Bigger Placement Question

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ncmomof5
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:02 pm

Bigger Placement Question

Post by ncmomof5 » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:29 pm

I am combining my 8, almost 10, and 11 yos in Bigger. The two older are doing it with extensions, and it is just right for them. I am, however, concerned about whether or not my 8 yo ds should be in Bigger. I thought it would be a good fit for him, but he is having a hard time with the notebooking, vocabulary work, just about anything that requires writing. He is more like a first grader when it comes to writing/copying.

We did a Science Notebooking page today, and I had him write the verse at the top, and then I wrote the rest of the page for him (which was quite a bit today). I don't mind doing that, but should I? I don't want him spending all afternoon on one notebooking page, and I know that is not Carrie's intent. So, I guess my question is, is this a growing pain that he is going to have to grow into, or is this a sign that we should back up and do something different for him? Thanks in advance for your input. I so appreciate this board. I can't tell you how much. :D

In His love,
RuthAnn
2013 - 2014
15 yo dd -- MTMM
13 yo ds -- MTMM
12 yo ds -- finish PHFHG/CTC
9 yo ds -- finish BLHFHG/BHFHG
5.5 yo dd -- LHFHG

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:32

Tree House Academy
Posts: 1078
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:40 pm
Location: Tennessee

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by Tree House Academy » Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:49 pm

It sounds like you may have to modify a bit at first for him...but I would work toward the goal of, by X time, having him doing most of the writing himself. Does he have a disability that causes him to write at a 1st grade level. If so, that changes things, I think. If he is just like my older son and doesn't like to put the effort in, then yeah, I would help him some, but each time have him do more and more of it himself until he is doing it on his own.
~Rebecca~

ds13(8th) - Rev to Rev w/ TT Pre-Algebra, R&S English 6, CLE Reading 8, Rosetta Stone French
ds9 (4th) - Preparing Hearts, TT Math 4, R&S English 3, CLE Reading 4, & Writeshop Jr.

We have completed LHFHG, BLHFHG, Bigger, CTC, & RTR.

ncmomof5
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:02 pm

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by ncmomof5 » Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:05 pm

Thanks, TreeHouseAcademy!
He doesn't have a disability. He is just slow. He takes a while to learn knew things,to grasp abstract concepts, and to write. A lot of the writing problem is because he is a perfectionist, as well. He is constantly erasing. I told him today that I was going to take his eraser away from him. I was joking around with him, but I think I am going to have to emphasize that he cannot be erasing all the time. To give you an example of how hard he is on himself . . .

When my 8 yo ds was learning to color I thought that he didn't like to color. You know how most little kids scribble and try to stay in the lines, but don't - well, I guess that was not acceptable to him. He knew that his coloring was not very good yet, (I think he looked at what his older sister did) and so he didn't really start coloring until his coordination kicked in. Once he was able to color well enough that he could get finished and be pleased with it, he loved coloring. Now he colors all the time.

So, I think we will just have to keep pressing forward, and like you said, just let him do more and more as we go. Thanks again.

In His love,
RuthAnn
2013 - 2014
15 yo dd -- MTMM
13 yo ds -- MTMM
12 yo ds -- finish PHFHG/CTC
9 yo ds -- finish BLHFHG/BHFHG
5.5 yo dd -- LHFHG

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:32

Carrie
Site Admin
Posts: 8128
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:39 pm

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by Carrie » Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:50 pm

RuthAnn,

You may want to take a peek at the placement chart and see where your 8 year old places, all combining scenarios aside. :D That often helps give a better picture of where that child is at all on his own. :wink: If you get a chance to pop back in and share where you're thinking he falls on at least the first page of the chart that would really help us advise you too. :D

Blessings,
Carrie

my3sons
Posts: 10702
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by my3sons » Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:40 pm

I'd also be interested where he falls on the placement chart, as that is so helpful to know. I wonder if he wants his paper to be so "perfect" because he is comparing it to his older siblings? I'm not sure how to get around that, but maybe that's part of it. Depending on where he places, it could actually be easier just to do him in a separate program. Anyway, I'll check back here later. I'm glad it's a great fit for your oldest 2! :D

In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie

ncmomof5
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:02 pm

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by ncmomof5 » Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:13 pm

Okay, I went back to the placement pages, and this is what I came up with:

He is still doing phonics - to a degree - because we are using All About Spelling - it has 5 levels and goes into depth about Spelling rules, etc.

