HappyGrace Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 This is assuming they are working efficiently. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Hmmm efficiently, maybe 4 hours. Her way ALL DAY LONG!!!!:banghead: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 My 8th grader takes a good 4 hours without breaks, but in an attempt to relax a bit more, simplify, and enjoy the process, we take 5-6 hours now, with breaks. Last year in 7th grade, he took about 4 hours (usually more like 3.5). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Can you break these down for me too? Like approx. how long on each subject? And even curric., if you want. (ie-30 min IEW, 40 min Saxon math, or whatever) Also if it's independent or not? If you don't have time for that, just the total is great and helps me a lot. Trying to figure out where I can make adjustments in our schedule. It would help to see some other's examples. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Independent work each day 1.5 hours math (4 days per week) 1.5 hour writing/language arts (4 days) 1 hour science (5 days) 30 min violin practice (5 days) 15 min mandarin practice (4 days) classes taken in evenings/weekends each week 3 hours violin 2 hours mandarin Father reads/discusses history with them for 30min to an hour each night This excludes documentaries and literature reading (and his shop/home ec class on fridays.) Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 5 1/2 hours a day. He does Japanese and STEM Video Game Challenge at night. 1 hour of math - 5 days a week - independent 2 hours of English - 5 days a week (Hake Grammar 3x/week, Write With The Best 3x/week, Killgallon 2x/week, Tolkien Study 5x/week - includes vocab, lit study, lectures, documentaries and hands-on projects). Tolkien is one on one. 2 hours of History/Science - History 3 days a week; science 2 days a week - mainly one on one, with independent work/writing. 1/2 hour- 45 minutes Read Aloud - 5 days a week We just added Write with the Best. Not sure if it will fit in the schedule! I only homeschool one child. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Math - MUS/MM individual topics - 45-60 minutes, 5x/wk Grammar - Analytical Grammar - 30 minutes, 4x/wk Writing - WWS - per day varies, on average about 4 hours per week Literature - various lit guides and Figuratively Speaking - 45 minutes, 4x/wk Vocab - Sadlier Oxford Vocab Workshop - 20 minutes, 4x/wk Foreign Language - Irasshai - 45 minutes, 4x/wk. History - Reading through volume 1 and 2 of SOTW, D'Aulaires Greek and Norse Myths, and a series of world mythology books, also IEW style reports and summaries - 60 minutes, 4x/week Science - winging it with various living books and documentaries - only 1-2 hours for the week Daily average is between 5 and 6 hours per day. Two of our days are half days so I count them as one full day. So, we have 4 full days of school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 It's hard for me to break it down to time by subject, but on average, it takes her about 5-6 hours per day. That doesn't include reading on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 My 7th graders work 6-8 hrs/day 5 days/wk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 My 7th graders work 6-8 hrs/day 5 days/wk. Thanks for posting. This is similar to what my 6th grader is doing. It's good to see it's working for others around the same age/grade. Do your children stay around that time range from this age/grade on? It seems to be a good time frame for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Thanks for posting. This is similar to what my 6th grader is doing. It's good to see it's working for others around the same age/grade. Do your children stay around that time range from this age/grade on? It seems to be a good time frame for us. Middle school (6th-8th, not 5th ;)) normally takes 6-8 hrs. Typically high school is 7-9 hrs. However, my 8th and 11th graders are not typical. :tongue_smilie: My current 8th grader made the decision to add a 3rd foreign language. So, as an 8th grader she is taking French 3, Latin 2, and Russian 1 as well as geometry and the equivalent of a high school English/lit credit. (really, only history, science, and theology are not high school equivalent) Her days are taking on avg 8-9 hrs/day. My 11th grader's load, ironically, is less this yr now that he is taking multivariable cal and uni-cal physics at a university vs. AoPS ca and AP chem. Last yr he was working 10-12 hrs/day. This yr his days are more in line w/the 7-9 hrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Middle school (6th-8th, not 5th ;)) normally takes 6-8 hrs. Typically high school is 7-9 hrs. However, my 8th and 11th graders are not typical. :tongue_smilie: My current 8th grader made the decision to add a 3rd foreign language. So, as an 8th grader she is taking French 3, Latin 2, and Russian 1 as well as geometry and the equivalent of a high school English/lit credit. (really, only history, science, and