How do you track lesson plans, attendance, what you've accomplished, etc?

[CHSgirl]

I am a complete newbie to homeschooling looking for some input from you veterans on how you track your lesson plans, attendance, what you've accomplished each day, etc., for both yourself and your accountability group. Basically all of the logistical type busy work. 

 

I would love to hear what works for you all, e.g. do you track all of these things separately or in one place? Do you use some kind of template on your computer? Is there a crazy good planner out there where you write everything down? Do your children look at YOUR lesson plan each day/week to know what's expected of them, or do you create a separate one for them?

 

If you don't accomplish everything you've planned to accomplish on a given day/week, how to you keep track of what you actually HAVE accomplished? And how do you manage your plan so it's easily modified?

 

I'm a little type A and LOVE to have things organized, but I don't want to spend a lot of time maintaining all of this stuff. I'm more than happy to spend time up front to get it right, but I'm trying to avoid having to redo everything when our week doesn't go as planned. Basically trying to set things up to give myself a little grace this first year and not stress myself out! 

 

Any input is appreciated!

[Tess in the Burbs]

there are online planners.  I have a paper system I like.  I printed off my own schedule page and I write in our weekly schedule.  This way I can erase/shift as needed.  I was printing too much to do this all on the computer lol.  But at the end of the year, the entire schedule we actually finished can be put into a large envelope and stored.  I usually had a calendar page for the year in there as well marking off any holidays/vacation days.  Field trip list and anything else pertinent to that year as well.   So while I have a lot of organizational spreadsheets on the computer, I print out forms and fill it in to save in for any reason in the future someone wanted to see it.  

 

 

We start high school this year, so I'm creating a notebook of every class with the syllabus, final grades, work samples as we go along.  Totally separate from our boring yearly schedule.  

[dragonflyer]

At the beginning of the year I plan out my goals and how much needs to be done for each subject per week.  So, right now, I do AAS 2 x/week and PLL 2-3 x/week depending on outside activities.

I do my lesson "planning" week by week writing a to-do list (1 column per day with subjects in rows) for my child.  These are made up at the beginning of each week to allow for slippage.  I always have a lighter day on Thurs/Fri to allow for any catchup needed.

At the end of the day, I transfer everything that was actually done into a separate spreadsheet.  These are printed double-sided and included in the yearly portfolio.

 

Not sure if that helps, but it is another example of how it can work.

[lanalouwho]

I use a table I created in Word. I make plans for a 4 day week, and use the fifth day to catch up if we need it. I only plan/print checklists 6 weeks at a time. We do 6 weeks on, then a break week (a break for him, planning for me). During that week, I pull/print out all worksheets and put them behind the appropriate checklist.

 

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[Chelli]

For attendance I made my own table in Word with months across the top and numbers 1 through 31 down the side. When we do school that day I put a check mark in the appropriate box.

 

For keeping track of what we do each day, I made a checklist template where I write in what we complete each week. You can see a picture of it here.

 

I lesson plan by subject so that it doesn't matter if we get behind or ahead since it's easily adjustable. You can read about my process of doing this here on my blog and see pictures of my subject lesson plan pages from this year's planner here and here and here.

 

Last year was the best year I've had planning. It was super simple and didn't fail me all year long!

[Porridge]

For my personal tracking, I have a large Excel (or Google Sheets) file with various tabs.

Tab 1: Attendance: Here I have one column with the date, one column where I put an x if the child "attended" school that day. 

Tab 2: Reading List: Here I track all the books they read. I'm type A, too (high five to you, OP!), so I track every book.  I have a column for month (I don't track the exact date the book was read), column for title, column for author, then 3 columns for category tags (e.g. science, history, medieval, etc - any key words in case I need to search later), then columns for each child. I put an x in the child's column if they read that book (or heard it as a read-aloud).  Finally, I recently added a column for rating - 5 if we loved it, 1 if it was a waste of time.

Tab 3: History spreadsheet: I track our Story of the World work here

Tab 4: Field trips and Special Projects: I track field trips, science fair, oral presentations, etc.

Tab 5: Science: I track our science here. This is a work in progress as we don't follow a formal science curriculum

Tab 6-9: This year, I'm making  a comprehensive plan for the whole year (gulp).  I've borrowed alot from the Ambleside Online and broken the year into 3 terms. Each term has it's own tab. I have a column for each week of that term. In the rows, I've listed which readings from which sources we plan (or hope) to read each week.  