He is an emerging reader - He is reading the second grade Pathways books (from R&S), and doing fine with those( we did half of the emerging reader's schedule last year).

He can print and write in cursive.

He can copy passages.

He has difficulty with composing original sentences.

He can do simple dictation.

He is doing fine with R&S 2nd grade grammar lessons.

He is having difficulty with history and science notebooking.

I hope this gives you a better picture of where he is at. We did do Beyond for half of last year. And I do think that he does compare what he does to his older siblings. There is not much that I can do about that. :|

And when I say that he writes more like a first grader it's because he has such a hard time focusing, takes so long, etc. His handwriting is actually very nice when he takes his time. It is just really hard to do a history or science notebooking page with him. His brother and sister can talk and work at the same time, but he can't. He gets distracted by any little thing, so trying to do that together has proved to be a trial. I may need to just have them do that independently, and work with my 8 yo ds one on one. I do, however, want him to learn how to work in a group setting.

Thanks, everyone, for your input. I really appreciate it.

In His love,
RuthAnn
2013 - 2014
15 yo dd -- MTMM
13 yo ds -- MTMM
12 yo ds -- finish PHFHG/CTC
9 yo ds -- finish BLHFHG/BHFHG
5.5 yo dd -- LHFHG

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:32

Carrie
Site Admin
Posts: 8128
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:39 pm

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by Carrie » Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:57 am

RuthAnn,

I do think from what you've shared that it sounds like your little guy has the skill-level to fit into Bigger Hearts. :D If he wasn't combined with his older siblings, I'd likely recommend slowing down for him to have time to ease into the skills in Bigger Hearts a bit. :wink:

However, since he does seem to have the skill-level to be placed into Bigger Hearts overall, here's a link to a past thread that may really help give you some ideas of how to adjust the writing in Bigger Hearts to better meet his needs:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2957&p=21713

Hope that helps! I'd love to hear your thoughts if you get a chance.

Blessings,
Carrie

ncmomof5
Posts: 211
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:02 pm

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by ncmomof5 » Wed Sep 30, 2009 11:31 am

Carrie,

Thanks for linking me to the post you mentioned. That makes me feel better, because that is pretty much what I have been doing -- reducing the amount of writing he has to do, writing some of it for him, etc. I also have come up with a form for the days that we have Science Exploration so that he won't have to write Question, Guess, Procedure, Conclusion. I want him to focus on what the Exploration is about - not how to spell those big words. :lol:
I am already seeing improvement on how quickly he is able to copy, so I am encouraged by that. I just hope that he will mature and grow enough to be ready for Preparing next year. Time will tell. Right? :D

Thanks again for your help.

In His love,
RuthAnn
2013 - 2014
15 yo dd -- MTMM
13 yo ds -- MTMM
12 yo ds -- finish PHFHG/CTC
9 yo ds -- finish BLHFHG/BHFHG
5.5 yo dd -- LHFHG

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
Matthew 6:32

Carrie
Site Admin
Posts: 8128
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 8:39 pm

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by Carrie » Wed Sep 30, 2009 11:37 am

RuthAnn,

Sounds good! There is much wisdom in the thread that I linked, as the moms shared how to ease their young boys into the writing skills within Bigger Hearts. So, be encouraged that you are on the right path! :D

Blessings,
Carrie

my3sons
Posts: 10702
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Bigger Placement Question

Post by my3sons » Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:45 pm

RuthAnn- It sounds like you already came to the conclusion I was also going to share. :D I do think he fits in BHFHG and just needs some writing adjustments for a spell. It sounds like you are making those, and he is growing into it. Bigger Hearts took my ds a bit longer to get into a rhythm with because it is for ages that begin to branch out into more difficult skills. I'm sure he'll grow into just like my ds did. :D

In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie

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