So, now, you have gathered books, ideas, curriculum, and momentum. How do those translate into paper? Into a planner? Step by step.
In a previous post, I discussed WHY a planner is important...as a guideline to keep you organized. I also reiterated the importance of allowing room for "out of the box" learning time. Now, I have my planner complete for the 2011-2012 school year. My planner begins the "curriculum" October 1st. Keep in mind that we will spend September with "out of the box" learning...projects, compositions, and math that will be interest based or focused on aspects with each child that need strengthening BEFORE we buckle down to the "curriculum". Therefore, even though my spreadsheets start in October, we will start school a month before. Here is my "step" by "step"..... 1. Decide layout I have tried many different layouts and planners over the years. I have discovered a few things. a. I do NOT want to print a bunch of pages. This takes up too much time and is costly. b. I like a three ring binder (so pages can be easily moved) with my detailed planner AND a thinner bound planner to carry with me everywhere. c. Individual child planners are just a waste of my time. We are more efficient if we work off of a main planner. If they want to set one up for themselves, that is fine. So, this year I decided on a white three inch three ring binder with "D" rings that will stay at home. I also really liked the layout of the "Greenroom recycled 2011-2012 planner". The "Greenroom" planner has a layout that I have used in the past, but I printed the pages out and inserted them into my three ring binder or bound them into a spiral. It has a schedule section, 2011-2012 overview, Long Term planning with monthly important dates, Monthly views, Monthly notes, Daily Planning, General Notes, Contacts, and Resources. These are the same type pages that I used to print out. This saved me a lot of time. Now that we have the basic layout, let's begin. *REMEMBER**** This is YOUR binder, change it, tweak it....make it individual! I am just letting you know what is in MINE ;) 2. Big Binder a. Calendar Page - Although I have the calendars in the small planner, it is nice to have a basic overview one in the big binder. Also, I use recent pictures of the children, print them out double sided (one year on each side), and laminate it. It is such a nice touch when I open the binder. FREE HP Calendars - http://www.hp.com/hho/hp_create/calendars-single_page.html b. Tabbed Divider - Bible
Remember, these guides are tailored to my family. They are to just give you an idea. This is by no means me claiming this is what YOU need to teach your children. (Sorry, legalities here ;) ). How did I come up with my plans? First, I started with Social Studies from Story of the World and the Core Knowledge Sequences. For later in the year, we will be going over what interests the children and wrapping up any ends from the Core Knowledge Sequences. I figured out how much I thought we could cover in a month. Then, I set "themes" for each month and the SOTW Chapters we needed to cover. I then made a list of corresponding "Reading List" from Story of the World, "Literature as History", and we will add books from the "1000 Good Books List". I also noted how we could use these themes in Art, Science, etc. In Science, I used the Core Knowledge Sequences to note what we haven't covered so far in seventh grade (some topics we have already studied in lengthy detail) and used the Prentice Hall Science Explorer set as a basis for study. I bought this whole textbook set, in excellent condition, for cheap off of www.half.com. I did the same idea with monthly themes for science. Then, I used references to fill in the blanks.
g. Tabbed Divider - Field Trips - This is the section I put in Field Trip planning information, journal, photos, etc. h. At the back of the white binder, I have a plastic envelope to keep miscellaneous loose items. This finishes the white binder. Although this is still a lot of printing at first, I reuse much of what is in the binder for the following year. Most of the un "reusable" paper I get from the Dollar Spot at Target. So, last year, I printed off the book lists and Curriculum Sequences. I saved the sequences in another binder and use each grade as needed. Since they are in sheet protectors, I can store them in the Sequence binder until needed. 3. Small Planner - I have filled in the information except the weekly details. On the monthly notes, I have put in our basic books needed from the library so I can remember which ones I need if I do not have the big binder with me. I will fill in the weekly details only two weeks at a time. This allows for change without a bunch of scratching out since I can not tear these out or move these like I can in the binder. I can carry this one everywhere with us. We can school at the park, doctor office, Grandma's house, etc. I hope this helps to explain how I have done my binder for this year. I am sure it will continue to evolve over the years. But, remember, the point is that you CAN change it to fit YOU and your children. Also, if you get off of the organization "bandwagon" and stop going by the planner, you can easily "get back on". But, remember, it is a guideline. Homeschooling allows for many moments in which homeschooling children soar WITHOUT a planner, try to allow for this. NOTE: Out of the list above and my resources list, I have bought over the years: Story of the World - All volumes, test booklets, and practice pages (New) Writing Strands - Two volumes (New) Harcourt English (half.com) Scott Foresman Literature and Integrated Studies (half.com) Prentice Hall Science Explorer (half.com) Spanish Immersion (ebay.com) Hooked on Phonics (whole set from the thrift store for $12) Progress in Mathematics (half.com) Singapore Math (New) What Your _____ Grader Needs to Know (Core Knowledge) (half.com) Portfolios - State of the Art Program (thrift store) In addition, I have a whole library of reference books, textbooks, curriculum books (Konos, Abeka, etc) that I got at the thrift store or off of Freecycle.org Since I reuse the books for many years, my investment cost per child decreases. Still, I buy books cheap (except a few that I decided was worth buying new), buy school supplies on clearance after public schools start, find free or cheap field trips, exchange teaching classes, etc. Homeschooling doesn't need to be expensive :) Comments are closed.
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