Dana,

Thanks for posting the sample plans for us to view. I am always tweaking our schedule to find better ways to fit everything into our week. As I was looking over your sample plans, I had a few questions.

1. How do your Dialectic students answer the Accountability and Thinking Questions on Tuesdsay, if they have not completed their history reading for the week? I'd like to allow more days for reading, but find it difficult to fit in our questions and discussion if they're not done reading on Tuesday.

2. Can you explain a little more about the discussion time on Wednesday? Is this the full discussion using the Teacher Notes or is this a mid-week check-up to enable them to follow the Read Think Write philosophy Marcia recommends?

Here's my challenge, if I allow my students to schedule their reading throughout the week (4 days) we are not able to have our discussion time until Thursday. This did not allow enough days for writing. This year I am suggesting that they complete the history reading on Monday and Tuesday, so we can have our discussion and begin writing on Wednesday. The literature and church history readings are done Wed. and Thurs. I think this will work ok for us, but I was intrigued when I saw your sample schedule and wondered how that really looks in action. It's so helpful to see what other people do to make it work for them. I've considered assigning the reading on Friday, but we prefer to keep it all in the same week as much as possible.

Thanks for sharing your ideas with us!
Andrea

Hi Andrea,
1. They begin the reading assignment on Thursday, the day after the discussion from the previous week. So, they have four school days, plus the weekend, to read and answer questions.

2. Yes, the discussion time on Wednesday is a full-fledged one using the Teacher's Notes.

Your method sounds good too. The point is giving four school days for reading, however you want to arrange it, and one day for discussion.

Blessings,

Thanks Dana! I should have been able to figure that out. It makes perfect sense now that I can see clearly. When I looked at your reading assignments, it wasn't obvious to me that Thursday and Friday were for the following week. I just couldn't see how it was working for you.

Those charts are really helpful because it shows how someone can manage all the pieces of TOG. Thanks for posting those for us!

Dana,
This is SO helpful! I hope you don't mind a few questions:

Are you following the same schedule (Thurs-Wed)for Lit...if I read your sample correctly...it appears, since you save discussion till Friday you assign Lit--Monday thru Firday?

If so--how do you keep that straight. I would assume you and your Student would do alot of flipping back and forth in you TOG binder.

Do you follow M-F for Writing Aids as well.
Thasnk so much for hte hand-holding. I am trying to find a new approach to our scheduling drama...I already do Friday-Thursday but was trying to cram all the discussions into one day. I really like how you have it spread out.

Peace,
Jackie in Germany

Dana,
This finally made TOG make sense to me!! I was so confused because our first week we read tons on Mon & Tues but had little to do the end of the week. This makes so much sense now!!

I do have a question re: scheduling Writing Aids. I have two UG and two Dialectic. I am scheduling the current week for the UG as they are doing a Mon to Fri. schedule. However, which week should I use for writing for the Dialectic stage. It looks like you are doing the week that corresponds with the Wednesday discussion since you do prewriting, etc. on Monday and Tuesday. Am I correct?

Hi ladies,
Yes, we do lit on Monday-Friday. And how do I keep it straight? I don't; that's my rhetoric student's responsibility. The only part I keep straight is the day of history discussion (Wed. afternoon), the day I give him the next week's assignments (Wed after discussion), and the day I give him the writing topic (also right after discussion). If I give him a quiz, it's on Friday and he is responsible for studying whenever he deems best.

After the discussion on Wednesday, I give him "next week's" assignments, and he is free to start them whenever he wants. What you see in the sample is just one way that he's done them. There have also been occasions where he read all day Saturday so that he could free up his day on Monday to do something else special.

Regarding writing assignments, yes, the assignment goes with the week-plan that goes with the discussion. Again, the exact days (other than the day I give topics and/or the due dates) are up to the student. If he's ready to go over the talking points for an analytical essay, it's up to him to come and tell me he's ready for more of his lesson. The main point here is to give the topic *after* you've had the discussion so that he has further material about which to write. (Sometimes though, he has to do a bit more research.)

All of this comes after lots of training, and it didn't all happen in the first year. However, even during that first year, I was so thrilled to actually have time to put on a load of laundry or plan a meal while they were doing school! My youngest one of course, did require more one-on-one, but it was no where near what was needed for all levels in our previous curricula.

Blessings,

Thank you. That just makes so much sense to me. I appreciate you sharing what experience has taught you so we can benefit.