Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

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Rice
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:00 am

Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Rice » Thu May 01, 2014 7:05 pm

I'm new to HOD and am wondering, now that I have the CTC guide in hand, how you ladies keep track of work done. Do you make a checklist in a planner to show what they've accomplished in a given week or do you check things off in the actual guide? Is there an online planner that works well with tracking HOD? A pre-printed teacher's calendar or a spreadsheet that you've created yourself?

Of course, you can answer those questions generally, but I specifically have two conundrums:
1) How do you give your child their daily assignments, especially if you don't think handing over the guide to the student is the best idea? My DS is notorious for misplacing books and would not take great care of it - it would end up looking frightful before the end of the year, but I have 6 more kids who will need to use it. DS is used to working off a daily check list to track his progress but I don't see a way that would work well with so much of the instruction for CTC written long hand in the guide. Is there an easy answer to this problem that I can't see, having not used this system before?

2) I will have 3 using the guide this first time through. I don't see how they can share it between the three of them (not only because they'll need it at the same time but also personality-wise). Is the only way around this to purchase multiple copies of the guide?

I'm SO looking forward to using such a well laid out guide but coming from a curriculum with no guide, just spreadsheets listing what to read and narrate each week, I am unsure how to handle the record keeping and daily workings of following a teacher's guide, especially with multiple students.

Blessings,
Rice

DS 21 - GRAD '20: after WG
DD 19 - GRAD '21: after WH
DS 17 - GRAD '22; did CTC-WH + 2yrs non-HOD (🇨🇦)
DS 15 not using a guide this year (DONE: LHFHG-MTMM)
DS 13 MTMM (DONE: Prep-Rev2Rev)
DS 11 +
DD 9 CTC (DONE: Prep)
6yo DS phonics

Tidbits of Learning
Posts: 303
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:18 am

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Tidbits of Learning » Thu May 01, 2014 7:18 pm

I have only used guides with 2 kids but they did share it from a central location. Some ladies used to link a pop up cook book holder that was see through that also had a protector for the pages....you may search for it in the search feature. I would get it and put the guide in a central location for the 3 to refer to as needed. I would probably buy them agenda books to take mini-notes on assignments from the guide so that you wouldn't need to purchase multiple guides. I have used this method with the guides successfully with 2 children that would not share well.
2020-2021
dd20, dd19 Grown and Flown :D
ds18-12th grade at hybrid school
ds14-8th grade MTMM President's Study and Science

Rice
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:00 am

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Rice » Thu May 01, 2014 7:39 pm

Tidbits of Learning wrote:I have only used guides with 2 kids but they did share it from a central location. Some ladies used to link a pop up cook book holder that was see through that also had a protector for the pages....you may search for it in the search feature. I would get it and put the guide in a central location for the 3 to refer to as needed. I would probably buy them agenda books to take mini-notes on assignments from the guide so that you wouldn't need to purchase multiple guides. I have used this method with the guides successfully with 2 children that would not share well.
Thanks for your quick reply, Tidbits.
Okay, so that would take care of how they know what to do.

How do you know which assignments each child has completed for the day? Do you give them each a checklist with the subject headings for them to keep track of what they've done/have left to do? Do they just refer to the guide and mentally check off what they have or have not done? Do they ever end up on different pages from one another and then how would you track that?

And how do you track what you've done for recording purposes? We have very little reporting required here but I've still kept "this is what we did on this week" type checklists to show what we're completing. Especially since some of the things in the guide are optional, how do you keep track of what you've done, as opposed to assuming you've completed everything behind the page you're on now?

Blessings,
Rice

DS 21 - GRAD '20: after WG
DD 19 - GRAD '21: after WH
DS 17 - GRAD '22; did CTC-WH + 2yrs non-HOD (🇨🇦)
DS 15 not using a guide this year (DONE: LHFHG-MTMM)
DS 13 MTMM (DONE: Prep-Rev2Rev)
DS 11 +
DD 9 CTC (DONE: Prep)
6yo DS phonics

Samuel'sMommy
Posts: 647
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Location: TN
Contact:

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Samuel'sMommy » Thu May 01, 2014 8:12 pm

I only have one son, but what I have done is I just write the date at the top of the page and then check off each box as we do it. That way at the end of the year, I have all the dates and what we have done right in my guide. If I had more than one child, I would probably do the same thing and either use a different color for each child, or just put their initials in the corner of each box as they complete it.
Stephanie
Wife to Adam for 25 years
Mom to Samuel (18 - freshman in college), Isaiah (8), and Judah (4) through the miracle of adoption
Using and loving LHTH & BLHFHG

Loved using LHTH, LHFHG, BLHFHG, BHFHG, PHFHG, CTC, & RTR!

