Lesson plans, etc.

(This is for you, Marla!)

Next week is looking very good for doing the year's lesson plans. Steve will be away every day for work, and I have kept my calendar clear of any obligations. I know everyone else has already started school - both homeschoolers and public schoolers - but we're going to enjoy the last of summer and begin our lessons on the Tuesday after Labor Day.

I have my weekly planner that covers July 2007 through August 2008. This helps me keep track of various appointments, activities, and obligations throughout the year, and I take it with me whenever I go out (unlike my wall calendar, which also helps us keep track of what family members are doing).

For each child each year I write up a syllabus and make a fairly extensive list of books for science, history, and reading. We don't always get through every book listed, but the list is there if we need it. The syllabi are kept in a three-ring binder, along with the syllabi from years past. I use this "master plan" as a framework for the individual lesson plans, and the children often refer to it if they want to work ahead, or ask for substitutions, etc.

After I have my syllabus completed I can make actual lesson plans. I use a teacher plan book and usually write plans for two children in each book, using different colored inks so the children know which lesson is whose.

Each morning the children check the plan book for their assigned work. When a child completes a lesson or assignment, he checks it off in the teacher plan book. If he decides to work ahead, that's fine - he just marks whatever he completes. Completed work is checked by older siblings, and any mistakes are corrected with me. Paperwork goes in a folder with the child's name on it. Some work has no paper trail, because we do it orally. Every two or three weeks I check the plan books to make sure we're not getting behind. (Getting ahead is fine!)

Lessons that are done together are written in black ink.

And that is what works for us.