Jumping in at CTC?

[TammyTE]

Would it be difficult to begin HOD at the CTC level? My dd did some of Bigger but we switched to a workbook approach to get through a crazy season of life. I am missing HOD and would like to get back in but I am unsure of where to place her. When she was doing Bigger she liked it okay. She wasn't thrilled or anything but now since she has done more workbook stuff I think she would be pleased with Bigger. There were some things that seemed a little immature for her but it was fine. Other things were dead on.

She is 10yo (will be 11yo in June). Reads well and has good comprehension. She does MUS so the math doesn't matter so much. Her grammar is decent and she can write in cursive. She does complain about too much writing but will do it if needed. One thing I do have trouble with is getting her to write anything on her own about a book she is reading. She wants to just read read read the book as fast as possible (to get to the end!) and doesn't want to slow down and answer any questions or do projects. That one has me stumped.

In some ways she is quite mature and is very articulate. Being the oldest she has some more responsibility than the others. I have noticed that she seems a bit immature compared to some friends. Most of these girls have older siblings though so I think it's just because those other children have been exposed to things sooner than my dd. I imagine my younger dc will be a bit more mature in these areas as well.

I want her to enjoy her school again. Right now, anytime I say it's time to do school work she balks, moans and sighs. She has said that I give her too much work. Honestly I don't think it's enough for her age and ability. We seriously went down to bare bones this year just sqeaking by with the basics of reading, writing and math.

So what do you think? Would CTC be too much for her? Is it better to challenge them and not get everything perfect or maybe take it at a slower pace or is it better to know that they can do every single thing with no problem at all?

[FiveLittlePeaches]

Hi,

Based on your post, I'd probably go with Preparing -- and maybe R&S level 4. The writing instruction is so thorough and it will benefit her tremendously. We're doing Preparing now, and the kids love it. My oldest does the extensions.

I have to get back to school now, but I vote for Preparing.

[TammyTE]

Thank you. Does R&S level 4 cover everything in a review at all? As long as everything is in there I can help her learn it but if it's not there I won't know to teach it, iykwim.

[andreacress]

I agree with the suggestion to start with Preparing. We jumped in to HOD at CTC with a mature six-grader and it is challenging. The DITHOR will be good for her (maybe get the 4/5 level) to begin to teach her how to slow down and evaluate what she's reading - not just race through it. This is a struggle for my son as well but he is benefiting from DITHORs approach.

[FiveLittlePeaches]

Tammy,

Well, Preparing teaches writing. Every fourth day, there is a guided writing assignment that goes along with the history reading. It starts out slow, just requiring a few sentences. I'm sure it will get more difficult as the year progresses.

We're on Unit 13 and my kid's writing has improved tremendously.

I'll try to write more if time permits.

[TammyTE]

Andrea - Thank you. That is good to know that CTC is challenging your mature 6th grader.

Peaches - The writing sounds nice! I am totally leaning toward Preparing at this point.

[pjdobro]

I don't think it is unusual for dc to want to race through a book and not stop to evaluate it along the way. That's the way I like to read for pleasure too. It can be fun to really immerse yourself in the story. DITHOR is a great program to help dc slow down and savor the reading. My dc also have difficulty stopping after just reading smaller portions sometimes begging to read more. It's especially difficult with the mystery genre. When they have finished the book in DITHOR, they are allowed to go back through it quickly if they wish. They are allowed to do free reading at whatever pace they wish, but for school the rule is to stick to the assigned reading, no reading ahead.

It's hard to say where would be best to start your dd. I am leaning towards Preparing as well. My dc are the same age as your dd with May birthdays. We are doing CTC right now, but this is our 5th year with HOD so we have done the all guides leading up to this except LHTH. I feel the step up in independence and workload from Preparing to CTC is a big one. There is a fair amount of writing, more than in Preparing. I'm thinking that Preparing might be a good choice because it would help your dd learn some of the skills like doing a little bit of a project each day independently. The independent history box is great at teaching the dc how to read a small part of a book and do a short activity with it, or draw a small part of a drawing today, finishing it another day. It is small steps each day which are not overwhelming. The writing instruction is great. There is the step by step instructions for doing a written narration; writing instruction in the poetry box that helps dc with their descriptive writing; and you'll find step by step writing instruction throughout R&S lessons. I think your dd would find Preparing challenging but fun. At this point it sounds like she is needing some of the fun of learning revived so perhaps erring on the side of easier might be a good idea? Where does she place on the placement chart?

[TammyTE]

Patty - She fits into CTC very well except maybe grammar and math. She is doing MUS though so I don't think that will affect it do you? The only thing that really makes me worry is the amount of writing...meaning the physical aspect of writing. She does well coming up with things to write but her hand gets tired. She was a very early reader but her writing was late. She just didn't have the dexterity that early on.

[my3sons]

Thanks for sharing about your dd here! CTC has a LOT of writing, and though it is a great guide, I would definitely do PHFHG with dd first. It has excellent training in written narrations, creative writing, vocabulary, oral narrations, etc. It has quite a fair amount of writing itself! I think you'd love PHFHG - it truly has some of our dc's favorite books of all times in it - honestly, I don't want your dd to miss it! DITHOR would help dd slow down and savor books too. It did that for our sons, though I had to stay strong about not letting them race through their DITHOR books - they are awesome - it's tough to slow them down. BUT, they are learning the next step up in reading instruction - things that take time to develop and understand, like plot,character development, Godly character trait portrayal, etc. DITHOR takes reading to the next level - the level past 'I'm a great reader because I read fast, and I read soooooo many long books', which is where my dc used to be before DITHOR. Hope something here helps!

In Christ,
Julie

[TammyTE]

Thank you Julie. I am feeling more and more confident in my leaning toward Preparing!

[Heather4Him]

We jumped in with HOD and CTC 3 years ago, but our dd was on the high end of the extension range, and it worked fine. (I wish we COULD have started with Preparing, since it looks amazing, but CTC was where she placed skill and age-wise.)

SO, to answer your question--YES, you can jump in with CTC, but I would go with the others and start with Preparing if at all possible.