How far ahead do you plan?

[athomeontheprairie]

Not a daily or a weekly schedule, but rather long term goals. Do you plan past your current year, or take it one step at a time? if you plan ahead are you looking at where you are now, or where you want to be in X amount of years and working backwards? How do you decide what to include in that plan and how to get there?

Looking ahead I know what I want to do next year, and for LA the following year. after that I have general goals that I would like to reach before 8th grade, but I'm not sure how to get there. And many homeschool moms I've talked to take it one year at a time. how do you balance both of those things?

[go_go_gadget]

My two are the same ages as your older two and I imagine you're more interested in hearing from more experienced homeschoolers, but here goes anyway.  My plans for this year are pretty firm, but past that is purely speculation. I'm a recreational planner, so I don't mind revising endlessly and I've gone ahead and ''planned'' our work through high school, but there's absolutely no rigidity to those plans. We don't bother much about grade levels and we school year-round, using the ''just do the next thing'' approach and meeting them where they are, so I just wrote out all the ''next things'' for each level (using WTM as a guide), and made a rough guess as to when we'd ''level up'' each time. Obviously, curriculum choices could easily change (though I have no plans to use curriculum as such past the middle school level).

 

Both of mine have been saying for years that they want to be professional ballet dancers for their first careers, and ballet dancers usually have to drop out of high school or graduate by 16 because the amount of training they have to do, so I used that as a ''deadline'' in case they really decide to do the dancing. If not, we can always slow down or they can have plenty of time to do exchange programs, gap years, etc. 

[Heidi]

I make a chart containing what curriculum I would like to use for each grade, kind of like you would find in Latin-Centered Curriculum.  It contains lists of literature and history books that I don't want my kids to miss out on. It also helps to see the progression of certain subjects so that I don't forget when to add them in.  My chart is always changing as I gain experience about what I like and don't like, but I do find it very useful to have one.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

I have a notebook that has the full 12 years planned out for each child. This of course gets changed each year along with notes added. It is fun to go back and see what I had planned out for each child and wonder "what was I thinking?"

[Kathryn]

I have all twelve years planned. Some are "definite" which means I don't have any strong contenders for alternatives. Some are maybes. I keep a list of curricula I'm interested in to fill in the blanks. The plan changes; I'm not married to it.

[8filltheheart]

I only plan 1 yr at a time. With my really young kids, I don't even plan that much. We progress through materials at their individual paces and interests. I know the same core subjects exist every yr, so we simply fill in the blanks as to what we will cover for the upcoming yr.

[Pen]

"Start with the end in mind..."   What does my ds need to be an adult in general, and to do what he seems to want to do with his life in particular, and not to close off some options that he seems disinterested in, but I think should remain open till he is more mature to make such decisions = goals for academics and life skills.  Then from there I work backwards to present with flexibility for reality and changed needs and ideas of future.

 

Each year also seems to have had a main emphasis.

[Murphy101]

I have:

 

a nebulous idea of what we will be doing next year.

lots of links and notes of possibilities for next year.

almost all the materials for this year. (we plan to start Monday)

An outline of what should be covered (topics and pages/chapters and booklist) for this year.

a weekly breakdown for the first 4-6 weeks.

A daily routine, that's very flexible what needs to be covered, but not down to the minute, based.

[DragonFaerie]

I have very general plans for the whole shebang, but only very, very general.  For example, 5th- pre-algebra; 6th- algebra I; 7th- geometry; 8th- algebra II; etc.  I keep a list of curriculum plans for next year (what I think I want to use for each subject).  This is what I use to keep track of curriculum that I think I want to use.  I keep it in Word and will often change it.  I'll delete something I know I won't use, but I'll often just cross out something that I'm pretty sure I won't use but don't want to rule it out entirely.  But that's about as far as I get with planning beyond the current year (which is very, very planned).

[Maela]

My plans for this year are pretty firm, but past that is purely speculation. I'm a recreational planner, so I don't mind revising endlessly and I've gone ahead and ''planned'' our work through high school, but there's absolutely no rigidity to those plans.

 

This.

[athomeontheprairie]

I have very general plans for the whole shebang, but only very, very general. For example, 5th- pre-algebra; 6th- algebra I; 7th- geometry; 8th- algebra II; etc. I keep a list of curriculum plans for next year (what I think I want to use for each subject). This is what I use to keep track of curriculum that I think I want to use. I keep it in Word and will often change it. I'll delete something I know I won't use, but I'll often just cross out something that I'm pretty sure I won't use but don't want to rule it out entirely. But that's about as far as I get with planning beyond the current year (which is very, very planned).

How do you get to pre-algebra by fifth grade? ! I was on the fast track for math when I was in school and we didn't hit that until 7th grade. The EARLIEST you could take algebra was eighth.

[DragonFaerie]

How do you get to pre-algebra by fifth grade? ! I was on the fast track for math when I was in school and we didn't hit that until 7th grade. The EARLIEST you could take algebra was eighth.

