Lesson Planning and Organization

Learning to Let Go

01 Sep 2011 1 Comment

by Tracy in Homeschool Thoughts, Lesson Planning and Organization Tags: lesson planning, letting go, plans, schedule

I mentioned a few weeks back that the pace of the A Beka books we were using seemed to suddenly switch to turbo speed. We’ve been clipping along at such a pleasant pace, and then quite unexpectedly my son and I have found ourselves holding on for dear life.

Phonics: covering 2-3 new sounds each week, plus continuing to learn to read two-vowel words
Numbers: adding 10 new flashcards every three lessons, adding a new addition family, plus skip counting

Thank goodness we had already tackled skip counting by tens, or I’d really feel lost right now. We’ve tried our best, and my son has worked really hard. But in spite of it all, he made a C for the first time on a graded sheet, which merely told me what my gut has been telling me. We are going too fast.

But that meant that I had a decision to make: slow down and start the year already two weeks behind on the beautiful lesson plans I produced, or continue to allow him to struggle through. After all, he might catch on and get caught back up eventually. And then my mom, having had the experience of homeschooling me, reminded me of the greatest privilege of homeschooling. I don’t have to be controlled by a lesson plan!

Think about it. If you hired a tutor for your child, would that tutor stick rigidly to a lesson plan she had created, or would she work with where your child was having difficulty? The answers obvious, right? Yet, it is sometimes so hard, in the daily grind of home education, to remember this principle—that I am my child’s tutor and that curriculum is merely my tool not my master.

So, we’ve taken these last two weeks of summer completely off (much to my son’s displeasure). For one, we all needed a breather, especially me; and hopefully, the worst of the morning sickness will be over by the time we start back. Second, by starting the year off two weeks behind my planning, I will have officially and dramatically let go of those beautifully typed out plans. There will be no need to force ourselves to “stay on schedule” to the detriment of learning, since we are already “off schedule.”

"Greater Than" lesson

And I say “off schedule” rather tongue-in-cheek. We are on lesson 110 of a kindergarten curriculum; my son is four. He loves learning, which is why we started in the first place, to capitalize on his desire. Up until this last month, he has absolutely devoured everything we’ve tackled and made 100s on every graded sheet. We’re coming to the end of our two-week break, and every day my son has begged to do school with the statement, “But Mom, I LOVE to read!” We’re hardly behind.

Thus, with everything in perspective, I suppose we’re not starting two weeks behind, but rather one year and 110 lessons ahead. With that in mind, I guess I’ve got some wiggle room, don’t you think? How silly of me to even struggle with the decision—to waste an opportunity to learn (and enjoy it) or to protect a piece of paper with clean lines.

I know this won’t be the last time I struggle with the decision to “let go” of the lesson plans, but I do hope that this moment will be a precedent for me to come back to. I want to remember that learning is not a lesson plan, it’s the joy on my son’s face when he understands what he has discovered.

The Cozy Corner Makeover

30 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment

by Tracy in Lesson Planning and Organization Tags: cozy corner, organization, school room

"Cozy Corner" is a space for free reading, flashcard review, and spontaneous distractions for Little One when I've run out of planned activities for her.

I have to say, the “cozy corner” is probably one of my favorite parts of our schoolroom (second only to the workbox hanging files.) So, the thought of having to move my corner was not an overly exciting one. Even when I brainstormed the idea of placing all of our coziness underneath the built-in desk area, I still hesitated. You see, I’m not a seamstress although I ought to be (my grandma is a brilliant seamstress, but something happened to the genes on the way down to me), and I knew my idea required at the very least, some sort of cute curtain entrance.

I knew this because I’ve been occasionally perusing the genius of others on Pinterest. I’d seen the idea incorporated a few different ways, and the hideaway nook always came with at least one curtain and often two. Then came the obstacle of finding fabric that was cute, easy to work with (considering my handicaps), and relatively inexpensive. Low and behold, my local Walmart actually came through on that end. Imagine that! When I spotted the fabric, I finally knew I was ready to try to make a go of this move.