Tab 10: Memory work - We don't follow a formal memory curriculum, but here I track the things that we do choose to memorize. We fly by the seat of our pants on memory work - whatever inspires us. We are usually memorizing one bible passage at any given time, then also aim for a poem every 1-2 months.

 

For the day to day, I use Scholaric to print daily checklists for my children.  I've liked SCholaric so far - it doesn't have lots of bells and whistles like Homeschool Tracker, but it was very intuitive to learn and it is enough for what I need at this stage. It's also inexpensive. Each night, I print a checklist for my older child to use the next day. She's pretty independent now and she'll work through her list on her own (the stuff she can do on her own) while I work with the younger. When I've finished with the younger, I then switch to help my older with the subjects she needs me for.

 

Edited to add:

It doesn't take me much time to maintain these records at all. Once you set up your templates (that part takes time), it takes a few minutes a day or week to update it.  For Scholaric, I spend about 5 minutes each night updating the checklist for the next day and printing it.

Edited August 1, 2016 by JHLWTM

[Tenaj]

I use Homeschool Tracker online.  The main feature that I really enjoy is the ability to input lesson plans and then feed them into our daily schedule.  I can use lesson plans over and over for different kids.

[JenneinCA]

Truthfully, I don't track.

 

My big kids are are taking classes at the community college. They manage their own time.

 

My youngest...

We do math first. I teach the next lesson in the book. He writes his work in a spiral notebook. It works. I care about understanding and we go as fast or slow as necessary.

Then Japanese. We do whatever the teacher assigned. And use the checklist the teacher provides.

Then the unit study. It has copy work and reading and some writing. He uses a new spiral notebook for each unit. This is where he learns how to write a sentence or plan an essay. We cover exactly as much as he can handle and then stop.

 

So if I want to see that he did something I just look at his notebooks.

 

But I am an ultra minimalist when it comes to schoolwork. I think math and writing and foreign language are necessary and everything else, really everything else, can be interest led and ungraded until at least high school age. That means I don't worry about science or history or anything else before the child is ninth grade age. We do learn that stuff but through documentaries and talking and not official school stuff. No grades. No reports. No tests. Just do the next thing and keep improving.

[Arcadia]

When we use an online charter, I was given the lesson plans in spreadsheet format, a tab for each subject. All I did for my own record keeping was to key in the date completed next to the item.

 

When we were thinking of switching to another charter, they wanted a daily log of work done. My friend who use that charter just use a composition book, write the date and log the work her child did.

 

When we switch to homeschooling, I didn't keep records. I have certain goals in my head for each child but I am flexible about how to attain those goals. We school year round so it is not an issue if we need to overrun to summer.

[wathe]

I keep a binder with 4 sections:

 

1) Seatwork.  A simple printed excel spreadsheet grid, with subjects listed down left hand side of the page and a spaces for the date across the top.  Each day we do seat work, I stamp the date at the top of a column, and note page numbers done beside each subject.  I have a few blank spaces for notes/unique projects.  Five days per page.

 

2) Independent reading.  A simple list of books read independently

 

3) Read Alouds and Audiobooks.  Again, a simple list.

 

4) Journal.  A place to note things we've done, places we've been, and all other things schoolish that aren't seatwork.

 

I don't keep a separate attendance record.  I suppose if I ever needed to count days, I could count up journal entries and seatwork days.

Planning is macro, not micro.  I don't set weekly work schedules.  We just do the next thing.  So long as there is progress, I'm happy.  I don't get fussed about finishing a program in exactly 36 weeks, for example.

[Guest]

Ummm.... why do you need to track?  I've been homeschooling for fifteen years and I've never done that.  (???)

[Loowit]

I don't track attendance.  I am not required to, so I don't bother.  I also don't really track my planning for anyone other than myself.  I have created a set of monthly calendars with the week numbers, holidays, etc. for our school year which I put into a binder.  My binder also has pockets for each day of the week where I can put in any worksheets or things that we are going to be doing.  I don't use my pockets much now that the kids are older though.

 

The curriculum I use has a teacher manual with everything broken down into weeks.  It includes plans for history, science, music, art, and Bible.  It also includes spots to write in lesson plans for the other subjects, however, I do my own spreadsheets on my computer.  Typically I plan out the whole year for language arts, math, and foreign language for each kid a few weeks before we start in the fall, but often by a couple months in I end up tossing it.  And then I start doing an open and go each day doing the next thing in the book.  I do check at least once a month to make sure that we are on schedule to finish by my planned end date.

[theelfqueen]

I use Five Js Grade book Plus for tracking attendance, booklist, course descriptions and grade book. It's a free download for Excel.

