5th grade planner as suggested by SWB

[anabelneri]

Hello! I listened to one of SWB's lectures, about preparing for high school, and she suggested getting 5th graders a planner and having them use it every day. Has anyone done this? What does it look like at your house?

 

Thanks!

[2_girls_mommy]

We bought one, but didn't do a good job using it for 5th. I am going to try again in 6th. I don't think everyday is doable for my child. She is a slow poke and adding one more bit of writing to her day would be too much. When we used ours, it was usually once a month to add in upcoming things for the month, and then on the last day of the week, like Thurs to lay out leftover work (homework) that she was still working on and that needed to be finished on her own over Fri=Sun, including outside projects like scouts and such. But again, we didn't use it faithfully. I will try again starting w/just those things!

[Kathie in VA]

I've tried planners but we had two main problems with them:

1- too much prep work to get them set up with all the information

2- kids just didn't want to write more.. it was like yet another assignment instead of a helper

 

 

thus they tended to not get done ... but

 

I recently read about one that we might be able to use because the setup looks quick, adjusting looks just as quick, and using it looks even quicker!

MyStudentLogBook

http://www.mystudentlogbook.blogspot.com/

[jnaj]

This will be our first year homeschooling, but my son kept a planner last year in school for 4th grade. They wrote in their planners everyday. He wants to keep one for 5th grade, so I will probably print out some calendar pages and maybe some weekly pages for him to fill out. Each month we will go through my calendar, and he can write down different things from the month in his calendar. Unless anyone has any other ideas for this age?

[nansk]

Did you see this recent thread about planners?

[Murrayshire]

Have you looked at Scholaric planner? It is all online but super, super easy to use! Once you get your plans in you can print them out in a weekly schedule for your dc. I used scholaric this year with my girls......now I'm trying out Homeschool Tracker Online b/c they have transcript making on there. Scholaric does not.

[SilverMoon]

I didn't find the need for kids to have their own planner until 7th-8th grade. My fifth grader's shared my planner. At the beginning of the week we talk about where they're at, where they're going, and write out our plans for the week. (I do the writing.) That planner stays open on the main school table for anyone to check throughout the day. When they finish something they can reach over and draw a pencil line through that assignment.

[2_girls_mommy]

Silvermoon, that kind of thing works better here too so far. But I am still going to try again this year, for at least once a month and for big projects or big homework weeks to at least get started using one of her own. Mine would love digital. When/if I ever get a new, better tablet she will get mine and I bet she will love doing one on there and will do it faithfully then.

[mysticmomma]

I don't know exactly what you mean, but I have a spreadsheet that will go into their "weekly" binders. They have to get everything in that binder done by Saturday. On Sunday I will check and review work, as well as highlight the assignments completed. Let me see if I can get so e pics.

[mysticmomma]

So basically, I already have the lessons worked out, dated and stapled together. Each Sunday we will review the past work and put in everything in for the coming week from the subject binders.

[mysticmomma]

The planner

[Mom-ninja.]

My ds prefers his wall check list. All his subjects are on the list and he marks them off as he does them. There are no detailed plans for any subject like "do pgs. 15-18" or anything like that. It's simply a list with all the subjects he has. Every thing is just based on open the book and do the next thing until the book is done.

[coffeegal]

Ds will have a planner this year for 5th grade. Last year we filled out his spreadsheet together on Fridays. This year we'll fill out his planner on Fridays and include upcoming activities.

[thowell]

This last year I used Scohlaric and the girls received a daily schedule to check off as each subject was done. This year we are doing it a bit differently. I will write all assignments into my weekly planner. Each child will be highlighted a specific color. They will then have a planner where they must log what they do for the week. Everything except things done together like experiments will need to be done by Friday at lunch. That leaves all Friday afternoon for experiments.

[Mom-ninja.]

Someone just posted about timberdoodle.com/schedule on another thread.

