getting bogged down by scope and sequence planning

[iona]

I don't know how many different "plans" I have looked at the last few months. I can't seem to find one that I'm fully happy with. I want to just pick one and go with it. I am tired of all of this planning business and want to get on with the actual schooling.

Part of my problem is I don't know exactly what I want.

How did you pick your plan? What are the most important things to nail down planningwise and which tend to be more flexible?

 

here is my thinking so far

ds1 (k) is almost done with opg and i plan on gently starting wwe and maybe fll and aas. for math we are starting mm1. i'll have him do a little copywork as well. so skill areas i think i feel ok with. i plan on keeping wwe (possibly moving to cw after a good foundation) i plan on using mm through all 6 level barring some math meltdown. i plan on using fll and aas if they work out. i'd like to start latin by 4th and greek by 7th along with logic when they reach that stage. i'm still ironing out music and modern languages.

content areas (history,lit,geography, science) make my eye twitch

 

i know it is just k now, but i figure if i can at least have some rough sequence i'm following, it will help my sanity as the other two get to schooling age.

 

like i said before, i'm tired of the agonizing part and just want to get on with it. thanks for reading. i'll check back later, i'm heading out for now.

Edited January 8, 2011 by iona

[plain jane]

I don't know how many different "plans" I have looked at the last few months. I can't seem to find one that I'm fully happy with. I want to just pick one and go with it. I am tired of all of this planning business and want to get on with the actual schooling.

Part of my problem is I don't know exactly what I want.

How did you pick your plan? What are the most important things to nail down planningwise and which tend to be more flexible?

 

here is my thinking so far

ds1 (k) is almost done with opg and i plan on gently starting wwe and maybe fll and aas. for math we are starting mm1. i'll have him do a little copywork as well. so skill areas i think i feel ok with. i plan on keeping wwe (possibly moving to cw after a good foundation) i plan on using mm through all 6 level barring some math meltdown. i plan on using fll and ass if they work out. i'd like to start latin by 4th and greek by 7th along with logic when they reach that stage. i'm still ironing out music and modern languages.

content areas (history,lit,geography, science) make my eye twitch

 

i know it is just k now, but i figure if i can at least have some rough sequence i'm following, it will help my sanity as the other two get to schooling age.

 

like i said before, i'm tired of the agonizing part and just want to get on with it. thanks for reading. i'll check back later, i'm heading out for now.

 

Gosh, I *really* hope I'm not offending you (or anyone else). This line just struck me as hilarious and I laughed so loud I almost roused my ds from his nap. :001_huh: I'm pretty sure you meant AAS. :lol: Yes, it's been one of those days and I am easily amused at the moment. :lol:

 

On a more serious note, I wanted to say that I think your basic plan sounds good. At this point it really can't be much more than that until you get going and see what works and what doesn't. Annoyingly enough, sometimes this changes from year to year. I've found it best to have very loose plans and an open mind to change.

 

When my oldest was in K, it really was best to, as you said, stop agonizing and get going. Once you're going for a while it does seem to come together. It's those first few steps that are wobbly but it gets better from there.

 

Sounds like you have a good plan and you need to trust yourself more and know that it's going to all be okay. :)

 

As for your question about picking a plan and nailing down what's most important, I chose to focus on the 3Rs. I figure if we get those down good and I find curriculum *I* am comfortable using, regardless of what everyone else things is the "hot" thing then we're off to a good start. I made sure I nailed down math and LA and everything else was just gravy for the first couple years. It helped me relax about a lot of things.

 

I also really like TWTM and it really resonates with me so I try to stick as close to SWB's "plan" as possible.

