RTR Extension Time

[gotpeace91]

How long should it take to read the extensions in RTR? I haven't exactly timed it yet but it takes my son much longer than 20 minutes. More like 40 minutes. I have been stopping him at 20 minutes and having him read the rest after all his other subjects are done. He is really feeling bogged down by it, but I didn't want to mess up the schedule so I haven't eased up on it yet. He is almost done with the first book. I'm thinking about laying all the books out for him to look over them and remove 2 that he isn't very interested in. Then I would rework the schedule adding up the total number of pages for the books and dividing them up between the 30 units we have left. Does that sound OK?

[Heather4Him]

We're reading the first book aloud, because I wanted to discuss it with her, but it usually only takes about 20 min./day.

I think your plan sounds fine.

[gotpeace91]

I have read a few pages for him here and there when he feels overwhelmed. Now that I'm thinking about it I may have him read a few pages aloud to me just to make sure it isn't too advanced for him. He did say that he doesn't find it as interesting as the other books that he's reading for History and Science, so it could just be a matter of lack of interest in this one. Thanks for the encouragement, Heather!

[Heather4Him]

Yeah, if it's the From Bondage to Freedom" book, I was worried that the religious ideas presented might cause confusion, so I talked with my husband and prayed about it, and we decided to do it as a read-aloud so we could discuss anything that came up. But, it's not been a problem at all, and we're enjoying the book! My fears were unfounded (as they usually are, right?!)

[my3sons]

I like your idea of having him read aloud a few pages or more to check if the reading level is appropriate. I think 40 min. is on the long side for the extensions. I will say that I read "Bondage to Freedom" and thought it was excellent. I also thought it was among the most difficult books in the extensions. If it is too much for him, I would not be afraid to set it aside, let him get into the groove of doing the rest of the guide well, and then start up with the next book in the extensions when it comes up and see how that goes. He could also just "pleasure read" the extensions at night. My ds likes to do that to wind down before going to sleep. You could give him his new extensions book when it comes up in the plans, but then if he finishes it early, he would not get the next book until it comes up in the schedule. This would let him read at night if he enjoys it, and not be tied to the schedule, but still have him getting the books at about the right time they come up to match the daily plans. Sometimes doing the extensions within daily school can give dc less time to really slow down and enjoy the reading than doing it leisurely as time allows at night. Just an idea - HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[gotpeace91]

Thanks, Julie! It's good to know that the other books may be easier. He got a little behind on the extension last week (the last 3 chapters) so I read them aloud to him this weekend just to boost him up a bit. He starts Black Horses for the King tomorrow, and I will have him read a little aloud to me to check the reading level first. Maybe things will improve a bit with the new book. He listens to audiobooks at bedtime. He's informed me that it's his favorite time of the day so I will probably leave that up to him.