When do you look over their "on their own" work?

[Momto6inIN]

This is my first year homeschooling with my 8th, 6th, 4th, and K kids and I could use some advice from some of you veterans about when you find the time to check over their work.

 

When we do grammar and math and science and history I'm right there with them and I can tell if they're "getting it" or not by our discussion and their notebooks and whatnot, and with the K'er obviously I'm directly teaching her everything so I can evalute her on the spot to see what we need to speed up or slow down on or cover again from a different angle.  But the older 3 all have several subjects that they do on their own each day ... and I'm having trouble finding a good time of day for me to go over that type of work to make sure they're on the right track and correct their little problems before they become big problems.  For example, a week or so ago my son misspelled one of his spelling words consistently all week long and I didn't realize it because I hadn't got around to checking it til late in the week.

 

We typically school from about 9 to 11am and 1 to 3-4pm, and - like the rest of you - the rest of my day is spent taking care of my toddler, doing laundry, fixing meals, etc.  I don't like to plan to do chore-type activities after the kids go to bed because I have a lot of sleep issues and I've found I really need that hour of decompression time after they go to bed if I want to have any hopes of sleeping that night.  Of course sometimes that's just the way life goes, but I don't like to plan on using that time, if you know what I mean.  It would be nice if I could do it all at one time once a week when I do my lesson planning, but I'm not sure if that's a quick enough response time or not.

 

So ... when do you all do check your kids' "on their own" work?  Do you do it every day or once a week or what?  If you do it every day, when do you do it?  Thanks!  :)

[Occasionally]

It depends on the kid. You have kids that are older than mine, so take my reply with a grain of salt. My DS7 needs far more frequent checking than my DD9. I don't think it's an age thing, but a personality thing. He's less meticulous and more prone to silly mistakes, and also less likely to ask for help on his independent work. So I'm looking over his shoulder often while he works, every day, picking things out here and there for him that he needs to rework, etc.

 

My DD9 is pretty careful, and I tend to check up on her a little less. She'll ask for help more frequently, too. I'll look over her shoulder to make sure she "gets it" but then will check her stuff every couple of days, usually.

[NancyNellen]

The only way I've found to keep up with it is to do it throughout the day as I have little pockets of time. If I leave it for later, I get hopelessly overwhelmed and tend to avoid it.

[mumto2]

I like to do it first thing in the morning over coffe. That way I know exactly where I want lessons to be directed that day.

[Chelli]

I check it while I'm cooking supper usually and then go over anything dd9 missed after we eat or the next morning before we start school.

 

I find a bit of time here or there like a pp said. Sometimes I check while my dd6 is doing her school with me. Basically whenever I can fit it in. It usually only take about 15 minutes to check though, so I don't need large amounts of time.

[Momto6inIN]

Thanks everybody ... I've got a few ideas to try now!

I think I might try having them bring it to me after they're finished with each subject and I'll look through it quickly then.  If that doesn't work or if I feel like it gets to be too many interruptions, then I like the doing it over coffee first thing idea.  I don't drink coffee though, guess I'll have to substitute hot tea!  :)

[2_girls_mommy]

I generally do it when we are starting their work on that subject each day.  So I call math time, but I pull out yesterday's math page and look over it before we start today's lesson.  That way if there are corrections or things not understood we start there before moving on.

 

Spelling for my 6th grader I check in detail only once a week, but she comes to me w/any problems as she is going during the week.  (her "spelling" book covers reading comprehension and vocabulary as well...)  Once a week I check it thoroughly before her test to make sure she has done a good job during the week.

 

Things like papers they write, I read immediately when they are done, no matter what I am doing or the subject.  That way I can point out anything they need to correct and they can get to that on their own the next day w/out me.

 

 

[Renaissance Mom]

First, I have found over the years that any assignments that need checking must be checked before they start the next lesson or assignment in that subject. Ergo, daily checking for most stuff. My preferred time to do so is right after supper when all the kids are doing dishes, clearing the table, wiping counters and the table, showering, etc. then we still have a god hour to an hour and a half afterward for family time. If I don't get to it right after supper, I set my alarm to get up a half hour before I typically would. I, too, absolutely need a bit of down time in the evening after everyone goes to bed.

 

For my high schooler, I only check quizzes, tests, read rough drafts of papers, grade final papers, and help as needed. She corrects all of her own daily math, science, whatever. She knows what she has to do if she makes a mistake, so I don't need to be involved unless she doesn't understand. I'll know when it comes to a test or a paper if she has taken too many shortcuts.

 

Hope you find what works for you!

[mothergooseof4]

I have my 4th and 5th graders start their independent work first thing.  During that time, I am with my 8th grader.  We first check/correct everything from the prior day, then do subjects that we work on together.  After working with him, I have time with each of the younger two in which we correct their work they completed earlier.  Then I teach the subjects that I combine the 4th and 5th graders in.

 

I used to make the mistake of putting off "grading" until I had a large pile to go through only to discover that they had been doing a new math concept wrong for a while, thinking they understood it perfectly.  It is hard to break those habits once established.