I purchased two yards of fabric (purposely choosing stripes to help me with the cutting); fabric glue (sorry grandma, really. I just can’t figure out my bobbin); an extension rod; and command hooks.

Now, here are my secrets. These will relieve some of you and horrify the rest of you. I measured entirely by holding the fabric up to my space, no measuring tape. I ironed my hem, rather than pinning it. I glued my hem on all sides and glued the space for the extension rod (measuring that by merely placing my extension rod on the fabric). I really turned out fantastically, considering my very unscientific method. And though I initially had intended to tie it back, the whole family voted to leave it just the way it was—a secret hideaway closed off from the rest of the world.

Next, the second innovation was how to hang the curtain. You see, I personally hate extension rods. They never work; and they always fall down on someone’s head. But, I also did not want to drill holes into the sides of our desk, in case someone ever wanted to use that space for the purpose it was intended for. Thus, command hooks seemed like a brilliant option. The extension rod slipped nicely into the hooks. And though it does slip out of place sometimes, it is so easy to slip back into place that the kids can take care of it by themselves.

So, the last step was to move our “cozy corner” items into place. Again, my hanging canvas pocket is attached beneath the desk using command hooks, the basket of books and activities slides nicely into the corner, and eventually I’d like to add a nighlight to stick to the “roof” of the space and a cozy pillow to complete the aura. But for now, our cozy corner/hidey hole just beckons for a visitor.

And in the former “cozy corner”, I now have space for a large filing cabinet! (Yay!)

Fitting it all in: a preview of our schedule

04 Aug 2011 2 Comments

by Tracy in Lesson Planning and Organization Tags: schedule

I’ve had a lot of questions about how we plan to tackle all of our subjects and activities, so I thought I’d do a quick post previewing our preliminary schedule. In other words, I’ll write a more definite “A Day in Our Lives” post closer to the start of our fall schedule (first week in September).

I organize our day with our workbox pocket system. I have 12 pockets to work with, but will plan to use only 10 on most days.

1. Art/Music

2.-3. Seatwork

(“Seatwork” will include handwriting and phonics worksheet,

and will probably take up two pockets)

4. Phonics Review (time with me)

5.-6. Geography/Science

(I will probably use two pockets here;

however, science is not scheduled every day.)

7. Critical Thinking Skills

8. Math Review (time with me)

9. Math Worksheet

10. “Fun” pocket

(“Fun” will be motivational and vary every day:

a “happy” note, an origami animal, a Highlights magazine, etc.)

I typically spend about 15 minutes per activity, and I set a timer for each pocket to keep us on target. It doesn’t sound like much time, but I’ve really found it to be more than adequate. And using the workbox system cuts way down on our transition time. There is no scrambling around to find stuff; every thing they need for an activity is already in the pocket waiting for them.

Bible is a subject I’m going to do largely outside of regular school time. In other words, I’ll have them listening to the Bible audio CD either in the morning before school or during “quiet time” in the afternoons (plan on experimenting to see which we like best). So, we’ll spend our Bible review time within the first 15 min. of pledge, prayer, and calendar work at the beginning of our school schedule. It won’t really have its own pocket on most days, unless I want to add a Bible coloring page.

The last pocket is also an exception to the schedule, as it really won’t be a timed activity. It’s merely meant to be a reward for their hard work.

That leaves 9 timed pockets, or roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes of activities (2 1/2 hours if you include our pledge, prayer, and other beginning activities), which has our school schedule running from 9 to 11:30.

So that’s how I’m fitting it all in, a steady pace with lots of variety!

Feel free to link up your curriculum choices and schedules in the comments section. I love to read what others are doing.

