Is this too much for 6th grade?

[TKDmom]

My 6th grader dd is having a hard time getting all her work done in a day. I'm pretty sure it's a time-management issue (she starts very slooowwly in the morning). But I wanted to check with the hive. Here's a sample of her daily work:

 

Literature: AO--read or listen to literature selection (today it's a chapter of Robinson Crusoe), and read 1 poem

Typing practice (15 min)

Grammar: Practice Town (analyze 1 sentence/day)

Spelling Wisdom (dictate a couple of sentences 2x/week)

WWS

History: Oxford WIAT--read 1 chapter/day

Science (2x/week): Read a 2-page spread from Kingfisher Science Ency,

Spanish--20 min Rosetta Stone

Latin Prep (Text OR Student workbook)

Math: MEP

Piano practice (20 min)

 

So here it is 3pm. She didn't have science assigned today. Her brain is feeling fried, and she still hasn't done Latin, WWE or typing. I hate to make her do Latin and WWE when she's already tired, but geez, it just doesn't seem like it should be this hard to get through a school day. Am I expecting too much?

[freesia]

No, I don't think she has too much to do. What time does she start? Have you tried scheduled work times and breaks. I would require that the things she find most tiring be done first thing. I would also give her a schedule of what to do when (mixing intense with relaxing). I would make sure she has adequate protein for breakfast and snack and a few 15 minute breaks. We do piano in late afternoon or early evening.

 

I have found, that lots of little assignments feel more overwhelming to my children than a few longer assignments (that's one of the reasons I moved piano.)

[8filltheheart]

I would actually consider it a light load with the possible exception of 2 languages (though what you have listed is not at all too much with those 2 sources) and I have no clue what you have listed for history. By 6th grade my kids do every subject every day.

 

For comparison, this is my 5th grader's schedule:

 

Math: math in focus and horizons (parts of each) about 1 hr

Science: ~30-45 mins per day (reading from various books)

Lit: ~45 mins per day

Comp: ~45 mins per day

spelling, grammar, writing instruction, vocab ~45

Latin: Artes Latinae ~30 mins

history: ~30-45 mins day

religion ~10 mins

 

all in all it takes her around 5 1/2 hrs on most days.

[RootAnn]

:bigear:

If I don't keep on my oldest, she doesn't get all her work done. She has some subjects that she's expected to be working independently on (checklist-style) and she's behind in those. She understands she'll have to keep working on them until she's done -- even if it is work during the summer. However, she's finished one subject that she was allowed to self-pace, so it depends on if she "likes" it, ya know?

 

How independent do you let her be? How long does she "work" total?

[amsunshine]

Could you alternate History and Science -- you say Science is 2x per week, but History is daily. Maybe have History be 3x per week?

 

That said, it doesn't really look like too much to me for an 11 yr old. Maybe she's bored and needs something to be changed up? Reading 2 pages of Kingfisher for science would make me a little batty from boredom, but that might be just me.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

It could very well be a time-management issue. It could also be a matter of needing to rework the day to make sure subjects are being done when her brain is at peak to do them. (For my dd some subjects are best in the A.M., while others are best in the P.M.)

 

Your dd may also need time to build up endurance.

 

What you've listed doesn't seem like too much to me.

 

My 6th grade/11yo dd does all her subjects every day and works from roughly 8:30am until 5:30pm M-F. She also has a few hours of weekend work.

 

She takes 5 min breaks between subjects, an hour for lunch, and a 1/2 break in the mid-afternoon. It's taken a a bit of trial-and-error, but we've finally realized she thrives on structure. Others may find this routine a complete nightmare. I am not saying this is the only way to go about the day--only that it works for us.

 

Since we've started this schedule, I have seen a huge leap in many areas of her work--including independence.

 

My point is NOT that your dd needs to be on a strict schedule, but that perhaps you need to find out how she works best. I would re-evaluate many areas, including if she is getting enough sleep.

 

I don't think the issue is how much you're expecting her to do, unless she is struggling to understand her work.

[8filltheheart]

It could very well be a time-management issue. It could also be a matter of needing to rework the day to make sure subjects are being done when her brain is at peak to do them.

 

I don't think the issue is how much you're expecting her to do, unless she is struggling to understand her work.

 

I agree. Perhaps switching the order in which she does things would make a difference. For my kids, getting their least favorite subject out of the way first makes the rest of the day go smoother.

 

I also sit with my kids for some of their subjects, even in 6th grade. Sitting beside my 5th grader during math helps her stay focused on task.

 

Also, my assumption was that the work itself was ability appropriate and that she was not overwhelmed with the work b/c it was too difficult in level.

[TKDmom]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I don't think the work is too difficult for her. She just procrastinates and gets easily distracted. ANYTHING is more interesting than math--even the cracks on the ceiling.

 

A few minutes ago I talked to dh and he suggested I get a whip to crack over her head. ;)

 

I think I just need to be more on top of things and get her going in the morning. Right now, I sit with my 7yo to do school first thing in the morning while everyone else is waking up. Dd lounges around reading or playing Legos until I notice that she hasn't eaten breakfast and tell her to eat. Then she wanders off again or takes a shower. It takes her for.eve.er to shower and get ready after breakfast. Today she didn't start schoolwork until 9:30. :glare: And we went to a park day at 10:30, which just ruined her school day. I've cut out all our other activities that were interfering with school, but I'm going to keep the play group and just make it a lighter day.

 

I have work boxes set up for her. I have been scheduling her independent subjects first, so that I could get done with the younger kids' work first, but I think it's a good idea to add in some of her more difficult subjects and just let the boys take longer to get through their school day. I also try to alternate difficult subjects with easier ones, but she's prone to ignore my schedule and put off the harder subjects for later.

