Another Lynn Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Maybe it's the curse of being an accountant in my former life, but I tend to make this harder than it needs to be. I think my brain tends to think of these things in different formats... Planning/assigning/documenting. First of all, I'm not required to turn in documentation of our school, but I like to have an accurate record that's not too complicated to decipher (again, the accountant in me). It was not hard when I just had one, but now that I have three (counting my K-er), it seems more complicated. I used to just do a grid type weekly assignment sheet for my oldest. But my 1st grader and K-er can't read it totally on their own yet -so I think what's the point? I also wonder if it would be easier for me to have all three planned on one sheet so I can keep the day moving more smoothly - but at the end of the year, I want to have something to file for each child separately. I do like the idea of making weekly folders or notebooks of their written work/workbooks - they could just grab their folder, do the work inside, turn it back in to me... (but this still doesn't address documentation). Maybe I need a weekly grid type schedule for each child (for documentation and eventually for them) as well as everyone on one page for my own convenience? Sleep deprivation is not helping me make sense of all this... I guess this is your typical planning thread, except I'm thinking about implementing and documenting in addition to planning. All input (sane or otherwise :D) welcome! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in PA Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Would you consider a computer-based planner? If so, Homeschool Tracker Plus might work for you. It does have a learning curve, but it's versatility and adaptability is better than any others I've used or looked at. http://www.homeschooltracker.com/default.aspx ETA: It also has the absolute best customer service of any software I've ever used! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aletheia Academy Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Hi, Lynn! The sound of a weekly checklist-type sheet for each child sounds appealing to me, but, as you said, I may wait until they are old enough to use it themselves. I have a weekly master list that I will use to keep us on-track (as much as possible w/o becoming a stress case) and then the term goals that you saw. After many yeasr teaching in PS, I saw that evcen the best-laid plan are bound to change due to illness, needing tyo speed up or slow down @ student progress, and/or other unforeseen circumstances. So I have purposed not to plan things out precisely on the weekly detail, just keep everyone moving forward. It is very likely, when all is said and done, I will meet the goals, and if we don't there's a good reason for it- probbaly my poor planning. Instead, I will maintain a weekly learning log to record what actually was accomplished in each subject area each day. This learning log will be the documentation; the term goals will be the plan. This approach just fits my teaching style a lot better. Talk to you soon!:p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna A. Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Since it looks by your siggy line that you use a Charlotte Mason approach, you might be interested in the new Planning Guide at Simply Charlotte Mason: http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/planning-your-charlotte-mason-education/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eva Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 I second the vote for the Simply Charlotte Mason planner. It is great! I made each child a planner on WORD. Each page is a week of school at-a-glance. It includes their chores. They will write in appointments or other activities as well. It is basically a chart (a table on WORD) with the days of the week across the top and the subjects plus "chores" down the left margin. Each box has their schoolwork typed in and has little boxes to check off by each item. I have the weeks numbered automatically in the header. i.e. week 1, week 2, ........ It has a blank line to write in the date when we start each week. The header just says "Michael's Weekly Planner week 1_____". I love having their chores listed all on the same page with their schoolwork. Eva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 Hi, Lynn! Instead, I will maintain a weekly learning log to record what actually was accomplished in each subject area each day. This learning log will be the documentation; the term goals will be the plan. This approach just fits my teaching style a lot better. Talk to you soon!:p Hi Nancy! Thanks for your thoughts - the idea of recording what gets done each week (and using the term goal as the plan) is very appealing - especially for my younger two. Talk to you soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 Since it looks by your siggy line that you use a Charlotte Mason approach, you might be interested in the new Planning Guide at Simply Charlotte Mason: http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/planning-your-charlotte-mason-education/ Thanks Donna - hmmmm another book to (possibly) buy.... that is not good for my addiction :D! I'll have to take a look at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 I second the vote for the Simply Charlotte Mason planner. It is great! I made each child a planner on WORD. Each page is a week of school at-a-glance. It includes their chores. They will write in appointments or other activities as well. It is basically a chart (a table on WORD) with the days of the week across the top and the subjects plus "chores" down the left margin. Each box has their schoolwork typed in and has little boxes to check off by each item. I have the weeks numbered automatically in the header. i.e. week 1, week 2, ........ It has a blank line to write in the date when we start each week. The header just says "Michael's Weekly Planner week 1_____". I love having their chores listed all on the same page with their schoolwork. Eva Thanks. I have done something similar in Excel for my oldest - I like the idea of putting chores on there too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 Would you consider a computer-based planner? If so, Homeschool Tracker Plus might work for you. It does have a learning curve, but it's versatility and adaptability is better than any others I've used or looked at. http://www.homeschooltracker.com/default.aspx ETA: It also has the absolute best customer service of any software I've ever used! Thanks Paula! I'm probably not ready for computer based yet - but I'll keep your recommendation in mind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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