Name: CHEC Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference
Start: 2025-06-12T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-14T23:59:59-05:00
Location: Denver, CO

Tagged: 3rd grade, 6th grade, independent work

This topic has 5 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 2 months ago by LDIMom.

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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April 6, 2012 at 4:34 pm
4myboys
Participant
This is our first year homeschooling. An average day for us runs about 2 hours give or take — about 1/2 independantly and 1 1/2 family & guided combined. It’s been an easy year because we’re new, and because my focus has been on improving our oldest ds’s math and handwriting skills, learning the habit of attention and working on oral narration skills. I am now starting to plan for next year and know that my older ds in particular needs to be doing more independantly and spending longer on his studies daily. Ideally I want to keep the family and guided work at 2 hours a day, 2 1/2 max. because that’s really all I have without eating into play time or family time. I work mornings (9-noon) and would like for them to do as much as possible independantly during that time.
So how long does/did your 6th grader and or 3rd grader, spend on studies per day, and how much of that do/did they do independently? Which subjects do they work on independently?
April 6, 2012 at 4:52 pm
suzukimom
Participant
I’d say that 2 to 2-1/2 hours is about right for a 3rd grader… not sure how much more for a 6th grader – probably another hour or so? (I don’t have one that old yet…)

If you need them to do things independently, except for family subjects, you may want to look into a couple of things, as there are a couple of ways to go about it. Neither are inherently CM, but can be used in a CM style.
One option I could see is Sue Patrick’s Workboxes…. I used a variation in the past. (I didn’t have space/money for doing it exactly how she says…) Basically, each subject they are to work on their own is setup in a “box”, with EVERYTHING they will need to do it. They work through the boxes in order. That is an extremely brief summary, lol.
Another option, with a different approach, can be found at http://www.URtheMom.com – She has a book and sells student planners. She gets her kids to become Independent Learners (Self-Teachers) by setting goals of work to be done over a period of time… I believe that once they get to about 3rd or 4th grade, (and some training), they write in their planner what they have DONE each day. I think the general idea is that they have to do something on each subject every day (at least 5 minutes) – but are encouraged to do more…. and of course they need to accomplish their goals… So one day, they might be really absorbed in their history, and read 3 chapters… do 1 lesson in math, and do the 5 minutes of grammar. The next day, they might do lots of grammar, do another lesson in math, and just read a few pages in history. It sounds like it takes some training, and there is lots of advice to goal setting, what to do if they aren’t reaching goals, etc.
As for which subjects can be done independently will depend a lot on what you are using. Some math courses can be done independantly – some are parent-intensive. Same with almost any subject. I think you can find things that work independently for almost every topic except the beginning-reading.
Things I sometimes have my kids work on independently….. (mostly on the comptuer)
Using Khan Academy for math (it isn’t our main program… but could be used as one if you wanted – and it’s free)
Science videos
Signing Time (ASL)
German Videos
reading quietly
there are probalby more…..

April 6, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Monica
Participant
My 4th grader spends about 2 1/2 – 3 hours on school each day.
Some of the subjects he does independently:
Math (we use Teaching Textbooks)
Science reading
Literature Reading
Audio books
Projects/Practice for Extracurricular stuff (Scouts, Karate, etc.)
Typing
Computer Programming Course
April 6, 2012 at 9:51 pm
LDIMom
Participant
I always struggle with this b/c I feel like perhaps mine aren’t spending enough time on school but then when i look back at all they’ve done … I don’t really worry about the times as much. Totally get the need though to take stock of it.
My 7th grader spends from 3-4 hours most days, closer to 4 most days. He does Group learning every day. Ours is usually 30-45 minutes, mainly b/c I have 3 little ones and that is all we can reasonably do with them (and I do require them to all sit in even with an activity or crayons and paper or a map to color, etc.).
Often though, before group time, if he wakes early enough, he will have already done his morning chores and begun indepdendent work:
Bible study (we attend Community Bible Study so he is working on the Book of Acts through that this year)
Math (combination of Saxon, IXL problems, Khan Academy, Games, etc.)
Independnet Reading for 45 minutes (this is NOT to include reading for science but does include assigned history readings)
Science (on Tuesdays and Thursdays only; right now he is using the Geology Book we found on the book list here; he likes it and so do i b/c he likes it; science is just not going to be a subject of interest for him once he doesn’t have to do it)
History Reading (see above; this is the book he has currently assigned that compliments our Group History lessons)
Language (on any given day, he is using Grammarlogue lessons, working on a historical fiction novel he is writing, doing a lesson in Rod&Staff Book 7; a lesson in The Write Stuff Adventure or The Fallacy Detective; he does different assignments on different days and for the most part is student-led on this).
In addition to all of this, he works independently on his Scout Merit Badges and most often these are learning experiences, so we count it. He has learned a lot actually and is motivated so that is the key on it. He also loves LEGO building and is always working on another design (he designs from scratch). He will often take a photo of an airplane or something else he builds and include that in his current novel by scanning it in as an image.
He recently built us a compost bin totally on his own. He cross-stitches, though like his Momma he prefers to do this when the weather turns cold outside so not as much lately. He has recently developed more of an interest in photography.
He READS a lot about WWI history. He is not crazy about the history time period we are in (and neither am I), but he goes along with it and looks forward to when we move into more modern history. I am determined to go through it all though b/c I got to World History in HS and college and really struggled. I had no exposure prior to high school. Even my two 6YOs can tell people a lot about ancient history!
I guess that is about it. Oh and our 4th grader spends probably 2-3 hours on book work, much like above except he has shorter reading time requirements and shorter math lessons. I don’t really worry about reading with our children b/c they all love to read and often stay up too late reading!

Hope this helps!
April 7, 2012 at 2:57 pm
4myboys
Participant
It’s remarkable how little time our children spend on formal studies compared to their ps counterparts! Next year the sixth graders from our community head off to the Jr. High. It would have been the first year my ds would have been bused. Class for them will begin just before 8 am, and most of them will have had to have caught the bus before 7am. My son is rarely up before 8am, so I think that alone has him happy to be homeschooled next year. Their school day ends at 2pm and the girl next door has been home before 2:30 each afternoon, so that’s at least 5 hours of classes plus homework, I suspect maybe an hour or two of that each evening… At 3 1/2- 4 hours a day, my son should count himself blessed!
I think I’ll see if I can make the work boxes idea work for mornings. He does well will check lists, so this might be right up his alley. He also hates been slowed down by his younger brother if younger ds isn’t being attentive or interrupting a lot. Not sure my younger is ready to be that independant, but we can try!
April 7, 2012 at 3:13 pm
LDIMom
Participant
You have to remember though with PS that there is one teacher per 30+/- students at the 6th grade level. Also, they spend HOURS each day going from class to class, cafe, etc.
Our children were in a well-respected PS (our oldest DS for 5 years), and I sat down and figured out the instructional time (actual time he was taught) and it was about 3.5 hours out of the 7 hours he was there. And NONE of that time was 1-on-1 instruction that was specifically geared for HIM.
I have no idea what that would look like in the middle school here which starts at 6th grade, but I suspect it would be about the same.
I too though remind mine to be grateful for all of the free time they have in the afternoons (which is usually when we explore nature, read for pleasure (love the choices they are making in books for that), working on Boy Scout stuff, LEGO, playing with brothers, etc.
We don’t normally have homework, but sometimes they do if assignments are not completed during the day.