Back on track- I do Bible 10 minutes, maths about 15-20 minutes In 15-20 minutes, what would a typical lesson include? Here was ours today- 45 minutes- subtraction flashcards twice matching page in HOM( I pointed, she said the remainder) 2 pages, 16 calendar problems each, in her book ( circle the answer) a 100's chart sheet (I choose a number, she points to the number that is 10 more, ten less, and tells me how many tens and ones) The three practice items took maybe 20 total minutes. Tomorrow I plan to have her show me a few times on her Judy clock, and 'buy' some stickers from me, to practice money. That might add 5 more minutes. The pages took slightly longer because she's learning to compare lengths of time.
Becky, are you doing first or second grade? I forget how old your daughter is, but not much older then mine I am thinking? I would never do that amount of maths for first or second grade. But this is just me, you do whatever you feel you need to do. My daughter is 6 and does one sheet of Math-U-See which comprises of about 5 problems, or we will play a maths game. I never expect her to do both unless the game is very short or the page only has 3 problems. I can tell what we do now is enough for her. Some children thrive on more. Just editing because I don't think she has pages with only 3 problems any more. Some times there might be 3 types of problems, like this morning, section one had 3 adding problems, section 2 had one place value problem and section 3 had one on shapes. Still only 5 problems total though. last year when it was a bit easier she got really keen and often did 3-5 pages, one day even doing 8. That was off her own bat though and hasn't happened this year. (Our year runs late Jan-early Dec so we are about near the end of first term. My philosophy on education is that while all that extra work shows up as benefit now, in that she (sorry I forgot your daughters name) can do more and knows more now I don't think it is necessary. I don't believe it leads to long term gain. What you choose to do is totally up to you. I am not trying to sway you to the more relaxed side, lol unless that is what you want. I believe children can learn all they need to know faster and with less stress when they are older, and that what they learn through play is more valuable. That said I am not an unschooler. I like making lesson plans, especially on history. I could never just say oh well they will eventually learn it all. I am not that relaxed. I do believe in giving some instruction simply because they do have to live in our society, and I don't think all children do well with unschooling. I know some do though.
Jeannie is 7, Jo, and she'll be 8 in September. Man! That's all your math is?? Is that how Math U See is set up, or do you choose to do it like that? Man, what a treat! You're done with math no sooner than you start, lol. Our practice stuff goes like that, though. I don't want her to forget what she's learned so we just jog through a few very quick things each day. Once I feel like she doesn't need the reminder, we won't do it anymore. Yesterday's two pages was all circling answers- which time was shorter or longer.
Phillip doesn't do much more than that. He's 8, in 2nd grade. We do a lesson of Horizons. I take a few minutes to go over yesterday's assignment, then a few minutes to explain each section on the current assignment. If there's something fairly new, I well of course take the extra time to go over that. (We had ratios for the first time yesterday). Sometimes I might skip the page altogether and give him something else to do...like giving him manipulatives and a whole page of subtraction with regrouping, so I can be sure he has the concept down. Or when he started multiplying by 6's, I gave him a 100 Chart, and had him color every sixth number. I might do flashcards (or have Rachael go over them with him) or a Timed Math Test (3 minutes). Then he does the lesson on his own, usually 10-20 minutes. Unless it's something new that he REALLY needs me to help him with, I probably spend five minutes max with him, and he's working another 15 minutes on his own. And before anyone freaks that this isn't enough time, he's doing very well in math! Faythe I spend a bit more time with. We grade her math from the day before, then I sit down and read through her lesson in Saxon with her and give her an assignment. Sometimes I tell her to do the practice problems first, and I need to come back and look over them to make sure she has them right before telling her what I want her to do. She will work on her own for up to a half-hour. Rachael, in geometry, is totally independent in math. She grades her work from the day before, then will watch the CD explaining what she's messed up on. She reads through her lesson and does the work. She says she spends about 30-45 minutes a day on it. She also tells me how many she's gotten right on her homework, and I do record that in HS Tracker.