 

I do my planning in excel then transfer to a paper planner. Each day I copy an assignment checklist for the kid (mine are older) into a to do notebook that is dated. After each assignment is complete the kids highlight it. It will appear on their list again the next day as needed. I have some blank days in my long term planning for each subject to give some leeway if we fall behind.

 

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[theelfqueen]

Margaret, me too! "Is your list done?"

 

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[Sherry in OH]

My records are kept in Word documents. The only required documents I create are curricula lists arranged by state-mandated subject submitted to the school district each year and end of year portfolios for review by a qualified evaluator.  Tracking attendance is not required.

 

For my own use, I create a preliminary schedule for a typical week in table format.  This schedule is modified if necessary, but provides a beginning framework.  In the same document, following the table, I list any special topics I plan to cover and the resources I plan to use:  August – BSA child safety/Internet safety material (health) and poetry; September – finish poetry unit then presidential elections (civics); October – fire safety and drugs and alcohol (health); November – election results (civics); etc.

 

My plan for all subjects is do the next thing.  Some subjects, math, for example, come pre-organized. For subjects where I use multiple resources, I create Word documents.  The history document is set up in units.  Under each unit heading I list the resources I plan to use. I also indicate the format and whether it is something I own, a library resource, free online, or something to be purchased.  (I create a calendar table when planning multi-resource subjects, but don’t really use it beyond the planning stage.)  Other subjects, I simply divide the number of pages by the number of days or weeks I plan to use the resource. 

 

In addition to these files I keep a document labeled daily plans and one labeled school year Overview.  The daily plans file is where I note plans for the next two weeks or so.  Mostly, this is a merging of readings for history, science, literature, and special topics plus projects and outside activities.  Subjects covered as seatwork are only noted in detail if they are outside the ordinary.  At the end of each school day, I move anything we didn’t do to the next appropriate day, then delete the current day. Once a week, I add another week to the end of the file.  The Overview is where I keep track of books read, field trips, outside classes, coverage of state mandated subjects and anything else I want to note.   This document forms the core of the narrative portions of my children’s end of year portfolios.  

 

 

 

 

[HomeAgain]

We use a free online planner.  I log into homeschoolskedtrack first thing in the morning and update as we go along.  I use a spreadsheet for planning, Skedtrack for keeping track of accomplishment/attendance.

[Another Lynn]

I plan one week at a time in Excel, days across the top, subjects down the left. Every Sunday afternoon, I insert a new sheet and copy and paste the old one over (keeping formatting). It only takes a few minutes to edit lesson numbers, page numbers etc. At the top of each sheet I put the week number so that's sort of my "attendance." I print a copy for me and for each child so we both know what we're doing without sharing. Then I have a paper file (as well as the digital file) of work for the year. I mark changes in pencil if needed.

 

I also keep a reading log of ALL books read with a column to note which subject the books pertain to.

 

At the end of the year I summarize what we did for each subject.

[TX Native]

I just circle the dates we do school on a one page July-December calendar and another January-June calendar worksheet the umbrella school provides. I have to submit this 2x/year. I started out writing down each thing we did in each subject for each day of school. I QUICKLY dropped that. Now I just write out the resources we are using at the 1st of the year (this gets turned into the umbrella school), write a start date for each thing, do the next lesson or chapter that comes up in those resources each day we do that subject, and write in the complete date when it is completed. This helps me not to fret or have to change any dates up if we unexpectedly miss lessons here and there. I also keep a list of books read. I may write the start date and the completion date on this list in the rare event I am in somewhat of a type A personality mode, lol. Usually, I just write down the book title and author after it is read. I turn this list into the umbrella school at the end of the year with my attendance and grade reports. At this stage, I just estimate grades (A for great work, B for satisfactory work, and I haven't had to do a C or D yet.) When they reach 7th grade I plan to come up with an accurate grading system.

 

For my kids' reference, I have a chart posted on their wall with a loose structure of the school days' expectations. It has

1. Chores. (with an assignment for each day of the week)

2. Independent work (with indents that say handwriting, reading lesson, math worksheet, spelling lesson, etc...)

3. Group work (with indents that say things like history, science, poetry, art, read aloud, etc...)

4. or 5. Practice piano or one on one lessons with mom (they rotate the order)

6.writing assignment

 

My oldest also has a sheet that says what book to read for reading time each day of the week (Mondays-Bible, Tuesdays-a biography, Wednesday-a lit book, etc....). He just looks at it and reads where he left off. I assign about 20 minutes to this if I think he won't know where to stop.

