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JennGM
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I'm having that panicky feeling I can't seem to shake. I know what I'm going to use and cover for the next year, but I haven't nailed it all down. I need to put it in writings, to set up a framework. It doesn't have to be set in stone, but my problem is getting it laid out as a nice plan for the year.
I've just got a mental roadblock on how to write it down.
Can someone hold my hand to walk through?
First, overview for the year, which subjects, which books.
Get an idea of how much time per day, per subject. Narration, etc.
Second, break down in quarters or 6 week aims
Third, break down each 6 or 9 weeks into weekly plans.
Why do I find this so hard?
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Erin
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Jenn
I'll come back and hold your hand later when I have more time  but for now here are the plans of my two girls who are closest in age to G. Hoping this might help kickstart.  Genevieve's 6 and Mariah's 8. To see a more practical breakdown I've uploaded the children's Term Sheet, this is the sheet that they use all term to know what is expected and to mark as done. Mariah's tab is labelled MT T3. Genevieve hasn't one.
I so relate, I really find it hard to get started and write plans for some reason, lots roughly and in my head but to lay out nicely. 
Do you want to share what thoughts you have?
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ekbell
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My lesson planning after I've obtained all my necessary materials is done in this fashion (with the exception of math)
For subjects which only have one text, I simply
-break down the text into weekly chunks
-decide how many lessons per week these chunks should be
My normal rule of thumb
- skill based subjects (how to do something) are broken down into daily lessons
-knowledge based subjects tend to be weekly or biweekly lessons
I then note down how many times a week for each lesson in my scheduling notebook. If necessary I'll also write how much to cover each week in my weekly lesson notes.
For subjects which have more then one text.
I figure out how I'm going to interweave the material, unit by unit. (units are based either on the chapters in one core text or on core concepts covered)
I roughly divide the year by number of units and then adjust for units with more or less material to get an idea of how long each unit should take.
I then start writing up my weekly plans (this is where I decide how many lessons a week) adjusting weeks per unit as needed.
I then note down how many lessons per week for this subject in my scheduling notebook.
After I've gone through all subjects for a child, I'll start roughly organizing the weekly schedule for that child.
After I have a rough schedule for each child, I then start comparing schedules and drawing up a overall plan for the week. After which I draw up a good weekly plan for each child.
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Genevieve
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I have on excel spreadsheet a big picture framework. It doesn't include what books I would use but what subjects I hope to cover. Across the top are sujbects similar to MA. Down the column are the grades. I try not to change MA's curriculum too much because I do generally like it but there are definitely changes. Every once in a while, I tweak the big picture as my goals changed.
Then I look at the year's goals and look at what I have on my shelving before even looking at a catalog. I realize that if I can't use a good but not perfect resource on my shelf, it really doesn't belong there. For example, last year, I was pleasantly surprised that my Childcraft encylopedia was a perfect curriculum for us that covered a wide range of subjects as advocated by CM. So my son read a chapter in each of the volumes and I didn't have buy a book. T
After I have the books in hand, I switch and plan bottom up. Instead of taking a book and breaking it into 36/38 weeks assignments, I figure how much my son can read and retain in a single seating. Sometimes it's a page, sometimes it's a lesson or a chapter. It just depends. Whatever he can handle is assigned and he goes through the book until he finishes it. Then that book is replaced by another that fits that particular genre.
I break the work into daily work and alternate day work. So daily work as things like math and foreign language. Alternate day work as things like history and science. Alternate day work isn't dependent on the actual day of the week but on what he has accomplished the last school day.
And the final tweaking is to see how long it takes for him to finish a day's work and whether he can focus for that long. If he can't, I drop or reduce the assignments.
It doesn't take so much guesswork now because I'm working off what he has been doing last year. And as the year passes by, I very slowly challenge him with harder readings, longer readings, more challenging narration etc.
My oldest is 7.5 yr so I think he's the same as yours, Jenn. I'll try to post his daily assignment list on my blog. It isn't pretty or fancy but it has served the job for a year now so we will continue with the format.