[MrsH]

This past year, I made a weekly plan for me to refer to, as I like to know when I'll do what. It had each assignment, and I did it Sunday night, keeping track of what else we had going on that week. Dd also had her own planner. We kept it with us when we did school, and if something took longer than seemed appropriate (due to poor preparation on her part, or lack of focus, or whatever), I'd assign it to her as homework. She'd write it down in the planner right away. For example: study spelling words, complete ex. 37 for math, or finish reading history chapter 5.

 

She also had a laminated sheet w/ her general weekly assignments such as practice flute 5 times, complete 2 logic pages, do 2 art or music lessons (we loop scheduled those), complete 2 WWS lessons, etc. On Monday, she'd take a few minutes to plan out when she'd do what assignments, again keeping note of what else we had planned that week. This was independent work and she usually did a nice job at planning and completing it.

 

We'll continue using a planner, though I'm reading The Self-Propelled Child right now and will probably take some of her ideas.

[Little Women]

I can't even get MYSELF to keep a planner up to date! I use a preplanned curriculum for some subjects and do others like math on the "lesson a day" plan. At the beginning of the year, I make a check-list, which I tuck into a plastic sheet protector. After a few weeks, they are used to their daily rhythm, and we go with that.

 

For my own personal calendar, I have finally managed to make it work with a smart-phone--totally worth the money, imho!!! It's the first time I've EVER been able to make a calendar work, because I almost never forget it.

[angela in ohio]

I have a method that I have used for each of my dc and for the students in classes I have taught...

 

I have done this over a one year period with seventh or eighth graders, in classes which meet once a week, but you could start earlier and just take longer in each phase.

 

I start by spoon feeding them what they write in the planner. So I write on the board (or you could write on a piece of paper) what to write in each box each day. This could also be printing out a schedule to give to them.

 

Next, I work on breaking up longer term assignments (days to a week.) So I write the assignment and then we brainstorm together how to write that out over a series of days in "chunks". Each time, I provide a bit less help, until they can do it alone.

 

Next, I transition to giving them weekly assignments and then letting them break it up themselves. The accountability is there weekly still.

 

Eventually, in some areas, they move to scheduling individual projects based on a very long-term deadline (semester self-driven course, online schedule-less classes, major projects, etc.)

[Mystie]

I *just* finished listening the the MP3 of SWB's talk where she mentions this, and since I have an upcoming 5th grader, I listened to that part twice! My impression was that this is a calendar of outside commitments, not of school assignments. So, it's not writing out their work to do, like a to-do list, it's writing out what their time commitments already are, so they get a visual for the day or week. Having them track their own assignments wasn't until 8th or 9th grade.

[anabelneri]

Thanks Mystie! I was going to listen to it again eventually, but hadn't gotten to it yet.

:)

[Ravin]

There is no way my DD is ready to manage her own schedule. She does have a shared family calendar app on her phone so she can see adults' work schedules and any appointments. For schoolwork she has a daily to do list, which includes independent work for her to complete and check off, and we have a weekly plan that I make for the new week at the end of the preceding one. I may do some planning a bit farther in advance this year, but for certain subjects that just doesn't work for us. She needs the structure of having it clearly laid out for her, but the flexibility to go at her own pace rather than a predetermined one.

[AK_Mom4]

I have always used a planner for DD since 2nd grade.  I write down the assignments for the week along with any extra materials required and special appointments.  DD would check off each lesson as it was completed.  This year (7th), DD will have an outside class, so she will be responsible for keeping the planner updated for that class.  By the time she reaches high school, she will be tracking all of her own classes and just getting the schedule from me each week.

 

DS17 was homeschooled 5-8th and is now coming back to homeschool for 12th.  We have already agreed that part of his "deliverables" each week will include keeping a planner with assignments and tracking what he completed for he and I to review together.  He has a mix of online, public school, and self-taught classes, so this will be good practice for heading off to college in a year.  I'm fine with him keeping it on paper or in his phone.