Defining Your Homeschool Style

25 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment

by Tracy in Homeschool Thoughts, Lesson Planning and Organization

The beauty of homeschooling is the freedom to do what fits your family. Rather than an institution with a set schedule and a set curriculum that everyone must follow, a homeschool is essentially tutoring. You are your child’s own personal tutor, catering to his needs, his learning style, and your family’s lifestyle.

As freeing as that is, it begs a number of questions. What is my style? What are my children’s needs? What are my priorities? What do I want my homeschool to look like? Read the rest at Growing Your Homeschool.

The Teacher Tour: Organizing Your Home

24 Jun 2011 1 Comment

by Tracy in Lesson Planning and Organization Tags: housekeeping, organizing, teacher tour

It’s not easy to take on the responsibility of educating your children in addition to other household duties. As a matter of fact, there are days when it seems utterly impossible. But just as I am adjusting our routines and methods of schooling in this great journey of ours, I’m also learning to readjust my cleaning priorities and routines.

One extremely helpful resource has been my Household Notebook, a 3-ring binder from which I manage my household and my life. I’ve been running a complete series on it at my other blog Homekeepers, so be sure to click the links for more info on that resource.

Another valuable inspiration that I’ve just discovered and am trying to put to use is the popular ebook 31 Days to Clean. Not only has Sarah Mae captured our struggles and our proper motivation for cleaning in her book, but she has also sought to construct support groups to complete the 31 day challenges. She even has a specific group for homeschool moms. It’s worth a look.

Here are a few more links to get you going:

The Teacher Tour: Surrendering to a Schedule

23 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment

by Tracy in Lesson Planning and Organization Tags: schedule, teacher tour

For some of you, “schedule” is a bad word, evoking a number of gloomy images of zombies drooping through a life that is ever-monotonous. But a schedule is far from a bad word and can actually be very freeing if used correctly. I am the essence of spontaneous and flexible. If my husband came home and told me we were leaving for a cross-country road trip, and I’d better be ready by tomorrow morning–it wouldn’t phase me. I’d be thrilled and excited at the adventure. The down-side is that I’m so flexible that, without a schedule, the important things don’t get done.

Advantages of a schedule:

I know what needs to be done and roughly how much time it takes to do it. That’s the key to an effective schedule, giving yourself enough time to complete your task.
It keeps us moving. Especially with our school work, the day will drag on forever without a schedule and a timer. Yes, I do use a timer, on the advice of my ever-organized husband. I love it! It keeps us completing our tasks in a timely fashion and gives us a break if we are struggling with a particular assignment.
It’s preparing my kids to manage their time, pace themselves, and understand limits. Having worked at a college, I saw that the number one adjustment the incoming freshmen struggled with was making a schedule and disciplining their study time. I’d much rather have my child learn those lessons now.

Setting up an effective schedule:

The first step is to list what all must get done, and be as specific as you can.
You might also want to log your activities for a day or two, to keep track of how much time the tasks are taking you. This is a great tool for identifying wasted or unproductive time. Most of the time, we have no idea how much time is slipping by unnoticed. This also prevents you from making a schedule doomed to fail. If you underestimate the amount of time a task is going to take you, you’re destined for frustration.
Write out a schedule based on your notes that you have logged. If there are adjustments that need to be made, make small adjustments. For instance, if math should not be taking an hour, adjust it by 10-15 minutes at a time rather than making a drastic 30 minute cut.
Keep your schedule flexible for a few days, maybe administering it subtly without announcement. And take notes on what happens. Can you do the whole assignment in 45 minutes? Is that still too much time? Can you make up for time somewhere else?
Make your final schedule only after you’ve experimented for a few days. And now is the time to make a big deal about it. Announce it with whoop-la. You’re on special assignment and only have so many minutes to complete your mission. A schedule should be something that keeps us on task; it shouldn’t ruin the excitement of learning.
Guard your schedule against distractions–email, phone calls, toddlers and infants, etc. Have a back-up plan and a strategy in place for the inevitable. I try not to answer emails or phone calls unless they are from my husband. If you have a toddler or infant that tends to distract, train your children to skip the work that requires your attention and do what they can on their own. If you are using a workbox system, you might even consider having an “in case of distraction” box filled with independent work that your child can do without you.