[TKDmom]

Could you alternate History and Science -- you say Science is 2x per week, but History is daily. Maybe have History be 3x per week?

 

That said, it doesn't really look like too much to me for an 11 yr old. Maybe she's bored and needs something to be changed up? Reading 2 pages of Kingfisher for science would make me a little batty from boredom, but that might be just me.

 

We are actually just getting re-started after a month-long break. She agreed to do history 4 days a week (M-Th), because she has been going through her history books too slowly and wants to move on.

 

I was teaching a science class at our co-op (until last week) so science at home has been pretty much neglected. My plan is to have her read Kingfisher 2x/week and work through a Science-in-a-nutshell kit on Fridays. So far, she's surprisingly interested in the encyclopedia.

 

Yesterday she was reading about plate tectonics, and she stopped wide-eyed to ask what happens to the edges of the Atlantic plate if it's spreading in the center. And why is Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific if volcanoes only happen at the edge of plates?? And if the Pacific plate is getting smaller does that mean North America is going to run into Asia in a billion years?!? And will the earth still exist then? Lol. I guess the discussion keeps it interesting to her. I do have other, non-encyclopedia, books on hand, but I'm still figuring out my science schedule.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

I think I just need to be more on top of things and get her going in the morning.

 

This is an excellent point and another of my realizations. Part of what my dd needed to get her act together was me getting my act together. Sometimes that means making time to literally follow her around or sit beside her. (Understandably this is much easier with just one.)

[TKDmom]

No, I don't think she has too much to do. What time does she start? Have you tried scheduled work times and breaks. I would require that the things she find most tiring be done first thing. I would also give her a schedule of what to do when (mixing intense with relaxing). I would make sure she has adequate protein for breakfast and snack and a few 15 minute breaks. We do piano in late afternoon or early evening.

 

I have found, that lots of little assignments feel more overwhelming to my children than a few longer assignments (that's one of the reasons I moved piano.)

 

 

Yes, we used to do piano first thing, until I realized that it sucks up valuable time in the morning, and she's perfectly capable of practicing piano in the afternoon/evenings.

 

I will have to work out a schedule for her to follow. I hate schedules. :p but I've seen her get all her work done before noon when she's motivated.

 

It could very well be a time-management issue. It could also be a matter of needing to rework the day to make sure subjects are being done when her brain is at peak to do them. (For my dd some subjects are best in the A.M., while others are best in the P.M.)

 

Your dd may also need time to build up endurance.

 

What you've listed doesn't seem like too much to me.

 

My 6th grade/11yo dd does all her subjects every day and works from roughly 8:30am until 5:30pm M-F. She also has a few hours of weekend work.

 

She takes 5 min breaks between subjects, an hour for lunch, and a 1/2 break in the mid-afternoon. It's taken a a bit of trial-and-error, but we've finally realized she thrives on structure. Others may find this routine a complete nightmare. I am not saying this is the only way to go about the day--only that it works for us.

 

Since we've started this schedule, I have seen a huge leap in many areas of her work--including independence.

 

 

Good point. It's definitely time to build up her endurance. I think she would mutiny if school went until 5:30, but she does much better with structure than I do. Sigh.

 

Maybe I'll make up a big colorful schedule to put on the wall. She loves those things. :)

[Woodland Mist Academy]

 

Maybe I'll make up a big colorful schedule to put on the wall. She loves those things. :)

 

 

We have many colorful wall charts here! ;)

[Chrysalis Academy]

I have found that the most critical thing in making sure everything gets done in a day is to make sure that the most challenging, and most important, subjects are done first. So for us, that's math and writing: Math starts at 9:00 sharp, and goes for an hour. Then she gets a 20 min. break, then we do writing.

 

After that, it is more flexible - she can either power through things and get done earlier, or she can take some time during the day for her own projects, but then she has to get work done on her own in the afternoon.

 

She has now *earned* the right to manage the rest of her day (i.e., I give her a list of things she needs to get done, let her know when I will be available to work with her,and it's her job to get her list done). But she earned this privilege/responsibility after showing that she could get her work done - if she slips then she has to follow my schedule.

 

I would definitely make sure there are cosequences (that you can live with) for not getting her work done in a day. DD gets a shorter day on Fridays if she gets all her work done during the week; if she doesn't she might have work to do on Saturday. Avoiding this is *very* motivating.

 

I do adjust expectations if I find that I've overscheduled her for a day, but this is pretty rare, I have a good sense of what she can and should get done in a day, if she is applying herself. But if she wants to keep reading in her science book today, and do double history tomorrow, I'm fine with that, as long as she has a plan for getting the work done. So we're kind of at the check in at the beginning and end of the day stage of moving toward independence, at least for subjects we don't do together.

[2_girls_mommy]

I have a slow one. I always make sure math and latin get done during the day, first thing, no matter how late of a start she makes. The other subjects are lighter for her, or more enjoyable. Whatever doesn't get done in a reasonable time is homework. TV or video games or phone calls are not permitted if there is still homework to do. So we have many evenings w/out T.V. for her. She doesn't really mind. She also has homework on the weekends often. It is helping her to manage her time. She is by no means good at it yet, but I am seeing improvement for her. She has said things like, "doing this at night in bed isn't tough for me, so I want to do it later, and go ahead and get X done first..." I figure this is good for her to know about herself if she is going to be totally on her own for college later. I never thought she would still be this slow at this age. I don't kid myself and think it is going away...

[AngelBee]

I am struggling right now with dd 5th gr and ds 7th gr. Taking notes!