Keeping Up With Record Keeping

Sometimes record keeping can be the hardest part of homeschooling. Just when you think you have a system down, you find yourself pulled in 20 different directions and the work piles up to unmanageable levels. This is when having a system is handy. It could be as simple as piling everything in a box for the year, or as detailed as daily entries in a teacher's record book. You can grade individual papers only, or cross post the grades in a yearly record.

Checking your state's homeschooling law is critical on this issue. Some states require detailed records and samples of work, some require nothing. Some states have mandatory testing, others don't. Even if your state does not require any record keeping, it is still a good idea to have some kind of system in place, just in case of overzealous school officials, nosy neighbors, or persons with "the best interests of the children" "at heart".

Some online curriculum programs even keep records for you. I am sure there are computer programs that can do this as well. If you are clever enough you could probably design your own computerized record keeping system. I am still doing mine by hand, with pencil and paper. I know several parents who use specially designed worksheets they have printed out.

Here is my simple system to give you ideas:

                       

                        1 - grade each paper turned in;

                        2 - in a weekly calendar book, post each grade, as                                  well as non-graded work completed;       

                         

                        3 - place all completed work for the year in an 18                                  gallon plastic box, place the weekly calendar                                      book in the box at the end of the year.

                        4 - Place any projects, books not being resold,                                          pictures, copies of videos and miscellaneous                                      items in box. Tape and label box and store                                          away.

We rely heavily on pictures and videos to document projects and work, so it is critical that I copy all school related media to a usb or sd card or make a hard copy of pictures to store in the box. This takes a little extra time, but I feel it is worth it for the permanent record. It is okay to revise your system from time to time, as your needs change and your abilities evolve. Our system has changed over the years but the important thing is that we do maintain a permanent record of work accomplished.

Start with whatever you think will work for you and tweak your system as you go along. You will be glad to have records if you should ever find yourself in a situation where your child's learning or your qualifications as a teacher are ever questioned. It will also prove helpful when it comes time to make up high school transcripts.

If you enjoyed this post, there is lots more information on homeschooling in my new book:

The Working Parent's Guide To Homeschooling

Easy Classical - Classical Education, Charlotte Mason Style

The Easy Classical program offers a full 36 week set of lesson plans, or "schedules" for teaching a classical curriculum using living books, as Charlotte Mason proposed.  The system seems to be built around Susan Bauers' book,  "The Well Trained Mind:  A Guide to Classical Education At Home", which is recommended reading before starting the program.  I have not read this book and it was not included with the review materials, but I am familiar with the Charlotte Mason method of using living books, and this seems fairly similar.

Our review packet was the Early Modern History Schedule, specifically, American History, beginning with pre-Columbus America and continuing on with Explorers through 1820.  This schedule, designed to use one year during the kindergarten through 6th grade years, and repeating one year in the upper grades, includes daily reading and writing assignments, art lessons, and suggested projects.  It incorporates everything but science and math.  (Although Easy Classical offers a Complete Schedule that includes more Language Arts and also includes Science. Saxon is suggested for Math.)  The schedule is heavy on reading and writing, and the quizzes require a higher level of comprehension, so I don't think I would be using this particular curriculum until my son is older, say 5th or 6th grade. 

I really like the lesson plans laid out for you, and suggested books for the reading and study part.  I find I am not able to get alot of these books from our local inter-library loan, but it helps to have the list for searching for other books to use.  I also really like the method of using living books to bring history and other subjects to life.  I think it aids in retention and actual learning, not just "learning to pass the test" and then forgetting it all.

Using the schedule "as-is" will require a very structured school day and a very focused student. However, as homeschoolers, we do have the freedom to tailor our curriculum to the needs of our students. Hence, we can do much of the reading out loud, together, and modify the writing assignments to suit. The art lesson can be followed step by step for older students, or just colored in by younger students. Older students can do more in-depth study on each topic, younger may just get an overview. and the quizzes may be eliminated altogether for younger students.


The schedules list other Easy Classical resources for writing and copywork assignments, however, as these were not provided, I am unable to give an opinion on them. The sample pages available on the Easy Classical website, do offer a glimpse of whether they might work for your particular student. It would be easy enough to assign appropriate topics for each lesson without them.

Although we do not use Easy Classical schedules in our classroom, we do use a curriculum whose yearly lesson plans are in a very similar format, and I can tell you, it saves so much stress and work.  For only $29.95 you can download the Digital Version of the schedule, and for $35.95, Easy Classical will print it out and send it to you in a handy notebook.  It is a wonderful thing not to have to make up lesson plans from scratch, and easy enough to modify ready made lesson plans when an interesting learning opportunity presents itself.  I highly recommend you check out Easy Classical and see if this might work for you and your students. 

See what other Homeschool Crew members are saying about Easy Classical.

We received one digital copy of the Easy Classical Early Modern History Schedule for this review.  No other compensation was received.

Getting Ready For School

Unlike many homeschooling families, we have NOT started our school year yet.  Our books finally arrived last week, and I have been reviewing the lesson plans, looking over the books, and getting supplies together.  My son, on the other hand, got hold of his new books and never looked back.  He has been reading and working through any and all assignments he can do on his own...would that such enthusiasm continued through the rest of the school year!

Here you can see his new desk, which was given to us by a friend who had no use for it.  You can see his new books all in a neat stack.  His drawers are organized too...for the moment;)

Just proof for later in the year that, yes, at one time we COULD actually see the top of the desk!