Does this help?
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Genevieve
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Mackfam
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JennGM wrote:
I'm having that panicky feeling I can't seem to shake. I know what I'm going to use and cover for the next year, but I haven't nailed it all down. I need to put it in writings, to set up a framework. It doesn't have to be set in stone, but my problem is getting it laid out as a nice plan for the year.
I've just got a mental roadblock on how to write it down.
Can someone hold my hand to walk through?
First, overview for the year, which subjects, which books.
Get an idea of how much time per day, per subject. Narration, etc.
Second, break down in quarters or 6 week aims
Third, break down each 6 or 9 weeks into weekly plans.
Why do I find this so hard? |
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Not sure, Jenn? Are you over-thinking this? You've done everything I would have, with the exception of this step...
Quote:
| Get an idea of how much time per day, per subject. Narration, etc. |
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I don't think about times per subject until I start building weekly plans. I move like this...
Big Picture/Yearly Plans
Booklist for the year
Term plans - (4) 8 week terms for me. Break the booklist into 4 terms
Weekly plans - Take one term of books and decide how much we'll cover in one term. Decide which books will be read on which days of the week. Simple division here - divide up # of pages to be covered in a term and assign to days, write it down.
When I build weekly plans I note how much time we'll spend on things. For a second grader it would probably be between 10 - 20 minutes per lesson depending on what we're doing, with some 5 minute lessons thrown in there...poetry...Catechism drills. I'd be shooting to be done with lessons by lunch.
Once I get to the weekly plans level of detail, I have a set of plans I can print each week and follow. On the weekly plans, I indicate how much (entire book? page range?) of a book I intend to cover in a term and indicate # of pages that need to be covered daily to accomplish that term goal. The plans also indicate where I intend to ask for narrations. I do ask for surprise narrations and the kids know that, so they must be prepared to narrate ANYTHING...but it's my choice what I ask for. I keep each of these in the individual child's recordkeeping notebook.
I'm trying to figure out where the "hitch in the giddy-up" is for you, Jenn? It sounds like you've got a good plan for narrowing detail as you go. Brainstorming questions...
** Is it a question of format???
** Table vs. more of an outline? Do you know which you prefer?
** Do you have too much on your booklist, making it hard to plan out??
** Is it a problem of books/topics seeming disconnected?
** Are you covering one goal (booklist, term plan, etc) and then narrowing your thoughts and focus as you go...or are you still thinking big picture...adding more...coming up with more big picture ideas...finding a new book to add in????
** Are you getting hung up second guessing content/book/topics covered/depth of coverage????
** Are you waiting for your plans to "gel" perfectly? They won't!!! Not until you start living them anyway!
Give yourself permission to get something close down on paper in a format you prefer, and then go with it. I always give myself 3 weeks every year! 3 weeks!!!! At the 3 week mark, I mark up my own set of lesson plans, moving a few things, rearranging, removing a book if needed, adding one in if needed. The important thing is to be honest at the 3 week mark, reflect, and then make the plans fit better. After that, the plans really start to live and work well for me.
If you've set a goal for starting up, and you feel frozen by planning, time to just get something on paper and live it. Give yourself permission to change the format/look/style/content/how-to/level of detail of your plans on a term by term basis as you settle in. It has taken me a while to hit my stride in planning, learning the format that works best for me, is easiest for the kids to follow independently, and makes the best use of my time, streamlining the day and making it smoother. It took much trial and error.
Help us out, Jenn? Where is the hitch in the giddy-up? Where do you really need hand-holding? Because it sounds like you're REALLY CLOSE!!!! Do you just need a cheer? 
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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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Mackfam
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Genevieve wrote:
After I have the books in hand, I switch and plan bottom up. Instead of taking a book and breaking it into 36/38 weeks assignments, I figure how much my son can read and retain in a single seating. Sometimes it's a page, sometimes it's a lesson or a chapter. It just depends. Whatever he can handle is assigned and he goes through the book until he finishes it. Then that book is replaced by another that fits that particular genre. |
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This is a really good point!