MelInKansas
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Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:32 pm

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by MelInKansas » Thu May 01, 2014 8:12 pm

Another option(s) for ways to handle your guide that might help with your questions:

Unbind and laminate the pages or put them in page protector sleeves in a binder. Then on a daily basis, each child could have a different color dry-erase to check off the box(es) as they get them done (or as Carrie I think suggested, they could check off or mark in one color, but you could go back and finish the mark once you have checked over the work, like they do a slash and you make it an X once you have checked it over). You can also have possible flexibility of taking the pages out of the binder, though with my guide that is unbound in a 3-ring notebook (in page protectors) I do not take the pages out as I fear I would lose them. As for yearly tracking, I write in pencil the date we have done a certain page/day of the guide and then I have things like when we started and finished the guide, days/weeks off etc if I want to get that detailed. I write in on the page of the guide but you could do it in a separate notebook if you want.

I think unbinding would make it last longer too. My Preparing guide, which my DD does read out of for her independent work, is pretty beat up and we are only in week 13. I am resigned to just buying another guide eventually, maybe it will make it through 2 children. My Preparing guide is not unbound and my DD makes a pencil checkmark in the corner of each box as it is completed (or I do on the teacher-directed things). My plan is to have the next child down the line use a different mark in a different corner of each box. And to again write in pencil on the page the date we did that page.
Melissa
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end"

DD12 - Rev to Rev + DITHOR 6/7/8
DD10 - CTC + DITHOR 2/3
DD7 - Bigger + ERs
DS5 - LHFHG
DD2 - ABC123
2 babies in heaven

Rice
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:00 am

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Rice » Thu May 01, 2014 8:21 pm

So does this mean that most of you use the guide like something consumable, getting a new guide every couple/few children? I had thought it would be like the teacher's guide for math - something I looked at but not the children. I guess the way it's laid out (without a student's guide to go with it) it's more likely to get marked and even damaged and less likely to be in condition to resell to someone else when I'm done with it (or to make it through 7 children), am I right?

Blessings,
Rice

DS 21 - GRAD '20: after WG
DD 19 - GRAD '21: after WH
DS 17 - GRAD '22; did CTC-WH + 2yrs non-HOD (🇨🇦)
DS 15 not using a guide this year (DONE: LHFHG-MTMM)
DS 13 MTMM (DONE: Prep-Rev2Rev)
DS 11 +
DD 9 CTC (DONE: Prep)
6yo DS phonics

Gwenny
Posts: 750
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:07 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Gwenny » Thu May 01, 2014 8:33 pm

In CtC and up the student needs access to the guide for most of the day. It is not really a "teacher's guide". (It's actually that way for Preparing for us as well)
I think it's easiest to just check off each box as they do it. Your different children could each have their own symbol or something. Julie said that she then puts her initials or some symbol to show that she's checked it. You could make up a spreadsheet for the different items for each day and just copy for every unit if they work better that way.
I will have 2 in CtC in a couple of weeks and they will be in different spots. I bought a second guide. I think it will be way easier that way. They "live" in the guide. I would do it even if they were starting at the same time.
My guides still look fine even with my kids having it all the time. I don't plan on them being consumable, but if it does happen it's not a big deal. It's worth it. :)
Nancy
Dd29 married (w/2 sons 1/2/14, 5/24/16), ds27, dd25 married (w/dd born 8/9/16), dd25, dd22
Dd 19 HS in special ed
Dd14 RevtoRev
Ds12 RevtoRev
Ds 9 Preparing
Dd 5 LHFHG

MelInKansas
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Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:32 pm

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by MelInKansas » Thu May 01, 2014 8:48 pm

