7th grade schedule

[KeriJ]

Could you share your 7th grader's basic schedule? such as, which subjects are done daily, what the basic assignments are etc.

 

DD mentioned she was getting done too quickly and thought maybe some of the things that we do once a week could be done more often.  I don't want to load her up with busy work though.  I'm just trying to get a feel for how much time we should be spending.

[mom31257]

Here's is ds' schedule. He never finishes too quickly, though! 

 

 

Most Days: We have co-op every other week and a few field trips planned this year, so many times this will be just 4 days a week. 

 

Bible: Reads in bible some days, adds in work in Lifepac Bible on others

 

History: Biblioplan 2, reads and does discussion questions or a map

 

Science: Apologia Physical Science, reads in text and does questions or works on study guide and review; labs at co-op; works on lab reports at home, too

 

Math: CLE math, a lesson a day, sometimes I mark off review questions and cover 2 a day

 

LA: CLE, a lesson a day; IEW Fix-It, a sentence a day; IEW Phonetic Zoo, a test a day (Some days: MP Poetry or Figuratively Speaking)

 

Literature: reading in books for book club and history; some books will have lit guides I use for extra activities

 

Writing: Co-Op writing assignments haven't started yet, but I'm assuming those will be most days after the next co-op. It might be an every other week thing because the co-op is set up that way.

 

 

 

 

[SilverMoon]

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Edited August 31, 2023 by SilverMoon

[....]

Could you share your 7th grader's basic schedule? such as, which subjects are done daily, what the basic assignments are etc.

 

I think my 7th grader is considered a relaxed homeschooler, so I'm not sure if this will help.  He only spends about 2-2.5 hours a day on formal schoolwork (and this doesn't count his reading - he reads for hours at night, so I have no clue how much time he spends reading).

 

1.  He sets a timer and works for 20 minutes on math, which is Key Curriculum Press workbooks.

2.  He reads a chapter in Notgrass' America the Beautiful and does any map work, extra reading, etc. (he only does this 3 days a week)

3.  He does one lesson in Writing with Skill.

4.  He does a page from Easy Grammar Plus - which seriously takes him about 30 seconds.

5.  We do a couple of exercises together from Komm Mit 1 (German textbook used in high schools).  

6.  He does a lesson from Holt Biology (another textbook used in high schools here), he and his sister answer questions or do a lab together (that's his most time-consuming subject).

 

Some days are much longer than 2 hours...like today, he wrote a short paper on the emerald tree boa, so he spent a lot of time typing it out, etc.  If we do a lab, that takes longer, too.  He generally sits down and just finishes everything in one swoop.  He doesn't take breaks or anything.  The rest of his day is spent researching engines, machines, cars...  *rolling eyes*  (He likes machines)

[MerryAtHope]

In 7th and 8th grades, I was ramping up for high school, so most subjects were at least 45 minutes, and some were an hour at that point. We typically hit all the academics (science, history, language arts--which is more like 60-90 minutes, and math), PE, and at least one elective (music, art etc...)

 

Generally school was about 5-6 hours at this age. If she's doing grade level work and is able to work quickly though, I'd let her pursue what she's interested in. Maybe she'd like to add in a foreign language or work on handicrafts. Certainly let her do some of her once a week subjects extra times if she's interested. Maybe she'd like a part-time job (my dd was a mother's helper one day a week in junior high. She would do school in the morning and be gone in the afternoon on that day). 

[Mrs Twain]

Every day:

Math (1-1.5 hours)

Grammar (20 min)

Composition (30-60 min)

History (30-45 min)

Science 1 hour)

Lit or economics reading or discussion (20-30min)

German class at middle school every other day plus homework

Speech club (1 meeting per week, plus 1-2 hours of work per week)

 

Every other day (when he doesn't go to school):

About an hour of additional work including vocabulary, logic, reading comprehension, geography, Fix It

[MEmama]

We are every subject, every day people too. Generally, our day looks like this (vastly simplified):

 

Math (algebra), about an hour. He doesn't need much instruction but I need to be on hand.

