June 2024

BLOCK SCHEDULING

For Use With

Saxon Algebra ½ – through – Algebra 2 

The concept of “block scheduling or “flex scheduling” (looked at by homeschool educators as a way to speed-up the process by going through the books at a faster pace) while not advocated by John Saxon or the author, can be successfully utilized for these Saxon textbooks, if the procedures discussed in this information booklet are followed.

John Saxon believed that children learn more efficiently and effectively when they are exposed to mathematical concepts in small, easily understandable concepts.  This is what John referred to as “incremental learning” or “incremental development.” We also believe, and research supports this view, that new concepts and skills should be reviewed continually.  However, if you must use block scheduling – while teaching from any one of the three textbooks mentioned above, we recommend you follow these guidelines.

The author of this article is a retired high school math teacher who has taught the Saxon textbooks from Algebra ½ through Calculus for more than a decade.  The concepts reflected here were implemented at a local university over thirty years ago when incoming freshman with low ACT scores were required to take a non-credit introductory algebra course to prepare them for college algebra.

The author (as an adjunct professor) used the Saxon Algebra 2, (3^rd Ed) textbook and, because of the ninety-minute class every other night, he adapted the instructional methods used during the day in his high school classes. Over ninety-percent of the college freshman in his evening no-credit math class successfully passed their college algebra course on their first attempt the following semester.

Successful implementation of these procedures will allow a student who – for whatever reason -needs to complete one of the three courses listed above in a single semester, rather than a full nine month school year. As with any new procedures, there are always variations that may or may not work; however, it is recommended these procedures not be altered until you have followed them for at least one full academic semester. 

There are 123 lessons in the Algebra ½ textbook, 120 lessons in the Algebra 1 textbook, and 129 lessons in the Algebra 2 textbook. So, basically, you need to commit a minimal time span of at least six months to acquire a minimum of 75 useable days.  Using three days per week to accomplish six lessons and one test per week, you could easily cover the 129 lessons in the Algebra 2 textbook.

What we have not covered is what to do with the student who, after going through the six months’ Block Scheduling course ends up with a “D” or worse an “F”? Please read the December 2023 News Article and follow the advice given there.

If questions regarding these instructions or situations arise that create conflict with these procedures, or if additional information is needed, please feel free to call the author at (580) 234-0064 (CDT).

ESSENTIAL DEFINITIONS

Type of Block Scheduling:  Over the past decade, several variations of the original block scheduling have been developed.  This particular document addresses the block-scheduling plan where students meet for ninety minutes on alternating school days to accomplish two lessons of a Saxon Math Book. This type of schedule dictates that they meet three days a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. 

Time Management in a non-Block Classroom:  In a regular fifty-minute daily class period, a Saxon math teacher or a home educated student successfully covers a lesson each day and one test on Friday of each week. Depending on the time lost due to mandatory state testing, school drug/alcohol assemblies, etc., this routine permits the Saxon math teacher and Home Educator to cover a minimum of 129 lessons in a school year that has 175 teaching days in a school year of 196 school days.  The remaining days are used for the weekly tests.  In this daily routine, students get used to having a minimum of thirty to thirty-five minutes in each day’s class period to work on their daily assignment – often completed in the timeframe of that classroom.

Time Management in a Block Scheduled Class:  As John Saxon once wrote, “Do not be a Sage on the Stage.”  Students do not learn math by listening to someone lecturing.  They learn by doing the math, so the concept of not lecturing half of the class period becomes even more important when teaching under the block concept.  While limiting lecture time was essential in the daily Saxon class period, it is critical in the block schedule classroom. If you use my online classes of instruction, (teachingsaxon.com) you will notice that almost all of the lessons I teach take no longer than 15 minutes – most less than 10 minutes. If you want to use my online lessons in this speeded-up environment, please send an email to me immediately after purchasing one of the three online series. I will add the previous textbooks’ online lessons free of charge for the students’ use during this six month period, knowing that the student may not quite yet have mastered all of the concepts in that previous textbook.

Failing Students: If students begin failing in the Saxon math textbook, this occurs over a period of time.  In order for them to get back to where they were before they began their decent, they (and their parents) should understandthat it would normally take as long a period of time to recover as it took to decline.  The cumulative nature of the Saxon math textbook however, allows the teacher and the parent the opportunity to use those latter tests, after recovery, to determine the students’ true grade point average.  We want not to grade the fall, but the recovery. especially since the cumulative nature of the textbook (and tests as well) reflect that the recovered students have in fact mastered the material they previously were failing to grasp.  In the block system of instruction, the decline occurs more rapidly and the parent or classroom teacher must monitor the test grades more frequently, and respond more quickly.

