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Devoted
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| Posted: Nov 03 2008 at 1:41pm | IP Logged
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((Yikes! This turned out so long! Please bear with me if you can.
daily blocking with you some more. This is something I've thought of off and on over the past year or two but always considered that it wouldn't or shouldnt' work. I liked the idea, though, and after reading Erin's brainstorming post and following some of those links, I'm reconsidering the possibilities. I have a couple of problems, though.
1) there aren't enough days in the week. I could easily double some subjects such as geography and history and make one day a Language Arts day instead of singular subjects but even doing that I need one more day in my week. I dont really have the days thought out but for an example it could be thus:
*Monday: Language Arts (b/c she needs a whole week to study her spelling words!)
*Tuesday: Math
*Wednesday: History and Geography
*Thursday: Latin (we have an online Latin class on Tuesdays but we dont' get our week's handout till Wednesday evening. If we have our Latin day on Thursday we can do our big activities, reading, projects and pars out things we need to study daily (vocab, et c.)
*Friday:Science and tests
Problems:
Literature/reading I want everyday and it isn't even on the list yet.
I'd like to do Religion on Monday but my days are already filled up and Religion isn't even on the list yet!
Writing needs to be daily I think but it isnt even on the list yet.
To make myself feel better about not having some subjects daily I can add some components to our memory work. Right now memory is poetry and lists (presidents right now). I could do a memory section that would include poetry/lists, math facts and mental math, geography facts, spelling words, latin vocab/et c., catechism questions, and whatever Im forgetting.
That would make our day look something like this:
Get up/ready
Violin
Memory
Break
Daily Subject
Break
Piano
I still don't have Religion worked in b/c I would like to dedicate a whole day to it but somehow I can't let go of the ones I already have.
I still don't have writing worked out, either. We use IEW the way Pudewa suggests: across curriculum. It would be too much for us to do an entire day of it (not that I have enough days anyway). If I added it in on the subject she's writing about we wouldn't be writing *nearly* enough! I guess we could do this:
Wake/ready
violin
memory
writing
break
daily subject
break
piano
Literature
If I do that I feel as if I'm still squashing everything into a big heap.
I really would love to know the nuts and bolt required to make this work. How do you fit everything in???
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Nov 03 2008 at 6:09pm | IP Logged
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Ok, just trying to address this briefly, but will in more depth soon.
First of all the writing---can you add the writing instruction into your LA day on monday, and then let dd work on whatever piece she is working on during the week on the appropriate day? For example (and I am not sure of your dd's age, so take that into consideration) on monday you assign a paragraph (or other age-appropriate piece) on a particular science or history topic of her choice, you go over your expectations for the paragraph and any questions she may have, she roughs it out, then on science or history day she does the additional researching, fine tuning, etc as part of her science/history studies?
How much writing do you consider enough?
Reading/literature. I never have made that a separate subject. The kids just read according to the subject area they are studying. For example, on LA day it may be poetry or a short story where we study the elements, (plot, etc)on science day they read a science piece (non-fiction or essay), on history day a biography or famous speech, etc,religion day read saint bio or saint quotes,etc. Plus, there is plenty of independent reading for pleasure going on, so I don't really worry about that.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Nov 03 2008 at 6:10pm | IP Logged
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Can you combine Latin day with religion? Seems like a logical pairing to me.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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Marybeth
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| Posted: Nov 03 2008 at 6:31pm | IP Logged
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I do our religion reading at breakfast. Could you read from the Bible, a saint story and ask some catechism questions each day? This is basically our year in a nutshell.
We are learning the Nicene Creed, St. Gertrude prayers for the Holy Souls and the Morning Offering.
A decade of the rosary with Daddy at night helps learn the mysteries and quiet prayer. They kneel at our bedside and face the crucifix.
We celebrate the liturgical year with big activities, quiet ones and special foods. This can be at either lunch or dinner depending on the day and my energy level. Also, if we want to include Daddy who works from home it is easy to adjust to his schedule.
I know many people use teatime for their religion studies.
Hope this helps a bit.