I was glad to hear Genevieve articulate it. While I do this, it's somewhat automatic, and I'm probably way more attentive when I have a reader that is just stepping into more independent reading, which I don't this year.
With this type of reader, I'm very careful to offer great quality literature (which I KNOW you're doing already) and consider their reading abilities without pushing them or requiring so much reading that they become frustrated or over-tired.
I pulled out my Books and Things seminar reference book...here's what they compiled from a 1922 term....
For grades 1-3:
** 45 - 55 pages read in a 5 day week
** 9 - 11 pages read per day in a 5 day week
** 4 pages read from each book in a 5 day week
** 2 or 3 books read from each day
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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Genevieve
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Just posted on my blog My Big Picture and Simple Daily Assignment. Hope it helps!
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Genevieve
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Genevieve
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Jenn just alerted me that I had forgotten to make the files public... they are now... :)
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JennGM
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Ladies, thank you. On and off list, thank you for your love and support!
I can't seem to express what exactly is my problem, except to say perhaps all of the above, Jen? Every once in a while when something big looms in front of me, I just get a panicked feeling that makes me hard to remember how to slow down and do baby paces.
I keep finding holes in my plans, and one thing seems to be dependent on something else that I haven't ordered, etc.
It's just my personal hurdle. I'm afraid to commit to paper probably because of perfectionist tendencies.
Anyway, I have to order my books tomorrow, so that's my big hurdle right now.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Genevieve
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Just curious, does anyone else have problems viewing my plans?
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Genevieve
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lapazfarm
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I was able to view them with no problem.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Mackfam
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lapazfarm wrote:
| I was able to view them with no problem. |
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Me too!  They're great, Genevieve!  I love having lots of examples of different plans to find inspiration in! Makes great info for someone to brainstorm from! (that's 2 sentences ending in a preposition...and i don't care if you don't!!! )
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Jen Mackintosh
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Erin
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Jenn
I'm going to confess with a 7yr old, actually with all my primary aged children, I don't get down to the level of detail of how many pages, I'm more, read bk X and spend about X amount of time.
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Paula in MN
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Genevieve wrote:
| Just curious, does anyone else have problems viewing my plans? |
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Yes - me!
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Paula
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JennGM
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Paula in MN wrote:
Genevieve wrote:
| Just curious, does anyone else have problems viewing my plans? |
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Yes - me! |
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Well, I worked out my problem and can view them. But I had to delete my cookies and temporary internet files and reboot. I had some cookie problem. I made sure I had an account on the site, checked keep signed in, accepted the cookie and now it works.
Tedious, but worth it! Thanks, Genevieve.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Erica Sanchez
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Nothing to add except to say 'HELLO Genevieve!' It is so very nice to see you here. :)
I am in denial about how desperately I need to plan. I was geared up for it and then had an amazingly stressful few weeks with my parents/family followed by weeks and weeks of really sick kids. :(
I appreciate, though, when you all share your plans so generously and hope to be back here reading and planning after our camping trip.
Blessings!
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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Genevieve
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Hello Erica! So good to "see" you too! Big hugs to you and your little ones! I hope they are feeling better and will have fun at the camping trip!
Paula if you want I can emailed it to you directly. Just PM me your address.
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Genevieve
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Paula in MN
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Thanks Genevieve, I was able to get them!
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Paula
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Genevieve
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Just wanted to pop in and say I've posted the new daily independent checklist on my blog. Ds is ready for an expanded take on a CM education and really excited to be started on it.
I can't thank you guys for sharing your excitement over CM and sharing your lesson plans! CM has been so much more fulfilling and doable during our summer term!
Our break is around the corner and soon we get to test-run this baby... :) We are excited to see what's in store!
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Genevieve
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kristacecilia
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Genevieve,
Your plans are lovely! I have a boy of similar age and reading level, I may have to borrow some of your ideas.
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God bless,
Krista
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I blog at http://kristacecilia.wordpress.com/
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: Writing out Plans 101 -- HELP!