Edited January 7, 2011 by plain jane

[Verity]

It sounds like you have some great general plans - write those goals down and then focus on this and next year. Until you see how your individual kids progress, where their own strengths and weaknesses lie you really can't plan out their entire education (without losing your mind). :lol:

[boscopup]

I am just somewhat following WTM recommendations. Start Ancients in first, go through the 4 year cycle, repeat the cycle until we're done. As the next kids come along, they start where oldest DS is. My DS is actually doing Ancients over first-second grade because we're starting halfway through first grade, and I plan to take it at half-pace (but school year round). So his 4-year cycle is kind of starting in 2nd grade, which is fine. He'll end up ending high school with Ancients, but that's ok. He will still learn chronogically. Incidentally, by doing this, my youngest (5 years younger) will end high school on modern history, so *I* will get fully through the 4-year cycle. :D

 

Science, I'm basically doing the same thing. We're starting with biology in 2nd grade (because we started late, and I'm doing ES Intro the remainder of first grade - I'd highly recommend that for your K year if you use any curriculum at all). So we'll just do the 4 year cycle until high school. At that point, he can deviate from it and take what he wants, as long as he meets his diploma requirements.

 

For K, I would not worry so much about scope and sequence planning for non-skill areas. Your main focus is reading, writing, and math. It sounds like you have a good plan for those areas. Relax and enjoy the year! Let your K year be easy in the history/science departments, and then start the WTM cycles in first grade (if you want to follow those cycles).

 

Another thing is that at this stage, it's easy to change if things aren't working well. I know that there is that possibility that I might need to deviate from the WTM 4-year cycle at some point and do some American History or something, for whatever reason (like a kid isn't ready for what's being studied, etc.). I'm ok with doing that. It's not that important what scope and sequence you follow in the areas of history and science for elementary school. It's high school where it really matters. So relax. You have several years before you need to worry about high school. ;)

[jer2911mom]

I just wanted to say I'm right there with you. I have a K'er and a 2 yr old. I know I can't plan everything out now, but in some ways what you use now depends on where you're headed. So you kind of have to work backwards to use things at levels that make sense long-term. I'm trying to figure out a very loose plan myself, just to have a sense of direction and that we are working toward our long-term goals. But figuring out learning styles and teaching styles can quickly derail plans, and then you're back analyzing everything again. I'm getting pretty tired of curriculum research and need to make some decisions and then let things go for awhile so I don't miss "now". It's a very delicate balance to be aware of the options and their benefits/flaws, and yet not be consumed with research. I think finding something to try and then staying away from the forums until it is not working is going to be what I shoot for, so I don't get "the grass is greener" syndrome.

[texasmama]

Although I have a basic idea of what I would like my kids' education to look like and a "destination" in mind as the end result, I only truly plan one year at a time. I have found that it took the first year to muddle around finding the right curriculum matches and then the second year to build up my confidence and get into a good groove. Now, on year three, we are all pretty comfortable. :001_smile: I don't plan too far ahead, though, because my kids' needs/my life/etc are constantly changing. I just make a plan for the year we are doing and then tweak it as needed. I do know what our basic plan is for next year mostly because it is continuation of the curriculums that are working for us this year. Summers are for the things I wanted to do but that didn't get done during the year or for the programs which are supplementary. As long as this works for us, I will continue it. My oldest hs'ed child is in 4th grade this year so we are still early on in the scheme of things. (I also get anxious if I think too far ahead so my one year at a time plan works for me.;))

[iona]

Gosh, I *really* hope I'm not offending you (or anyone else). This line just struck me as hilarious and I laughed so loud I almost roused my ds from his nap. :001_huh: I'm pretty sure you meant AAS. Yes, it's been one of those days and I am easily amused at the moment.

edited:blushing:

 

I've found it best to have very loose plans and an open mind to change.

 

i'm hoping to be flexible like this.

 

Sounds like you have a good plan and you need to trust yourself more and know that it's going to all be okay.

 

thanks

 

As for your question about picking a plan and nailing down what's most important, I chose to focus on the 3Rs. I figure if we get those down good and I find curriculum *I* am comfortable using, regardless of what everyone else things is the hot thing then we're off to a good start. I made sure I nailed down math and LA and everything else was just gravy for the first couple years. It helped me relax about a lot of things.