Another reason I am willing to buy another guide is, once you've invested in all of the books, most of the resources in each guide are reusable also. Whereas they use the guide every single day, most of the other books are used for a short time in the year. So once you've made the initial investment, another $75 guide doesn't seem like that big of a deal if you end up needing it. I intended to take care of my guides and have them last through all the kids, and I think my first few guides will make it, but we have really beat up this Preparing guide so far! Spilled water on it, my DD splattered some of her food coloring on it just the other day. :roll:

I was fastidious about not marking in my guides until we got to Preparing and then thought I would let her check off the boxes. It is a great visual guide to how much she has done and how much is left to go. I almost want to start doing it in Beyond too, because sometimes I forget something, or it takes me a minute to go through all the boxes and think "wait, did we do that yet?" We do things in nearly the same order each day but sometimes I still don't complete it as well as I should and I think the visual of checked off boxes would really help me.

As you already commented, the guide is more than a teacher's guide once they start doing independent work. The step-by-step instructions are there, and if you tried to have them copy it I think it might get lost in translation.
Melissa
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His mercies never come to an end"

DD12 - Rev to Rev + DITHOR 6/7/8
DD10 - CTC + DITHOR 2/3
DD7 - Bigger + ERs
DS5 - LHFHG
DD2 - ABC123
2 babies in heaven

Gwenny
Posts: 750
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:07 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Gwenny » Thu May 01, 2014 9:09 pm

I check off in my LHFHG and Beyond guide. First time through LHFHG I checkmarked and now second time I star it. I am doing the same thing in Beyond. He's about to start Bigger and I checkmarked it for my daughter. I need another symbol for him because now I equate the star with my guy in LHFHG. :). I would never remember what I did if I didn't check it off. :)
Nancy
Dd29 married (w/2 sons 1/2/14, 5/24/16), ds27, dd25 married (w/dd born 8/9/16), dd25, dd22
Dd 19 HS in special ed
Dd14 RevtoRev
Ds12 RevtoRev
Ds 9 Preparing
Dd 5 LHFHG

Rice
Posts: 526
Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 10:00 am

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Rice » Thu May 01, 2014 9:38 pm

Thanks, everyone!

I'll have to think a bit more about what to do (second guide for DS who works downstairs for less distraction, different symbols for each or separate checklists) but I get the idea now. My record keeping will be quite different from what I'm used to, but that's all good.

It's almost hard to wait till fall to jump in and try it out! :)

Blessings,
Rice

DS 21 - GRAD '20: after WG
DD 19 - GRAD '21: after WH
DS 17 - GRAD '22; did CTC-WH + 2yrs non-HOD (🇨🇦)
DS 15 not using a guide this year (DONE: LHFHG-MTMM)
DS 13 MTMM (DONE: Prep-Rev2Rev)
DS 11 +
DD 9 CTC (DONE: Prep)
6yo DS phonics

Gwenny
Posts: 750
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:07 pm
Location: Texas

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Gwenny » Thu May 01, 2014 9:51 pm

I have one that works downstairs and one upstairs. It will be really difficult to only have one guide.
Nancy
Dd29 married (w/2 sons 1/2/14, 5/24/16), ds27, dd25 married (w/dd born 8/9/16), dd25, dd22
Dd 19 HS in special ed
Dd14 RevtoRev
Ds12 RevtoRev
Ds 9 Preparing
Dd 5 LHFHG

MomtoJGJE
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Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by MomtoJGJE » Fri May 02, 2014 9:03 am

An alternate to buying a new guide for each child is to make them responsible for it. If my kids are taking care of a guide, and it gets messed up in some other way, then that's fine... but if they aren't taking care of it, then they are going to have to buy a new one for the next child.

I've never had one get messed up. There is a crease on the Bigger cover from where the baby sat on it bent, and the Preparing cover came off (they replace it for me because it isn't supposed to happen) but other than that they are all fine. The Beyond guide has been through 3 already and it looks fine. CTC looks almost brand new still after my oldest is almost done with it.

