swimmermom3 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I know. It is an old and tired question; however, I am feeling a bit old and tired and could use some help. Are you doing anything different or unusual with your 8th grader's schedule? How much hands-on time do you spend and how much time is independent? We have Algebra 1, Earth and Life science, history, Spanish, and Language Arts for our core studies. On Fridays, we have art, music, technology, a vocab test, and our Tea with Shakespeare. I have always done the core subjects 4-5 days a week, but Swimmer Dude takes a long time to transition between subjects and I am looking for a way to make my life simpler. Ideally, I would just like to do hands-on instruction from 9-noon with him and have him work independently for the rest of the time until he is done as I need to work with his older brother. If you don't mind sharing yet again what your schedule looks like, I would appreciate it. Also, if you are already into your school year, what is working and what's not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 We're on week 2. Our biggest hit so far is MEP math. We're starting with the gcse level and he claims it's easy. Well, we'll see. Formal logic has been a surprising hit as well. We're just creeping into the harder concepts, but it has been some great discussions. BTW I'm on Nyquil so there is a big break in comprehension on this post, please forgive me. Or spelling. We are rotating weeks and subjects. We are also doing some block-like scheduling with 6 classes this year. Reading aloud is always our first subject and ds reads in the evening. On odd weeks we are doing: Latin English (mechanics) Writing Session class 1 Session class 2 On even weeks we are doing: Math Literature (LL Lotr) Session class 1 Session class 2 Our session classes will run 10-12 weeks each. Session 1 classes are: Harmony Fine Arts, Japanese, ICT (computer information class, this is our science this year) Session 2 classes are: Formal logic (Discovery of Deduction), History, and Philosophy. Because we are doing less classes per day we are able to spend more time in a subject. Even though we are only on week two it has worked well. My only real concern has been short changing math. But honestly, in the past, we've had about 3 good days of math a week if we try to do it every day of the school year. So I'd rather take 5 good days every other week. Plus he's working longer by choice and *I* don't feel so rushed to move on to the next thing. This whole schedule was a hold your breath and jump off the cliff type of experiment. I've been pretty pleased with the free fall experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 PT 2, I'm finding ds more able and willing to work independently this year. So while he was typing up vocabulary I had to find something to do. I'm so use to oral discussions it was a bit disconcerting to have silence and working in the classroom. I cleaned out my e-mail. :lol: All to say I have some self-ed projects in the works, so I'll probably keep those handy for those "at work" moments. Ds works better if I instruct then make him do the work right then. He's been known to wander off on a tangent when left on his own. Oh yes, today he showed me a sword he made for Minecraft. he was supposed to be typing vocabulary at the time, but only had that slight bobble off focus. Plus he's almost 14 I'm glad he still wants to share his creations with me, even if doesn't have anything to do with vocabulary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 My dd 13 has a very straight forward schedule this year - seven classes, each every day. We are on about week 4 and things are going well. Our classes are in four blocks. Dd has a weekly schedule to meet and can work on either class in the block, as needed, throughout the week. Block 1 - Math and English English 8 is an online class through FVS and fairly easy for her. She does this independently and will move into the next class when she finishes this one. For math we switched from AOPS to Saxon/LOF this year. She is solid in math but doesn't love it. It was a good switch. When she finishes up Algebra I she will move into Algebra II. Both my older dds like to get math done before the younger kids are up - the house is much quieter. In math I help as needed. Break - 30 min Block 2 - Latin and Computers These are both online classes through FVS. This is the time I am working with the younger children. She does these classes independently. Lunch break - 90 min Block 3 - Science and History Science is also online through FVS. She is finishing up Physical science and then will move into Biology. As she is planning to major in the sciences and start classes at the CC in a year or two, I add additional work to her online science class. For Biology she is also required to read six books, write one long and five short research papers and perform and write-up 12 experiments. History is my favorite class. Dd 13 and dd 11 are doing this class together. We are watching the TC series - The History of the United States. We watch two lectures per week - outlining and discussing each. The girls have additional reading assignments and are required to read one primary source document of their choice each week. Writing assignments for dd13 are weekly one page informal essays as well as a two page compare/contrast type paper every 2-3 weeks. We are all learning a lot in this class. Dinner break Block 4 - Literature After the little ones are in bed, the older two have literature - Excellence in Lit - American Literature. It is mostly reading. We are hoping to get through a unit every four weeks or so. For dd 13 a unit consists of reading three books, writing two papers (a one page author profile and a two page literary analysis,) going over all of the context material - poetry, music, etc. and discussing the books at the end. Both girls enjoy talking about what they are reading so we have been discussing the books all along. Another fun class for me! The only thing throwing us off so far this year is volleyball. Because she is on a homeschool volleyball team, the coach thinks nothing of changing around practice times and scheduling a morning practice "as needed." :glare: But volleyball ends the last week of October and she really enjoys it, so I'm going to work around it and keep my mutterings to myself (and this board.) