CM/Classical 4th grade schedule?

[runninl8]

Those trying to combine a CM/Classical approach, I would love to see your schedules for  4th grade.
Every time I think I have mine down, I realize it is still unrealistic- time wise. I'm using shorter lessons, but I think I am having trouble with the 4 day schedule I am trying to pull off.  I would love to see how short or long others are spending on their subjects and how you are spreading all your subjects out for your 9/10 year olds.

[Holly]

I'll have a 4th grader next year.  We're switching from CM to more of a Latin-Centered Curriculum approach.  Lately, we've been focusing on 3Rs (plus Latin) in the morning and everything else in the afternoons.  It's amazing how much more efficient it seems!  I used to do all the "fun" subjects in the morning and by the time we got to 3Rs, I was in a hurry to speed through it.  Now we are able to take our time with the 3Rs and can relax through the "extras". 

 

Here is my plan for the coming year:

Chores & breakfast clean-up until 9:00, I may have phonics & preschool time while the older DC clean up breakfast.

9-10:00 Latin (60 minutes)--since her Prima Latina lesson won't take that long, she can start with math or language arts while the older two finish their lesson (Visual Latin).

10-10:45  Math-MUS (30-40 minutes)--She won't take that much time, so she'll have a break in here.

10:45-12:00  Language Arts-60+ minutes--it seems like a lot, but I have 4 school-aged DC plus a toddler.  We take some breaks in there and she often practices piano at this time.  Next year she'll be doing ELTL 3, R&S Spelling 4, Cheerful Cursive, and Classical Composition: Fable.  She often listens to her ELTL literature reading on Librivox, so I can work with other DC during this time.

If we get a good start, I can sometimes fit in a read-aloud before lunch as well.  I usually try to fit in Bible & memory work too.  We sometimes continue with these subjects after lunch if we get a late start or have interruptions.

12:00  Lunch break with some free time until 1:00

1-2pm Quiet reading time 30-60 minutes--They can fit some of their history or literature readings in here.

2-3:30  Extra subject or two (60-90 minutes): classical studies, modern studies, science, art

3:30-4:30+ Outdoor time

 

 

I'm not sure where our "morning basket" will fit in.  I may add this in right after lunch.  I'm not good at actually following schedules, so we have more of a routine than set times...I tried to add in about what time I try to hit each subject.  I have a 2yo, so there are tons of interruptions and delayed naptimes throwing off our entire day.  

Edited April 21, 2016 by Holly

[Ms.Ivy]

My 4th grader this year does main school stuff 4 days a week and then a different set of stuff on Friday.

 

It kind of goes like this:

 

Starting at 8 am sharp, work on memory work for about 10 minutes, including copying it.

 

Then he does 45 minutes of music, a couple of pages of math, 15 minutes of math facts practice, and 2 pages of Latin.

 

We do our Morning Time, for maybe an hour, where we cover read alouds, singing, Shakespeare, Spanish, and more memory work (capitals of countries this year).

 

Then we do an English lesson for 15 minutes or so, and he reads to me aloud for another 10 minutes. He does about 10 minutes of work on Greek. We also fit in a 15 minute spelling lesson most days.

 

He does some sports training for an hour, and then we spend about 30 minutes to an hour on science or history or more music. Once a week we go to the park instead.

 

During lunch I play audio books for him to listen to, and he reads on his own a little each day.

 

On Fridays, he works on computer stuff, art, and cooking, or we watch a documentary or something.

 

Eta.... sometimes an English writing assignment will take a while, so he works on that in the afternoon before dinner, but it is only once a week or so. The rest of our English lessons are done mostly orally, with a bit of diagramming. We do not do everything the books suggest. I pick only exercises that are truly needed for that kid on that day. There is a lot of overlap between Latin and English grammar, so it can get pared down quite a bit from the recommendations in the English books. Perhaps you will need to evaluate your resources to be sure you are not doubling up on skills.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Ms.Ivy

[Bluegoat]

 

Those trying to combine a CM/Classical approach, I would love to see your schedules for  4th grade.