Spelling, 15-20 minutes

Latin and Greek roots, 15 minutes. We'll be adding in actual Latin soon and I imagine that will be an hour or so.

Writing, 1hour, depending. A combination of independent and collaborative.

History, 1hour+. We read and discuss his textbook assignments and he generally has a written assignment of some kind to complete independently. Frequently we watch documentaries, Crash Course, etc during lunch in addition.

Science (chemistry and physics), around an hour. We read and discuss together and he completes his written assignments independently. Frequently we watch Crash Course or his Coursera class together in addition.

 

That's the core of our homeschool, but of course there's much more that happens outside those parameters. Once we really get into the year, a typical day will be around 6 hours of work.

[J&JMom]

:30  shared read aloud

:30  literature lesson

:30  writing 2x/grammar 1x/novel study 2x

:30  math lesson

1:30  Independent work while I work with his brother.  This should include 30 min reading, Wordly Wise weekly lesson, a couple of weekly Critical Thinking activities, novel study guide vocab work, and math/writing assignments.

LUNCH

:30 Spanish

:40 Social Studies  20 minute Lesson, 20 minute independent

:40 Science Lab or  Lesson:  20 minute lesson/20 minute independent. 

1:00 Joint subjects  - :10 CNN News, :30 Art, :20 Lesson on Scholastic Magazine, Mythology or SOTW reading.

 

He also takes time to practice piano (15-20 minutes at his level), and review his Spanish (~10 min)  and other notes every evening (:10 minutes).

 

This equals to about 7 hours a day.  On Fridays, we have a shorter day, about 4-5 hours so if he needs more time, we can use that.

[Julie in Monterey]

Honestly, if your child is asking for more, I would listen and give it to her BUT ask her what she is interested in, what she wants to delve into more deeply. Perhaps she wants to learn a language, do more art or really investigage a topic she touched on in her other studies.

 

7th grade with my second child looks way different than it did for my first. My DD plans to attend a private HS after home schooling preK-8th just like her sister. With the oldest in 10th grade now in a brick and mortar school, I feel like I've gained more perspective into what is really valuable to spend time on. Typing skills are huge in HS and college and it's a good use of time and can be done on-line for free. I also realized that now my oldest is in school all day and sports and music until at least 8pm (with homework after), there is such minimal time for recreational reading.  Help your DD learn how to search out good reading recommendations and how to self study a topic. More school does not have to mean more busy work. For me, that is the beauty of home schooling...there need not be ANY busy work. They are in the business of learning how to learn and how to eventually be in charge of their education. It's all about knowing how to find and use resources. Perhaps she is ready for some sort of hands on volunteering in a field that interests her. It's super exciting you have a kid asking for more. Please let us know what the both of you decide to you.

 

Below is roughly what we do.

 

One day rarely looks the same but we do have a basic structure and rhythm to our week.

2-4 hours a week with Grandma doing Story of Science.

4-5 hours a week, Big History Project (together)

independent Reading- at least 1 hour daily during school hours...some books my choice, some hers

Math- average 1-1.5 hours a day AoPS pre-Algebra

On-line Art Appreciation class-3-5 hours a week- together

On-line Music Appreciation Class- same as art and together as well.

IEW class out of the house on Fridays (2.5 hours) and about 2-3 hours of related homework

Shared history or science reading with direct instruction on annotation and discussion of literary elements (3-7 hours a week)

Outdoor outtings- this week we went whale watching.. 2-5 hours a week.

Typing- independent 15 minutes a day

Logic-1-2 hours a week cumulative.

Oh yes, we also try to fit in at least one documentary or movie a week.  A favorite is to watch a movie that was adapted from a book she/we read and compare.

 

Best,

 

Julie in Monterey

[Holly]

My DD is 8th (but probably equivalent to every one else's 7th).   ;)  I've tried to cut out all busy work.