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 We're on week 2. Our biggest hit so far is MEP math. We're starting with the gcse level and he claims it's easy. Well, we'll see. Formal logic has been a surprising hit as well. We're just creeping into the harder concepts, but it has been some great discussions. On odd weeks we are doing: Latin English (mechanics) Writing Session class 1 Session class 2 On even weeks we are doing: Math Literature (LL Lotr) Session class 1 Session class 2 Our session classes will run 10-12 weeks each. Session 1 classes are: Harmony Fine Arts, Japanese, ICT (computer information class, this is our science this year)... May I ask what ICT is, please? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpklehm Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) My dd 13 has a very straight forward schedule this year - seven classes, each every day. We are on about week 4 and things are going well. Our classes are in four blocks. Dd has a weekly schedule to meet and can work on either class in the block, as needed, throughout the week. Block 1 - Math and English English 8 is an online class through FVS and fairly easy for her. She does this independently and will move into the next class when she finishes this one. For math we switched from AOPS to Saxon/LOF this year. She is solid in math but doesn't love it. It was a good switch. When she finishes up Algebra I she will move into Algebra II. Both my older dds like to get math done before the younger kids are up - the house is much quieter. In math I help as needed. Break - 30 min Block 2 - Latin and Computers These are both online classes through FVS. This is the time I am working with the younger children. She does these classes independently. Lunch break - 90 min Block 3 - Science and History Science is also online through FVS. She is finishing up Physical science and then will move into Biology. As she is planning to major in the sciences and start classes at the CC in a year or two, I add additional work to her online science class. For Biology she is also required to read six books, write one long and five short research papers and perform and write-up 12 experiments. May I ask what FVS is, please? Thank you! Edited August 25, 2011 by jpklehm multi-quoted by accident... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 May I ask what FVS is, please? Thank you! Florida Virtual School Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 That sounds a lot like how I do it with dd (a few hours a day of instruction per day.) I teach eaach subject once or twice a week, in a big block, then she works on the reading and writing and homework in between. Geometry is mostly independent, because we use VTI, so he lectures instead of me, but I still spend some time discussing and doing math puzzles/problems with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Barb B Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 This year I found scholars and I print out her week for her. Pretty much each subject is done every day. DD is VERY independent, so independent that often she just goes from one subject to the next on her own and we have to look at the schedule to see what I wanted to grade or discuss. . . BUt that is a good thing! She has algebra, saxon/hake grammar, kolbe junior high literature, wordly wise, earth and space science (her one "outside" class),spanish (rosetta stone), history (2nd half of world history and is a text "A light to the Nations") and lastly religion/catechism. So what I do with her and how often changes with each subject. Math and grammar are the 2 that we meet daily for - grade and go over new lesson. History honestly we only meet about once per week - she is great about being able to do the reading, and questions and being ready for a scheduled test. Literature depends on the book and often consists of those unscheduled/spontaneous discussions that come up about it and also grading assignments as they come. Spanish is all on her own with an occasional question she may have while doing it. Each kid is different. My oldest ds (now very successful in college) drove me crazy some days in middle school. With him I meet before and after each subject for a while - or it may not have gotten done! He (at that time) was all about seeing how little work he could get away with! But for those of you with kids like this - there is hope! He is at Purdue university with a great scholarship and has begun his freshman year great by putting lots of work in outside his classes! Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez J Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 We're 7th grade, but I fully expect to follow the same basic schedule next year too. I expect only the material to change. Monday is enrichment day with classes on drawing, symphonic band, ballet, drama. Before this she will do language arts of reading and grammar, and foreign language. Tuesday and Thursday are at a part-time school: history/lit, foreign language, general science, math, IEW writing. Before school in the morning she'll do Language Arts of reading and grammar. Wed and Fri we start with math and general science homework from school, then a separate history with me, separate science with me, language arts of reading grammar and logic, foreign language, and writing homework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 May I ask what ICT is, please? Thanks! ICT stand for Information and Communication Technology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_and_communications_technology#ICT_in_Education Here's the text we are using this year. http://www.edexcel.com/quals/igcse/igcse09/ict/Pages/resources.aspx I picked this because ds dabbles a lot on his computer. His interests have ranged from computer programming to graphic design in the last few months. He does most of this on his own time. The ICT book will give him some history of computer, some foundational vocabulary, and walk him through the basic programs like Microsoft Office. