I’ve been asked before about the structure of my homeschool lesson plans. New homeschool moms want to know how structured they should be. The answer to that question is… They need to be as structured as you need them to be to have a successful homeschool day. How’s that for a magic equation? Sorry! There really isn’t a “right” way to lesson plan. There is only a “right-for-you” way.
I am highly structured. I have every day planned out and scheduled. I write exactly what needs to be done in my planning binder so I don’t have to guess what comes next. However, my structured plans would send a relaxed homeschooler over the edge! Some would find my plans far too structured. And, that’s okay.
Each of us have to find a system that works for us. It’s the only way we will succeed on this homeschool journey. If you need structure…be structured. If you need freedom to float through your lessons…then float!
Homeschool Lesson Plans
My “Teacher” Plans
The way I plan my lessons has evolved over the years. But, for the most part, they haven’t changed much in the past two years. So, I can say that I have finally found a planning system that works for me. I start each year mapping out my curriculum on a 6-week planning page. These plans are very generic and are used solely for tracking purposes. Each week when I write out my lesson plans, I write the next lesson in my planner. Then, I mark it off of the 6-week planning page. This shows me where we are in each subject and where I had hoped to be at this point.
As I mentioned, I try to put as much info as possible on my daily planner. Sometimes, however, there is too much information to include. So for these subjects, specifically history and science, I keep a unit planner in my planning binder. Then, I just have an overview of the lesson on my planner, and I flip to the back of my binder for details.
However, while my written plans are pretty structured, I do try to keep some flexibility in our schedule to allow for changes to our day. Right now, we’re in the midst of some pretty hefty ballet rehearsals. So, I have tweaked our day to allow for Em to sleep in and for us to leave early for rehearsals.
Emma’s “Student” Plans
At the beginning of the school year, I was typing my lesson plans into a similar planning page for Emma’s weekly binder. However, I recently read a post about using a spiral notebook for a planner. I did this last year, and I’m not sure why I switched. As of last week, we have switched back to the spiral notebook. For me, it’s much easier to write out the lessons each evening as I grade her daily work. I have added the checkbox to the end of several of her lessons to remind myself to grade her work for the day.
Using the spiral notebook allows me to include as little or as much information as she needs to complete her work. Emma likes this method better. Having her own planner allows her to work independently. She is responsible for managing her time to complete the day’s assignments. She doesn’t have to rely on my to tell her what to do next. As a 6th grader, she knows which subjects she is required to consult with me on before starting – science, history, and her spelling test. The rest she can usually start on her own without me. We love the independence this gives her.
How Others Do It
- Sheryl, at Liberty Hill House, has created a flexible system that works will for her. She has created a Homeschool Bullet Journal to keep her homeschool on track.
- Melanie shared at Blessed Beyond a Doubt about the Easiest Record System Ever with a free download.
- I’m currently reading Plan to Be Flexible: Designing a Homeschool Rhythm and Curriculum Plan That Works for Your Family. I’ve read rave reviews from other homeschool blogger moms, and I’m excited to finish it up. I’ll be back later this week with a review. Alicia Kazsuk’s goal is to help moms analyze what is and what isn’t working in their homeschool and develop a flexible rhythm (not schedule) for their families.
How do you lesson plan? Are your plans structured or more flexible?
I’m fairly structured. I find if I’m not, then our day and my plans get derailed. In some areas I expect my daughter to do some self-directed learning tasks and the order she does them doesn’t matter… just as long as she gets them done.
Thanks for sharing.
Wishing you a lovely evening.
xoxo
I find that if I don’t have a plan things just won’t get done. For the most part, for the subjects Em does independently, the order doesn’t matter. I do notice, though, that Em tends to just work down the list instead of skipping around.
I really like your color-coded notebook approach. We really try to encourage our kids to be as self-directed as possible in their education. Some of them need a little more guidance than others, especially as they start to transition from those younger care-free years to the more “buckle down and study” years. I’m definitely going to try this out with some of our in-betweeners.
Great write up, thanks for sharing.
This is a hard one for me. I NEED structure because if I don’t organize and plan things, my head feels overwhelmed and stuff doesn’t happen. But too much planning and structure doesn’t give me the flexibility I need, and I’m more likely to just “give up” and say “forget the lesson plans today! I’m overwhelmed!”
I think I’m figuring out a “middle place”. I keep a schedule/plan but simplify it. I shorten our day (because it usually goes over) and I just make room for necessary edits in our lesson plan. And I don’t plan more than two weeks at a time, because who knows what will happen.
But I secretly feel like I just need to buckle down and accomplish more. It’s a battle.
Middle isn’t a bad place to be. I, too, get overwhelmed if I plan too far ahead and my plans go awry. That’s why I’ve started sticking to one or two weeks at a time.
I agree, it’s a ‘right for you’ approach that will work 🙂
I am more structured now than ever in planning, but less so in curriculum. Make sense? 🙂
I find the structure helps me to be accountable to doing school almost everyday. It keeps me accountable to gaps, and where we are going. The loosening with the curriculum helps me to be a bit more delight directed than before.
Pinning this one 🙂
That makes perfect sense!