Nealewill
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Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Nealewill » Sat May 03, 2014 5:12 am

For Preparing, I had my dd pencil a check mark next to the boxes she completed. And then each week I went through and erased them. It worked great. I also took binding off and put mine in a binder. In the very front of the guide I keep the current week we are working on. After that I have the poetry section. Then the math guides, spelling, any indexes you need. Then the full portion of the guide comes next. So for me, this works great. My dd doesn't have to search through the whole guide for what all she still needs to do. She can just see the week before her and then tackle it. This works well for me. I also do that with my other guides as well. While we aren't quite ready to start school for next year I do own all my stuff. I have already cut the bindings off of CTC, Bigger and Little (my youngest is moving down a guide) and they are ready to go as well.
Daneale

DD 13 WG
DS 12 R2R
DD 10 R2R

Enjoyed DITHOR, Little Hearts, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, R2R, RevtoRev, MtMM

Mumkins
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Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Mumkins » Sat May 03, 2014 10:10 am

I gave each kid a check list with all their subjects for each day. I also had a master check list with all kids on it so I checked it off as they completed it and could see where we were at.

I had my book placed in a binder. Once the books started with Independent subjects, I put them in page protectors. I feel this was the best option for our large family when each guide would be used many times.

My suggestion for sharing a guide would be to have a spot where they can go look at it and see what's next, but not move the guide. Make a schedule and have them working on different subjects so they don't need the same books at the same time.
7 awesome kids!

2 graduated
2 at highschool
3 coming home to homeschool in the fall💕
DD5 LHFHG
DS9 Preparing
DS12 RTR

We’ve enjoyed LHTH, LHFHG, Beyond, Preparing, CTC, WG

Tidbits of Learning
Posts: 303
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:18 am

Re: Guides: tracking, assignments, multiple kids

Post by Tidbits of Learning » Sat May 03, 2014 12:22 pm

Rice wrote:
How do you know which assignments each child has completed for the day? Do you give them each a checklist with the subject headings for them to keep track of what they've done/have left to do? Do they just refer to the guide and mentally check off what they have or have not done? Do they ever end up on different pages from one another and then how would you track that?

And how do you track what you've done for recording purposes? We have very little reporting required here but I've still kept "this is what we did on this week" type checklists to show what we're completing. Especially since some of the things in the guide are optional, how do you keep track of what you've done, as opposed to assuming you've completed everything behind the page you're on now?

Blessings,
Our agenda books were bought at the dollar store and they had little squares beside where you write the assignments so my dc would copy the basic assignment into the agenda like Rd. pgs. 8-10 orally narrate Name of Book here and when they finished that they put a check mark by it. At check-in time with me, I would see what they had checked and go over it with them and then I would put a slash on their check making it an X so I knew it was done. If it was something I am grading like narration or such I would put a grade beside it in their agenda book as well. If it was a long instruction in the box in the guide they would short hand it and if need be go back to the guide to re-read the instructions as needed. Yes, they did end up on different pages sometimes and they just flipped the pages on the guide when they wrote their instructions. I tried to keep them on the same track though b/c it was easier.
If mine were in different rooms or upstairs/downstairs, I would buy 2 guides. Mine were in the same area so I didn't have to when we did CTC. For high school, I like them writing in the agenda books to get used to keeping track of assignments and writing assignments to track for homework. It is a skill that public school kids master by 3rd grade and one that you need for college to keep up with assignments. I start mine using the agenda books around 8th grade. Before that I do not use them.
I personally use Homeschool Helper on my Nook for recording purposes and I am very basic for it. I don't set up lesson plans for the year in advance. I just have a set time the last 30 min. of school to "grade" and put in Homeschool Helper. It is basic like I have the kids write in their agenda's rd. pg. 8-10 name of book orally narrate then I give a daily grade for it. I try to put our work in daily and grade it daily but sometimes take a Sunday to put it in as well. If we don't do something optional, I know and I don't put it in homeschool helper. At the end of the year, homeschool helper has printouts for attendance, resources used, report card, field trips and so on...they are emailed in pdf form from the app to my email and I print them and file them. I also have a sticky tab in our guides that we move as we complete each day to know we are through with everything prior in the guide.
I keep our notebooking pages and written work and file it away each year for the kids. I have never been asked for any of it, but it is nice to look back and see their work. :)
2020-2021
dd20, dd19 Grown and Flown :D
ds18-12th grade at hybrid school
ds14-8th grade MTMM President's Study and Science

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