theology are not high school equivalent) Her days are taking on avg 8-9 hrs/day. My 11th grader's load, ironically, is less this yr now that he is taking multivariable cal and uni-cal physics at a university vs. AoPS ca and AP chem. Last yr he was working 10-12 hrs/day. This yr his days are more in line w/the 7-9 hrs. Very reassuring! Thanks! We have already had some 9 hour days, but not often. It wouldn't surprise me if in the coming years they are more frequent. She is often still happily engaged in her work at 8 hours. Thanks so much for posting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristi26 Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 He typically does math, science (for co-op), English (again, for co-op), reading, and cursive practice on his own and then we do history and geography together. Art, music, civics, etc are all thrown in here and there and don't occur daily. So with all that in mind, he typically starts working around 8:30 and stops around 12 for lunch. Then we work some more until we are, usually another 1.5 hours to 2 hours...so what is that? 5-6 hours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TLC Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 My ds takes 6 hours: Math 1 hour Language Arts 1 1/2 hours (Lit., Grammar, Writing, Spelling, Vocabulary) Science 1 hour (textbook, discuss, activity) History 1 hour (textbook, discussion, writing, historical fiction/biography) Bible 1/2 hour Textbook based electives 1 hour (Logic, Technology, Foods, & related activities) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 6-8 hours Monday-Thursday. 5-6 hours on Friday. Plus 1 hour/day music practice. It's a lot, but, so far, there seems to be enough variety to the days that they aren't complaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCoppock Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'm glad to see some longer day schedules. Ours is as follows: Math (Saxon)-1 hour daily Science (BJU Distance Learning)- 1-2 hours daily Geography (TOG)- 30 minutes T, TH Grammar (Rod and Staff)- 1 hour MWF Logic (Critical Thinking Co.)- 30 minutes T, TH Vocabulary (Online list or from reading)- 15 minutes daily History (TOG)- 1-2 hours daily Writing (IEW)- 30-45 minutes daily Literature (TOG)- 1- 1 1/2 hours daily Bible (TOG)- 30 minutes- 1 hour daily Art (TOG and adding God and the History of Art)- 30 minutes-1 hour WEEKLY Music (We are looking for a tutor still since moving, but he will have 1 hour weekly lesson along with 15 minutes practice daily) Foreign Language (We are ordering Rosetta Stone in January to be studied as a family) We start school at 9 or 9:30 and work until finished or until 9:30 at night, whichever is first. Most days DS is capable of finishing by 5 or 6, some days he drags the work out until 9:30. We school year round. We allow 3 hours for catch up work on Sat. and Sun. with the remainder of the weekend for free time. I've always wondered how many homeschoolers were able to complete so much work in so little time, but eventually just accepted this is how it is for us. We honestly can't fit much more into our day without my son having a miserable childhood. I'm not sure if things will change once high school age, but I really can't imagine adding to our already packed schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'm glad to see some longer day schedules. :iagree: I was starting to doubt myself even though our days are going so well! It's a relief to see similar schedules are working well for others too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) 4-6 hours a day, depending on is motivation. He's usually fast about it, but if he's tired, it will take him longer to get started. traditional logic Algebra Henle Latin grammar (/composition) history science (yes, every day) mandatory 1 hour literature read Edited October 9, 2012 by justamouse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Daily: Megawords--30 minutes Current Events--30 minutes Writing--30 minutes Algebra--75 minutes Read--60 minutes Logic--30 minutes History--60 minutes Then weekly: Science--3 hours Lit--2 hours Grammar--2 hours Extra writing session on Friday--1 1/2 hours In addition about 9 hours of play practice a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Tcoppock, I almost commented that I thought those hrs were way overkill for a 10 yr old and that that was not what I was advocating. My 10 yr olds spend about 5 hrs doing school. Then I saw the red addition to your siggie.:lol: Huge difference between a 10 and 13 yr old. Appropriate time and content for each age is where I have seen homeschoolers struggle. (too much too young and not enough when older) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcara Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) About 6 hours: Math - 1 hour Grammar, Vocab, Spelling - 30 min Literature (discussion/writing/reading) - 1 hour WWS - 30-45 min Weekly essay - 30 min HW - 10 min Killgallons Sentence Composing - 10 min History/Science - 45 min