects for 6-8 hours a day. My thinking was that since they are getting basically one on one attention (like tutoring), that you would not have to spend as much time at it as one going to an actual school.

It depends on how many things you wish to cover - if you cover exclusively the equivalent of the school work they would be getting at school, then it really might take a lot less, especially if you consider that middle school children on the top of school usually have a certain amount of homework.

[Greta]

This was what I thought too... before I read WTM! That ruined the idea of "short" school for the kids and I! :lol:

 

I think one thing I've come to realize over the last 2 years I've homeschooled is my homeschool does not have to look like PS at home. Yes, if I just trained them in what the school does...we could have school done in 2-3 hours EASY PEASY!! But, my children would really be no better off than if they were in PS as far as academics go.

 

Once I read WTM it opened my eyes to the **quality** of education my children could receive and I haven't looked back. Even though it means more time in school... they will be so much better off. The things they are learning to do take time... reading, writing, challenging math.... they take time!

 

I quickly had to stop toting the idea that we would be in school less time... really, over all we are at this point (think NO HOMEWORK!), even as they get into MS/HS I know kids in honors classes that are in school all day and come home to hours upon hours of homework. So... I think overall, following a WTM schedule will be less time and you are not creating busy work... it all serves a real purpose.

 

I enjoyed your post a lot (especially the parts in bold), and completely agree! This past year I have really disavowed myself of the notion that because we're homeschoolers, we should be able to get everything done in a short time, and have tons and tons of free time! I know some families that really do it that way, which is fine. But they have very different motivations and goals than I do. The education that I want for my daughter will not be achieved without hard work, focus, and lots of time.

 

ETA: And to answer the OP's question . . . This year for 4th grade, we spend about 4 hours a day on school (ideally, anyway. on days when she's not as focused, it can take 5!) Next year this will be increased to 5. I've heard the rule of thumb that 8FillTheHeart posted, and I think it's a good one. We spend 45 minutes per day on math, and dh said he wants to see this increased to an hour for 5th (math instruction is *very* important to him, he's a physicist!). And this is purely the instructional/interactive time. She also gets a math assignment everyday that she must do completely independently (but it only takes her about ten minutes!). We'll spend 45 minutes per day next year on Latin (compared to 30 this year). And probably an hour and a half on English. Then the rest will be divided between science, history, etc.

Edited June 10, 2010 by GretaLynne

[Ester Maria]

...we could have school done in 2-3 hours EASY PEASY!! But, my children would really be no better off than if they were in PS as far as academics go.

This is the crucial part - which is why I emphasized in my previous reply, *if you wish to cover exclusively the equivalent of the [public] school work*.

 

The question that opens here is whether that's what you aim for, I would say that most of us on these boards attempt to provide our children with a different education as opposed to simply doing the PS work. Of course, there are exceptions, and people whose reasons to homeschool are not necessarily academic, so somebody's desire to do what the public school would have done might be a fully legitimate one - it's just not that which I'm addressing now.

 

School takes TIME. Reading, especially, is a significant time investment - and the older they get, the more they read, and the more challenging material they read. Middle school is a period in which, for most children, that shift starts to occur, in which you start to "send" them back to the text, teach them to read carefully and critically and think about what they read. It's a process, and it takes time - the more challenging the work, the more time you have to allow for it.

 

Of course, the balance is important. The brain needs the "down time" just as it needs challenging work; it needs pauses, it needs time to "digest" ideas (which is why cramming is not a good idea on the long run, but rather consistent work over the long period of time). I noticed that when I gave a lot more freedom to my kids regarding when they do what, they preferred their day actually to be LONGER, but with longer pauses as well (they're middle school aged, but work on a mix of middle and high school work). It doesn't have to be universal, though - I guess that some people just want to get it done with, but my kids really enjoy their work and usually want to do it "properly".

[susankenny]

We spend about 3 hours a day on school for my 8 year old & about half of that for my 6 year old. I feel my children are getting a very solid education.

 

Susan

[NanceXToo]

we could have school done in 2-3 hours EASY PEASY!! But, my children would really be no better off than if they were in PS as far as academics go.

 

My POV is not that time shouldn't be put into your child's education, but that said time doesn't necessarily all have to be spent sitting down with textbooks and workbooks and multiple curricula etc. We do what I consider formal schoolwork for only a few hours a day as I said above. But we also do plenty of educational things that have nothing to do with sitting down and doing worksheets and workbooks and textbooks, that I don't necessarily consider "school" because they are separate from the curriculum stuff we do, but that are still definite learning experiences, many of them hands on. Things she'd never have time and opportunity to do if she were in public school and that absolutely do give her an advantage over where she'd be if she were in public school.