 

 

I also really like TWTM and it really resonates with me so I try to stick as close to SWB's "plan" as possible.

 

i like a lot of her things, i'm still unsure of the history/science/lit cycle though

 

It sounds like you have some great general plans - write those goals down and then focus on this and next year. Until you see how your individual kids progress, where their own strengths and weaknesses lie you really can't plan out their entire education (without losing your mind). :lol:

 

i have them written down somewhere :lol:

i think i've just been working on the losing my mind bit.

 

I am just somewhat following WTM recommendations. Start Ancients in first, go through the 4 year cycle, repeat the cycle until we're done. As the next kids come along, they start where oldest DS is. My DS is actually doing Ancients over first-second grade because we're starting halfway through first grade, and I plan to take it at half-pace (but school year round). So his 4-year cycle is kind of starting in 2nd grade, which is fine. He'll end up ending high school with Ancients, but that's ok. He will still learn chronogically. Incidentally, by doing this, my youngest (5 years younger) will end high school on modern history, so *I* will get fully through the 4-year cycle. :D

 

Science, I'm basically doing the same thing. We're starting with biology in 2nd grade (because we started late, and I'm doing ES Intro the remainder of first grade - I'd highly recommend that for your K year if you use any curriculum at all). So we'll just do the 4 year cycle until high school. At that point, he can deviate from it and take what he wants, as long as he meets his diploma requirements.

 

For K, I would not worry so much about scope and sequence planning for non-skill areas. Your main focus is reading, writing, and math. It sounds like you have a good plan for those areas. Relax and enjoy the year! Let your K year be easy in the history/science departments, and then start the WTM cycles in first grade (if you want to follow those cycles).

 

Another thing is that at this stage, it's easy to change if things aren't working well. I know that there is that possibility that I might need to deviate from the WTM 4-year cycle at some point and do some American History or something, for whatever reason (like a kid isn't ready for what's being studied, etc.). I'm ok with doing that. It's not that important what scope and sequence you follow in the areas of history and science for elementary school. It's high school where it really matters. So relax. You have several years before you need to worry about high school. ;)

 

thank you for your thoughts, i just need to pick something and go from there

 

 

 

I just wanted to say I'm right there with you. I have a K'er and a 2 yr old. I know I can't plan everything out now, but in some ways what you use now depends on where you're headed. So you kind of have to work backwards to use things at levels that make sense long-term. I'm trying to figure out a very loose plan myself, just to have a sense of direction and that we are working toward our long-term goals. But figuring out learning styles and teaching styles can quickly derail plans, and then you're back analyzing everything again. I'm getting pretty tired of curriculum research and need to make some decisions and then let things go for awhile so I don't miss "now". It's a very delicate balance to be aware of the options and their benefits/flaws, and yet not be consumed with research. I think finding something to try and then staying away from the forums until it is not working is going to be what I shoot for, so I don't get "the grass is greener" syndrome.

 

i'm trying to work backwards too, and it just seems to complicate things.

 

Although I have a basic idea of what I would like my kids' education to look like and a "destination" in mind as the end result, I only truly plan one year at a time. I have found that it took the first year to muddle around finding the right curriculum matches and then the second year to build up my confidence and get into a good groove. Now, on year three, we are all pretty comfortable. :001_smile: I don't plan too far ahead, though, because my kids' needs/my life/etc are constantly changing. I just make a plan for the year we are doing and then tweak it as needed. I do know what our basic plan is for next year mostly because it is continuation of the curriculums that are working for us this year. Summers are for the things I wanted to do but that didn't get done during the year or for the programs which are supplementary. As long as this works for us, I will continue it. My oldest hs'ed child is in 4th grade this year so we are still early on in the scheme of things. (I also get anxious if I think too far ahead so my one year at a time plan works for me.;))

 

was your "destination" always clear. do you not have a plan of when you'll do different parts of history or areas of science?

 

I don't know how many different "plans" I have looked at the last few months. I can't seem to find one that I'm fully happy with. I want to just pick one and go with it. I am tired of all of this planning business and want to get on with the actual schooling.