Knowing when to be flexible:

When you’re child is having an off day, and we all have them, choose to teach the lesson of grace over the lesson of time management.
When you are planning a special activity that takes a little longer, by all means be flexible with the schedule. Nothing ruins a special project like a ruthless schedule. If you run out of time before the project is completely colored or cut out, finish the project and make up the time somewhere else. The exception would be if a child is a dawdler and always runs out of time. If that is the case, then allow him to finish the project during any extra time or at the end of the school day.
When you have ministry opportunity, be flexible. Always be on the look-out for the lesson your child needs most. And an opportunity to teach service is priceless; the schedule is definitely worth the sacrifice.

Keep in mind, however, that too many days of being flexible destroy a schedule. Guard your exceptions well.

A schedule is a beautiful thing when it is used correctly, and it can fit any homeschool style. You might not like to end learning in the middle of your child’s enthusiastic search for knowledge, but consider the result. Will he come back tomorrow eager for that subject? He might beg to play that game again after the timer has gone off, but that also means he will be thrilled when we play it again tomorrow.

I had a writing professor tell me that the best time to leave your writing is in the midst of inspiration because you’re mind will be fueled for the next period of writing. To drain all of your inspiration and come back to the writing the next day often leads to the dreaded “writer’s block.”

If your child has had “learner’s block,” consider your schedule. End at the height of success, in the midst of enthusiasm, and your child might come back more eager to learn the next day.

The Teacher Tour: Organizing Your Space

22 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment

by Tracy in Lesson Planning and Organization Tags: organizing, teacher tour

This is probably the post I’m most excited about. I can’t wait to see what all of you do with your spaces! As homeschoolers, our school can take place in a number of places. And I’ve even heard some joke that they van-school rather than homeschool because of all the time they spend on the road. I’m thrilled to have a school room, but I know many of you school in your kitchen or living room. And I can remember a time, when I was homeschooled, doing my work in a large walk-in closet!

Regardless of where the work goes on, there are a lot of supplies to store and organize–manipulatives, craft supplies, games, poster displays, and not to mention all of those books. So here’s my strategy for this post. I’ll show you a couple of ways I organize my materials, link to a few other interesting posts that I have found while perusing the blogs, and then let you link up with all of your gorgeous displays.

But here’s my caution: this will only be beneficial to you if you shop for ideas. In other words, please don’t read this post and begin to compare. My goal is that you can take what God has given you and maximize how you use it. With that said, here we go!

My Space

Honestly, I’m still working through a lot of my organization, but occasionally I’ll land upon a solution that I really like. Most recently, the solution was for organizing my craft supplies, and I must say I’m still very happy with that system right now. But some other areas of our school room have also worked well.

I love our Cozy Corner, which has two purposes. First, it gives the Little One a place to hang out and occupy herself in between activities. Second, it’s a fun place for my son to review his flashcards, charts, and other activities. I keep some library books and a few activities in the basket. Their 3-ring binders contain art projects and worksheet pages that the kids have completed. And the canvas organizer has been a gem.

Our lapbooks and Handbook for Reading store nicely in the large pocket. Smaller word cards and story cards go in the two smaller front pockets, while our blend flashcards hand below.

I’ve also really liked by Poster Center organizer. It was a gift from a friend who found it at a local boutique–and I absolutely love it.

Inside the organizer I store flashcards and charts to be used during Poster Center time, many of my displays and teaching aides, as well as my binder where I store my A Beka Homeschool Charts and Games (and all of their many pieces).

My last space is inside our built-in cabinets, where I store most of our current workbooks, teacher supplies, and folder games inside magazine holders (folder games are stored in the holder horizontally, rather than vertically).

