3 day school week

[LifeLovePassion]

If you only had 3 days a week for school, every other week 4 days, what would you focus on and how would you structure your days/weeks? The days we have out of the house we could maybe get 1-2 things done. We will do Story of the World audio and other audio books in the car.

 

3rd and 5th grades.

[HS Mom in NC]

I think I'd prioritize my subjects and integrate as many subjects as possible.

Top Priorities:

Reading -Phonics if it's still needed and Latin and Greek Roots as simply as possible in a memory game format like with Rummy Roots.  I'd keep a sharp eye out for any roots in our school and read loud time and ask the child what they mean as they come up.
Writing -narrations for the 3rd grader and outline based writing for the 5th grader if s/he has mastered narrations and copywork; simple, no frills grammar

Math-plug away at whichever curriculum works for you and your kids.
Read Alouds-I wouldn't link that to history or science, it would just be really high quality children's literature.

Please don't interpret "quality" as something written a century or more ago.  I know some people here insist that's what people mean when they use the term, but that's not true.  It can be old or new, it just needs to be quality.  Quality ideas, quality vocabulary, quality sentence structure, quality phrasing and imagery, quality characters, quality plot, and such.

I think I'd link history and science to reading and writing in such a way that each assignment could legitimately count as both history/science and reading/writing. I'd alternate, history/reading assignment, science/writing assignment, science/reading assignment, history/ writing assignment, rinse and repeat.

[PentecostalMom]

We actually do this. Four days one week, three the next. Dh is a LEO and we work around his schedule. Focus on the 3 R's, then extras. On days that he is off, but we're all home, they do fun stuff like science experiments, building auth dad, shooting sports, etc. It's been working fine for almost three years now.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Math every day.  Reading every day.  

 

We had to do something like this the year my dd was sick for months.  Pick the highest priority stuff and git er done.  We also chose to do handwriting practice (A Reason for Handwriting.  Short and sweet.) and Bible, in addition to math and reading.  

 

 

 

 

[Critterfixer]

I'd be looking really hard at doing school on the weekends.  It isn't easy to have a three day week and come up with enough practice in various skill subjects to achieve fluency. Not saying it isn't possible, because it might be, but is was not possible for me when we had a three day school week in K-2. 

Are you already counting in weekends as part of your school week? 

It just has been very difficult for my guys to build fluency in skills unless they have plenty of practice every week; hence the need for more than three days a week for us.

 

[kbutton]

We do a four-day week most of the year.

 

Consider having a week or day here and there where you plan to catch up on extras that might slip through the cracks ("Today is a science-theme day"), or consider a short-term intensive class now and then, like a science camp, if that is in your budget. Another option for the theme thing might be to do a theme day periodically in the summer to whittle away at something you know will get sidelined during the year. 

 

For things we don't need everyday practice with (can differ by child), we sometimes do extra lessons to finish in a short burst, then do another such subject in a short burst and get it done as well. It's easier than just adding more to the to-do list each day. Spelling is in this category for my older son. We do a program that has a daily list, and we work through numerous lists per day until it's finished for the year. Then, he fills that slot with some other subject (sometimes something fun that would not get finished otherwise).

[Soror]

My dd 3rd has had some 3 day weeks this year and it has been crazy making for me. I had not planned it that way but long story short it ended up that way. My son in 5/6th however was able to do at least a partial day on the 4th day, otherwise it would have been impossible at his level. So, I'd say if you can truly have time to get a couple of things done on those other days it is doable, doing Math and LA otherwise no. Next year I'm downright refusing to put our schedule that tight, come what may, really I'd rather not even do 4 day weeks.

Edited April 25, 2016 by soror

[LifeLovePassion]

Thanks for your feedback. I also forgot that science is more than covered with some outside classes and dd1's natural interest.

[Wabi Sabi]

What will the children be doing on the other days: at a sitter while you work? Taking outside classes/co-ops? Something else...? 

[LifeLovePassion]

Outside classes, some regular (science, American history/government and pe), some extra (piano, art)

[Wabi Sabi]

Outside classes, some regular (science, American history/government and pe), some extra (piano, art)

Ah, see, that's why I asked. Those count as school days, IMO, which means they still have 5 day school weeks and you're not trying to cram *everything* into only 3 days. 

 

So if science, history, PE, art and music are being covered on those two days, I imagine that will free up quite a bit on your 3 days at home assuming that you won't have to teach those subjects other than making sure they do any assignments, keep up with piano practice, etc? If so, I would focus on reading, grammar, writing, spelling, etc. on your days at home plus math, and at their ages, consider anything else to be bonus. On the days that you're out of house I would still try to get in a math lesson and listen to a good audiobook in the car, but otherwise not stress out about trying to do much else. 

[RoundAbout]

Math every day.  Reading every day.  

 

 

I agree, with an added "Writing most days"

 

I believe having a family culture of learning is the most important thing for the elementary years.  We've spent months on the road at a time where the only formal school work that got done each day was math, writing, and free reading.  But on those trips there were daily museum visits and ranger talks, NPR listening and art, long hikes and discussions.  Times when we're stationary - we dig into the school books more deeply.  It all balances out.