Managing Lesson Plans (the paper, not the content)

Parents,

How do you physically manage the lesson plans that Kolbe sends (as well as whatever you need written that isn't from Kolbe)? Where do you keep them, and how do you access them throughout your day without losing a lot of time/space flipping around to the different subjects and different students? Do you have a separate planner that you use in addition to the plans? Do you have a separate planner that replaces them?

I haven't figure out how to use the plans in their original form (Flipping pages becomes overwhelming with limited space to keep a binder open, and with a toddler often needing my hands), so I create my own word doc to consolodate. I put all of each student's work for the week on one page. It doesn't quite fit (I end up with 4 pages of plans for a week with 2.5 students), and it takes a long time to type up, but I find the finished result easier to use than if I had to flip through the originals. I really like the way it turns out, but I'm always wondering if there is a more efficient way to handle this.

What do you do?

Rachel

I have each child in a separate binder. (My youngest is actually in a more of a folder thing with a middle section for papers.) This may not be necessary for younger grades; they could be combined. I have all test and test answers for all my three children in one binder.

I have small answer keys and larger ones, if they fit, in plastic magazine holders such as this (although this one is cardboard) http://www.officemax.com/catalog/sku.jsp?productId=ARS24806&history=sw6hiejh|prodPage~15^freeText~magazine+holder^paramValue~true^refine~1^region~1^param~return_skus^return_skus~Y

Each child's answer keys are in a separate holder or sometimes two holders. (It is amazing how many years it took me before I thought of the magazine holders and separate ones at that!)

I hand rewrite assignments into a planner . For my high schooler, I have a large regular teacher planner. My younger two (3th and 5th) share a day planner-each getting one side of a day. Next year however the new sixth grader will get his own planner. It is too hard some days write a shorthand of all his assignments. I also have a grade book where I post assignment grades. Each child has a two page spread for one quarter. Where ordinarily names of children would be written down, I have subjects. I have further divide High School English into separate lines for oral, vocab and composition.

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Volunteer Kolbe Parent

Well, I sometimes have several students using the same plans in different grades and different paces. It has been an ongoing experiment to come up with something that works for me. I just don't want to lose paper, I have to have accurate records of attendance and it is nice if I have some idea when a child has something needing my attention. This whole organizing thing is a work in continual progress. Every year we solve one more glitch or tweek one more thing - usually after some crisis in which I am determined I am not putting us in that kind of stress again.

The latest approach which so far seems to be working is this:

Binder for each subject from Kolbe (clearly labeled front and side). I purchase those binders that have the clear plastic coating where you can slip something in to the clear plastic. I slip the cover of Kolbe plans for the subject into that. I remove AK and place them in one binder that I have for me with tabs marked by subject and keep this with me. Those little booklets that go with the study guide are tucked into the inside or back pocket of my binder (AK). The actual study guide is tucked into the pocket in the lesson plan binder. The original Kolbe plans minus answers stay with the children (if they are being shared, then they go on a shelf convenient to all children using them and must be returned there when child finishes with them for the day). We highlight things we want done and I make notes in pencil if there are things I want discussed, etc.

I have a tray for placing work to be graded. My 2 highschoolers have binders for completed work - each has their own and it is tabbed by subject. We use post its to mark what must be graded, notes to discuss, etc. When they need something graded or discussed or explained, they put it in my tray. Dh or I look at it, grade it, discuss it or whatever, then we set it back on their desk. Each highschooler has their own system for recording what they actually accomplish on a day. Dd has an index box with index cards. She writes down subjects for the day with cirlces next to them and colors them in if she actually completes the assignment. Ds simply writes what he accomplished on a sheet of notebook paper. DD records stay in her index box holder. My son places his days record in the binder with the work (graded or to be graded) and sticks these in the front. This way I have a proof of attendance for my state.

When quarter records come around, it isn't such a panic to find that math test (gee what grade did I give you on it) that you did before Christmas. This is a solution we came to after a traumatic loss - I lost almost all the poems dd wrote (and I had intended to save them) for the poetry course. She had handed them to me, told me they were important and we were in the middle of juggling kids rooms - somehow we are afraid that someone assumed that they were on the computer and ditched the paper copies in an attempt to declutter. Thankfully, I had at least looked at them all so was able to recover without making the child suffer for my error. I did not want to be the one responsible for getting work to its final resting place - seeing that I wasn't a very trustworthy agent for that in crisis moments or during major household upheavals which do occur fairly regularly in a large family.

