- keeping track of their work
- and learning to work independently with them
- as it's a ready-made tool helping us teach and live the liturgical year
- saints days
- bible verses
- and focusing on Sunday's Mass
- -- in addition to being a lovely planner.
- I can also look back to see what we've accomplished
I've told you all this before.
This year, I've discovered a NEW tool....it's their Teacher's Planner. That was the best $10 I've spent for next year. They have a Lutheran and Christian one, too -- but of course, I ordered the Catholic one. It's fantastic. Their paper catalog describes it better than their website.
- It s got an entire section on saint biographies (just about a paragraph each) that coorespond to the saints in the kids' planners along the liturgical year.
- It's got refections on each Sunday's Gospel for you to read/discuss with the kids
- It's got "trivia" about the life of Jesus and historical background interspersed throughout along with ideas for cross-curricular learning.
- This year, it's got a study of the 33 Doctors of the church
- A sheet on Jewish holidays, what they mean and when they occur
- Copies to make of the Advent "O Antiphons" symbols
- A study of the Requiem Mass for November
- Ideas and poems to study the fruits of the spirit
- It's got a grading sheet in it and while it's set up for a classroom, I can use one sheet for each child to keep track of what I need (now that my oldest is nearing highschool I have to get used to keeping grades).
- It's got a cheat sheet grader (number of problems and number wrong = this number grade)
SERIOUSLY KEWL STUFF!
What's the difference between the elementary & primary planners?
Thanks, Jenn! Off to check it out. :) At what age do you think kids are old enough/mature/responsible enough to follow their own planner fairly exclusively? I'm thinking it would help Riley stay more on track and be more responsible on her own - without the hand holding. I'm wondering when you start your kids on their own planners?
ReplyDeleteThis past year in Kindergarden, Ds#4 got his own. He was reading fluently, doing alot of work on his own, and was learning to write. He begged for one. It was a waste -- but what the heck, for $3.50 per kid. I was just as happy to spend it to make him feel like a big boy. I'd say about 4th grade is when the kids are really able to refer to their planners and work indpendently (although not without reminders and hand-holding). I've heard that by 7th grade or so they're doing much better at SELF-regulating. The student planners help the kids help me to stay on track, no matter how young they are, so I'm happy with them.
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