Student workbooks, Mommy materials, and folder games

I also have three file boxes stored under there–one for my Letter of the Week material, one for my Reading and Skills materials, and a second for arithmetic. And we’re just finishing up K4, people. (I’m going to be in trouble in another year; I’m really looking forward to your ideas.) You can check out my complete tour if you are interested in the actual school room.

Links I love:

I love this idea for storing lapbooks and will probably switch to something like this as we acquire more lapbooks.
Scroll down through this link to see pictures of her school room (I know we shouldn’t compare, but my! how I love those wrap-around book shelves). I especially like the old toolbox or shoe butler that sits in the middle of the student table and holds her supplies. Very innovative.
I had a couple of ladies on Facebook mention that they use library carts for the books they are currently using. A great method, especially if your school room is a main living space–just roll your school right out of there! One lady mentioned getting hers from a school sale for very cheap.
Another great idea for those who do school at the kitchen table is a “homework station.” I love this idea! And I know my mom would have loved it, too, to keep us from whispering and talking to each other instead of doing our work. Again, it’s a great fold-away solution if you have a multi-purpose space.

The Teacher Tour: Organizing Your Lesson Plans

21 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment

by Tracy in Lesson Planning and Organization Tags: organizing, teacher tour

Once you’ve made your purchasing decisions, planning how to use your curriculum and how to keep track of assignments and grades is another huge hurdle. There are many options for organizing your school year.

On-line Planner

Keeping track of assignments and records on-line has many advantages: your information is automatically backed-up; assignments can be moved, deleted, or postponed easily without disrupting the plans for the rest of the year; many academic reports (report cards, transcripts, attendance, etc.) can be automatically generated from the information you have entered throughout the grading period.

Homeschool Skedtrack: a free service that easily computes assignments and reports; not designed for detailed lesson planning (for a complete review, click here)
Homeschool Tracker: offers both a free edition and a deluxe edition for purchase; I’ve heard many good things about this program but it is not compatible for Mac
Home School, Inc.: a free planner; as far as I know, it does not offer the feature of adjusting assignments for days missed as Homeschool Skedtrack does

Handwritten Planners and Planner Pages

Many sites across the web offer free planner pages that you can print off for handwritten assignments. Do a google search and spend hours looking at all the different options. But if you’d like to look in just one place, Donna Young has the greatest variety of planning options, all for free.

Another great option for purchase is the Well-Planned Day, a planner that has received many high reviews. In addition to a complete line of products, including household planners, student planners, and high school planners, the company also offers digital subscriptions.

Editable PDF Planner

Another option is to purchase an editable pdf planner from Homeschool Creations. In other words, a planner format that you can type into. It provides the ability to customize your planner. You can print off the pages for traditional handwritten lesson plans, or type your assignments directly into the pdf. Once you have saved your changes, you can either print off your lesson plans or transfer them to a pdf reader (like my NOOK Color!). I love the versatility of this planner, which I am currently using for my summer plans and am currently editing a separate file for this next school year. Do you see the potential here? One purchase allows you years of customizable plans. (No bias here, but I love it.)

Want to take a peak at my “Teacher Notebook”?

The Teacher Tour: Making Plans for Curriculum

20 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment

by Tracy in Lesson Planning and Organization Tags: curriculum, plans, teacher tour

It’s that time of year–decision time. Time to evaluate what worked and what didn’t work, what you want to accomplish and which curriculum will help you reach your goals. Sometimes the decisions can be overwhelming, which is why it’s great to have a community to learn from others’ experiences and the internet to answer your many questions. In this series of posts, I’m searching the internet for you and compiling some helpful tips and useful links for you to check out. I hope you find the research helpful.

Taking Time to Evaluate

For the first-time homeschooler, there are a lot of questions to be asked. I’ll be covering “Defining Your Style” in a post later this week. But I’ll give you a couple of links to get you started.