Latin - 30 min Italian - 30 min Piano - 30 Logic - 15 min Edited October 9, 2012 by arcara Forgot a couple of subjects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 We do "school" from 8:30-2:30. Lunch is usually 1-1 1/2 hours (involves dog walking). I also assign homework Mon-Thursday and on most weekends. We are considering private school for High school and I want him to be in the swing of things re: homework. Art classes/gym (ice skating) is done afterschool/weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 My dd is in CC Challenge A and works about 6-7 hours a day. Latin takes her the longest at over one full hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Dd works efficiently-----most of the time :lol: She is my only one at home so I notice right away if she's wasting time. She spends 4 hours a day on maths, science, geography, and English. Adding in the average time spent on robotics, she works for 5 hours a day. This does not include literature reading and history reading (easily 2 hours per day), nor does it include her ballet classes and rehearsals. After the Lego League season she will start programming. We might use the AoPS Intro to Programming class. Daily: Math (AoPS Algebra (almost done w alg 1) and Counting & Probability): 1.5 hours Science (now based on ACS Middle School Chem, next month focusing on SciOly events): 1 hr now, 2hr Nov-March Geography (loosely based on Trail Guide to World Geography, secondary level): 30 min English (grammar MCT, vocab Word Within the Word 1, writing): 1 hour Weekly: History (third volume of K12 Human Odyssey): 1 hr of reading/discussion plus other readings (not counted as the amount and type varies from week to week with the subject----now we're studying WW1 with a lot of outside reading) Robotics (4H Junk Drawer Robotics plus Lego League): 2 hours plus 3 hours of team practice/meeting, so I guess I could avg it to a daily 1 hour of robotics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joani Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Dd works almost entirely independently and is very focused. She swims and plays soccer competitively, so she has to be finished her schoolwork by 3:30 every day. She works 5.5 - 6 hours per day, Monday to Thursday, then has a shorter day on Friday. Math - Lial/AoPS pre-algebra - 1 hour/5x week Science - Story of Science/Interactive Science - 1 hour/4x week History - Human Odyssey, Famous Men of the Middle Ages - 1 hour/4x week Latin - SYRWTL Latin - 30 minutes/5x week Logic - Art of Argument - 45 minutes/2x week Grammar - Analytical Grammar - 20-30 minutes/5x week Writing - WWS - 30-45 minutes/4x week Literature - Lightning Lit 8 - 45 minutes/2x week Vocabulary - Vocabulary Workshop - 15 minutes/2-3x week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 When ds is focused, about 4.5 - 5 hours; but he's been known to take 6-7 hours occasionally.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 This is assuming they are working efficiently. Thanks! 6 hours, as scheduled, including music practice. He often takes longer, though. Independent (4.25 hours per day): 45 minutes math independent work (once a week he does physics problems instead) 45 minutes writing (once a week he does grammar exercises instead) 30 minutes Latin 45 minutes music practice 45 minutes literature reading 45 minutes science reading Together with me (2 hours per day): logic, French, history, grammar teaching, math teaching, literature discussion, science activities, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 We're still trying to figure out how to make things work. Math - 1.5 hours three (or four) times per week Violin - 1 hour practice every day Writing - 1 hr per week Science - 1/2 hour four times per week History - 1 hour five days per week Literature - 1 hour per week Piano - 1/2 hour, five days per week Independent work - 1/2 hour per day (typing, math drill, music theory, handwriting, logic) French - 1/2 hour per week (really should be more) Classes French - 2 hours per week Science - 1.5 hours per week Writing - 1 hr per week History - 1.5 hours per week Violin - 7.5 hours per week Piano - 1/2 hr per week Taekwon-do - 3 hours per week Theory - 1 hr per week Spelling tutoring - 3 hours per week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiMomNP Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 My son does: Korean- 45-60 minutes (5 x week) TT Algebra 2- 60 minutes (5 x week), plus review with my DH Religion- 30-45 minutes (5 x week) Science- 45 minutes (4 x week) History- 30-45 minutes (4 x week) LA- Grammar, vocab, spelling, writing- 45+ minutes (3-4 times per week) Reading and lit analysis- 90-120 minutes a day (5 x week) Intro to programming- is a live class 90 minutes (1 x per week) and 4-8 hours of homework a week Web design-PHP/HTML5/MySQL 5-6 days a week (for as long as it takes him). Economics- 60 minutes per day (3 x week) He is working 6+ hours a day this year and he is extremely efficient. He rarely takes breaks, types exceptionally