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This year we are using LHFHG with a 5&7 yo and enjoy it so much! I am planning to get Preparing for my 8 yo next year .

I was wondering if HOD guides include literary analysis & comprehension questions for the storytime books used in Bigger &up. My younger child has mild language delay&comprehension problems and a reading program really helps him develop language and more understanding of the story . I like a good reading program to include more than just comprehension: genres types, inferences ,prediction, sequencing, , fact vs opinion, main idea , character comparison , literary terms such as simile , onomatopoeia , metaphor , etc . I know you can still teach all these through reading the books IF you remember to talk about them (I don't). I am concerned that if I go with another program we would not have time for HOD storytime since these would take at least 20-30min/day. This year I am using Pathway Readers with him and it helps him with comprehension & language but LHFHG does not take much time at all and it is easy to add to it. This is painless for me because my younger son just reads by himself , then I ask him the questions from the workbook and I also have the answers provided. The readers are well below his decoding level , so I don't have to worry about him not knowing how to read any word.

Both of my dc who are 8&7 and excellent readers , prefer to read the books by themselves since I have a strong accent . They often correct me in pronunciation English is my 3rd language.

If I don't read the books from storytime , how do I know that they give the right answers to the questions? ( *IF* the guides include questions like it does in LHFHG . If not , my mathematical inclined brain wouldn't know what to ask them )


I don't think in our case narration will be enough. It doesn't teach all the skills mentioned above ( inferences , etc which he needs for comprehension) . I looked at DITHOR but it seems with this program YOU as a parent have to read the books as well since it does not include answers to the questions asked .

Wise help in my situation is highly appreciated What should I do?

Drawm Into the Heart of Reading may be appropriate for your 7 year old and includes all the things you mentioned. Your child would read the books aloud to you to also develop fluency, not the other way around (at higher levels, the reading aloud to the parent is phased out and the assignments become more independent). Story time is where you the parent read aloud to your children and serves a different purpose than the DITHOR reading program-Story time books are usually at a level higher than your children should read for themselves-listening is one skill developed by Story time. I hope that Carrie or Julie can pop in here and give you a clearer explanation of the benefits of both. Prior to starting DITHOR, if a child has finished phonics instruction, HOD offers the Emerging Readers set, a schedule and comprehension questions are included in the Beyond and Bigger appendices-these books are also to be read aloud by the student to you before answering the questions.

All those things are also covered in the Language Arts and Poetry sections in Beyond and Bigger.

exodus4 wrote:...I was wondering if HOD guides include literary analysis & comprehension questions for the storytime books used in Bigger &up. My younger child has mild language delay&comprehension problems and a reading program really helps him develop language and more understanding of the story . I like a good reading program to include more than just comprehension: genres types, inferences ,prediction, sequencing, , fact vs opinion, main idea , character comparison , literary terms such as simile , onomatopoeia , metaphor , etc .

Good news - ALL of these skills (and many, many more ) are included in "Drawn into the Heart of Reading"! We have used DITHOR for multiple years, and been so pleased with the gains our dc have made in reading skills. Our dc read well very young, but DITHOR really took their learning to the next level. Reading is so much more than reading words on a page correctly. It is even so much more than being able to answer a few questions right. It is being able to analyze literature. To synthesize information read, and to understand the development of plot and of characters, as well as to appreciate different genres and different authors' styles. DITHOR has helped our dc continue to climb in their reading comprehension while still keeping alive their passion for reading. I cannot imagine teaching reading any other way.

exodus4 wrote:...This is painless for me because my younger son just reads by himself , then I ask him the questions from the workbook and I also have the answers provided. The readers are well below his decoding level , so I don't have to worry about him not knowing how to read any word.

If your ds is a good reader, you can just reserve 2-3 pages for him to read aloud to you. I have done this with our young readers that are doing well, and found that it still keeps them practicing their oral reading skills (which we use the Appendix's oral reading skills list to help them further develop and maintain this skill), as well as helps me know what is going on in the story. We adhere to the Charlotte Mason philosophy used in DITHOR, of keeping the readings short in order to really savor a book and "sit with" the characters to know them well. I have found this easy to schedule, as I just get HOD's DITHOR Book Packs, and use the number of days already planned out for me. When readings are kept shorter, I am easily able to stay on top of the plot of the book by listening to 2-3 pages read aloud each day to me from my dc. Plus, my dc actually remember the books read very well within DITHOR, as they didn't rush their way through them.

exodus4 wrote:Both of my dc who are 8&7 and excellent readers , prefer to read the books by themselves since I have a strong accent . They often correct me in pronunciation English is my 3rd language.