 

To me, that still equals a very good education. To others it may not. I guess that's the good thing about homeschooling, we all get to do what we think is best and what works for us :D

 

But I don't think someone should have to worry that they are not "doing enough" if their second grader is spending 4 1/2 to 5 hours a day on school work.

[cakemom]

Wow, this discussion is really opening my eyes here.

 

SO, for some of you that are spending an hour or so on math a day lets say, how many lessons are the kids doing in that time?

 

Right now, I have my almost 6th grader doing one lesson in her CLE light unit per day. That takes her about 20-30 minutes to complete. Should I be having her do 2 lessons to actually spend closer to an hour a day for time sake? Or should I just keep her at the one lesson with some extra problems to work on to get closer to spending an hour??

 

I guess my question is, what is the more important gauge here, the amount of work coverded in a day (# of problems or lessons) or the time spent on that subject?

 

Thanks for all the great comments!

[Guest rubilynne4]

wow, so glad i found this thread. i just scheduled my school day for next year, and it seems excessively long, but then we do have an hour break for snack/p.e. in the a.m. (i have litttles and they need some out time, backyard not available at this time, so it's to the park each day), 30 min for lunch, and 15 min for snack in the p.m. that said i have a 6 yr old and 9 yr old. we start at 8-8:30 ish and end around 3:00 for the 6 yr old and 4:00 for the 8 year old. this is my schedule, but i haven't actually tried it yet. i just alloted a certain period of time per subject area. in all reality they may not take as long as i alloted them to finish. for example i gave my 6 yr old 60 min for math, but i know it doesn't take her that long (prob 30 min). how much do you all spend per subject area, and what subjects are you covering? this would help me alot if you could share.

[iammommy]

My 6th grader's subjects are:

Literature...Mosdos Pearl

Spelling...Soaring with Spelling Level 6

Grammar...Growing with Grammar Level 5

Vocabulary...Vocabulary from Classical Roots 6

Narration and Dictation...Writing With Ease 2, moving on to 3 soon

Composition: Jump In

Math...Teaching Textbooks 6

Science...Noeo Biology II

History...Ancients

Spanish...Fun Spanish and La Clase Divertida

Logic...(Not sure yet)

Technology...( not sure yet, maybe Calvert Technology)

Art...(not sure yet)

Music...Pianimals, orchestra study

Physical Education...Homeschool gym class, basketball program

Religious Studies (attends Hebrew school 2 days a week)

 

DS just finished 5th grade and we spent 3 hours a day on school. For the above 6th grade schedule, we will be spending 4-5 hours a day on school. Hebrew school is extra and not figured into these hours.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Nan:001_smile:

Edited June 10, 2010 by iammommy

[Greta]

SO, for some of you that are spending an hour or so on math a day lets say, how many lessons are the kids doing in that time?

 

Well, we're using two math programs. Not everyone feels the need to do that, and not everyone should do that! So please don't take this as me telling you that you "should". You know your family and your kids, and I don't. This is a recent development for us, in part because I realized that while my dd catches on to math concepts very quickly, she can also "lose" them very quickly if she doesn't get enough practice. The other part is that dh has a very demanding program of higher math in store for my dd, and I have to make sure she is ready for it (he'll be taking over her math instruction in 8th grade). If neither of these things applies to your family, then you may just really not need to devote so much time to math.

 

Right now, I have my almost 6th grader doing one lesson in her CLE light unit per day. That takes her about 20-30 minutes to complete. Should I be having her do 2 lessons to actually spend closer to an hour a day for time sake? Or should I just keep her at the one lesson with some extra problems to work on to get closer to spending an hour??

 

I think the answer to this depends on several things. What kind of math do you expect her to complete in high school? Does she need extra practice or is she retaining well? If you add to her workload, will it be really productive, or will it just be busy work? Is what you're doing now working? Cuz if it ain't broke, don't fix it! :D

 

If you decide that she needs to be doing more in math, I would consider adding a supplement that approaches things in a different way. I mean, don't just give her more of what she's already doing, because that's likely to be boring and frustrating. Maybe give her something like Singapore's "challenging word problems"? Or something with mathematical puzzles and logic problems? She might be too old for math games, but that might work for your younger (RightStart has some good ones.)

 

 

 

I guess my question is, what is the more important gauge here, the amount of work coverded in a day (# of problems or lessons) or the time spent on that subject?

 

That is THE question, isn't it? :001_smile: I wish I had an easy answer for you . . . and for me. :lol: I guess the answer just depends on the family's goals and the children's individual needs.

[LaissezFaire]

1st and 3rd grader- 3.5 hours (with little educational things done through out the day for fun as well. 3rd grader has dyslexia so some of he does better with a short amount of time.)