God bless,
Mb
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Marybeth (Mb)
http://held-together.blogspot.com
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Erin
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| Posted: Nov 03 2008 at 7:16pm | IP Logged
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Devoted wrote:
| 1) there aren't enough days in the week. I could easily double some subjects such as geography and history and make one day a Language Arts day instead of singular subjects but even doing that I need one more day in my week. |
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I agree not enough days  I didn't dare suggest lessons on Saturday but that is the solution 
Seriously you may have to drop a subject or two, that's why I dropped history for the term (10 weeks is not the end of the world.) You could alternate the subjects that you can't fit in, ie. ten weeks with history, then ten weeks with science.
Just how deep are you planning on doing geography? If fairly in depth you may find it too much to combine, part of the idea of block days is to allow time to dig and not to feel like you need to rush onto the next subject. Well in my opinion anyhow
Devoted wrote:
Problems:
Literature/reading I want everyday and it isn't even on the list yet.
I'd like to do Religion on Monday but my days are already filled up and Religion isn't even on the list yet!
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I was assuming you meant you reading to the children, if that is the case it can be done after lunch, after tea, just whenever it fits in with the flow of your day. Although if you are like me you may have to make a set time or it may not happen. If it is the children's reading you're referring to, they accomplish any set reading in their own time.
Do you have a particular area you want to focus on with Religion? Marybeth and Theresa have some great suggestion.
Devoted wrote:
| I could do a memory section that would include poetry/lists, math facts and mental math, geography facts, spelling words, latin vocab/et c., catechism questions, and whatever Im forgetting. |
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I wouldn't try to cram too much into this Daily list, you don't want them to be too fed up before they start their main subject, then again maybe its only my children who carry on Perhaps concentrating on what's most urgent at the moment and once again rotate.
Devoted wrote:
| Writing needs to be daily I think but it isnt even on the list yet. |
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If this is the area that you see as a higher priority, have it daily and you may have to leave out some of the other daily drills to do so.
Devoted wrote:
| How do you fit everything in??? |
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You don't! Otherwise as you say you're 'squashing'. It's a slower pace but intense, I can see real learning happening. I've been mulling the idea over since Theresa wrote last year and I'm so pleased I'm finally doing it.
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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Marcia
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| Posted: Nov 04 2008 at 9:18pm | IP Logged
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Religion at breakfast seems the logical choice. We go to daily mass once a week. Adoration about once a week. Both early in the day. Other days we read the Mass readings aloud and do a little Lectio Divina with them while eating breakfast. The rest of our religious experiences fill the days discusions as needed and then we top it off with Atrium on sunday afternoon.
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leanne maree
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 5:18am | IP Logged
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I can see you delima. Its hard juggling.
I would put Religion with literature on some days,
We do poetry on a 2 weekly rotation with writing. It gives a break and we are refreshed when we start the next cycle.
I couldn't fit all my subjects in so we did them over a fortnight.
I saw a local high school timetable, and thats how they arranged the students work. I did this when we first started homeschooling and it really put the pressure off, because I could give variety and no boredom.
It is a suggestion
Leanne
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Leanne
Loving wife to Dermot and Adoring mother to Louise, Kristie, Kieran & Brid
http://leannemaree.blogspot.com/
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mooreboyz
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| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 11:44am | IP Logged
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Here's my opinion...
1, Do some daily religion every morning over bfast and a longer lesson on your Latin day. I agree with Theresa on this, They do seem to logically go together.
2. If daily writing you mean penmanship, have them copy or write something each day that goes with their study of the day. That's what I do. On science day they copy some facts I want them to remember. On history day they copy the narration given in the story or the world book.
3, Combine subjects where you feel you can. History and geography seem like a good mix. I did those on opposite days though as those 2 subjects are more sitting type work. My boys need some action too in the day and so I do science (which is very hands on) the same day we do geography (which is more sitting with maps and books).
4, I read each day and they do too on whatever the subject is. We're all natural readers and look forward to it.
Good luck!
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Jackie
7 boys - 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17 years
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Topic: Erin,Theresa, et al.: I'd like explore
