What to do?

[Kalle]

Hello all,

I am a momma of five beautiful children ds 10, dd 8, ds 6, dd 3, and ds 15 months. Presently, my three oldest are in public school. I have schooled them all up until a year ago using a mix of SCM and AO. I had postpartum depression with my last child and our lives drastically changed. Things are much better now and I am hoping to get back into homeschooling. We know that we want to at least homeschool through the middle school years. My husband is a bit leary at me jumping full swing back into everything but he has shone some interest in me starting out with the oldest. He will be in fifth grade next year. I am hoping that we have a fruitful smooth year and that I can get the go ahead for them all. I am awaiting on LHTH guide to arrive and start that with my three year old. I am super excited about that. I think that the enthusiasm and joyful bible knowledge that my daughter picks up will encourage my husband to allow me to teach my oldest next year.

He reads and comprehends what he reads really well. He has experience in oral narrations, copywork, living books, nature study and half of Primary Language Lessons by Serls. He has read the chronicles of Narnia, and the Hobbit several times. I believe that he he capable of CtC reading and science. I am concerned that he would not be prepared for the writing assignments. He says that they journal about once a month right now. I have not seen much written work for him from school. I believe that he could do three to four sentences independently right now. He also has done no diagramming. I am thinking about starting Rod and Staff 4 full paced or 5 half paced for either Preparing or CtC. I have looked at the placement chart. He is CtC for age, reading, math, bible, and history. He might be capable in writing but I am not certain. At first I wanted to start there and take it as slow as we need to get into it, but now I am considering Prep with extensions. This way he will be slowly introduced into the writings and getting independent. Than August 2014 start both him and my 8 ( then ten) year old in CTC with him. She is much better at writing and is naturally more independent; a self motivator. He needs some easing and pushing into things. So I think that he could start in CtC with him no problem. Or I could put him in CtC this next school year and then try them both in RtR the next year. If she wasn't ready I could just put her into CtC. Both guides look exciting. Just uncertain what to do. As a side note these two have been combined in everything but reading, grammar and math so far when I taught them. So they have no problem working together.

[mom23]

I think if they're used to working together, and do it well, I'd try to keep them combined, if possible. In that light, I think your plan to do Preparing with extensions for first, and then combining them in CTC is a good one. If you're looking to combine, I don't think RtR would be the best decision, it's usually best to place the younger child where they are and the beef up as necessary for the older one. The other advantage you'll have is, like you said, to get his writing and independence up to the level of CTC.

Congratulations, though! I'm happy you get to start LHTH soon, and hope things work out for you to bring the others back home, as well.

[my3sons]

Hi Kalle, and welcome to the HOD Board! Thank you for sharing your life with us - I know many can relate. I am so sorry about the postpartum depression but glad to hear things are returning more to normal for you now. May God continue to be by your side through this transition and guide your steps - something I often pray for myself as well! I am excited for you to begin LHTH with your little one - it is such a wonderful start to homeschooling, and I am a tad jealous as I just finished my third time through it last year, and until grandchildren are present, I won't get a crack at teaching it again. Have fun with it!

For your oldest ds, if I am understanding this right, your next dd would not be joining him until the following school year. From what you've shared he is an excellent reader, but not as developed in the writing area. For this reason, and for the future school year in 2014 when dd would possibly join ds, I think I'd do PHFHG with extensions with him. Doing CTC the next year with dd will be easier than having her start with RTR. This year, you can challenge ds's great reading abilities by choosing higher level books for "Drawn into the Heart of Reading (DITHOR)" and by having him do the extension package for PHFHG (though I'd just let him read through the books and not require the follow-ups), but you can keep the writing demands in check, so he has time to grow into this area. He could follow the PHFHG plans to do R & S English 4 full-speed, making sure to do 2/3 of it orally/on markerboard and writing just one section's worth of answers as HOD recommends, so the writing is not too heavy. I recently compared the skills in PHFHG to CTC in another thread, and I'll paste that here, in case that is helpful too...

HOD's assignments in history, storytime, and even in science, incorporate LA skills within the follow-ups. The follow-ups get more in-depth, more difficult, and use higher level thinking in each subsequent guide. This is why the placement chart can help so much! For example, comparing PHFHG to CTC, here are some areas that come to mind (the numbers coincide)...