6th graders- 5.5-6 hrs (plus they free read for HOURS everyday. Probably 3 hrs or so)

[RahRah]

 

I guess my question is, what is the more important gauge here, the amount of work coverded in a day (# of problems or lessons) or the time spent on that subject?

 

 

 

At this point this is what I follow - what we cover, not how much time it takes - on a daily basis. In looking over our last month, DS5 averages about 1.5-hours a day on core subjects (range is 1 to 2 hours), five days a week....but that's not straight through time since we tend to do some work (like phonics), take a break, do something else, then do some math, etc. As he gets older, I can see us creating more of a structure, but right now, at 5, he doesn't sit still long!

 

For now this is our style and it's working - I tend to plan out what I feel he can accomplish in a week, break it down into days, and go forward from there. If he needs more time with something we take it, if not we just keep plugging away, done for the day when the day's lessons are complete - basically I don't feel it's necessary to grab the next lesson if DS completes, say, his phonics in 15-minutes instead of the 30-minutes I thought he'd need.....if he's done in 15-minutes and I'm satisfied he's "gotten" what he needs to know, we're done.

[Lolly]

Wow, this discussion is really opening my eyes here.

 

SO, for some of you that are spending an hour or so on math a day lets say, how many lessons are the kids doing in that time?

 

Right now, I have my almost 6th grader doing one lesson in her CLE light unit per day. That takes her about 20-30 minutes to complete. Should I be having her do 2 lessons to actually spend closer to an hour a day for time sake? Or should I just keep her at the one lesson with some extra problems to work on to get closer to spending an hour??

 

I guess my question is, what is the more important gauge here, the amount of work coverded in a day (# of problems or lessons) or the time spent on that subject?

 

Thanks for all the great comments!

 

For me, doing a lesson a day for math and grammar is the goal. I have dc that can do a lesson in 20 minutes that takes another 1 1/2 hours. I tend to decide what I need to cover for each subject for a day and when we are done, we are done. I do tend to put time limits on to keep from taking too long. Meaning that sometimes, we will have to leave some of today's work until tomorrow.:D The real question comes to whether your dc is getting everything in that they need to cover for the year.

[SailorMom]

My sons were in 6th and 7th this year. We worked for somewhere between 4 and 6 hours a day, depending on what needed to be accomplished. Math could take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour depending on how quickly they understood their work, but I rarely assigned more than one lesson.

I think what worked best for us was to have an idea of what needed to be done, and however long it took, that was how long we spent on school! If I had expected a set number of hours, or a set amount of time per subject - my sons' motivations for staying on task would have been killed!

I do think we accomplish far more than the equivalent students in public school in much less time. There are no distractions, no changing rooms, no roll taking, no stopping instruction for a misbehaving student.

I find the "one hour per grade level" up to the 6th grade to be a good guideline - as for how long after 6th - it really depends on the student. My 7th grader was a fast worker - and the time we spend was quite adequate for him.

[coffeegal]

My 6th and 7th graders spend around 3-4 hours doing schoolwork.

 

Math: 45 min

Language Arts (Penmanship, Grammar, Writing, Spelling & Vocabulary): 45 min.

Latin: 20 min (My goal is slow but steady progress.)

Greek: 20 min (7th grader only)

History: 45 min

Science: 45 min

 

Reading, memory work, flashcards, chores, music, karate, artwork, etc. occur at other times. Ds (7th grade) likes to keep his flashcards in his pocket so he can study in the car, or while I'm running errands. Ds (6th grade) prefers to bring his reading. :auto:

[sunflowerlady]

We just started our new school year last week. Dd is eleven years old. Our school day doesn't last near as long as most of the ones posted here. For one, we don't follow TWTM and do not consider ourselves classical homeschoolers. We are more eclectic with a traditional/relaxed approach.:tongue_smilie: That means we do whatever works for us.:D

 

We do the following:

Bible-Training Hearts Teaching Minds

Math-Saxon 6/5 with DIVE

Writing-Jump In

Grammar- The Grammar Key (once per week)

Literature-Progeny Press Study Guide to Carry On Mr. Bowditch

Geography-Around the World in 180 Days

History- Abeka History of the World in Christian Perspective

Science- Considering God's Creation (once per week)

 

Our school time seems to range from 2 and a half to 3 and a half hours.

This is longer than we used to do school, so I thought we were becoming rigorous.:lol:

 

Now, I have an only child and she is good at being independent and stays on task (most of the time). So, someone with more than one child will likely take longer.

 

Also, Fridays are light days and we only do Bible and Science.

 

Dd got great scores on her CAT test, so it works for us.

 

IMO, you are doing fine.:grouphug:

[WistfulRidge]

Wow, this discussion is really opening my eyes here.

 

SO, for some of you that are spending an hour or so on math a day lets say, how many lessons are the kids doing in that time?