 

This is one of the reasons we homeschool.  DS is a VERY mathy kid.  We just started Dolciani pre-algebra last week and will be adding in AOPS in the next couple of weeks.  Now, spelling and writing on the other hand..... LOL

[justamouse]

I plan it all out long term, and I plan it all out yearly, but I am finding that I cannot plan day by day. Not that I can't, not that I won't, but that it just does NOT Work for us. 

Like, today for instance. 

 

I got a planner. I was all excited to use it. We are doing some review, making a lapbook (something I do not do during the year) timeline, all kinds of stuff. 

Then, I planned out a month's worth of lessons. 

Today? We finished 4. So. I erased everything. 

What works for me is a yearly list. And, I preread every book, write notes, questions, trails. I have it all down on a master list for that child. 

From there, we do the next thing. I will just keep doing what I've done, and write it down as we finish. So, yes, I plan far ahead. But not. :)

 

Adding, for my youngers, I have a booklist, and the maths we use, and it's very do the next thing. I don't plan much of that at all. 

[go_go_gadget]

This is one of the reasons we homeschool.  DS is a VERY mathy kid.  We just started Dolciani pre-algebra last week and will be adding in AOPS in the next couple of weeks.  Now, spelling and writing on the other hand..... LOL

 

Yes, this. My DS is doing MUS Algebra as prealgebra this year, not because he's exceptional but just because we have the option to not not spend ages on a particular topic if we don't need to. 

[texasmama]

Not a daily or a weekly schedule, but rather long term goals. Do you plan past your current year, or take it one step at a time? if you plan ahead are you looking at where you are now, or where you want to be in X amount of years and working backwards? How do you decide what to include in that plan and how to get there?

Looking ahead I know what I want to do next year, and for LA the following year. after that I have general goals that I would like to reach before 8th grade, but I'm not sure how to get there. And many homeschool moms I've talked to take it one year at a time. how do you balance both of those things?

I plan my current year, taking one step/year at a time.  I plan for my kids based on their abilities/where they are in a particular program. Many programs are linear, such as grammar.  We just do the next level of those. 

 

It would be overwhelming and impractical for me to plan much past a year, other than "writing the plans in pencil", so to speak, because so much depends on how the current year goes in certain subjects, such as math for middle schoolers.  In elementary, I work through SM with my kids, but we are launching into pre-Algebra next year, and I have chosen a combination of an older Dolciani text and AoPS.  I can't really plan for the following year's Algebra until I see how this year's plan works for my two boys.  Then, because they are at the same level with math, I can choose to split them into different programs based on their needs/preferences or keep them in the same one.  I have (I think) three different Algebra texts/programs, and if AoPS works well for them, I will purchase that one, as well.  I may never use most of these resources, but they were inexpensive and help me and the boys in planning what is likely to work well for them.  I really can't plan next year until we do this year, though.  However, I do have a flexible scope and sequence in my head for their upper level maths.  I rely very heavily on these boards to help me plan math, though.  Language arts is a bit more clear, and that is also my strength.

[texasmama]

I make a chart containing what curriculum I would like to use for each grade, kind of like you would find in Latin-Centered Curriculum.  It contains lists of literature and history books that I don't want my kids to miss out on. It also helps to see the progression of certain subjects so that I don't forget when to add them in.  My chart is always changing as I gain experience about what I like and don't like, but I do find it very useful to have one.

This does sound very useful.

[Murphy101]

This does sound very useful.

It is. I happen to have one too. And it varies from kid to kid through the years.

[carriede]

What works for me is a yearly list. And, I preread every book, write notes, questions, trails. I have it all down on a master list for that child.

 

From there, we do the next thing. I will just keep doing what I've done, and write it down as we finish. So, yes, I plan far ahead. But not. :)

 

Adding, for my youngers, I have a booklist, and the maths we use, and it's very do the next thing. I don't plan much of that at all.

I just realized this method is very much like method in the Getting Things Done book. Your yearly plan is similar to, say, the Calls list. You just work down the list during the time allotted.

[mrs.m]

I plan one year at a time. I create goals for each child and choose curriculum that will help accomplish those goals.

 

Then I plan six weeks of assignments at a time with the 7th week as a buffer if we get behind or to do a special mid-term project. 

[Sobeknofret]

I feel like I need to be flexible, so I have a general idea where I'd like ds to be by next year, but I'm not so hooked into those goals that I can't move them around if I need or want to. Otherwise, I plan day-to-day :svengo:

[Mandy in TN]

Yeah, sure, I plan all the time- all the way through high school and I change those plans all the time. lol

Mandy

[Farrar]

Specific goals for the year.  A general idea for the next couple of years.  A vague, changeable idea for the rest.

 

I tend to think it's all very changeable, but when I look back, we've stuck remarkably close to my original idea of what we'd be doing for the grammar stage and when.  The day to day changed more.  The specific curricula materials changed from year to year.

