Specify subject(s) i.e. History, a student, a given
time period (month, semester, year) and a statement of required learning
outcomes. These outcomes can be a general statement about covering the
material and passing a test or it can be more detailed in terms of specific
performance objectives such as: thorough knowledge of geometry theory and
practice. The format is not important as long as you understand it and you use
it to measure performance.
Create a grid of a weekly schedule that lists all the
days across the top and all the subjects down the left side in the order you
wish them to be done. Now create blocks of time for each subject on the days
desired. Don't forget to leave time for lunch, breaks and any other scheduled
activities such as music lessons or sports. Remember; you're now homeschooling.
You can do things when you want to do them. If you want to block out time for
chores in the middle of a day – go ahead
and do it! Just make sure you cover the material. You don't even have to stick
to the time slots. You can simply say: "If you don't do X in the morning, you
will have to do it in the afternoon."
These are the most familiar type of plans. They are arranged
just like a personal schedule – they spell out
exactly what is going to be done, hour-by-hour on a given day of schooling for a particular
student and subject.
For example, they will say things like: Take 1:00 hour to read pages 120-125
in Reader A and take the quiz on page 126 in :15 min. Then do an oral review with the
teacher focusing on the key points listed. They may also contain the Answer
Keys to the questions and hints/resources to assist learning or specific
things to observe about the learning process. (And you thought teachers just wing it!)
Some type of planning and preparation is definitely
recommended for any successful teaching/learning process. Otherwise, lack of
preparation and structure will be an unending source of frustration for both
teacher and student. That means, you, the teacher, will have to spend some
time before the school year starts and between each lesson getting things
organized. Otherwise, you will never be able to say to your students: "Just
follow the lesson plan while I teach your brother/sister."
Lesson Plans are a "recipe book" for a subject. They tend to
be formatted like a recipe with fill-ins for repeating material. They list all
the resources required and the sequences to be followed in a page(s)-per-day
form. Each page will contain a set of actions such as: Read book, Write
report, do exercises/test/quiz etc. The whole set of material is bound into a
volume and the student will proceed through the lessons from beginning to end.
If you are ambitious and have the time, you can do your own.
For confident homeschoolers, long-range plans and short-range plans will
probably be
sufficient.
Obviously, Detailed Lesson plans take the most amount of
time to put together. That is why many people
sign up for a program from a homeschool provider such as Seton, Our Lady of
Victory or Mother of Divine Grace Schools (and a few more). Detailed Lesson Plans are
usually one of the things included with the "package". This approach
will cost a little more. However, they are extremely valuable for those who
are starting out homeschooling, those who are less confident in their
ability to teach or those who don't have the time (most of us). Another
value of a provider is that some of these programs are accredited and have a
track record with universities.
Experienced homeschoolers (and many novices)
may find that detailed lesson plans are be a source of frustration if they are not flexible (plans are by nature, inflexible). A rigid schedule may get
in the way when they want to provide more flexible instruction or activities. Novices may be
equally frustrated if their child can't keep up or he/she is bored with the
slow pace.
The bottom line is that plans be treated as guidelines
unless the material (e.g. Math) requires a very rigid and structured process.
The plans can be adjusted if necessary and whole sections skipped if a student
clearly has mastered the material and is ready to move on to the next section.
If you don't exercise some prudence, one school year could
run right into the next. That's not good for you or your children.