Daily Assignments: Since two lessons (concepts) will be covered every other day, there will be an attempt by the students to develop an alternative homework assignment schedule such as odd in one lesson and even in the other, or all the odd, or all the even in both.  The only successful way is to do all the problems in all the lessons every day. While this amounts to sixty problems every day, remember they will have at least one immediate hour in class, and another extra day before they must turn in the assignments.

Student Assignments:  As they enter the classroom, students are required to place their completed work in a box located near the door inside the room.  They are required to place the number of problems they understood and completed in the center top of the top sheet of each assignment done by them.  Have them circle this number.  They are also to indicate just below their name, class, etc. (in the upper right or left corner of the same page) which problems they did not understand (e.g. 2, 3, 8,13) (See Appendix A).  These are the problems the instructor will record on the class tally sheet to determine which problems will be reviewed during the class period (See Appendix B). When student interest reflects duplicates, pick the tougher of the two – time constraints will preclude doing more than one of each type problem.

Grades/Weights:  As Saxon math textbooks are cumulative, the weekly tests are the only indicator of whether or not the student understands the material covered in class.  Regardless of whether or not the instructor requires notebooks, research papers, or other extraneous material, or how much weight is given these documents, the only student who takes tests “poorly” is the ill prepared student who does not understand the daily assignments.  The weekly tests should comprise at least eighty percent (hopefully ninety percent) of the student’s grade.  As with the sports teams’ daily practices, we rely on the weekly “game test” to determine how well the students are doing, not on how well their daily practices went.  Students (or parents) will eventually question how it is possible for their son or daughter to get “nineties” or better on daily assignments, but only “sixties” (or lower) on weekly tests.  This can be resolved by giving each student a copy of the document “Three Easy Ways to Fail This Course” at the start of the school year.  (See the April 2024 News Article)

Grading the Homework: You must become a believer in “Managing by Exception.”  If you weight homework more than ten to twenty percent, and you grade each day’s homework, you will be a nervous wreck at the end of the first nine weeks of school and you will have no clue as to which students really know what they should.  A recommended grading scale for the daily assignments can be found at the end of this article. You record the number of homework problems the student said they understood and completed. That’s what the circled number in the center of the page means.  If they “fudge” that number they are only cheating themselves.   When their test grade indicates otherwise, you get involved.  If students tell you they understand and do twenty-three to twenty-five problems every day and they keep getting eighties or better on their tests, what is there to grade?  You want to spend your time with the student who says he did and understood twenty to twenty-five problems every day – and just got a low sixty on the his test!

The Lesson:  To enable weaker students to absorb and practice each concept, and to keep from losing these students, it is better to break the ninety-minute period into two separate forty-five minute classes, each one completely independent of the other. Students need to learn “time management.”  The student who learns to stay on task and do fifteen to eighteen problems in thirty minutes will also be able to complete a twenty-question test in forty-five to fifty-minutes.

Daily Review:  In the Saxon methodology, daily review is essential, in the block system, it is critical.  For each lesson taught in one ninety-minute block of instruction, four to six problems are reviewed based upon the problems recommended by the students. It is better to review the four to six problems from each lesson at two different times in the ninety-minute block period rather that attempt to put them together at the beginning of the class.  You will lose the students if you do!!  Students need a five to ten minute break from working, and besides, they may have run aground on one of the review type problems from the first session and need another quick review.

Giving the Test:  If you give the test the first half of the ninety-minute period, the students will never stop whining about not having enough time and want to use more of the second half as well. It is far better to stop the class about five minutes before the mid-way point, clear the desks and hand out the tests giving them fifty minutes to complete the test.  When students learn they have fifty minutes for the test, they will move swiftly when on their time.  When the bell rings, they are done.  I recommend you use your cell phone alarm and keep it with you as someone will know how to shut it off. The switch side is that a few of the more ingenious and lazy students will attempt to use the first forty minutes that day as a review period.  The smart teacher or enlightened parent, can easily stop this chicanery.

GRADING DAILY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

(A Suggestion)

MANAGING THE NINETY-MINUTE BLOCK CLASSROOM

(A recommended way to get done what is needed)

Note:  Before you proceed, make sure you have completely read the Essential Definitions or you will not understand
what we are talking about and will not know what to do.

Note:  The first few weeks I did this, I let those who knew what I was reviewing keep working on their work assignments.  They only needed to stop and look up when I came to something they needed to review.  I was not very smart, in another week, I looked around and no one was paying attention to what I was saying.  I was talking to myself! Apparently no one wanted to appear they did not know what to do.  After that episode, everyone closed their book and put their pencil down.  If you even looked like you were not paying attention, guess who I kept asking the questions of?