heartofdakota.com

Hi! I am thinking of using Bigger Hearts next year for my then 3rd and 4th graders. I also would really like to try DITHOR. Both my boys are dyslexic, and reading is still some what of a struggle for them, although they are improving everyday. My question is, should I use DITHOR level 2/3 for both of them? Have one read the level 2 books and one read the level 3 books? Or should I try level 4/5 with the 4th grader and 2/3 for the 3rd grader? The book packages for level 2/3 will be plenty challenging for both of them, possible too challenging for the younger. I hesitate to try level 4/5. Or is it just the workbook assignments are more challenging in 4/5, not necessarily the books? Any thoughts? Thank you!

Allison

I have thought I don't know if they are the right answer thoughts but I have one with special needs and she is very reading delayed (several grade levels) I will put her at her reading level. She is not even up to that level yet but I use something at her reading level now. I try to push more in the proficiency of reading and I feel like after we have that underway we will progress to higher levels in comprehension. I do not know if that would be the same answer for dyslexia or not but I can only kind of compare it to what I know for mine. She is overall reading delayed.

I hope you get a better answer but I thought I would just throw that out there in case it helps.

Dyslexia is a catch all, It can have many meanings.
I have it but it means I invert letter numbers ect. My eyes also jump up and insert words paragraphs away. Top that off with a short term memory loss. and it still equals Dyslexia. I could read fine but my spelling was atrocius. still is

Personally I would not make reading frustrating, or terribly challenging. IF that is what they are struggling with.

My 2 cents
Tansy

Allison,

You've gotten some wonderful counsel from Tansy and Water2wine. I also would err on the side of making sure to give your kids enough time to grow into being independent readers.

So, with some of the reading challenges you mentioned with your kiddos, since you're planning to use "Bigger..." for them, I would look at the Emerging Reader Pack to see if that might be the best fit for your third grader. Here is the link:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/emerging-reader.php

The schedule for the Emerging Reader Pack is in the Appendix of the "Bigger Hearts..." guide. It tells you which pages to have the child read aloud to you each day and 3 questions to ask about the reading.

For your 4th grader, I would look at "Drawn into the Heart..." Level 2/3. I would decide between the two book packs (level 2 or level 3) to see which suits your kiddo best. Here is the link to those packs (click on each Level to see book descriptions):
http://www.heartofdakota.com/drawn-into-optional.php

With "Drawn into the Heart...", it is also important not to jump up too quickly to the next level. You'll want the foundation provided in Level 2/3 and the time for them to grow into being more fluent readers before Level 4/5.

The Storytime Part of the plans also has a daily literature study component, so your kiddos will both be getting literature study there as well with your read-alouds. I wrote it this way to still provide literature study until most kiddos will have had enough time to grow into "Drawn into the Heart...".

Hope that helps!

Blessings,
Carrie

Thank you all for your help. I think I'll go with level 2/3 for the 4th grader and continue thinking about the 3rd grader. The emerging reader pack is very similar to what he has been reading this year. I'll wait and see how he's doing in a couple more months and re-evaluate. Thanks again! I'm so glad this site was recommended to me. Carrie's programs seem to be exactly what I was looking for.

Allison

Hi Allison!

Sounds like you've got a good plan! I just wanted to encourage you by mentioning that most of the moms I know that are starting DITHOR with a fourth grader tend to start with Level 2/3 anyway. If their children haven't been in DITHOR before, it gives them a great foundation to move into Level 4/5 the following year. Also, you could always do the Emerging Readers at a faster pace with that child. We double-timed it when we did it with one of our sons because that was what fit him best, and then in January, in the middle of our homeschool year, we started DITHOR Level 2/3 with him. Have a great day!