Our World Geography Schedule

Our World Geography Schedule

This is my 20th year of homeschooling, and we are off to a wonderful start! I can hardly believe I am down to one son to homeschool this year! My youngest son, Emmett, is using Heart of Dakota’s (HOD’s) World Geography (WG) guide for 9th grade. If you have a student using WG, maybe this schedule can help you with ideas for your homeschool routine. Even if you have a student in a different high school guide, this might be of some use to you too! I find our high school years follow a pretty predictable pattern. I use one schedule to make the next schedule. Here is a clickable PDF of our schedule: 2021-2022 World Geography Schedule.   You may want to click to open the schedule or print it to refer to as you read this post, so you can see the sections I am describing. Now, here’s a breakdown of the thought behind each part!

Pacing of Coursework to Earn Credits for World Geography

There are 6 1/2 total credits in World Geography. This equates to about 6 1/2 to 7 hours of work each day for a fairly quick reader, writer, direction follower. The plans take the necessary coursework for earning high school credit and divide it over just 4 days a week. We like the fifth day off and don’t mind the 6 1/2 to 7 hour long days to have it off. If you like shorter days, you can spread the 4 days of work over 5 days each week instead. This will shorten the days if that works better for you or your student. The schedule I am sharing in this post plans for a 4-day week. The “pro” to this is I can use the same schedule every day. I always use the approximate times suggested by HOD when I make my schedule.

Approximate Time Allotments for World Geography

World Geography box: 35-45 min.
Living Library: 20-25 min.
Geography Activity: 20-25 min.
World Religions and Cultures: 20-25 min.
Foreign Language: 25-30 min. (with audio online practice included)
Logic: 20-25 min. (longer on discussion days)
R & S English/Essentials in Writing/Dictation: 30 min.
BJU Lit/Boy Set: 40-45 min.
Math: 60 min.
Bible Study: 40-50 min. (plus the devotional once weekly in addition to this as part of the Bible credit)
Science with Lab: 40-60 min.

I used the above time allotments for everything except Math: Algebra I. We are using Math Help, and it only takes 40 minutes instead of 60 minutes.

“Homework” in World Geography

Once our sons reach high school, we assign several of the “I” independent boxes as “homework.” Homework can be anywhere between 1 to 1  1/2 hours, depending on each son’s preference. Emmett wanted to do about an hour of homework. He chose Spanish and Logic for his homework this year. Sometimes, he is in such a good rhythm with homework, he will also do Science. However, we have kept science as part of his school schedule. This way, if he doesn’t choose to do science for homework, we still have a planned place for Science in the schedule. If he does do Science for homework, we just move Living Library up in Science’s place in the schedule, and he finishes early. (To read more about tips for assigning HOD homework in general, click here.)

Emmett’s “Homework” Schedule for World Geography

Sunday afternoon before supper: Do Monday’s homework.

Monday right after supper: Do Tuesday’s homework (you work today).

Tuesday afternoon: Do Wednesday’s homework.

Wednesday afternoon: Do Thursday’s homework.

Thursday afternoon: Do Friday’s homework.

Friday: no homework (you work today).

Early risers and night owls both get a say in the schedule!

Emmett is an early riser. He likes to start school early. He also goes to bed early, as he is not a night owl. Emmett wanted to set his alarm for 6 AM and have 15 minutes to get up and get going. So, he asked for a start time of 6:15 AM. If your student is not an early riser, a later start time can be used. Of course, school will be done later then. That should be fine for a night owl! However, a student should understand a later start time means a later finish. I’ve seen some night owls become early risers because of this! My middle son decided getting up a little earlier was worth it, even though it wasn’t his first choice. He preferred finishing earlier like his brothers, so it was worth it to him to get up a little earlier. Talking to our high school students about this choice helps them mindfully make the choice they prefer rather than just letting the day ‘happen.’

Alternating Independent and Teacher blocks of time always works well!

Alternating Independent blocks of work time with Teacher blocks of work time always works well. This helps me check on progress throughout the day. I can correct things more quickly and closer to the time they are fresh in his mind. This helps him quickly be able to make any changes or corrections needed. This also helps me avoid a big pile of correcting later in the day. Finally, this helps me interact with my sons throughout the day.

The number and length of Independent and Teacher blocks of time can differ for students!

As you make  your schedule, consider how often your students need you to check on and/or interact with them. In this schedule, you can see I am meeting with Emmett multiple times. Emmett works better in short intervals, and he meets with me better in short intervals. Long uninterrupted work times and lengthy teacher-directed blocks of time are not his favorite. So, we have multiple, shorter blocks of time in this schedule. In contrast, my oldest son, preferred to work uninterrupted on Independent work for long periods of time. He also liked one or two longer Teacher times only. He was responsible with his work, was a careful direction-follower, and was not a dawdler. This worked well for him. So, the number and length of Independent and Teacher blocks of time can be adjusted for each student as needed.

Break up the day with planned together time with “Key Times for All!”

We like to break up the day with planned together times for all of us. We call this our “Key Times for All.” Meals, chores, work, activities, snack time, hot cocoa time, etc. can be short planned breaks together. Breaks should not overtake the day. They are meant to be short, fun, and social, but be careful they don’t go too long. Fifteen to twenty minutes is long enough for a break, and that amount of time won’t derail finishing the school day on time. If you only have one student, “Key Times for All” can be for you and your student. Often times, I hear my sons talking about their HOD school, about college, or about what they will do later at night. Everyone needs a break now and then, and “Key Times for All” ensure the breaks are a planned part of the day that don’t go too long.  You can see our key times noted in the top right corner of the clickable WG schedule. Hope these tips have helped!

In Christ,

Julie