fast when doing notes and doing writing assignments and he is still pretty bogged down. There have been nights recently where he is still doing work at dinner time and we eat after 7 PM. He has Aspergers and ADHD so it is not easy for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 Okay, thanks everyone-I think I'm about in the ballpark, a bit on the higher end. I figured I was about ok based on public school time (plus ps homework)-the public schools here are pretty great so I do compare a bit. My 7th grader is at about 7 hours per day. BUT I'm squeezing all her work at home into 4 days due to the other day being co-op (which is also a very academically productive day.) AND math/Bible is a bigger focus here this yr so we spend quite a bit of time on them-rehabilitating math, and Bible is where we get a ton of critical and rigorous logic stage thinking done. -up to 1 hr Bible-various resources plus prayer time and hymn -1 hr 15 min math (broken up into two sessions)-Saxon 8/7 with added conceptual work -45 min-1 hr writing-different types of essays each wk-my own thing -45 min sci-BJU Life Sci -35 min history-VP online -20 min logic (Introduct. Logic) -15 min Awana -20 min lit -20 min grammar (R+S) She is an effective and efficient worker, mostly independent except math. This is the first time I'm adding this up and it doesn't exactly add up so I'm not sure where we're spending the extra time (unless I forgot a subject). I think I'll keep a closer watch tomorrow and see how the time is actually being spent-maybe we can tighten it up some! ETA: actually, now that I think about it, there has been each week of the four we've worked so far this semester a day where we've had to stop early (1:30 or 2) for misc. things like ortho appts, etc, so she has had to make up that time the other days to get her things done, so that may be part of why the other days are going longer. THANK YOU so much for sharing-it's really helping me to think this through! Fun to see what everyone is doing too!!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Can anyone share what that looks like in your house? Does your dc have a set place where they do their work, and do they just get to work right after breakfast and diligently work throughout the day? I feel like I have to help out with so many things, but then if I have to stop to fix a meal, pay bills, etc, or if we have to go run an errand, etc, then the whole thing just goes belly up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Middle school (6th-8th, not 5th ;)) normally takes 6-8 hrs. Now that the OP has gotten her answer, can I ask you guys a spinoff? Maybe it should be its own thread but I'm hoping to hear from people who have recently made this transition into middle school. How did the transition look for you? I would love to hear about it - did time spent per subject change? Additional subjects get added? Output requirements per subject increase? Was this gradual, or were there new expectations on the first day of 6th grade (or whenever you made the switch). Did you make the switch because you had reached a certain level (age, grade), or because your dc was clearly ready? How did you know? I have a 5th grader who spends about 5 hours per day on academic pursuits, and who spends her free time very well, IMO - reading, theater, rollerskating, craft projects, and imaginative play. Our year is going swimmingly, so of course I'm starting to think about next year. ;) It would be great to hear how the transition has gone for others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunt Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 My homeschooler starts work at 5:00 to 5:30 am and ends at 6:00 pm. We allow 10 hours of catch up work on Saturdays and we do a all day bible study on Sunday. We only homeschool one child.:lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmoe Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) Can anyone share what that looks like in your house? Does your dc have a set place where they do their work, and do they just get to work right after breakfast and diligently work throughout the day? I feel like I have to help out with so many things, but then if I have to stop to fix a meal, pay bills, etc, or if we have to go run an errand, etc, then the whole thing just goes belly up. I have found I have to be there during school time to keep things going and on track---right now I am sitting on the couch after helping on dd with spelling and the other dd works on math nearby at the table. I've found it works best to have the kids work in our combo dining/living room. If they disappear to their room, napping and fooling around occur! I get up. Get my dds up. We each do our own thing for breakfast and getting ready for the day. The goal is at 8:00 we get started with school. We work on spelling for 30 minutes. Which means I work with each dd for 15 minutes. They work alone for 15 minutes. Next we work on current events for 30 minutes. This is also working together as we read