Part of my problem is I don't know exactly what I want.

How did you pick your plan? What are the most important things to nail down planningwise and which tend to be more flexible?

 

here is my thinking so far

ds1 (k) is almost done with opg and i plan on gently starting wwe and maybe fll and aas. for math we are starting mm1. i'll have him do a little copywork as well. so skill areas i think i feel ok with. i plan on keeping wwe (possibly moving to cw after a good foundation) i plan on using mm through all 6 level barring some math meltdown. i plan on using fll and aas if they work out. i'd like to start latin by 4th and greek by 7th along with logic when they reach that stage. i'm still ironing out music and modern languages.

content areas (history,lit,geography, science) make my eye twitch

 

i know it is just k now, but i figure if i can at least have some rough sequence i'm following, it will help my sanity as the other two get to schooling age.

 

like i said before, i'm tired of the agonizing part and just want to get on with it. thanks for reading. i'll check back later, i'm heading out for now.

 

thank you everyone for your responses

[UmMusa]

I"m a first timer this year and we've just finished our first three months (plus a one month break). I've picked from recommendations in the Rainbow Resource catalogue, to be honest. That's how I chose what I would use this year. I used what was in their grade level packages and we're happy. Now that I've read on this board for a few months and have had a chance to read TWTM again, I feel more knowlegable and confident to change or plan for next year.

 

Your plan sounds good. There are so many curriculums out there that I do feel very overwhelmed when sifting through them. In fact I feel a little depressed and incapable, so I just go back to the basic outline and reassure myself that their education will be fine. There is no one right way to do it. :) Take care.

[texasmama]

was your "destination" always clear. do you not have a plan of when you'll do different parts of history or areas of science?

 

My "destination" or end goal is very, very general - to produce young adults who know how to think logically, write well, appreciate good literature, are comfortable with and proficient in applying mathmatical concepts, have been exposed to two foreign languages (Latin and Spanish) and who have been exposed to many different areas of study in the sciences, history and music/arts. I am comfortable planning year by year regarding the specifics, though I have a general idea of the history path we will follow. With science, I plan a year at a time, and this year my boys are takng a co op class for this subject (with a lot of homework involving me). I hope that helps.

 

For me, life is changing so quickly, and I don't know exactly what the needs of my kids will be so I do take one year at a time with specific plans, even changing mid year as needed. For instance, I planned for my second grader to complete SM 2B and 3A this year, but he was breezing through 2B so I have accelerated him. He will complete 2B, 3A and 3B this year, which is a decision I made in early December. Also, my fourth grader needed to start WWE at level 2 this year but has progressed to level 3 several months into our year. I accept that I will not be able to complete all of the curriculum during our main school year from August - May, so we do light school in the summer. I work two part-time jobs, so I need to be flexible.

 

This semester, my adjunct teaching schedule combined with my therapy schedule and our outside activities (piano lessons, basketball practice, therapeutic horseback riding, homeschool co op and OT/speech for one of my kids) means that we will school on Mon/Wed/Fri primarily. My teaching schedule changes every semester. We school using a four day schedule so we will need to squeeze some subjects together, using Saturday as an overflow. I have explained that to my kids and helped them to understand the changes and the reasoning behind them. I have one child who really needs a thorough explanation in order to "get on board". This helps them to learn to be flexible, though, which is a good life lesson. :001_smile:

 

I'm sure that was more than you needed to know about my life and schooling, but I hope it answers your question.:001_smile:

Edited January 8, 2011 by texasmama

[iona]

thanks for the info. it wasn't too much at all. sometimes it is nice to see someone's plan and curriculum choices in the context of real life because that is how it has to play out in the end...no matter how much planning goes into it.

 

i am still in the midst of my first year, so i wonder if my confidence level plays a part. i know that i can, but i am still proving it. i guess i am trying to find a little more confidence in some overarching plan.

 

thanks again for sharing. the people on these boards can be so helpful.:)