Free 7 week e-course: a “homeschool curriculum advisor” will highlight a few points to consider and then give suggestions for curriculum based on your answers.
Free ebooks: though I haven’t read these books myself, the website has been helpful.

You’ll want to consider your state requirements for education and the state standards (or scope and sequence) for each grade level. A scope and sequence doesn’t have to limit your freedom to make your homeschool fit your family; use it loosely as a guide to keep you more or less on track with what your child is capable of learning. (Find your state’s scope and sequence by googling the name of your state and followed by “scope and sequence” and the grade you are searching for–i.e. Texas scope and sequence for first grade.)

Taking Time to Re-evaluate

For the seasoned homeschooler, the decision can be just as overwhelming as you try to decide if you will give your curriculum another try, or cut your losses. Here are a few things to consider as you re-evaluate your year.

Don’t fix what isn’t broken. There are so many enticing choices, but switching curriculum “just because” might not be your best option. Because a curriculum is often unique in it’s approach and presentation, switching frequently from one curriculum to another could create learning gaps, confusion, and some unnecessary headaches. The grass will always look greener on the other side. But if a curriculum choice is working, focus on what isn’t going so well.
Don’t label your problems; dig deeper for real answers. For instance, “it was boring” or “it was too hard” are labels; they really tell you nothing. Ask some probing questions (to yourself or to your child) to get to the bottom of the issue.

Finding the Perfect Fit

Once you know what holes you need to fill, there are a few helpful places to begin looking for the right material to fill those gaps.

For reviews on products and curriculum, my favorite sites are Homeschool Reviews and Cathy Duffy reviews. And you don’t have to know what you are looking for to use these sites. Simply click on the subject you are researching and start reading the top reviews.
For previewing products, the best option would be a homeschool book fair. But if that’s not an option, there are some websites that often provide sample pages for previewing. My favorite website to check is actually Christian Book Distributors but I’ve also found some helpful previews on Google Books as well as Amazon. Another option is the library, depending on the type of book you need to preview. Check the World Cat website for which libraries in your area have the book your looking for.

Friends can also provide great reviews and some products to preview. But keep in mind, what works for a friend’s family may not be the answer for your family.

Finding the Best Price

Book fairs, homeschool consignment stores, and friends are a great place to find the books you want. But price comparison is still important. You might be able to find a better deal shopping online. For gently used books, Ebay and website forums are a great place to start, especially for teaching material and lesson plans.

And once again, don’t discount the value of your local library. If you are not sure that a book is worth purchasing, try it out from your library first. If the book is one you keep coming back to, it’s probably worth the investment. However, if the book has a 1-3 week period of use, feel free to tote it right back to the library and save yourself some money and shelf-space.

Need some more help? Check out this great “How to Homeschool” video series. It’s my new favorite resource.

Now, it’s your turn. How do you make your curriculum plans and purchases? Link up!

NOTE: I have a free WordPress.com blog that doesn’t allow javascript, therefore you have to click the link above to see the linky list. It will not appear on my blog as it would on Blogger or self-hosted WordPress blogs.

Announcing: The Teacher Tour

13 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment

by Tracy in Lesson Planning and Organization

Next week, beginning on Monday (June 20) and continuing through Saturday (June 25), I’ll be running a series of posts with helpful suggestions for you, the teacher. A list of topics to be discussed through the week will include:

Making Plans: Purchasing and Planning Curriculum
Organizing Your Space
Organizing Your Paperwork
Surrendering to a Schedule: how to make a schedule, stick with it, and know when to give a little
A Tour of my Teacher notebook (and what’s in yours)
Defining Your Homeschool Style

Each day I will try to include a place for you to link up your posts, as well. So, plan what posts you want to link up to on which days, and let’s take a tour!

If there’s something missing from my list that you, as the teacher, really think ought to be there, please let me know in the comments section, and I’ll try very hard to work it in.

Growing In Grace