Every time I think I have mine down, I realize it is still unrealistic- time wise. I'm using shorter lessons, but I think I am having trouble with the 4 day schedule I am trying to pull off.  I would love to see how short or long others are spending on their subjects and how you are spreading all your subjects out for your 9/10 year olds.

 

 

I'm past 4 with my oldest now, and will be doing 3 with my middle girl.  We've also used a 4 day schedule for years as one day a week we have music classes in the morning, so I have found a few things that worked to take the pressure off the other days.

 

One is that there are some subjects I largely transferred to the summer - mainly, nature study.  It's not a complete thing - we still do some in other seasons, but what I've found is that with kids of all ages, getting out in our cold winters is just unreliable.  And in summer we also do things like camping or travel to places that offer some neat opportunity, and it is gardening season.

 

So during the main school year, we just do science reading about once or twice a week, and documentaries here and there (often on really bad weather days.)

 

I've also had some luck with tucking some subjects into little spare spots.  For example last year I had an art history book I wanted to use but I didn't want to add it on to our regular day.  Instead, I gave it to dd on our music day, to read a chapter while she waited for her sister to do her lesson.  She didn't narrate it or anything but it was I think worthwhile for a kind of extra subject.

 

At various times I've switched music practice into afternoons.

 

I also have always found that I need to look really hard at whether I am doing some things twice, or some things too often.  There have been times I've wanted to do, say, science reading every day, but I've realized that I need to alternate with something else, or that I have too many subjects that require writing.

[Chelli]

 

Those trying to combine a CM/Classical approach, I would love to see your schedules for  4th grade.

Every time I think I have mine down, I realize it is still unrealistic- time wise. I'm using shorter lessons, but I think I am having trouble with the 4 day schedule I am trying to pull off.  I would love to see how short or long others are spending on their subjects and how you are spreading all your subjects out for your 9/10 year olds.

 

 

Here is my upcoming 4th grader's schedule for next year:

 

We do regular school 4 days a week and then 1 day of very light school.

 

On regular days:

 

Power Hour with siblings (Bible, geography, Latin, poetry, art/music appreciation, special studies, etc.)

45 minute block of math (this dd LOVES math so she's working through various math curricula)

15 minutes of Spanish

45 minute block of LA (writing, grammar, literature, spelling on a loop)

20ish minutes of assigned independent reading

 

30-45 minute block of history or science depending on the term (I block schedule these so history in the winter and summer and science in the fall and spring)

 

Total time: almost 4 hours

 

On light day:

 

Nature study

art

Thinking Tree homeschool journal

computer learning (prodigy math, dance mat typing, reading eggspress, etc.)

 

No time limits.

[birchbark]

This also is next year's plan, so I'm guessing times:

 

Math: 30 minutes

Circle Time (Bible, poetry, lit): 30 minutes

Content subject (science, history, etc): 20-30 minutes

Copywork & Dictation: 10-15 minutes

Written narration: 10-15 minutes

Music: 15 minutes

Spanish: 20 minutes

Free reading: 1-2 hrs.

 

I also am thinking of doing one light day a week, in which we would do math, art, and baking.

 

Edited April 22, 2016 by birchbark

[runninl8]

Here is my upcoming 4th grader's schedule for next year:

 

We do regular school 4 days a week and then 1 day of very light school.

 

On regular days:

 

Power Hour with siblings (Bible, geography, Latin, poetry, art/music appreciation, special studies, etc.)

45 minute block of math (this dd LOVES math so she's working through various math curricula)

15 minutes of Spanish

45 minute block of LA (writing, grammar, literature, spelling on a loop)

20ish minutes of assigned independent reading

 

30-45 minute block of history or science depending on the term (I block schedule these so history in the winter and summer and science in the fall and spring)

 

Total time: almost 4 hours

 

On light day:

 

Nature study

art

Thinking Tree homeschool journal

computer learning (prodigy math, dance mat typing, reading eggspress, etc.)

 

No time limits.

This is off my original topic, but how do you like the Thinking Tree journals? I was wanting to use one for my son over the summer, but there are SO MANY. I couldn't figure out how to narrow it down.

Edited April 22, 2016 by runninl8