Scheduling for 9th grade

[Hot Lava Mama]

I am curious to know how those of you who have (or had) a responsible 9th grader handled scheduling of day to day school. My 8th grader (will be 9th next year) is very dependable with his work. He doesn't need to be told to start, I give him a list of the stuff to read, and he gets other stuff when we meet. I never have to go back to him with undone work. He never plays until his work is done. I am wondering how those of you who have had a child like this has handled 9th grade. Specifically, what did your schedule (or whatever you used) look like? If you could attach a file, that would be great. I am assuming I will continue with the way we have been doing school, but I am not sure how to handle the "long term" projects, such as research papers. Do you give them the due dates & check up on them? What other types of stuff do you do? Next year will look different with the schedule of Great Books, I guess it is throwing me for a loop. I want to move him into more of a mode where he can actually schedule the stuff for himself. Thanks so much! Hot Lava mama

[Luckymama]

With longer projects or papers you might consider giving him intermediate due dates----topic due on A date, sources due on B date, a draft due on C date, final project/paper due on D date---creating however many intermediate dates you feel appropriate.

 

This scaffolding works well for ninth and tenth graders :)

[TheApprentice]

My 9th grade son is very independent as well as dependable. This year, I had my son work off syllabi that I put together for each course. So, each morning he makes his schedule for the week based on what is expected for him to complete each week for each class. He has chosen, at times, to complete all of his science for the week in one day, front load his classes so that the busiest days are Mon.,Tues., and Wed.; he has spaced his classes evenly to throughout the week. I leave it up to him, as long as he has completed the work as indicated in the syllabus for that given week.

 

It has worked fabulously, especially in his time management skills. Also, I'm not the nagging mommy to my teenager. :thumbup: He likes it this way, so I will be using this method again for the fall.

[Hot Lava Mama]

My 9th grade son is very independent as well as dependable. This year, I had my son work off syllabi that I put together for each course. So, each morning he makes his schedule for the week based on what is expected for him to complete each week for each class. He has chosen, at times, to complete all of his science for the week in one day, front load his classes so that the busiest days are Mon.,Tues., and Wed.; he has spaced his classes evenly to throughout the week. I leave it up to him, as long as he has completed the work as indicated in the syllabus for that given week.

 

It has worked fabulously, especially in his time management skills. Also, I'm not the nagging mommy to my teenager. :thumbup: He likes it this way, so I will be using this method again for the fall.

I think this was exactly what I was thinking about but I couldn't put my finger on it! Of course! I should do a syllabi like a college course. Can you give me any sample you have to get me started? Thanks SO MUCH! :)

[TheApprentice]

Here are a couple of examples for my 9th grade son's World Geography class (Oak Meadow) and Literature (Excellence in Literature).

 

World Geography:

 

Week 29:

 

- Workbook: Read Lesson 28, pages 117-118

- Read Chapter 27 of your text, pages 660-679

- Take Notes and Log important vocabulary words throughout Sections 1-3

- In the Workbook: Complete Questions on pages 118-119

- in the Workbook: Choose and complete 1 project on pages 119-120

- Readers Journal - Continue Reading "An Inconvenient Truth"

 

EIL is broken into 9 units, 4 weeks each, so this is what the breakdown of a unit looks like:

 

Week 1:

 

- Using the EIL Guide, read the context materials on pages 38-41, and begin reading "Walden".

 

- Follow the instructions in the Formats and Models chapter to write an Author Profile on Henry David Thoreau.

 

Week 2:

 

- Finish reading "Walden"

 

- Complete one of the assignments for week 2 on page 41 of the EIL guide.

 

Week 3:

 

- Make a first draft of a 500 word essay on one of the topics on page 41 and 42.

 

- Begin reading "Civil Disobedience" and "Self Reliance"

 

Week 4:

 

- Edit your draft of the essay and complete the final draft

 

- Write an approach paper on "Self Reliance"

 

At the beginning of each syllabi, there is the title of the class, materials used, course description, objectives grading criteria, and a grading scale. Each syllabi covers 1 semester of work. I didn't want to overwhelm him with this big packet of work.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[Hot Lava Mama]

Thanks! I think I can use this as a jump off point. I appreciate it! :)

[Pegasus]

I do the same for my independent DD. She gets a syllabus for each subject that describes all the work that needs to be done to earn the credit and offers a suggested pacing to complete in a semester or year, whichever is appropriate. For example, it may say to complete 2 text chapters, end of chapter questions, and all associated videos each week.

 

It works amazingly well most of the time. We have had a couple courses stretch out way too long but it usually turns out that my expectations were too high. She's diligent and independent but she isn't superwoman.

