WWS: Lesson Length

[Aubrey]

The lessons seem to get *significantly* longer the further in the book I look. I know there are some older threads about this--discussing how long ea lesson takes--but I'm wondering, if you've got a set amt of time blocked out, have you planned lessons around the "steps" for ea day instead of ea day?

 

For ex, somewhere around Week 22, students are supposed to do a 4 part read, think, write, lit language sequence. The "thinking" exercises sometimes look like 2 days' worth of work to me, but the "writing" exercises? *faint*

 

I'm imagining Step 1: Write the summary to take about 30 min, Step 2: Write the analysis to take another 30-60 min, & then Step 3: Assemble the essay--???? To do a *good* job on it, I can't imagine less than 30 min. And since I tend to expect my kids to work faster than reality dictates, I should probably double those estimates. So "Day Three" of that week looks like THREE DAYS to me.

 

I really just want to know if you agree w/ that estimate & if you dealt w/ it by scheduling it that way or something else. :)

 

Day 4 of that week deals w/ synecdoche: understand it, define it, identify it. Again...to do a *good* job, I imagine each of those steps taking close to 30 min...maybe only an hour for all 3 steps...yes? No? Thanks!

[Sleep-Deprived]

They do get longer at that point.  However for the most part, what we did was just stretch the week from four days to five days at that point.  I don't know that you'll be able to "plan ahead" for exactly how long it will take- but do plan to be flexible.  If it helps, the "thinking exercises" are really the prep-work for writing.  In many cases, they are thinking through (and jotting down in an organized fashion) what they will write in the paper.  When you get to the writing part, it's just a matter of physically typing out what you've already thought about and taken notes on...ordering the paragraphs, then coming up with a few transition sentences.  I found the "thinking" part more labor intensive than the writing part.  In most cases I needed to be with him for the thinking part, but he did most of the writing part without me. 

 

The first couple times we encountered the process were the most difficult, but it really does play out nicely.  I worked through WWS1 with a 5th grader last year.  There was one week that we stretched beyond a week (seems to me it took us 6 days), and  I gave my son an extra week for the final project - but we also had an unplanned vacation in the middle of the year that threw off some of our timing.  Sometimes on those longer lessons, the first day is just reading.  I had my son start step one or two of the following day if he was able to complete the day's lesson in less than 20 minutes.  That way it all evened out (for the most part) by the end of the week.

 

 

Hope that helps.

 

[TCB]

We have definitely taken quite a bit longer than the book schedules. I think you can either do a quick piece of work in the time the book allots or you can take longer and do a more thorough piece of work. I, personally,choose that dd does the assignment more thoroughly and if that takes longer, then so be it. I do, however, make her keep to the prescribed word limit. I think it is good discipline for her to have to be concise, when usually she would tend towards being long winded.

 

Of course, I'm sure there are some children who can produce a good piece of writing in the short time scheduled, but my dd isn't one of them. And I prefer her to learn the skill properly, even if it takes longer. So for us, more quality and less quantity.

[Chrysalis Academy]

We've taken longer as needed, also.  Often the Day 3 assignment spreads out over two days.  But like a PP said, once you've done the thinking/discussion part on Day 2, the writing doesn't take as long as if you were sitting down cold to do it. 

 

For those lessons, Day 1 is just reading.  So, you could have them do that, and then begin the discussion on Day 1.  Finish discussing on Day 2, and even start writing - write the summary portion, for example.  Then you have Day 3 to write the analysis.  If there is substantial editing or revising to do, we usually need to do that in a different session from the main writing, so that would become Day 4.  The Day 4 assignment would then get done on Friday, or spill over into the next week.

 

IMO, you are thinking about this correctly, though:  Take however long it takes to do it right! This is a really rich program, and I think you miss a lot if you rush.  This is why we're doing it over 2 years, and we take breaks between the sections.  This is not only to get a break, but also to be able to focus on other LA things while doing lighter writing, because some of the WWS days do take so long that other LA can get crowded out.

[redsquirrel]

They do get longer, but then we spread it out over a couple days. That said, my son has also gotten better at producing work so it evened out a bit. When he first saw 100 words for an assignment he almost fainted. Now he sees 250 or 400 and says "no biggie". So, for the most part, he has kept pace.

[Aubrey]

Redsquirrel--that's a good point--I'd forgotten that they'd (hopefully!)improve. :) I'm partly concerned about time because we're doing MCT Voyage this year as well. :/

[Chrysalis Academy]

Voyage is a really nice complement, I think - it helps you have higher-level, meta-discussions about the why and how of writing essays, where WWS really focuses on the pieces. A board member pointed out that WWS is very parts-to-whole, where I find MCT to be much better at letting you know where you want to get to. They work really well together.

 

But yeah, doing them both, it definitely takes more than one school year!

[Aubrey]

Oh, that's good to hear--I was afraid both might be too much instead of a good complement.

[Chrysalis Academy]

We've done the first 5 chapters of EV with the first half of WWS. I plan to go through ch. 6-10 *before* we do the research and final project sections of WWS. It explains conceptually what WWS will show them how to do, step-by-step. My dd is a big picture girl, and if she doesn't know where she's going and how the steps will get her there, she gets frustrated and bogged down.

 

Do a chapter or two of EV between each section of WWS - you will both appreciate the break and change of pace!

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Thanks for this thread!  I agree that some of the steps seem more like days. It is discouraging.

 

I am at this very moment trying to determine if both my dd and I are just extremely slow/inefficient/???? or if the time frames are unrealistic.

 

 

 

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I remember a thread where Ruth talked about spending several hours - like, more than 4 - on a week of WWS lessons.  Discussions before her son started, and then lengthy discussion/editing after various stages.  So I don't think it's just you!  ;)

 

I've said it before, I think it's an ambitious program for a 5th grader - overly-ambitious, as written.  If you modify it and go at your child's pace, it's great, but if you feel like there is something wrong with you or your student if you can't "keep up" with the 4-day, 36-week pace, don't!!  Feel that way, I mean!  :D

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I remember a thread where Ruth talked about spending several hours - like, more than 4 - on a week of WWS lessons.  Discussions before her son started, and then lengthy discussion/editing after various stages.  So I don't think it's just you!  ;)

 

I've said it before, I think it's an ambitious program for a 5th grader - overly-ambitious, as written.  If you modify it and go at your child's pace, it's great, but if you feel like there is something wrong with you or your student if you can't "keep up" with the 4-day, 36-week pace, don't!!  Feel that way, I mean!  :D

 

Thanks! It doesn't help that I am in a crazy, unrealistic catch-up mode. I need a :chillpill: .

 

I just looked over her work. I don't know how she could have done it any faster today. She might have stared off into space for a minute or two, but was otherwise working. What she gave me was better than I expected. (Which is unfortunate because the lecture I had planned was therefore unnecessary. No worries, the day isn't over yet. I may still be able to put it to good use! :tongue_smilie: )