Please tell me about these things called "planners."

[3lilreds in NC]

I have a paper planner that came with my curriculum. I dutifully went through and filled it out for the first quarter with the things we were supposed to do each day. It looked fabulous - until the first week when we didn't get everything done. Now I either have to scrap the silly thing or do a LOT Of erasing.

 

So, tell me how you use these things. Do you actually complete every single thing every week so you don't have to worry about erasing? Do you only fill out a week at a time and then move things forward as necessary?

 

I have made a weekly checklist for myself, broken into days, with each subject listed. What I might do is insert a line under each subject so I can write in what we do each day after I check it off. The plans are lovely, but it's so frustrating when we don't get things done.

 

I've seen some spreadsheets and such that people use. I am thinking that some kind of electronic planner would be better than this paper thing. I suppose I don't *have* to fill it out so far in advance. It was so much fun to pull things out for each week to see how it was all going to come together, though. :D

 

I've tried the free online thing at Home School Inc, and it doesn't make much sense to me. It takes a LONG time to put things in. I have gotten so annoyed with the process that I've never finished to see what it will do. :blush:

[Plucky]

I only fill mine out a week in advance. I look at the calendar and set up my days according to our commitments. I have all our subjects broken down into daily lessons in my master plan book unless it's a do the next thing type of material. This makes it easy to make my weekly lesson plan and we are able to accomplish more. It's rare that we do everything planned. I usually have to move things to the next week. I do my weekly plan in word and color code everything so I have everything for the week for all 4 kids on one page. I need to keep things simple when we are in the thick of it.

 

I also write in my kids' daily planners because they like to see what their day looks like, too. It teaches them about planning and organization and 3 of my kids love it.

[3lilreds in NC]

Elaine, what kind of planners do you use for your kids? I think my kids would like that very much.

 

Also, what do you do for a master planner? Can you tell me how that works?

[Carrie12345]

I really want an e-planner than is set up to bump lessons.

 

In the meantime, I do have a page for each subject, outlining the quarter. I keep it short ("First Farmers", "Lesson 11", "Birds" etc.) because I've already burned through plenty of erasers.

 

I make more detailed plans on a weekly planner sheet, and I only fill those out one week in advance.

[MicheleinMN]

We use the planners from:

http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/list/Teacher_Helps/

 

The black Weekly Lesson Plan book - Each child has his/her own and I have one too.

 

I only write out one week in advance. Each child goes over his/her list with me in the morning, and I try to check them before *turn time* (PS2/video game turn time after school). I did have to split each subject section in half so that I could have enough sections to write out their work.

 

 

HTH,

Michele

[Plucky]

For the kids I just use $3 basic planners from walmart. I'm cheap. I write in their daily/weekly assignments along with any extra experiment or history project time with me.

 

My master planner consists of my our goals and plans for the year and that is in word as well. Then I divide textbooks or living books materials into however many days we plan on working along with notes for dictation or projects. Sunday evening I can easily see where we are and plug the assignments into our weekly planner.

 

Sometime, Monday morning I enter the assignments into my kids' planners. Three of them love checking off their work and seeing what is expected of them.

[Mom to Aly]

I have two planners--a small one for my purse for appts, etc, then a larger one for my desk. I reconcile it with my purse, and fill in what we have done in school--after we have done it. I seldom have to erase ;).