heartofdakota.com

It appears that the Beyond LHFHG guide is written for 1st grade. (Uses 1st grade math, grammar...) Most people recommend using the guides for the middle or upper age level, though. So, we've decided to use Beyond for our (almost) 7 yo/ 2nd grade. My question is : If you are using Beyond for a 2nd grader, should you a.) use the grammar as written or b.) use the R&S 2 Grammar book that is recommended in the "Bigger" package? We've already introduced the concept of nouns, common & proper nouns, capitalization, punctuation marks. We will be using Singapore 2 A/B. Also, is it worth it to have the "Bigger" guide for the hands on math activities that go along with Singapore 2 A/B? She'll be going through the Beyond recommendations for Emerging Readers and the Beyond Storytime books. Thoughts?

For Grammar:
In Beyond and Bigger, Carrie only schedules one level of grammar. Starting in Preparing, she schedules two. The "lower" level is if you have followed the plans in Beyond and Bigger. The other level is one step up. But, by the end of MtMM, they end at the same place. If you are a level ahead, then you do half a book for 4 years, finishing with Rod and Staff 6 in MtMM (and doing 7 and 8 in high school). If you are on the lower level, you do half a book two years and a full book at the end.
As for which way to go, I think it depends on what your child is ready for, what your state requires, and how much you want to add to Beyond. We are doing Rod and Staff 2 with Beyond this year, doing 1 lesson a day most days. We had covered all of the Beyond grammar before thanks to our phonics program, and it just made sense. I don't know if I will do the same with my younger two or not, as they might not do the same phonics program, and they might not be ready for Rod and Staff like my oldest is.

For Math:
Are you using Carrie's activities currently? Do you want to use Carrie's activities? If you don't plan on using her hands-on activities, then you don't need the Bigger guide. There is a suggested pacing in the appendix already. But, i fyou want to do Carrie's activities, you will need Bigger.

I will have a 1st grader and 2nd grader in Beyond this summer . My 1st grader will complete Beyond as written. My 2nd grader will complete Rod and Staff English and the hands on math activities to accompany Singapore 2A/2B from the Bigger guide. I think it depends on the child but if you have already covered some introductory English and your child did fine, I would do the English as scheduled in Bigger. We LOVE Carrie's hands on activities for math and I would encourage you to try them as well if you have not already. They are quick and easy to do and both my son and daughter enjoy doing them. They also help cement the math that we are learning. HTH!