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Babs
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| Posted: Aug 04 2011 at 11:08am | IP Logged
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We are planning to use CWH Volume 3 this year and I am trying to do some lesson planning. I decided to try using Homeschool Tracker this year to hopefully have our lessons a little more organized. I would like to be able to print out a list of what is expected for a day or week. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out how to create a lesson plan because of the way the program is laid out. I was hoping someone might share how they have or would do this.
I just saw the MACKFAM's beautiful lesson plans on her blog and I am reconsidering HST.
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Mom to: ds 28 ds 22 ds 12 ds 9 and MIL  to dd 27
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kristinannie
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| Posted: Aug 04 2011 at 12:45pm | IP Logged
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I use HST+. Honestly, it was hard to figure out at first, but now I love it. There are two ways that I use to make my lesson plans. You can go under teacher and lesson plans. Then you can type in all the lesson plans you want and then submit them as needed. This is the best option if you want to reuse your lesson plans for other children. That way, you have a record of everything. I plan my unit studies this way. I submit the lessons individually because I usually have more than one lesson per day. I list each book separately. I like it because you can enter library books and books from home and downloads all seperately and know exactly where each book came from.
I also make individual assignments into the student assignment area. Each week, I make assignments for math, handwriting, religion, etc. I have found it easier to do it this way instead of automatically doing the whole year because it can be a pain to reschedule A LOT of entries. You could also make a lesson plan for each subject and then submit, but that takes longer IMHO. I also often add things we did to the assignment grid AFTER we do them. This usually includes read alouds or other projects that we did throughout the day. Once you complete an item, you check it complete.
I love HST+ because you can print out a lot of different assignment schedules. You can assign the same assignment for multiple kids. You can print out a list of everything completed at any time for your records. That way, I don't feel the need to keep all of my assignment pages or books.
If you have any specific questions, I would be glad to answer them. I have only been using it for a couple of months so I am definitely not an expert. I love it though!
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John Paul 8.5
Meredith Rose 7
Dominic Michael 4.5
Katherine Elizabeth 8 months
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Babs
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| Posted: Aug 04 2011 at 1:09pm | IP Logged
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There is a steep learning curve for HST! I have been working on it for a few weeks with other subjects but it is Connecting With History specifically that I am having a problem with. I should have been more clear.
The way CWH is set up, there are 8 units with booklists and many other parts in each unit. There is not any type of daily plan for the program so I am unsure how I would use HST with it and I was hoping someone had set up some type of lesson plans, even in a different type of planner.
I know they purposely don't add daily plans but I need to create some type of plan or I will still be wondering what we should be doing next May!
I am really hoping to use CWH Volume 3 because the time period it covers has some very difficult times and we definitely need a Catholic perspective to conquer this period in history.
I hope someone has some advice for creating a lesson plan.
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Aug 04 2011 at 6:28pm | IP Logged
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Babs wrote:
We are planning to use CWH Volume 3 this year and I am trying to do some lesson planning. I decided to try using Homeschool Tracker this year to hopefully have our lessons a little more organized. I would like to be able to print out a list of what is expected for a day or week. I am having a difficult time trying to figure out how to create a lesson plan because of the way the program is laid out. I was hoping someone might share how they have or would do this.
I just saw the MACKFAM's beautiful lesson plans on her blog and I am reconsidering HST. |
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  How very kind of you! I'm delighted that you enjoyed them! Sometimes, that visual helps someone else **see** an idea or a way something might look...and then from there that mom can translate that idea into her own plans that fit her family! At least, that's what I hope when I share, and I'm so glad that's what you're working toward! 
And, I'm so glad that kristinannie can give you some specific HST help because I don't know anything about it! 
If, however, you want to brainstorm other ways to get some plans on paper for CWH do let us know! I'm sure there are some other great folks around here that make use of HST.
Maybe this idea will be generic enough to somehow translate into your HST plans???? When I use a CWH guide for the year, I divide up the units into my terms....so 8 units for you divided by the number of terms/chunks of time that you're going to plan in. From there, I map out the books per term (btw, I NEVER use all the books recommended. Too bad, huh? SOOOOO many good books! There just isn't enough time in the day! BUT....I have found that the kids almost ALWAYS pick up the books we missed either in a later history rotation...or just as an independently chosen book). So, I list the book and the number of pages to be read on a given day:
************************************************************ *********
Example:
Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs --
The Bronze Bow read 6 pages/day
Detectives in Togas read 6 pages/day
Fri --
READ ALOUD from a core book or another book from the CWH lineup that I've selected...discussion time...and I set aside a block of time for project work or rabbit trails. I just set aside a block of time, and if there is an activity book you're using, I might list that in that block of time. I sometimes read aloud WHILE the kids are crafting or doing a history based art project.
