BJU DVD's - How long of a school day for 2nd and 6th?

[Kisa in CA]

How much time watching the DVD's and how much time doing independent work? What subjects did you NOT like?

[Melissa in CA]

Are you thinking of getting the entire grade level for your 6th grader? If so, expect a long day. Here is a run down of the time involved per subject...

 

Math 30 min video + 30 min homework (1 hr)

English 15 min video + 15/20 min. homework (30 min.)

Reading 30 min video + stopping video to read/homework 30 min. (1 hr)

Bible 15 min. video + 15/20 min. homework (30 min)

Spelling 15 min. video + 15/20 min homework (30 min)

History 30 min. video + stopping video to read/homework 30 min. (1 hr)

Handwriting 15 min video + 15 min.(maybe) homework (15-30 min)

Science 30 min. video + stopping video to read/homework/labs 30-40 min. (1 hr min)

 

I think that's it...about 6 hrs of school a day. These are estimates of course, but I think they are pretty close. Beginning in 7th grade you no longer have a full year of English and Reading. Instead you have English 1st semester and then Reading 2nd semester, but English is then 30 min instead of 15 min. In 1-4th grades you only have science 1 semester instead of yr-round.

 

I am not too sure of the class times for 2nd grade. I don't think they are as long though. I have the BJU satellite so I can pick and choose which subjects to use. I personally would not want to use BJU for each and every subject, and I know my son would not like that either. Their classes are top-notch, but sitting in front of a video screen all day for school would get exhausting...and a bit mind-numbing I think. Families do it though and LOVE it, so it IS done successfully. To get more info join the HomeSat yahoo group. They can help you out with up to date class info and such.

[Kisa in CA]

Thanks Melissa. That's helpful. We certainly would not do all subjects with BJU. I'm thinking of continuing with MFW but maybe doing math, english, spelling and reading with BJU. It's pricey, but may save my sanity.

THANKS AGAIN for taking time to share!

[Catwoman]

I don't know about 6th grade, but I know we never even spent 3 hours in total on our 2nd and 3rd grade BJU DVD courses. The classes are relatively short, with the longest running 30 minutes, and there are rarely more than a few worktext pages assigned per class -- and the DVD teacher often works through the first page with the child during the class time.

 

Addiitonally, the worktexts are bright and colorful, and the print is pretty large, so there isn't a ton of work to do on each page. The reading assignments are very reasonable, too.

 

Have you watched the sample lessons at BJUPress.com, or visited one of their motel meetings so you could view the DVDs and see all of the books in person? My ds really enjoyed using the BJU DVDs, and although we're using Oak Meadow for some variety this year, we will probably also order the BJU DVDs for "the basics," because the teachers do a nice job.

 

When we were choosing a program, my ds hated the Abeka samples, but loved the "individualized" instruction in the BJU classes. He also really liked all of the cute puppets and costumed characters.

 

If you check the BJU website, they list the running times for each class. We didn't need to add much time to that for the worktext pages, so we were always finished by lunchtime.

 

Cat

[Kisa in CA]

Thanks Catwoman! That helped a lot. No, I have not seen the samples on-line because for some reason they don't load on my computer. I did view them a few years back and liked them. It's a long time until there is a hotel meeting near me, but I will probably go just to make sure of my decision. Or I could order samples. My 10 year old would probably really like to see them.

 

I was worried about the time it would take to complete school, but my goodness, we're spending more than that on 1st grade.

 

I've used BJU reading before, but not their math. It's a real possibility for me next year. We'll see.

 

Thanks again for your input!

[mom2abcd]

Are you thinking of getting the entire grade level for your 6th grader? If so, expect a long day. Here is a run down of the time involved per subject...

 

.

 

How much homework time is needed in addition to the dvd time? I don't imagine they let the dvd run while a kid reads or fills in the blanks, do they?

[Kisa in CA]

How much homework time is needed in addition to the dvd time? I don't imagine they let the dvd run while a kid reads or fills in the blanks, do they?

 

Melissa breaks this down in the post above. :)

[Melissa in CA]

How much homework time is needed in addition to the dvd time?

 

Homework time really varies from day to day and child to child. Some children will zip through their math work, some will take FOREVER. Some days math will be quick, some days it will be long division and more time consuming. Also some classes, like Reading and Science, include projects. If your child does each and every project those do take time. So my above quotes are estimates only.

 

I don't imagine they let the dvd run while a kid reads or fills in the blanks, do they?

 

No, the child is told by the teacher to pause the DVD and read pages such-in-such, or do question such-in-such. Then when they have finished they will continue the DVD.