We have had an occasional child lose a few days of plans - but when these then are not on the record, I cannot count them as days (or so I say if they cannot prove work on that day, easily and in a timely manner) and they are learning to keep up with it mostly.

I really had to have some system as for most of my schooling years, we have had 4 folks to keep up with for the state and a few more that we are working with informally. This along with therpay work we had to record.

We have discovered that, at least in our house, communications are more reliable and remembered if they are in writing. We use lots and lots of post its. Luckily I get these free from mil rebates and collection of freebies.

Janet

I have a binder for each grade with all the lesson plans for that grade in it. I copy (with Kolbe's permission) certain lesson plans for each kid. My 9th grader has copies of each subject minus the tests and keys. My 6th grader only gets copies of whichever lit plans he is working on. My others do not get copies. Then for each child I have made up a spreadsheet chart for a week- landscape orientation, subject down the side and day of week across top. I have their name printed on top with the year and a space to write the date, quarter and week. So each subject ends up with a box for each day that I can fill in. Those subjects that are the same each week are typed in- others are left blank to be filled in by hand each week. Usually it says something like monday- Read chapter, Tuesday answer q's, Wed finish answer q's, Thur- review with mom and then I just have to write in which chapter is for that week. So each Friday or over the weekend I get out the lesson plan binder and write up the plans for that week. I let my 9th grader make up her own weekly plans based on the Kolbe plans, but I do them for the younger ones. If there are notes in the lesson plans that I need to refer to then I will note it on that days lesson plan and be sure to open my binder on that day to read it. But in general, we go on that one sheet of paper each week for each kid. They also get a copy of the weekly lesson plan so they can do most of the work on their own.

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Volunteer Kolbe Parent

This sounds like a lot of work, but saves a lot of time in the end.

I transfer the Kolbe plans, by hand, into my teacher's planner (I like the one at Seton, with the days on top of the page, and you can fill in the subjects on the side). Each child gets space (I have 3 currently using Kolbe) on the planner. I draw lines in to separate each child. For example, on Monday, in the Math block, it is separated into three equal sections, and then I write each child's plan in them. The squares are big enough.

So, I transfer all material into each week. There is a section on the right for weekend and notes, and here I add in things like home Ec, etc.

Then, each girl gets an assignment sheet for the week (8 x 11) with grids in the same format as my planner. I use Abby Saucer's Assignment Sheets. I then transfer what I wrote in my planner on to their sheets.

Lots of work, but worth it. Now the girls know EXACTLY what to do on what given day. They highlight their assignments when done on their assignment sheets, and then they come and show me they are done, and then I highlight and initial it in MY book. That way there is accountability on both ends. Because I work 3 days per week, I am unable to correct papers right away, but at least I know they are done.

It is archaeic, and seems like a lot, but it is truly easy. On the days I work, we review what needs to be done, and when I come home, I check it. We then do homeschooling on the other subjects that need help in the late afternoons or evening. I know exactly what needs to be done, and who has finished their work or not.

My girls are pretty independent in their work....which helps, and I that is what I want for them to be...learning and researching with my guidance.

Anyways, I am not sure this helps, but it works for me.

God Bless

I'm new to homeschooling, but I've used google docs to organize the rest of my life (receipts, letters, taxes, everything!), and it works just as well for homeschooling my 9th grade son. We have gmail accounts, which allows us to share documents online anywhere and everywhere.

What I love about google docs is: the amount of stuff you can type into them; its infinite # of folders you can use; the ease of sharing documents with another person; and its accessibility (we don't have to be "home" to access his work)! And whenever you're ready to print everything out, they're automatically converted to a pdf file with nice margins. I mostly use it to store his work so I'm not awash in paper, and if our computer ever decides to burn out, everything is saved online.

On google docs, I have a folder for 'homeschooling', and under that folder, I have all of the subjects listed, each with a separate folder. Inside each folder, I've uploaded the preliminary course plans for each subject, which I obtained from the main website. We save all of my ds's work under these folders. If my ds types into a separate document - like excel, for example - he can upload these documents into google docs.

Separately (meaning, away from the computer), I have two transparent colored binders with the course plans inside, and each course plan is divided by a colored tab. Both my son and I access these binders when we need to look at the week's assignments (we work by the week). And for his algebra II/trig subject, he has a spiral notebook with graph paper and a pocket on the inside for the graphing lab.

So far, so good.