and discuss and document interesting things we want to keep track of. Then 30 minutes of writing M-F. The girls mostly work alone, but I do check up on what they are doing. This morning during that time I cleaned the kitchen. Yesterday, I worked with one of my dds during that whole time because she needed my help with revising. My dds are taking an online math class, so they take turns with the computer for one hour each day. While one is working on math, the other is reading for an hour. The girls need to know I am close by or they tend to lose focus, but I use that time to work out, clean, and work on laundry. And I reward myself with 15 minutes of computer time at this point in the day. Next we sit down for logic time. Sometimes I work with them the whole 30 minutes, but usually there is some kind of independent work, so I get them started with reading and discussion before they do that independent work. So again I may have a few minutes or not. If I do, then I get lunch started. After lunch is one hour of history time. Two days we sit down together and work for an hour. Three days they work on their own. On those days I might run an errand during lunch and history time. But I have realized after doing this a long time, that when I am gone work is not going to be done to the same level as it would be if I was close by. My kids tend to lose their focus when left alone. The rest of the afternoon differs according to the day. It differs according to our schedule but might include any combination of lit, grammar, and science. Those classes work like the ones I mentioned above. Some days I am very involved and some days I get them started while they work on their own. Of course, we switch things up from time to time (like today). For the most part I've learned I need to be close by, but can find pockets of time to work on other things around the house. Edited October 10, 2012 by missmoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Can anyone share what that looks like in your house? Does your dc have a set place where they do their work, and do they just get to work right after breakfast and diligently work throughout the day? I feel like I have to help out with so many things, but then if I have to stop to fix a meal, pay bills, etc, or if we have to go run an errand, etc, then the whole thing just goes belly up. I'll try. :D We do not get up early. Well, my husband does, but he has to for work. The only one who gets up on her own before 8 is my middle. The rest of us force our way out of bed around 8-8:30. We usually get started on school work around 9-9:30. After bible/prayer and going over daily plans (they each have a planner), they start on memory work which takes about 15 minutes. After that, my 7th grader does a lot of her own work. She does her science, typing, history, logic, vocabulary, and writing mostly on her own. This year has been the biggest advance in independent work. She works at her own pace while I teach the younger two. If she gets stuck, she leaves it and moves on to something else. When I get a break with the other two, we go over her questions and review what she's done so far. She self schedules some things like logic and vocabulary. What I mean by that is that she knows what she needs to get done in a week and she does it at her own pace. When everyone is hungry, we break for lunch. At some point in all of this, we go over her math. She is very mathy, but she still needs me to teach her on most days. We are not incredibly structured, but we have a routine. I'm thankful that Anna is mostly a go-getter, but she will go off and dawdle if I don't give her reminders. Having her own planner has been such a huge help!! Why didn't I think of that before?? Also I think that WWS has improved her writing skills so much, and that makes things like her science outlines and her history notes so much more doable. She can do all that on her own without me holding her hand. So anyway, it's a process. I see more independence every day. HTH!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) Now that the OP has gotten her answer, can I ask you guys a spinoff? Maybe it should be its own thread but I'm hoping to hear from people who have recently made this transition into middle school. How did the transition look for you? I would love to hear about it - did time spent per subject change? Additional subjects get added? Output requirements per subject increase? Was this gradual, or were there new expectations on the first day of 6th grade (or whenever you made the switch). Did you make the switch because you had reached a certain level (age, grade), or because your dc was clearly ready? How did you know? I have a 5th grader who spends about 5 hours per day on academic pursuits, and who spends her free time very well, IMO - reading, theater, rollerskating, craft projects, and imaginative play. Our year is going swimmingly, so of course I'm starting to think about next year. ;) It would be great to hear how the transition has gone for others! I