 

Daily subjects:

Math: 30 minutes (we set a timer and she finishes later if needed)

History: 20 minutes (plus an extra chapter to read later)

Science: 20 minutes

Language arts: probably 40-50 minutes by the time everything is totaled together--we use ELTL, so there are 3 lessons per week, but I divide it evenly over 5 days.  We also use Spelling Wisdom for dictation.

Bible: 15 minutes

piano: 30 minutes

foreign language (Spanish & Latin): 20 minutes

Memory work: 10 minutes

 

Extras (generally once or twice per week): Family Time Fitness ( we aim for 60 minutes per week),  nature study, Laying Down the Rails for Children (character), practical geometry & paper sloyd for applied math, picture study, composer study, folk song, hymn study, geography (about 40 minutes per week), handicrafts (this really varies and much is done on their own time)

 

We usually get the bulk of their work done in the mornings.  I try to save "extras" for the afternoon...foreign language and independent reading are often done in the afternoon.  Many of our fine arts subjects take about 5-10 minutes each.  Some take a bit longer.

 

[KeriJ]

Well......I ended up doubling a few subjects, but life picked up enough that she realized we should have left it the way we had it.  Writing assignments and music practice started taking more time.  So all in all, I think we had a good thing going in the first place.

 

But I have loved reading all of your schedules and ideas.  Thank you!

[KeriJ]

My DD is 8th (but probably equivalent to every one else's 7th).   ;)  I've tried to cut out all busy work.

 

Daily subjects:

Math: 30 minutes (we set a timer and she finishes later if needed)

History: 20 minutes (plus an extra chapter to read later)

Science: 20 minutes

Language arts: probably 40-50 minutes by the time everything is totaled together--we use ELTL, so there are 3 lessons per week, but I divide it evenly over 5 days.  We also use Spelling Wisdom for dictation.

Bible: 15 minutes

piano: 30 minutes

foreign language (Spanish & Latin): 20 minutes

Memory work: 10 minutes

 

Extras (generally once or twice per week): Family Time Fitness ( we aim for 60 minutes per week),  nature study, Laying Down the Rails for Children (character), practical geometry & paper sloyd for applied math, picture study, composer study, folk song, hymn study, geography (about 40 minutes per week), handicrafts (this really varies and much is done on their own time)

 

We usually get the bulk of their work done in the mornings.  I try to save "extras" for the afternoon...foreign language and independent reading are often done in the afternoon.  Many of our fine arts subjects take about 5-10 minutes each.  Some take a bit longer.

 

Holly, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how ELTL is going at some point.

[lisabees]

My daughter just came home for the first time, so we are still trying to figure out how to settle into our days.  

 

She schools from 8-3, including lunch and running her sister to dance in the am.

 

Math - 1 hour (AoPS)

English - 1 - 1.5 hours  - Read aloud, W&R Chreia, Killgallon's Grammar for Middle School, Figuratively Speaking (would like to add vocab)

World Cultures - 1 - 1.5 hours, depending on day

Science - 2 hours (her favorite).  Big History, documentary, videos, books, articles

Philosophy for Kids - a few times a week, probably about 20 mins.

Spanish - 20 mins a day

 

I usually give her 30 mins/day to research whatever she wants online or work with her robotic/engineering stuff.

 

I will be adding coding and logic.

 

She always reads a book on her own at night.

[Holly]

Holly, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how ELTL is going at some point.

 

We are super thrilled with it at the moment!  I have 3 DC using it (levels 2, 4, and 5).  I feel like it's a nice workload with no busy work.  It overlaps with some of our other CM subjects, so we are able to use it for picture study, poetry, and literature.  That saves me time finding things for those subjects.  I am not using the dictation portions since we really like Spelling Wisdom.  I think if I could design a LA program myself, it would be just like this!  My only regret is not looking into this last year.

 

I am hoping it continues to go as well.  My oldest is extremely writing-phobic, so that could be a huge problem if she doesn't like the writing lessons (she's only had two written narrations so far).  She did complain a bit, but managed to type them up.  I know some didn't feel like it doesn't have enough retention, but I think if they keep memorizing their grammar definitions, it will be plenty.