PHFHG:
1. History reading is shared - parent reads part with more difficult books, student reads other part with much easier books
2. Students begin year by dictating a 1-3 sentence written narration to you to write and for them to then copy, and then progress to writing a 5 sentence written narration and hi-lighting the main idea of it by the end of the year.
3. Students create a staircase timeline out of index cards and assemble them accordion-style or on a closet door.
4. History projects are more simple with fewer steps of directions.
5. Storytime follow-ups:
*Day 1: personal connections are shared that relate to the story
*Day 2: differences between the characters’ lives and the students’
lives are identified based upon the historical time period of
the story
*Day 3: the main character’s faith is evaluated for its impact on the
character’s life and the story
*Day 4: oral narration is practiced by retelling the story
6. Geography quick-finds that are more basic use the globe and or a world map one time each week.
7. Bible Study/Bible Quiet Time: 2 days a week students begin to learn to have their own Bible Quiet Time with parents' overseeing it. The other 2 days discuss with parent, identify mood/purpose of Scripture selection, and copy verses in Common Place book. Short passages from Psalms are memorized and sung with music throughout the year.
8 & 9. Robert Louis Stevenson's poems are discussed, personal connections with the poem are encouraged, the poem is shared with someone creatively, each 12 week term a poem is memorized. One time a week a creative lesson is taught using the poetry as a model. This is the creative writing portion for PHFHG.

CTC:
1. Student reads all of history and it is more difficult reading in both reading level and maturity content than PHFHG's readings
2. Students begin the year by writing a 5-8 sentence written narration and use the Written Narration Tips to edit it and hi-lighting the main idea.
3. Students begin using a History Notebook for their timelines, which is the start of a "Book of Time" that will span Creation to Present Day by the time dc are finished with MTMM.
4. History projects are more involved and have multiple steps of directions.
5. Storytime follow-ups...
Day 1: give a detailed oral narration
Day 2: rotate through the following 4 narration activities: an outline sketch, a
short skit, a question and answer session, and an advertisement speech
for the book
Day 3: give a summary narration
Day 4: make connections between the story and Proverbs
6. Geography uses a more in-depth study of the Holy Land using "A Child's Geography Vol. II" two days we each week
7. Bible Quiet Time is done daily and has its own "box" in the plans. The DK Family Bible is used, or a Bible of your own choice. The 4 Parts of Prayer are taught using the ACTS model. All of Phil. 2 is memorized, and is sung along with music, as well as copied in the Common Place book.
Bible Study is done 2 days a week with a parent using "Genesis Finding Our Roots", a very deep resource.
8. Poetry: Robert Frost poems are read, moods/meaning discussed, memorize 1 each 9 week term, learn about his life, and step by step multiple directions are followed to learn to water color paint a painting each week to match the poem's meaning. You also learn about his life.
9. Writing: "Write with the Best" is taught twice each week for writing instruction. It uses excerpts from classical literature that is quite difficult in content (i.e. Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Wordsworth, etc.)

As you can see, the level of difficulty of assignments and assessments increases from PHFHG to CTC quite a bit. HOD does an excellent job of incrementally moving dc through skill sets as they move through guides in all subject areas. This is why placement is so much more than just the LA and math labeled boxes. I am hoping that this may help you be able to see which guide would fit your ds better, but you can also print out the first week of plans of each guide to see. All "I" boxes are for the student to do independently, "S" semi-independently, and "T" teacher-directed. HTH as you ponder which guide is a better fit for ds, but keep asking questions here! This board is full of encouraging ladies who are glad to help.

What are your thoughts now though? I am thinking PHFHG with extensions would ease ds into writing and independence, make it more feasible for you to combine ds and dd the following year, and have him challenged in the reading department without being overly challenged in the writing department. Hope something here helps! But keep asking questions until you are set!

In Christ,
Julie

[Kalle]

It looks as though Preparing would be the best place to start him. He is not very independent yet and he is my most sensiti
Ve child. Giving him another year to prepare for CtC sounds like a great idea. This would also give my daughter a good starting point. I keep looking at everything a wishing I had found you all sooner in our journey. However, SCM and AO are excellent resources as well. Plus, God knows what I need when. I am excited that I have two that can use every guide. Thanks for the advice ladies.