guess my kids are like the frog in the pot. ;) The workload gets cranked up notch by notch all the time, so they never really notice a huge shift. For example, at the beginning of 5th grade they might be writing a single paragraph while getting back into the swing of school after the summer. But by mid-yr, 3 or 4 paragraphs might be required and might take a little longer, but not overwhelmingly so. Reading time increases, output increases, and gradually subjects are added...... I realized when looking back that all of my current school-agers were born "into" homeschooling. Our oldest was in 3rd grade when our 11th grader was born. So, all of my current kids have witnessed older siblings progress through every grade level ahead of them. So, I guess my kids also have the advantage of recognizing how their older siblings days have gotten longer as they have gotten older. Edited October 10, 2012 by 8FillTheHeart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 For example, at the beginning of first grade they might be writing a single paragraph while getting back into the swing of school after the summer. But by mid-yr, 3 or 4 paragraphs might be required and might take a little longer, but not overwhelmingly so. Your 1st grader writes 3 or 4 paragraphs, wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 For example, at the beginning of first grade they might be writing a single paragraph while getting back into the swing of school after the summer. But by mid-yr, 3 or 4 paragraphs might be required and might take a little longer, but not overwhelmingly so. Did you really mean first grade? :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Did you really mean first grade? :blink: Oops, NO. I meant to type 5th! The downfall of multi-tasking. I'll go back and edit my post. Thanks for pointing that biggie out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Your 1st grader writes 3 or 4 paragraphs, wow! Nope, that was a typo! It should have been 5th. :D (Simply doing 3-4 sentences of copywork is stretching my 1st grader!! :lol:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Oops, NO. I meant to type 5th! The downfall of multi-tasking. I'll go back and edit my post. Thanks for pointing that biggie out! WHEW!!!! I was getting really worried there for a minute! :lol: Thanks for taking the time to post!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 My homeschooler starts work at 5:00 to 5:30 am and ends at 6:00 pm. We allow 10 hours of catch up work on Saturdays and we do a all day bible study on Sunday. Love this. :lol: (if you are serious, then :001_huh:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 My homeschooler starts work at 5:00 to 5:30 am and ends at 6:00 pm. We allow 10 hours of catch up work on Saturdays and we do a all day bible study on Sunday. We only homeschool one child.:lol::lol::lol: Does the laughing mean you are kidding? Hope so! Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) Mornings: My 7th grader works from 8:30 to 1:30 on math, english, and science with 1 hours of breaks. He uses a timer to keep track of his breaks because he looses track of time. This is our general plan for morning time: Block 1: I work with younger. Older does math independently (has been since he was 9), younger does as many boxes as he can get through. Block 2: 10am-11:30. Younger reads, eats, plays, watches a doco. I work with older on whatever seems important that day. It might be outlining science, editing his writing, researching new topics, discussing literature, working on science fair, teach him how to study etc. I find that he needs me to model these more complicated tasks. I ask a lot of questions. We each do something separately and then compare our results. etc. I really just wing this time. It is usually pretty clear each day what I need to guide him in. Block 3: I work with younger to finish his boxes. Older does whatever is left in writing or science. We finish by 1:30. Afternoon: swimming on Wed, homeschool group on Thursday. We are home by 3pm. Evenings: He then works from 5-6 on music and mandarin and has class from 6-7pm 3 nights per week. His dad reads and discusses history from 7:30 to 8:30 at night. Older reads his literature from 8:30 to 9:30. Weekends: Ds has 2 hours of music class on Saturdays. The rest of the weekends are free, although he often watches docos, reads literature or scientific american, or paints etc. He still reads lit from 8:30 to 9:30 at night. How did the transition look for you? I would love to hear about it - did time spent per subject change? Additional subjects get added? Output requirements per subject increase? Was this gradual, or were there new expectations on the first day of 6th grade (or whenever you made the switch). The main change was that he started working without me sitting next to him. My kids are pretty needy until the age of 9 or so. We definitely added subjects gradually, and increased the time gradually. My older son really does not like to think that he works long