 

Right now, I have my almost 6th grader doing one lesson in her CLE light unit per day. That takes her about 20-30 minutes to complete. Should I be having her do 2 lessons to actually spend closer to an hour a day for time sake? Or should I just keep her at the one lesson with some extra problems to work on to get closer to spending an hour??

 

I guess my question is, what is the more important gauge here, the amount of work coverded in a day (# of problems or lessons) or the time spent on that subject?

 

Thanks for all the great comments!

 

I think the answer to this depends on how she is doing with those lessons. Is she comprehending everything? Does it seem really easy, or does she struggle getting through some/many of the problems?

Also, how much math do you want her to complete by the time she gets to highschool/ in highschool. Do you/her have specific goals regarding colleges/programs that might influence what maths she *has* to have taken in HS?

 

If she is having an easy time of it I'd bump it up to two lessons. If she's struggling a bit I'd keep it at one lesson and maybe supplement with more problems/program.

She should be given just enough challenge/push that it takes some *effort* to learn the new material because there will likely come a time when math doesn't come to her super-easy. I never had to exert any effort to learn math until I hit the 9th/10th grade, but when I finally had problems with it I was so used to it coming easily (and so was my family) that when I had problems I had no idea how to work through them, how to push through and actually learn math instead of just completing problems and it screwed me over really bad math-wise.

[lauracolumbus]

Our Saxon lessons take us an hour each. Sometimes more. I can't imagine my 6th grader finishing math in 20 mins. It would make him a very happy camper though. He could finish Saxon in 45 mins. if he really pushed himself most days.

 

Laura

[Guest janainaz]

For my ds10 (4th grade):

 

Math - 60 minutes

Spelling - 20 minutes

Latin - 30 minutes

Writing - 20 minutes

History - 45 to 60 minutes

Science - 30 minutes

Grammar - 20 to 30 minutes

Reading - 30 minutes

[MamaT]

I have found through the years that the hour per grade level is about right. My 6th grader next year will probably take 6 hours to do school. It will roughly be broken down like this:

 

30 min. - Bible/memory work

1 hour - Math

1 1/2 hours - Language Arts (reading, grammar, vocabulary, writing)

30 - 45 min. - Latin

30 - 45 min. - Spanish

20 min. - Critical Thinking

1 1/2 hours - Either Science or History

 

On Fridays we do our Bible/memory work, math, art, and music

 

My kids get PE through organized sports/activities. I didn't include guitar practice which he will do every day as well.

[tucenbubbi]

Without counting the children's kitchen/house duties, we are doing school work anywhere from 5-6 hours. That's for 7th and 4th graders. I don't think you need to feel bad, that you're not doing enough. There's a lot of learning, howbeit not 'book learning', that's going on just in daily interaction and communciation.

[mcconnellboys]

We do school from about 8 to 3:30 each day, but that also includes our hour to ninety minute lunch time and most all outside activities that we do. We end up doing one or two outside activities most days of the week....

[mereminerals]

This posting is very interesting to me. I have struggled the last year on whether the kids were spending enough time doing work as some days they soar through the lessons. I tend to take the approach of I assign a certain amount per day and when they are done, they are done. I don't add anything to the time to extend the lessons if they finish quickly.

 

Here is a breakdown of our everyday work:

 

3rd Grader:

Math - Horizons 4

Grammar - Easy Grammar

Spelling and Vocabulary - from books we are reading

History - Mystery of History I

Science - God's Design for Science

Free Reading

Bible - Quiet time on own

Art - Co-op Class

PE - Once a week Homeschool PE class with daily exercise & Karate

 

7th Grader:

Math- LOF Beginning Algebra

Grammar - Co-op Paragraph Writing Class

Reading - Co-op Book Discussion Class

History - Mystery of History I

Science - God's Design for Science

Spelling and Vocabulary - Co-op Book Discussion Class

Bible - Quiet time on own

PE - Once a week Homeschool PE class with daily exercise & Karate

Guitar practice

 

They spent Thursdays at co-op and Fridays were our makeup days or project days to wrap up the lessons we covered during the week. They also had Math, Bible, and Grammar on Fridays.

 

Thinking about it broken down, I'm almost positive we were holding to the 1 hour per grade without realizing it.

[Marvin]

Hi, my youngest son just started 6th grade, the teacher does some assignments (mainly math) that are taught and questions are given and graded each day, there are no practice questions no quizzes or tests all assignments are taught and graded daily, he does good when he understands the subject but not so good if he doesn't, In my opinion I think the teacher should go over the subject based on practice questions to see if the kids are comprehending the subject and then be quizzed or tested at the end of each week, that's the way it was when I was in school and it worked out well. What's y'alls opinion?