Jeannie is 14 months older then, Sarah will be 7 in November. I am asuming there will be more per page as we get into the other books, but really how much we do is up to us as we are still in Primer. From Alpha on things like maths facts require mastery and I knew she wasn't ready for that yet. I know from reading posts that most people still only do a page per day. As it gets higher that you get a lot more sums per page though. A whole lesson in Alpha and above is I think 5 pages long plus a test page. It is designed to go at the speed of your child, so some people may only have there child do one or two pages of a lesson, while others may do all of them and go to the MUS site and print out extra practice sheets. A lesson isn't what you do each day, rather when you do one sheet you are doing part of a lesson. To finish the lesson can take any where from a day to a few weeks, it all depends on if the child shows mastery. I have heard people with older kids say Math-U-See takes them 20-30 minutes if there kids are working well. I just went to look at the site and they have sample pages, these ones are from Alpha and they are up to 14 sums per page. . http://www.mathusee.com/pdfs/alphasample.pdf
That sounds really flexible, Jo! So both the Type A teachers and the layed back, anything-goes teachers can both use them!
woh, my kids ARE normal Samantha will get a few pages, (while I'm printing more) and when I hand her those she whines ....... oh mom this is too much I can't do this....... but she is always the first one done. The boys use pencils to play "light sabors" with. and Donald uses scisors to cut up crayons:? and how many times have i reminded them not to draw floweres on their pages!
So let me ask you all this question (well, those of you who are done in such short amounts of time).... Do any of you have to track hours for state requirements? I'm just wondering how on Earth I could possibly get enough hours in to meet my 1000 per school year if I'm not doing at least 4 hours of set school time a day. I mean, if you take the normal 180 day school year, I need to do 5.55 (repeating) hours a day. I mean, I can "cheat" (as Becky, I think, put it) and count things like Library time, cooking, and grocery shopping, but I don't do enough hours worth of those a day to make up the different between, say 2.5 hours and 5.55 hours. I don't understand how that would be possible. [FYI, I don't need to track hours until Eli is in 2nd grade as mandatory attendance begins at 7, but you are all talking like you only do a couple hours a day for 2nd grade]
We don't have to count hours. They have an amount listed as a guideline, but it's not a requirement. See, I've always figured what the schools do: 50 minutes for math, 30 minutes for reading, etc. is a guideline on how long it "should" take. So when I give an assignment that is very comparative to what the schools give for the same subject, then I feel my kids are getting their time in when they finish the assignment. However, it goes both ways. Maybe one day it will take only 20-30 minutes to do math because they totally understand it. Another day it may take an hour and a half because it's a tougher one for them and they need more help and practice! So by doing it that way, I figure it evens out. And I have NEVER thought of doing it this way as cheating! I honestly thought that was a good way to figure their approximate hours!
Well that's exactly it. You get creative. You go to the park--P.E. time, you add extra subjects that they're interested in, you take field trips (which take all day), etc. This is exactly why I school all year bc I don't think little kids are designed to sit around all day doing school work and like you, I couldn't possibly fathom how I'd get 6 hours of "school" in per day. (Oh and you count classes too. . .ballet = music appreciation and p.e., art=well, art, soccer = p.e., gardening class = science) etc.
"Do any of you have to track hours for state requirements?" In my state we are suppose to have 875 hours of instruction per year in reading, lang. arts, math, science, health and social studies for students ages 6-18. No one checks on our logs/records, but it is suggested that we keep them just in case we would ever need them. "I mean, I can "cheat" (as Becky, I think, put it) and count things like Library time, cooking, and grocery shopping, but I don't do enough hours worth of those a day to make up the different between, say 2.5 hours and 5.55 hours. I don't understand how that would be possible." A few fellow homeschoolers in my state that I have talked with have advised me to record the time for some daily things and put it in educational terms. This is as long as I have talked/discussed these subjects with my children. For instance if I am cooking with my children and we are talking about the food groups, I should log that as health for x amount of minutes. If we are cooking and measuring and I explain the measurement, I should put down x amount of time spent on discussing math or science. In my friends' eyes they do not see this as cheating. Since this is my first year hsing I don't quite get how to get my hours from 2.5 to 5.5 or so either. I have decided that we are going to have to school almost year round. I'm pretty sure in my state parents can choose what the school year is.
