scheduling face to face teaching time (TM)

[JaneP]

I have used a lot of unit studies for the past few years which has required a lot of planning and actual face to face implementation with my dc.

 

We have all enjoyed and benefited from this approach but in reviewing for next year I have discovered that I have been using a lot of curriculum for math and LA that be used independently by dd10. (eg CLE and spectrum style workbooks). I feel a bit disconnected from what she is learning and I can see how a daily session of teaching, modelling and reviewing from a TM would be very helpful for her.

 

A rough outline of our current routine:

Dd10 starts independent work while I work with dd7 (and then do some household chores)

Dd10 and I do some work together (eg. Latin, history read aloud)

We all do our unit study together.

I correct Dd10's work (late afternoon/evening) and write notes so she can correct her work next morning.

 

Anyway, all this background info may be quite irrelevant :) since my real question is ..

 

If you use several teacher's manuals, how do you schedule your teaching time?

 

Do you meet with one child and do all the teacher manual sessions for that day in one hit and then send off your child to complete the work?

 

or

 

Do you teach from the English TM and send off the child to complete his/her English work. When they come back you correct it together and then repeat the same process with a different subject/TM?

 

or

 

something else??

 

Please share as I am clueless how this can work!

Edited May 17, 2012 by JaneP

[missmoe]

We work together to go over our lessons and work some of the problems (or sentences, ect) before dds go to complete the rest of their work on their own. We go over their work together the next day or whenever we go go over the next lesson.

 

I don't check their work. I've trained them to check their own work and then we go over anything they may have missed together before the next lesson. Perhaps, you could have your dd check her own work, or instead of writing the notes on the checked work you could sit down and verbally go over your notes with your dd before she starts on her next lesson.

Edited May 17, 2012 by missmoe

[JaneP]

 

I don't check their work. I've trained them to check their own work and then we go over anything they may have missed together before the next lesson. Perhaps, you could have your dd check her own work, or instead of writing the notes on the checked work you could sit down and verbally go over your notes with your dd before she starts on her next lesson.

 

Writing notes of corrections takes a lot longer than just verbally explaining. I do need to streamline this process too.

 

When you say you get them to check their work... do they come to you when they have finished and you hand them the TM? How old are you dc?

Thanks!

[Chelli]

I rotate teaching blocks or face to face time with my dc.

 

I teach a 1 hour block to my dd8, then teach a 45 minute block with my dd4, then another 1 hour block to my dd8. After that, I send dd8 off to do her independent work (math worksheets, etc.). After we have finished school for the day then we go over whatever she missed or had questions about with her independent work.

 

This blog post explains my process in a little more detail:

 

How I Plan Our Homeschool Day

[lewelma]

My older boy checks his own work. He started at age 8 with grammar and then age 9 for math. Chemistry next year at age 12. Not much else has answers around here.

 

Our schedule looks like this

8 - 9:30 work with younger (older working independently)

9:30 - 11: work with older (younger plays or reads)

11 - 12:30 work with younger (older working independently)

Lunch

Afternoon: activities/violin/reading/mandarin/history/documentaries/lectures/art etc.

 

During our 1.5 hour block together, I just do what needs to be done to keep him on track to work independently. I have found that the logic stage requires a lot of discussion on many topics. So, during "mother time" I do the following in no particular rotation or block schedule:

 

1) sit with him for his least favorite subject - spelling (10 minutes every day) I actually don't trust him to do it if I am not there.

2) Go over my suggestions on his essays for WWS

3) Work through Art of Argument together

4) Work through CE2 together

5) Discuss literature we are both reading

6) discuss expectations for WWS or listen to an oral run through

7) teach him study skills (note taking, how to answer questions, etc)

8) Model writing by writing new types of essays with him (persuasive, literary, science fair write ups etc)

9) Guide him through time lining history

 

He rarely has any questions on Math or grammar (like once a month), never has questions about mandarin (I don't have a clue), but typically needs to interrupt me to ask questions for writing (at least once a week, but I try to head these off during our official time together). I read ahead on WWS so that I know where he might have trouble and I make sure to get it in before he has to write. If I fall behind on something, I just make a focus of it the next week or month etc.

