Help with placement for transitioning from 1st grade Public to HOD in fall

[6kiddosmama]

Hi all! I need some guidance on placement for my son as we had decided before covid-19 hit that we would homeschool him next year. He is currently in public school 1st grade, and struggles with reading. He would be more kindergarten level according to the school (my first 4 kids ( ages 23-15 now) were at about his level in first grade as well, but the standards were different so they were only considered slightly behind and caught up with peers around 4th grade).

My thought was to finish this school year out with his current teacher/situation and continue to work with him extra on reading. Over the summer I thought I would do the 2nd book for 1st grade singapore math (primary 1B) as there are things his school has not touched on yet. then hopefully in Aug./Sept transition to the 2nd grade math and see how his reading is going for placement there. I am unsure exactly with HOD book to start with in Aug. I currently have Little Hearts for His Glory so can do that over the summer (only focusing on math and reading though). or should I jump to the next series because of his age?

I am a bit overwhelmed and would appreciate any guidance. Thanks!

[StephanieU]

If you have LHFHG, I would go ahead and do some of that. I would focus on storytime (plus the skill subjects you are already planning on doing). If time allows, then add in the left side of the guide. Then later in the summer, you should be able to tell if continuing LHFHG is best or if he is ready for Beyond. If he is following his older siblings and will likely be on level come fourth grade, he should be fine! Reading doesn't play a role in the guides until Preparing, which is the guide most use for 4th grade. You want to be done with the Emerging Reader books before starting Preparing, and the best case is to be in the Level 2 Dithor books already before starting.

[Rice]

I agree! Start with LHFHG now and decide later when you want to move on to Beyond (including considering ALL skills: reading, writing ability, comprehension, oral narrations, ability to sit through a chapter of a book without illustrations, attention span, etc. - with little consideration to math for placement). IMO, you have two options that would be equally valid, depending on his skill levels by then: either move on to Beyond in the fall, or continue LHFHG through the first half of 2nd grade and begin Beyond in January.

Either way, you really don't want to hit Preparing before at least September of 4th grade - and anywhere through that year to start that guide would not be behind at all.

Blessings,

[my3sons]

Hi all! I need some guidance on placement for my son as we had decided before covid-19 hit that we would homeschool him next year. He is currently in public school 1st grade, and struggles with reading. He would be more kindergarten level according to the school (my first 4 kids ( ages 23-15 now) were at about his level in first grade as well, but the standards were different so they were only considered slightly behind and caught up with peers around 4th grade).

My thought was to finish this school year out with his current teacher/situation and continue to work with him extra on reading. Over the summer I thought I would do the 2nd book for 1st grade singapore math (primary 1B) as there are things his school has not touched on yet. then hopefully in Aug./Sept transition to the 2nd grade math and see how his reading is going for placement there. I am unsure exactly with HOD book to start with in Aug. I currently have Little Hearts for His Glory so can do that over the summer (only focusing on math and reading though). or should I jump to the next series because of his age?

I am a bit overwhelmed and would appreciate any guidance. Thanks!

Hi 6kiddosmama! Little Hearts for His Glory would be a wonderful place to start! This guide is for ages 5-7 years old, and it includes all subject areas. It only takes about 1 1/2 hours a day to do, with short lessons that are each 15 minutes or less that are sure to keep children's attention. My active little boys LOVED this guide (many years back when they were younger). There is a nice balance of seatwork and hands-on activities to incorporate purposeful movement. The readings are short but narrative. The science experiments can be done by the child (as opposed to being over-the-top too adult-like), and are thus quite memorable and fun! The plans give ample time to focus on teaching solid phonics, working on handwriting via Italic A or ARHW A, and strengthening math skills. A word about math - Singapore Math is considered a year advanced, with multiplication being introduced in 1B. If you haven't looked at the free placement test, you may want to check it out to be sure he's ready for 1B (2A/2B also gets more difficult)...

https://www.singaporemath.com/placement-tests

Looking ahead, many second graders are doing 1B/2A instead, but you will know what's best after you give math a try this summer! Once your son has strengthened his reading skills via phonics, he can move on to the Emerging Reader's Set. He can do this whenever he finishes phonics - you'd just need the ERS and the Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory teacher's guide. As the summer progresses, and you're making your way through Little Hearts for His Glory, you can see how things are going. If you feel you'd like to add spelling, once a week grammar lessons, ERS, and 2A/2B math - all of these are part of the Beyond Little Hearts guide. Any or all of them can or cannot be added. So, basically, you could begin with Little Hearts as is, and after seeing how things are going, reevaluate, and add any of these LA/math skills from Beyond Little Hearts.

The summer is a wonderful time to give Little Hearts a real test drive! By the end of the summer, I think you'll know if you want to just use Little Hearts for His Glory as is, or if you want to use Little Hearts for His Glory with a few higher level things from Beyond Little Hearts, or if you want to switch to using Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory solely for his 2nd grade year. All of these options are very age appropriate, but I think one of them will reveal itself to be the best for your son. Hope these ideas can help as you ponder what you'd most like to do!

In Christ,
Julie