[Holly]

I have a 1/2" binder with our long term plans.  Basically I have a few pages to write down curriculum we own or I'd like to look into for each grade, preK-12th.  Whenever I hear about a program or book that looks interesting (that we won't be using right away), I'll write it down in the binder under the most appropriate grade level.  Then when I go to plan for the coming year, I have lots of options for each grade.  It's also nice to figure out where we need to be before they start high school, especially with math and science.  

 

As far as detailed plans, I just look at the coming year.  It's too difficult to tell exactly what our needs will be if I look farther ahead.  

[boscopup]

I have a general idea of what needs to be taught up through middle school. I'm not worrying at all about high school, as my oldest is only 4th grade, and who knows what he'll be doing by that age. Also, by high school, HE will be giving a lot more input on what he studies.

 

The exception to my lack of high school plans is the fact that I do have a possible math sequence mapped out to push calculus out to 11th or 12th grade, since my son has started Prealgebra in 4th. I'm avoiding a "race to calculus". Now if we go slower than the plan, I can take out things that aren't in a traditional sequence, so it's not a big deal. I just needed to have options, since the local community college takes kids their junior and senior years, and the university ( where I would need to send him for math class) takes students only in their senior year. While they may make an exception if I begged, I prefer to have other options mapped out.

 

For all other subjects though, I have a general idea up through middle school. We're going to do a 4 year history cycle again starting in 5th, and I know what I'll use for that next year. I have a rough idea of science. I have a rough idea of Latin. Writing ebbs and flows.

 

I keep an excel spreadsheet with curriculum choices for the next year, along with prices and such. I edit that as the year goes along and I change my mind. Nothing is set in stone. I sometimes even change my mind after we start. ;)

[texasmama]

It is. I happen to have one too. And it varies from kid to kid through the years.

I do believe I will make one of these instead of trusting it to my brain.  Particularly helpful would be a list of curriculum we already have, which will have the side benefit of me not repurchasing things we already own because I forgot we own them.  lol  (That's how you got my WWS book, Martha...)

[threedogfarm]

For long term planning I use my WTM book with notes in pencil in the margin.  Everything is in one place AND it's already organized for me by subject, level, and already contains a reading list and list of resources (easily expanded with index cards if necessary).

 

My concerns aren't just about curriculum though but how to prepare my children for the change in workload over the years (longer days, more independent work, more detailed work, input in choosing the curriculum, etc.).  So I always try to keep these things in the back of my mind as I plan the current year and go through the year, making little changes in the way we do school to introduce these concepts in tiny little increments.  

 

 

 

 

[Hannah]

For primary school we planned  a year ahead.  Mostly I bought the next level if a curriculum was working for us and for my younger dd I'm using most of what we did for elder dd - because it worked and especially since buying new is outrageously expensive if we factor in shipping costs.  On a day to day basis I have a rough idea how many pages to cover to get through the material and books we have at hand.

 

For high school (which starts in grade 8 here) we're going the Cambridge International Exams (cie.org.uk) IGCSE and AS-level route as the exams are accredited with our local universities.  This means that we're pretty much following a set curriculum and the only variable is what subjects to choose.  Two languages and math are compulsory + four electives.

[Sherry in OH]

I have goals to achieve by the end of 8^th grade.  I also have a broad outline on which I have mapped out topics I want to be sure to cover and other topics that may be of interest, but few specific resources. I keep my notes in a Word file, so it is easy to move ideas from one year to another.  In general, each year builds upon the previous year.  If a curriculum is a good fit, we move through the levels of that program. 

 

Current year – Core resources have been selected and mostly purchased. Reading lists have been compiled.  Fine-tuning will occur throughout the year.  This is especially true for subjects where I rely on library resources for most of the readings.   Day-to-day, it is do the next thing.

 

Next year – We will be starting a new history cycle with an integrated science-history prehistory study.  I am designing the study.  So far, I have mapped out the topics I want to cover and have compiled a list of resources to consider.  Modifications will continue.  I expect most other subjects to continue from this year.  I’ll review options for those subjects in the spring.

 

Subsequent years – We’ll move on to ancients, etc. I anticipate the year after next to be a pivotal year.  If the vague path I have in mind for that year works out, it will set the course for the remaining pre-high school years.  If it doesn’t, I’ll modify plans as those years get closer.

[MotherOfBoys]

I planned the full 12 years in an excel sheet because it helps with the anxiety. I know when it's the easiest to add in extra curricular like typing, software development, cursive, latin, music, etc. Things I want my boys to at least try and then they can decide to continue or try a new one. I can see how the work load will change over the years and if they will be ready for the tests they need to take in high school. I believe my job is to equip them to do whatever they want to do so I need to have a tentative plan to know if they will be ready in time.

 

I also like it to see if I can combine the boys in anything to make it easier or cheaper. They are two years apart so if one does latin a year late and the other a year early they can do it together. Now put that with their other subjects. I'm not going to teach latin for the first time and start music lessons for both in the same year if I can avoid it, especially if one is jumping into a harder (or switching to a new) core curriculum.

 

I know things will change but why not start out with a plan that is easy.