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 (edited) This takes us about 4-6 hours depending on the difficulty of the math and biology, or the work in Latin. We take a 25 minute lunch break about 1/2 way through, and start at 8am. Algebra Biology History (we use Trisms so depending on the day it can be music history,art history, geography, historical science, normal hisotry, etc.) Language Arts: Jensen's Puctuation WriteShop Vocabulit Literature (currently Of Mice and Men) Traditional Logic Latin Homework - anything not completed (we have time limits on each subject), a chapter from the literature book, studying Latin, a chapter of How to Read a Book, and one chapter of Hakim's Story of Science per week. Edited August 25, 2011 by SailorMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 This year I've given ds his assignment book broken down only by the week, not the day. That way they actual break-up of his work is up to him. ... Except that really we go over it at the beginning of the week to plan how he's going to break it up, and I check up on him regularly to make sure he's following through. But I felt that learning to look at a larger block of time and planning his own use of that time was a skill I wanted us to begin working on before high school. So this year's planner is spiral bound and when open flat, the top page looks like this: and the bottom looks like this: So the top gives the week's work and the bottom is where he fills in his plan (and anything extra like upcoming quizzes in Latin or field trips, etc, etc). Maybe your son is old enough that you could do something similar. Say, "These are the hours I'm available to work with you. You need to look over the work for the day/week and decide what you will do with me during that time. The rest of your work needs to be done in the afternoon while I'm working with your brother." ...? Let *him* be responsible for working out the exact logistics (ahem, with your generous input and direction, of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 abbejey - I love that! Is there a program on the web - a free form download? Or did you make the format up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 abbejey - I love that!Is there a program on the web - a free form download? Or did you make the format up? :iagree:This type of layout and the thinking behind it appeals to me. Thank you, everyone. We are out for most of the day and I would like to spend some time this evening going over the responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 abbejey - I love that!Is there a program on the web - a free form download? Or did you make the format up? :iagree: too. :001_smile: I love this idea. My dd will be in Gr. 8 next year and I think we will use this. Thank you, Abbeyej! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Abbey, thank you, that gives me some wonderful ideas as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 This year I found scholars and I print out her week for her. Pretty much each subject is done every day. DD is VERY independent, so independent that often she just goes from one subject to the next on her own and we have to look at the schedule to see what I wanted to grade or discuss. . . BUt that is a good thing! She has algebra, saxon/hake grammar, kolbe junior high literature, wordly wise, earth and space science (her one "outside" class),spanish (rosetta stone), history (2nd half of world history and is a text "A light to the Nations") and lastly religion/catechism. So what I do with her and how often changes with each subject. Math and grammar are the 2 that we meet daily for - grade and go over new lesson. History honestly we only meet about once per week - she is great about being able to do the reading, and questions and being ready for a scheduled test. Literature depends on the book and often consists of those unscheduled/spontaneous discussions that come up about it and also grading assignments as they come. Spanish is all on her own with an occasional question she may have while doing it. Each kid is different. My oldest ds (now very successful in college) drove me crazy some days in middle school. With him I meet before and after each subject for a while - or it may not have gotten done! He (at that time) was all about seeing how little work he could get away with! But for those of you with kids like this - there is hope! He is at Purdue university with a great scholarship and has begun his freshman year great by putting lots of work in outside his classes! Barb Barb, what is "scholars?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Barb B Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 opps - meant scholaric. . . . sorry! Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenniferlee Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Ok, I am just working out my 8th grader's schedule and adding up the estimated time for everything I have about 7 hours/day! That seems like so much... She's my oldest and I'm not sure what to expect. What do you all think? Grammar 30 min Writing 30 min Reading 1 hr History/science 1 hr piano 30 min Latin 30 min spanish 30 min bible/memory 30 min logic 15 min math 1hr art 30 min 2x/wk vocab 15 min thanks! Jen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmgirlinwv Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 My dd is in private Christian school. Here is her schedule: PE: Mon/Wed Health: Tues/Thurs/Fri It switches next semester. Civics: every day English: every day Computer: Mon/Wed Choir: Tues/Thurs Earth Science: every day Algebra I: every day Bible: every day Each class 50 min. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 (edited) 8-8:45 Faith 9:00-12:00 (with breaks as necessary) English (1 hr), Math (45 min), Latin (30 min), Greek (30 min) (DD does these subjects in any order she wants) 1:15-4:00 (with breaks as necessary) Science (45 min), History (1 hr), French (45 min), logic (20 min) (order varies) 4:00-5:30 Violin Edited September 1, 2011 by Aquinas Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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