Mini-office and memory work q and a

The following questions were posed:

Do you have the fact sheets or mini offices, in page protectors or in file folders for each subject (things to memorize/learn)? How long do you have them there...a week, a month, all year...till they really know them?.

I have them in page protectors right in their binders. I usually reevaluate at the beginning of the new school year to see which things are still relevant and which are not. I don't keep multiple binders/folders or it defeats the purpose of having a one-stop shop.

I hope to try to use what I have but do the same idea with it... could you just have a check list of books they must do work in/or read for that week?

Some curricula work better for independent study than others (I will address that later - bear with me) but yes, the short answer is that in most cases you can break down the book pages and assign them weekly in the binder. Just see what the total number of pages is in your text and divide by how many weeks you plan to study. Then you have a rough guide of how much must be done each week and can permanently post that in the proper divider. (say that three times fast ; ))

Do you have a sequence of what facts they should know for K-8th? Do you make up these office file things for each grade, each quarter, as you think of things they should learn? I would only be able to do that if I had them premade and ready for the year.

Me too! I do as much as possible ahead of time because who knows how the dice will fall once school starts again. There is no set formula or sequence for what should be memorized/mastered and every educational school of thought will have its own priorities and preferences. Below are some ideas.

Religion:

Bible verses
catechism questions
prayers
books of the Bible

Math:

math facts
money
ordinal/cardinal numbers
shapes
hundred board
units of measure and equivalents (inch, foot, yard, oz, lb, cup, pint, etc)
angles
properties (associative, commutative etc)

Grammar/Language/Lit:

parts of speech
parts of a book
SSQ3R
4 types of sentences
editing checklist
capitalization rules
penmanship chart
fiction/nonfiction
synonym, homonyn, antonym
literary terms (alliteration, foreshadowing etc)
poetry

History:

dates/names, eras
geographical terms (peninsula, bay etc)
ocean, mts
famous speeches (Gettysburg address, Preamble to the Constitution)

Science:

animal and plant classifications
vocabulary
parts of the earth/plants/animals
names of the planets
food groups

Arts:

primary/secondary colors
warm/cool
schools of art/music
names of the instruments
hymns and folk songs

Life Skills:

address
phone number
left/right
how to answer the phone

The list could go on, not that it should go on and on in the actual binders. Remember less is more. Pick a few of the most crucial each year and tackle them in that order. If you have additions please leave a comment with more ideas!

Comments

[Sandy]

I included basic phrases and words in the foreign language they're studying and Roman numerals. I'm trying to do as much as I can during the summer as well, knowing that once school starts I will not have very little planning time. I will try to post today about my progress.

[Alisa]

Hi, I am enjoying your planning posts, thanks so much for sharing. I have a question for you. We also do alot of reading and this year my 13 and 15 year olds will be doing the same reading. Have you found a way to work this with out having to buy 2 books. I usually just try to flip flop books between them....but one is a much faster reader then the other. Do you assign book pages at all or just let them go. Any ideas on this area would be so appreciated! I am trying to think of the easiest way to make this work!

blessings Alisa

[Donna Marie]

I love hearing about what you are doing...I feel a huge pull to change our focus a bit this year and I am trying to feel my way into it. Knowing how another family of many does it gives me some kind of idea of do-able inspiration...even if it is of the "we are going to try this new thing this year" variety. chances are you have tried quite a few things and have gleaned some wisdom here and there along with your new grey hairs (and don't look who's talking about going grey ...wisdom dear! It is alll wisdom, I tell ya! ;o) lol)

I know the maturity jump of my clan this year makes me want to think deeper and smarter but not harder. I know that in the next two months I can pull something good together that will satisfy all of us but I still can't figure out the exact path yet. I would love to know what things you use that you like or work for you...

what kind of things have you found to be of little worth or time wasters...what is the best bang for the buck (or time spent) in your eyes?

what kind of workbooks you like to cut apart and why.
What oop books do your love to grab and hand down to the next in line because it is worth re-visiting....
what are your favorite books to keep on your shelves and what do you ditch...after all our homes and shelves are only so big after many homeschooling years and....get my drift? ;o)

just some random thoughts...