[mamaraby]

Spreadsheet, OneNote, and iCal.

 

My attendence is on a spreadsheet because I am required to track hours per state law and the formulas do the math for me.

 

My lesson plans/what we accomplished are all in OneNote which means both the kids and I know what needs to be done and the kids can check things off on their own.

 

ICal keeps track of classes/appts/acrivities because then I get reminders and am always where I need to be when I need to be there. Plus, everyone else in the family is aware as well.

Edited August 1, 2016 by mamaraby

[sbgrace]

I'm a planner, but a little different than you describe.

 

I plan subjects so that I have a "do the next thing" system. So lesson plans I'm creating--say science--I print out, in order, the plans I created and put them in a binder or bind them. If a program, like math or spelling, is already do the next thing I don't have any planning to do. So all my subjects are pre-planned. 

 

I do math and LA core subjects daily and work other things in as they fit, with an idea in my mind of how often those things should be done to keep progressing. So today I had a source document activity planned for history that was time consuming, so I shortened science. We'll finish the science lesson tomorrow, when history will be just a reading. I do formal reading comprehension stuff once a week, and I fit it in on a day when our composition work is kind of light. That's what I mean about working things in as they fit.

 

If I had to keep records for an outside group, I think I would set up a printed/written thing with my every day subjects, like math, on each date. At the end of the day, I would jot down the additional things that we did particularly that day or specific details about what we did in everyday subjects.  It would be more like a record than a plan. Because day in and out plans like that just don't work for me, and, if I needed accountability, keeping the record even post completion would be enough to keep me accountable.

 

Edited August 2, 2016 by sbgrace

[purpleowl]

Attendance: My state doesn't require me to track it, so I don't.

 

Lesson plans: In the past I've used Excel. Currently I just use spiral notebooks to make each child a checklist each day. The checklists serve as a record of what we've done. I do make a list in Excel or Word of the general plan for the year - what curricula we'll be working through, books to read, etc.

 

Books read: I use a Google form to input books read, and the results are in a Google spreadsheet. I edit the spreadsheet a bit (e.g. sorting by what subject area the books were read for) when it's time to put it in the portfolio for the annual evaluation.

[Mama2BugNBear]

Search "Megan Phillips homeschool planning" on YouTube. She has a couple of videos that were beyond helpful to me. She also made a couple of spreadsheets that she shared on her blog that she links in her videos.

[Mama2BugNBear]

Search "Megan Phillips homeschool planning" on YouTube. She has a couple of videos that were beyond helpful to me. She also made a couple of spreadsheets that she shared on her blog that she links in her videos.

[SereneHome]

Following

[happypamama]

OneNote.

 

Attendance -- required by my state to count days (and while I am of the mind that every day they learn something, I feel like reporting 365 days just invites them to scrutinize me more, so I don't do that). I have a form from askpauline.com that I pasted into OneNote, and I check off each day they do something that translates easily to the portfolio. Each portfolio age child has his/her own attendance calendar which gets printed at the end of the year. Very easy.

 

Books read -- Also required by my state. My OneNote has a tab for each group subject (including a tab with a table to record field trips), and one is for family literature. One of the pages under that tab has a table where I record anything we read or listen to as a group. Then each child has a group of tabs for their specific subjects and attendance, and under one, is a place for books that are specific to that child.

 

Lesson plans -- Some subjects are pretty obvious, like math. They just do the next thing. For subjects that aren't so simple, I use OneNote to make plans, and we just do the next thing on the list. They each have a checklist for each day of each week, with that day's subjects on it, and unless I write in something specific, they know to do the next thing in that subject.

 

My oldest checks her checklist on OneNote directly, which syncs across devices really nicely, so it can be checked anywhere, and I print out my sixth grader's list for him weekly because he prefers that. My second grader doesn't refer to his checklist -- I do that for him -- but his only independent subject as of yet is copy work. If Life Happens, and they don't get to every subject every day, NBD -- we just remove that subject from that day's checklist, and they'll do the next thing the next day. (I do have a table in OneNote where I've recorded a target point where each subject should be by four points in the year, so I know if we should make more time for a particular subject for a while.)

 

OneNote also will have a table for recording grades for high school students.

 

It took me a while to set up OneNote the first year, but then after that, it's been a simple copy and paste, with a few tweaks, each year. (The kids say that OneNote is my brain, and it really is -- school planning, notes about Christmas, chore lists, grocery lists -- it's all in OneNote. And iCal sends me reminders about appointments and to check in library books.)