 

Ok, so really I just wing it :D. HTH.

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited May 17, 2012 by lewelma

[missmoe]

Writing notes of corrections takes a lot longer than just verbally explaining. I do need to streamline this process too.

 

When you say you get them to check their work... do they come to you when they have finished and you hand them the TM? How old are you dc?

Thanks!

 

They know where the TMs are in my school area. They get the TMs out and check their work when they are done. They are 12. They have been checking their work for several years.

[JaneP]

I rotate teaching blocks or face to face time with my dc.

 

I teach a 1 hour block to my dd8, then teach a 45 minute block with my dd4, then another 1 hour block to my dd8. After that, I send dd8 off to do her independent work (math worksheets, etc.). After we have finished school for the day then we go over whatever she missed or had questions about with her independent work.

 

This blog post explains my process in a little more detail:

 

How I Plan Our Homeschool Day

 

Thanks. I enjoyed your blog very much. Loved the idea of cutting up the subject lists so you could play around with sequencing!

[JaneP]

Thanks Ruth. Yes, much to my surprise the logic stage is requiring more of me, not less!

 

Good point about anticipating problems. I am spending too long putting out the fires, so to speak, by correcting mistakes already made and trying to work out what went wrong after the event. This is really why I am exploring spending more of my time in teaching and doing guided work together before sending dd off to do work on her own.

[JaneP]

They know where the TMs are in my school area. They get the TMs out and check their work when they are done. They are 12. They have been checking their work for several years.

 

Thanks! Sounds like something we could be aiming for too

[JaneP]

:bigear:

[Mallory]

I get up with the big kids early and we do a couple quick things together and go over math, grammar, and writing. We have about 1 1/2 hours for this.

 

Then we get up the little ones and have break fast. (take care of animals/get a few minutes outside)

 

Everyone starts school together after breakfast- handwriting and memorywork. Then the boys boys work on thier school while I work with the little ones- this is 3 hours of our day, but the littles are done after about 2 hours so I have some more time to work with the older ones.

 

Next a short break (outside) and lunch.

 

After lunch the littles have quiet time. The big boys check thier work/finish what is left and are done! The do some checking, I do some checking- whatever works out. Right now we hardly every need this after lunch time as we are winding down and dropping/finishing subjects. But for the fall I expect between 30 min-2 hours here.

 

I do have another hour of reading scheduled at bedtime.

 

So my logic aged boys have about 6 1/2 hours of school plus some reading scheduled. I wish we could have more of a recess in the morning, but I find it really hard to get everyone back on track (they're all outside building things or fishing or hard to find). Sure they'd say they want a morning break, but I think they'd really rather get it done and have hours of free time in a row. We do a lot of volunteer work on T/Th so two days a week we do about half that (and it is things the boys like- History/Science/Art/Music). As the winter gets on, we sometimes move that early morning to the evening before, because when my room is dark I don't wake up so early and there is so much extra time in the evening when it is dark outside.

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Something else. I group the lessons into mostly 30 minutes blocks of one on one with the kids. My day has generally gone something like this for the current school year.

 

8:00 w/ 7th grader - math, grammar, and writing lessons

8:30 w/ 2nd grader for math, then w/ 5th grader for math (15 minutes per lesson)

9:00 w/ 3yo for reading and preschool activities

9:30 w/ 5th grader for memory work, grammar lesson, literature narration, and Latin memory work (and check her math & science)

10:00 w/ 2nd grader for memory work, copywork, dictation, geography or grammar, and history (also check independent work)

11:00 w/ 7th grader - Logic, Greek, and Latin lessons (check math, grammar, and writing)

11:30 w/ 5th grader - dictation and writing lessons (check corrected work, grammar, and spelling)

12:00 Lunch and check corrected work

12:30 w/ 2nd grader - Bible, listen to his reading, read-aloud

1:00 Break / computer time

1:30 Check work

2:00 w/ 7th for science & Omnibus discussions

Whenever that is done, I go through the corrected work and call each one over one at a time to go over problems that are still incorrect. HTH

[JaneP]

Thanks Mallory and Deanna

 

Deanna, I have never considered working to such a strict schedule before but I can see how it would necessary with four dc and might help us too. Thanks :)