If you're looking to incorporate the copywork and poetry selections in CWH, just list those in your language arts or poetry sections.
************************************************************ *********
Goodness, I can't help feeling like I didn't help much because I don't know the format of HST....so I'll just stop and invite all of you fantastic HST-pros to jump in here! Happy lesson planning, Babs!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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vmalott
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| Posted: Aug 04 2011 at 8:27pm | IP Logged
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I am currently giving a go with entering CWH vol. 1 into my HST+, so I feel your pain. 
How many age levels are you trying to schedule? I'm currently only working on my high schooler's plans right now, since I want that info in the tracker for her transcript.
For my 7th grader, who likes having her own bound planner, I write those plans out on a weekly basis and enter later. For the younger children, I just enter things in *after* they have been done. It's just easier that way. I will say, though, that I do substitute Story of the World and Usborne World History as my core books for beginner/young grammar levels, and there are downloadable plans in the HST Yahoo groups for SOTW, so that helps a bit with data entry. 
In my experience, much of the core texts and some of the basic books are broken down into what is typically readable in a day.
So, what I'd do is schedule a reading from the core text (if there are two cores listed, choose one to use for the year...you're not meant to do both!), a reading from the basic (checking to make sure that reading isn't took lengthy, taking into account my child's abilities, etc.), and possibly a reading from literature (definitely if it is a read aloud choice).
Now, what I've done for my rhetoric level student, is create a lesson plan called CWH 1: Ancient. Within that, I have different subjects and courses...it doesn't all have to be history! So, I have my core readings as Electives: religion/philosophy (Bible); my basic readings (for which I'm substituting a college history text) as History: world history; and literature readings as Language Arts: World Literature. I also have the sequence numbers done in such a way so I know which readings go with which unit (e.g. 10001 readings are for unit 1).
Also, with those literature readings, you aren't meant to read all of those either! Choose one or two (depending on the ages of your children), perhaps a read aloud and a read alone. Try to gauge how long a unit might take to complete based on the amount of core readings, then look at the lit selection and divide it up accordingly.
If you have more specific questions, I have vol. 3 available to refer to and would be happy to lend a hand.
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
Seven Times the Fun
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Babs
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| Posted: Aug 05 2011 at 9:04am | IP Logged
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Jen - Well I know the first thing I do wrong in planning is trying to use all of the books! Thanks for explaining how to break the readings into pages per day, both here and on your blog.
I like the schedule you suggested for independent reading Mon-Thurs and reading aloud/discussions/activities on Friday. It seems we do almost everything together and not nearly enough independent work. I think it would be good for all of us to have some quiet independent work time. I think b/c the boys are close in age we do too much together and I have been trying to change that.
You have been a huge help to me, the planning difficulties I am having are more organizing the work into lessons/chunks, not HST format issues.
Valerie - I am trying to schedule for a 5th and a 7th grader. My boys really enjoyed listening to SOTW I, but I am a little hesitant about this period in history. Maybe I will check the downloadable plans and see if that helps with planning, leaving out the problematic chapters. I saw someone paired CWH and SOTW for Volume I on a blog but I haven't seen that for later levels.
The CWH lesson plan with different subjects and courses is something I hadn't considered. I am going to think about that and see if it will help!
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vmalott
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| Posted: Aug 05 2011 at 12:50pm | IP Logged
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You might be referring to the document I did with Vol. 2 of SOTW, but it was *before* CWH vol. 3 was officially out. It flags potentially problematic chapters in SOTW as well as align readings with Usborne World History, Old World and America, and The Story of the Church (Johnson): Catholic Resources for SOTW 2
It's really only helpful if you're *really attached* to using SOTW! If not, then ignore it and go with the CWH as printed, esp. since Sonya has done such excellent work with that volume!
HTH
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
Seven Times the Fun
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Babs
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| Posted: Aug 05 2011 at 5:22pm | IP Logged
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Valerie,
I am only considering adding SOTW because the boys like to listen to the cd's. I don't have any of the books you have listed so I am not sure what I will use for the core book. I do have The History of the Church which one of my older boys used several years ago. He was home today and we looked to see if we could use it for the younger boys. History of the Church is recommended in CWH as a spine for the rhetoric stage but since we would do the core book together I may use it.
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Connecting With History