hours, so he and I agreed to having him do more at night. I am happy to revisit it if he would rather have evenings more free. There were definitely NOT increased expectations on the first day of 6th grade, it was all very gradual. Also, I gave him more and more difficult material, and often the increase in middle school was in difficulty NOT in time. He had to think harder, so 4 hours of harder thinking was actually a bump up from 4 hours of easier work. So science went from just reading, to reading and note taking and memorizing and taking tests (starting in 7th). And literature went from things like Lord of the Rings to Les Miserable (reading now). Also, I have put more time into teaching study skills, note taking, time management, paper organization, etc. This is VERY difficult for my older, and is still a work in progress but *incredibly* important IMHO. Just thought of one more thing. He went from 10 to 30 minutes per subject with more subjects to 1 to 1.5 hours with fewer subjects. So less switching, longer focus. Oh, and fewer workbooks over time. In 7th he has dropped spelling, grammar, vocab. So he has no workbooks left. Ruth in NZ Edited October 10, 2012 by lewelma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 It might be outlining science, editing his writing, researching new topics, discussing literature, working on science fair, teach him how to study etc. I find that he needs me to model these more complicated tasks. I ask a lot of questions. We each do something separately and then compare our results. etc. I really just wing this time. It is usually pretty clear each day what I need to guide him in. :iagree: I only have a moment, but wanted to comment on this. Much of our day is spent working in the same room at our desks. Sometimes I am working on the same subject she is, sometimes not. Sometimes we are working together, sometimes independently. Either way, modeling has worked well here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 (edited) Now that the OP has gotten her answer, can I ask you guys a spinoff? Maybe it should be its own thread but I'm hoping to hear from people who have recently made this transition into middle school. How did the transition look for you? I would love to hear about it - did time spent per subject change? Additional subjects get added? Output requirements per subject increase? We didn't add any subjects that we weren't doing in 5th, but we did drop one --Latin. Shhh.... The time spent per subject increased and the output requirements increased. That doesn't sound exactly right, though. I didn't sit down and decide to increase by X amount. In some ways it seems it just happened on its own. :001_huh: Don't ask me, I just show up in the study every morning. ;) Was this gradual, or were there new expectations on the first day of 6th grade (or whenever you made the switch). I think it was mostly out of necessity. It was becoming obvious she wasn't being given enough time to work in certain subjects. Over a period of time it became clear what amount of time was needed in each subject. Enough time to reach a sense of accomplishment, but not enough time to lose concentration. As far as output expectations, I realized what we were doing wasn't enough for her. There seemed to be one of those unexpected leaps. Did you make the switch because you had reached a certain level (age, grade), or because your dc was clearly ready? How did you know? See above. For us it wasn't a matter of X grade=X number of hours. We just played around with the days a bit until we found something that felt right to both of us. Less is not enough, more would probably not be a good idea. We've hit a good balance for this season. Edited October 11, 2012 by Hilltop Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 We didn't add any subjects that we weren't doing in 5th, but we did drop one --Latin. Shhh.... tee-hee. I won't tell! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grantmom Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Those are very helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear23 Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Sadly we are not consitant in our days. I wished we were but my daughter attends middle school and their schedule days are just crazy. Some days we are there twice a week and others it's three times a week. On the days are are home for the day with no during the day activites then her work is about 4 hours, sometimes 5 if she needs help. Everything but English and Math is on her own. With these we review together, go over assignment and off she goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 Next we work on current events for 30 minutes. This is also working together as we read and discuss and document interesting things we want to keep track of. I'm intrigued. This is an area I need to work on. Would you mind explaining what you do for current events? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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