 

I did print out a weekly planner for my younger children because they have more hands-on projects. For instance, under the second grader's History tab, OneNote might say "SOTW ch 2: The Celts," and under that heading it will have a list of things, like read chapter, map page, narration page, a list of supplemental books, and a list of possible projects. But then the science tab has reading and projects also, and the group geography tab does too. So I have a rough idea of Geography projects: Monday, History: Tuesday, Science: Wednesday, but each week, I look at the week and fill in the paper grid accordingly so that I can see that we don't do all the readings on one day and all the projects on another.

[Carrie12345]

My state requires 180 days, a log, and books used.

I keep all 3 reporting kids in a bound book with separate sections that include a 1 page calendar where I circle school days, a page where I list books used, and 1 page per week where I jot down subjects, activities, or whatever they did that day, with very little detail.

 

I'm keeping more detailed records for my high schooler this year, but they're not needed for the portfolio.

 

My lesson PLANNING, otoh, is a completely convoluted non-system that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.  This is our 10th year, and I've yet to find something that works the way I want it to work.  I'm pretty sure I'll master that once my last kid graduates!

[nannyaunt]

Everything we use is all just do the next thing so I don't really have to have lesson plans. During the actual school year I write down each thing we do in a composition notebook. I put the date at the top of the page.

1. Prayer

2. Recitation

3. Pledge

4. Handwriting

5. Phonics

6. Reading

7. Math pgs

 

This summer I made up a checklist for each child, some things were listed to be done Monday through Friday. Tuesday we have art, and on Thursday we have Music. On Friday we do a different math curriculum.

 

I expect when the school year begins again and I have fewer kids I will just go back to the composition book.

[73349]

I plan by the week to minimize changes. Spreadsheet in my signature--feel free to click around.

 

I am required to record not a certain number of instructional days, but which days they were, so I use a free printable calendar form provided by the state for that.

[Rebel Yell]

I have a graduate, a senior,mans a sophomore.

 

I do not keep track.

 

Each girl still homeschooling gets a weekly paper with subjects listed and suggested or required daily assignments, (meaning, if she does 5 days work in two, I'm fine win that.) As long as everything is finished by the end of the week, it's good. If there is reason to adjust the schedule by extending deadlines we do so. Anything that has to be done on a specific day or before a certain time (such as outside classes order lesson) is noted.

 

So everything is on one page for the week, if Math Lesson 67 was supposed to be completed on Weds but got done on Tues, I do not change the paper.

[freelylearned]

I have a bound planner (A Simple Plan) that I track everything in. I track assignments, activities, PE minutes, and even grades right on the weekly planning grid. The grades I put right next to the assignment. I list books read in the notes section next to the grid. I like having everything in one place. At the end of the month when I have to fill out forms for our charter school, I just flip through my planner and pull out the info I need.

[HS Mom in NC]

When I was at the "do the next thing" stage of my homeschool career I went to Staples, got their teacher planner, drew a diagonal line in all the boxes for the week, and wrote down what I did with each kid in each subject each day.  It had a place to write the date in for every day we did school.  Oldest's were in the top half of the box and then youngest's (now middle's) went in the bottom half.  Easy and accurate. I did planning and prepping throughout the year on weeknights and weekends as needed.

Now I plan the entire year and prep it and put all the assignments in a hanging file folder for each week.  I make a simple matrix chart in my word processor for each subject across the top and each week (we do 36) going down the left side of the page.  Every assignment in every subject (except math and phonics which are "do the next thing when the concept is mastered' subjects)  for the week is listed in the boxes.  Now I don't plan or prep anything on weeknights and/or weekends. I do all of it in last part of our summer break. Each kid had/has their own set of 36 hanging file folders and a rigid Friday afternoon at 3:00 deadline. Completed assignments go into a 3 ring binder labeled by subject on Friday when school is done.

I highly recommend every homeschooler keep track of what they're doing by using some method that works for them.  I think it's too easy to assume you're not doing enough and there are a few homeschoolers who think they are doing enough but really aren't and keeping track can help avoid both of those situations.

 

[cintinative]

I need to ask a potentially stupid question about tracking. We are very much "do the next thing" with respect to math.  So i just write the name of the book we are doing that day. I don't write the chapter, the lesson, the page, or any of that. I like to just see how much we get done in about 40 minutes, and then we stop and move on.  Is there going to be a time when I cannot do this with my kids, and when will that time arrive? I have a rising 5th and rising 4th.

 

ETA: For science, history, etc. I have a weekly schedule of what I want to get done and keep track of how we are going with that. 

Edited August 5, 2016 by cintinative