[PeterPan]

This year, I had my son work off syllabi that I put together for each course.

 

 

That's what I'm doing as well, and I hope it works out as well for us as it is Apprentice! :) Our syllabi are a bit different, because she does some non-traditional things. I'll attach a screen shot for one I made for her. It shows the first page, with the reading lists, standards for grades, and a checklist for the labs. There are more pages for logging responses to the readings, etc. In other words, I'm trying to build into the grades some structure so it's clear not only what needs to be done but what level of interaction I want from the material. I'm attaching slips of suggested weekly scheduling. I have assigned hours to every single task in my planning, so I know if it's all reasonable for her. I also have alternates for when the mule ears perk up and she hates a book. If my structure results in her interacting with the materials meaningfully (not skimming, glossing, and forgetting), I'll be content. The exact content doesn't matter so much to me this year as the intentional work and responsiveness of it.

 

Btw, I could totally fail at this. I'm just saying I'm trying. :)

 

Oh well, file was too big. Anyways, I'm doing what she's doing. It just doesn't look so scheduled out. It's more materials to be covered, checklists and response forms to demonstrate you interacted with the material, and grading standards. I don't have them all done yet. For some like Health I want to do units to research, so I have to figure out how to structure that. (not so much to make the units but to give ways to quantify that she has done the work)

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

My 9th grader has a slim notebook into which we have put the syllabus for each class that has one. About mid-year (at dd's request) I began adding a checklist for the week. At the top are that weeks dates, then a listing by subject of the work due that week with a check box next to each item. So it would say grammar book pages x-x, vocab book lesson x, read book x, do lit assignment x under English, Math list each lesson due, Latin would say review chapter, make vocab cards, do exercises x-y, take quiz, history would be a list of titles that have reading assignments that week, etc. For any specifics dd needs to go back to the syllabus to get page numbers for history reading, details on lit assignments, etc. If there is undone work from the previous week it gets left on the list.

 

I then have a table (made in MS word) that details her week. Across the top are the days of the week Monday-Sunday, down the side times. The grid is filled with colored blocks representing time allotted to each subject, sport practice, meals, when to wake, chores, free time, and other activities. For outside activities I include drive time so if she is at sports from 4-6 but we leave at 3:30 and get home at 6:30 then I block from 3:30-6:30 for sports.

 

She also has a copy of my yearly planning chart so she can see the grand plan, what is coming in the future, and the consequences of falling behind.

 

Yes, it requires my time each week to make up that check list but it appears to be the best solution so far to keep her on track without my having to completely hand hold.

[PeterPan]

This year (8th) I've been making her weekly checklists from the syllabi I created. I'm hoping for this coming year to get *her* to do that checklist creation each week. But I certainly don't expect that to be independent, even if it goes well. As you say, we don't need her getting behind because she conveniently left something off, lol.

[Kareni]

I'm copying my daughter's last weekly assignment sheet from 9th grade.

 

Weekly assignment sheet To be completed by: Friday, June 9

 

History

 

 

Read: Fax from Sarajevo by Joe Kubert and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

 

SKIP -- Spend an additional 30 minutes reading other material pertaining to the 1900s. Indicate subject/book title and author here __________________________________.

 

You have a choice: Do one history page, or do the map work on Africa: The Independent States.

Add a minimum of 10 dates to your timeline page.

 

Watch: W;t the video after having read the play and written your literature logs.

Listen to War by U2.

 

Writing

 

 

If you have not heard from Mr. N [writing tutor] by Tuesday, write two letters to [out of the home] teachers you have had this year (one of them should be for Ms. Z). If not by Friday, write two additional letters.

 

Literature

 

 

Read: W;t by Margaret Edson on Monday and Tuesday. Midway through the reading, complete your first literature log. After reading the play in its entirety, do a second literature log. Do not read the play completely before doing a literature log.

 

Conceptual Physical Science and Geometry [My husband was overseeing these two classes]

 

 

Do assigned work in a timely fashion.

 

 

SAT Problems of the Day

 

 

Tuesday and Friday: If you can’t solve it, print out the problem. If there are unknown words, look them up in the dictionary; hand in words and definitions on Friday.

 

 

This week and upcoming

 

 

Last classes with Ms. Z for this school year are on Wednesday.

Please return this sheet to me on Friday afternoon. (You may write on it if you wish.)

Dance is on Friday evening.

Saturday is your job.

Volunteer at the library two hours in the week starting Monday the 19^th; volunteer two additional hours the following week.

 

 

This was a light week given that it was the end of the school year, but it should give you an idea..

 

Regards,

Kareni