For those who create their own lesson plans, how do you approach it?

[Frontier Mom]

I am using an eclectic mix that I got here and am excited about the next year. However, I need lesson plans so I will be on track. I am using WTM, with Omnibus, Spievogel's Human Odyssey, etc. I want to pull together a lesson plan over the summer when I have more time. I am looking at doing ancients and pulling a set number of books we will read out and going through them at a diligent pace. However, I want to stop and dine with the characters along the way too.

 

I am wondering specifically if you just use a spiral notebook and write out each day, use a computer spreadsheet, use HST+ which I have, use something like Home School Planner or something else. I find that the better my lesson plans are done during the summer, the more effective our year turns out. This year I used TOG for that reason and I want to do something similar.

 

Can you give me examples, advice and suggestions please?

[mcconnellboys]

I use a planner and schedule out all subjects for the year. For the more involved subjects of history and science, I tend to type my plans up on my computer and print out these more detailed plans, which include booklists that we'll cover by week, etc.

[elegantlion]

I do my own lesson plans for some subjects. I have the basic HST but I need the copy in my hands to work best. I have found donnayoung.org forms to be wonderful for planning.

 

Here are some of her lesson plans forms. I have also recently discovered google docs to make some great spreadsheets online.

[Jenny in Florida]

I just use a table in Microsoft Word. I chunk things out by the week. Then my son and I go over the week's goals on Monday, and he figures out how much of each thing he's going to do each day.

 

I have samples of one of my lesson plans and his weekly planner on my blog: http://tweakedacademy.blogspot.com/2008/09/cheating.html

 

I find it works best for me to sketch things out on paper. (I've been using the same planning notebook for a few years, now.) I add up all the pages or lessons of each resource, then divide that by the number of weeks in our academic year. I then go through and figure out how to align the things that need aligning (how to make sure he's reading the novel about ancient Egypt in the same week he's reading the Egyptian information in the encyclopedia, for example). It doesn't always work out neatly, of course, but I do my best to make it make sense.

 

Once I have it all figured out on paper, I type it up on my table, one for each week.

 

I've been doing this for about three years, and it works quite well for us.

[dymphna57]

HST basic isn't really designed for lesson plans more for the weekly repeat plans.

I use HST + which allows me to write my plans in the summer but more importantantly I can tweak easily. If a certain section takes more or less time I only put about two weeks of the LP on the weekly assignments so it is easy to change.

I find I add things for some children that others don't need or can't do so I just skip those items and schedule the next thing.

I agree, my year goes better if the weekly assignment pages look better.

[Liza Q]

What Jenny in FL said!!

[asta]

With vodka.

 

:cheers2:

 

 

asta

[momof2boys]

The past 2 years I have used HTT+, however I have found that i still tend to type of more detailed lessons for history and science and print those out and attach them to the boys lesson plans.

Gloria

[FloridaLisa]

I plan much like Jenny in Florida.

 

Lisa

[elegantlion]

With vodka.

 

:cheers2:

 

 

asta

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Frontier Mom]

Thanks. I find HST+ works great for things like math but as I am trying to plan the high school years, I want my ds to take more control over how he works on things. I think your method sounds great and gives me some guidance.

 

Looking forward to getting started with planning.

[Jean in Wisc]

I've used Homeschool Tracker. It does a nice job, but you have to figure it out.

 

I've also used Word and sometimes Excel to record what I want to do for each day's assignment. I make at least 160 days worth of school (and we never get it all done in 160 days). A simple one would look like this:

 

Economics

 

1. 1.1

2. 1.2

3. 1.3

4. 1.4

5. 1.5

6. 1.6

7. 1.7

8. Chapter 1 Review

9. Quiz 1; 2.1

10. 2.2

11. 2.3

12. 2.4

13. Chapter 2 Review

14. 3.1

15. Quiz 2; 3.2

16. 3.3

17. 3.4

18. 3.5

19. 3.6

20. Quiz 3; Chapter 3 Review

21. Test 1 (Covers chapters 1-3)

22. 4.1

23. 4.2

24. 4.3

25. 4.4

26. Quiz 4; 4.5

27. Quiz 5; 4.6

28. Quiz 6; Chapter 4 Review

29. 5.1

30. 5.2

31. 5.3

32. Chapter 5 Review

33. Test 2 (Covers chapters 4-5)

34. 6.1

35. 6.2

36. 6.3

37. Quiz 7; 6.4

38. 6.5

39. 6.6

40. Quiz 8; Chapter 6 Review

41. 7.1

42. 7.2

43. 7.3

44. 7.4

45. 7.5

46. 7.6

47. Chapter 7 Review

48. Test 3 (Midterm covering chapters 1-7)

49. 8.1

50. 8.2

51. 8.3

52. 8.4

53. 8.5

54. Quiz 10; 8.6

55. 8.7

56. Quiz 11; Chapter 8 Review

57. 9.1

58. 9.2

59. 9.3

60. 9.4

61. Quiz 12; 9.5

62. 9.6

63. Chapter 9 Review

64. Test 4 (Covers chapters 8-9)

65. 10.1

66. 10.2

67. 10.3

68. 10.4

69. Quiz 13; Chapter 10 Review

70. 11.1

71. 11.2

72. 11.3

73. 11.4

74. Quiz 14; 11.5

75. Chapter 11 Review

76. 12.1

77. 12.2

78. Quiz 15; 12.3

79. 12.4

80. Chapter 12 Review

81. Test 5 (Covers chapters 10-12)

82. 13.1

83. 13.2

84. Quiz 16; 13.3

85. Chapter 13 Review

86. 14.1

87. 14.2

88. 14.3

89. Quiz 17; Chapter 14 Review

90. Test 6 (Final exam covers chapters 1-14)

 

With Homeschool Tracker, a sheet can be made with all the assignments for a day or a week. That is nice. With the Word worksheets, we just cross off each lesson when it gets done. If we have the days of school numbered on a calendar, we can always tell if we are on schedule or not.

 

HTH,

Jean

[Mandy in TN]

I use an excel spreadsheet. I add in 36 worksheets. Then I link them together and format all of them together. Then, once they are formatted with the books in column A and days across the top row (well, the top row below the title and whatever else I want up there), I go through one page at a time and add in exact page numbers and whatnot.

This year for my little guy I filled in for the whole year and then I have made changes, added things, and subtracted things as the year has gone by. I have printed it out… more than once.:blushing:

For my middle guy I made the 36 formatted worksheets in June, typed in and printed out the first 9 weeks. At the end of the 9 weeks I typed in and printed out the second 9 weeks. This semester I have pretty much everything typed in, but I am printing it out weekly, so that I can edit each week as needed.

 

My big guy is primarily outsourced, so he no longer receives a check list.

 

Oh, and typing is faster than writing, so I don't bother writing anything out by hand.

 

HTH-

Mandy