Storytime, which the parent reads aloud books that are several grade levels above the core age of the guide, has different goals than DITHOR. The parent is modeling good oral reading skills, the child is learning this from the parent, and the child is also learning how to listen attentively when another person is doing the reading. This is a different skill than reading on their own. I can completely see if English was my THIRD (wow! kuddos to you!) language, that I may not particularly delight in reading aloud books to my dc in English and having them correct my reading. So, you may want to alternate having you doing the reading for some of the shorter books, and having them listen to books on tape. Many of the books suggested are available in audio book format, so that would alleviate you having to do all of the reading, while still maintaining the general purpose of Storytime. Every guide's Storytime has specific skills it teaches, and they vary from year to year to maintain the balance of literary skills within each guide. For Bigger Hearts, these are Storytime's goals...
Each unit includes the following reading activities in coordination with the
read-aloud assignments:
*Day 1: introduce and study different types of literature
*Day 2: model narration to foster comprehension
*Day 3: identify and analyze a different story element for each genre
*Day 4: relate personally to one Godly character trait, compare
Biblical and book characters, and make a bookmark as a
reminder of the trait
*Day 5: practice narration by retelling the story

So, whether you are doing the reading, or an audio tape is being used, it will be important to do the follow-up skills in the Storytime box wtih your dc, which leads me to this part of your post...

exodus4 wrote:...If I don't read the books from storytime , how do I know that they give the right answers to the questions? ( *IF* the guides include questions like it does in LHFHG . If not , my mathematical inclined brain wouldn't know what to ask them ...)

Well, you are reading the books for Storytime, so you'll know what they are about, but if you use the audio tapes, you can either just listen along with the dc to know what is going on, or you can skim it. With HOD's older guides, beginning with RTR on up, HOD suggests the parent and dc can decide who will do the Storytime readings - whether that be the parent, the dc, or a mixture of both. My ds, who is doing RevtoRev right now, has opted to read the Storytime books on his own. I skim the first page of the reading, a page in the middle, and a page at the end, and then as he is narrating or we are discussing it, I have the book open in front of me. It has worked very well!

exodus4 wrote:...I don't think in our case narration will be enough. It doesn't teach all the skills mentioned above ( inferences , etc which he needs for comprehension) . I looked at DITHOR but it seems with this program YOU as a parent have to read the books as well since it does not include answers to the questions asked...?

HOD doesn't have just narration - and would agree with you completely that the skills covered in DITHOR and Storytime, as well as within meshing LA skills with history, science, Bible, poetry, etc., is necessary. For DITHOR, I use HOD's book packs, and the readings are kept purposefully short, again so as to allow for character and plot development, meaningful responses to the reading on the child's behalf, and recognition of an author's style, among many other things. So, having my dc read several pages out loud (which is a skill they should not give up), and skimming a page at the start, a page in the middle, and a page at the end, helps me know enough to help them. So many of the questions in DITHOR are higher level, that one word specific answers are not the goal. Rather, a discussion of a higher level ensues, and the result is a more meaningful, deeper kind of learning that is better retained over time. When asked which books are their all-time favorite books, my dc always respond with DITHOR titles. I believe it is because they truly spent time savoring these books, responding to what they read in ways they remember, and they became attached to them in a personal way they hold onto. Now, that's reading instruction with a purpose that leads to success! HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

Thank you Julie for your elaborate answer I am a little more encouraged now , yet somehow apprehensive . I have four dc under 8 and listening to tapes/cd for each guide will be difficult . Besides trips to the library (which is very far) won't be easy. I am still determined to try the older guides and DITHOR . I love the way how HOD is set up and most of all I like the focus on the Lord .

My accent is not so bad , only for some words. I have to admit that even Reddy Fox book gives me a hard time. There are so many words that seem archaic , at least I don't usually hear them . My dc keep asking "what does it mean..." I need to buy an electronic dictionary

exodus4 wrote:Thank you Julie for your elaborate answer I am a little more encouraged now , yet somehow apprehensive . I have four dc under 8 and listening to tapes/cd for each guide will be difficult . Besides trips to the library (which is very far) won't be easy. I am still determined to try the older guides and DITHOR . I love the way how HOD is set up and most of all I like the focus on the Lord .

My accent is not so bad , only for some words. I have to admit that even Reddy Fox book gives me a hard time. There are so many words that seem archaic , at least I don't usually hear them . My dc keep asking "what does it mean..." I need to buy an electronic dictionary

I love to read the Storytime books to my dc at that age, as the readings are short and engaging. I think for LHFHG, I would just read them - they are usually 3-4 pages and take about 5-10 minutes. For the older dc, you can just split the readings for Storytime if you'd like to, having dc read half and you read half. Actually, in PHFHG, dc take over a portion of their history readings anyway, so that will be less reading for you at that point anyway. I probably would not let them interrupt me to tell me I'd pronounced something a little off though - it interrupts the fluidity of the story, and I'm sure for you, it is a tad annoying (it would be for me at least) . I know I don't pronounce everything correctly (especially historical names and places from around the world). I just do my best and keep reading. Dc can look up how to pronounce words on their own in the dictionary if they are wanting to do so. The content is not compromised by a slight mispronunciation. Otherwise, unless it's a word you are saying repetitively and unsure of its pronunciation, I'd just read it how you think it looks and move on. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie