Here is a sample of my soon to be 5'th graders lesson plans:
For his lesson plans I chose to do a 'subject style' plan. I figured out how many lessons for each subject I need to accomplish that week and then put it to paper. This is really different than the daily lesson plan and we may have to get used to it. But I think it will better serve us than others in the past.
When I look at this page, it tells me everything that needs to be done within the week. If appointments come up or we get interrupted, I can see what exactly I need to make up and get to before the end of the week comes.
Pros:
I won't get behind in his textbooks.
It keeps us on track throughout the year.
He has a goal.
If he achieves this goal and finishes early, then he can take a Friday afternoon off or better yet, a day! He is still getting his work done, why not reward him? Incentive people, incentive! Some kids need to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Now, for my high schooler, his lesson plans are a bit different. He needs daily lesson plans drawn out for him. He needs to know exactly what is required of him daily, otherwise he will become a slacker. Yes, the life of a teenager is exhausting and full of drama at times. ;) So this keeps him on track. Also, with more requirements & credit calculations, he needs to stay on track to earn these credits in a timely manner.
Here is a sample of my high school son's lesson plan:
As you can see, it is fairly simple. Almost too simple. Thurs & Fri are on the back of this sheet identical to the first three days with the exception of no Spanish II on Friday. If you look on the line under the daily 'Notgrass' line, the assignments for that curricula is listed. He just makes a 'check mark' after the bold type assignments.
I also, place the weekly schedule on a clipboard for him. When he gets up, he reviews the clipboard and takes what books he needs up to his room to do his work. He listens to Contemporary Christian music while doing his work and I don't mind this at all. He seems to do a good job. The music keeps him 'in the zone' and the privacy of his room gives him a 'distraction free' area to work.
On the first day of our homeschool year, we take a little bit of time and spend it going over what is expected this school year. I even have my boys sign a paper. Yes, I do. It is a contract. It states all the homeschool rules and expectation. When a rule is broken, or an expectation isn't met, I take our the contract and show it to them and explain that they knew about the expectations and rules. I don't think I am very strict in my homeschooling, we are pretty relaxed. But, that doesn't mean we can't have some kind of structure. If we don't nip this in the bud, we get off track and spend too much time dealing with discipline issues. Yes, my boys still act up. All children do. I think most children that are unattended, will slack in their work and daydream. If the phone rings, my youngest sons pencil hits the table and he is gone! So most of the time, I set the ring tone on low and record a message on my answering machine that lets people know that we are homeschooling, and we will have to call them back after our day is finished.
I do several little things to try and make our day run smoothly, but the right lesson plan for each child is the big one!
Feel free to copy the plans above if you'd like and HAPPY LESSON PLANNING!
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