I don't have to record minutes, so I don't. After going on about how little time I myself actually spend doing math with Phillip, today they introduced VARIABLES. He had a page of 7+N=11. Well, I showed him how it was in the book, and then we got out the manipulatives. He was a bit confused at first. Even when he started to "get it" with the manipulatives, he wanted me to stay with him and watch, which I did. So I probably spent 20 minutes today, plus the 15 minutes to do the REST of it on his own.
I don't have to track time or anything else. Today I am feeling really crappy. Something in my chest. Anyway I thought of Becky when I woke up sick because of her post from a couple weeks ago when she was sick. I woke the kids up and handed things off to Samantha at that point. She got breakfast for her and Grace and got both of them totally ready for the day. By the time I got up (a few minutes ago) to take some meds and get coffee she had already completed a math page in MUS and did her devotion and handwriting. Even when I am sick she can still get work done. She knows what she needs to do for the day and if she has a question she can come ask me. We could have done nothing for the day too and I wouldn't have worried at all. But I think that is the difference in our personalities. Becky I just wanted to say after reading all this that Jeannie is going to blow them outta the water if you send her to ps. She is bound to be one smart cookie.
Im back on page 12 and agreeing with Deena on the time flux. My kids take no time soem days and more the next, I try to keep it regulated but the work is done so I don't see the problem.. three pages of math today, in Horizon, I skipped division because he was doing enough of that figuring fractions and GCF LCF and all that , he smiled and did much harder work instead. It took us a little over an hour and a half, I vaccumed family room cleaned around bird cage vaccumed kitchen and entry way... did a little work in here, and all that was done while he did math and Spelling. He did take time to run put away his legos ( BIG MISTAKE- you can't just leave them there the guys will have nothing to do while they wait, so you have to set up a scene! Did you knwo that? LOL) It has been about 2hours 20 mins and we are now on English 5. We have park day in 40 mins if he finished his english papers, its review day so I get to play while he does that, then I will toss a couple sandys together for lunch at the park!
I mean, I can "cheat" (as Becky, I think, put it) Becky didn't say 'cheat'. Becky said she overhears the moms at different classes.
Becky you are so cute! I love that you correct us folks when we miss quote you! I would so do the same thing! HA! HUGS!
OKAY- WHO'S BEEN PRAYING FOR US?? Lol- we finished at 1:45 today. Every single stitch. I told Jeannie that hasn't happened in the 3 years I've been teaching her! Now, I must admit that science was a Magic School Bus book, but tomorrow's work will build on what we read. They cram so much in those stories!
'Cheat' is a pretty strong word, TM. If anyone is, it's their behind, not mine! Now, do I think some of us here get 'creative' with school.....? :wink: Me? I need it simple so I can be sure we do what we have to do, and be done with it. Such explains my zealousness! Here's something I honestly don't understand, though. Someone said- and I forget who- that they count helping with dinner as nutrition. However, the child bathing or brushing their teeth- hygiene- can't count as health. Why not? Was 'helping with dinner' menu planning? Or was it just setting the table or pouring drinks? Where does the difference occur to where one can be counted and the other can't?
Hi Becky-I'm sorry I used another person's quote that misquoted you as saying something about cheating. Thank you for the idea of counting brushing teeth! Last year in my son's public school K class they spent part of their afternoon listening to a guest speaker on brushing teeth for their health time.
