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I have been so confused about where to place my 9 year old next year. We have been using textbooks up until now but really want to use HOD. He will be almost 10 when we start it in Aug. He is not writing in cursive yet (we will be starting it in a few months) He is not a great reader but past the frog and toad books. We haven't done really any grammar but he's done with phonics. I am torn between bigger or preparing half speed.. What do you all think??

Debi

Your description sounds like Bigger would be a perfect placement, but you might want to check out the placement chart if you haven't yet. HOD is much more about skill success rather than grade-level. You can always place him in whatever math he is already at. Here is a link to the placement chart: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

I have a 9 yo ds in bigger and a 12 yo ds in preparing with extensions. It sounds like bigger might be a good fit for you!!! We are about half through these guides and I can really see how the skills are built over time. They are both WONDERFUL!!!!

I agree that it sounds like Bigger would be the fit. Cursive is learned in Bigger. Also, Grammar begins on a daily basis in the Bigger guide. You could start half speed to get used to this method, but your ds may be able to handle full speed in Bigger after you get going a while. We will only finish half of Bigger this year. My dd will be 10 in May. Hopefully we will be able to finish Bigger full speed in the fall.

Hi Debi, and welcome to the HOD Board! Thanks for sharing about your ds here - that helps so much. I agree with the advice the ladies have already given - I think you would enjoy Bigger Hearts with your ds! Bigger Hearts has the Emerging Reader's Set schedule and oral comprehension questions in its Appendix, which sounds like it will fit ds well. That is a great set - full of books that capture dc's attention and slowly build up their reading level and comprehension as they progress. Bigger Hearts also has R & S English 2 scheduled in its daily plans, which is a super place to start with grammar. HOD suggests doing 2/3 of English 2 orally, leaving 1 section for ds to write. Our sons have greatly appreciated that! Bigger Hearts also helps dc learn to orally narrate well, and is very helpful with guidance in this skill. The Eggleston books were some of our sons' favorites - they are full of adventure and heroic deeds. They have an old-worldly sound to them that just grows and grows on dc and makes them feel that the stories told are important. The science was fun too, especially the experiments. The boy interest books read aloud for Storytime are sure to catch your son's interest. They are fun to read and fun to listen too, and they often spark interest in new genres for boys. The notebooking assignments taught how to put together a good notebook page, and provided fresh, new ways to assess what was learned. The vocabulary activity was a favorite of mine, as it teaches so so so many good skills. We started with 1 vocab card though, and worked up to more throughout the year. This worked well for us! The Bible Study, devotional, and Hymn's for a Kid's Heart all worked together to give a wonderful Bible focus. I especially appreciated the Godly character traits that were discussed and taught, as this gave me as my sons' mom a place to naturally talk about what each son was doing well with and what they could use some improvement upon. For spelling, you can choose either Spelling List 2 or Dictation Level 2 (these are not meant to be grade equivalent). Both are excellent! If ds could use some work with the Spelling List 2 words you can choose that, or if you feel he is ready to write sentences within dictation then he could do that. Either is a good choice. I am excited for you to begin, but what do you think? I'm so glad you are going to get the chance to do HOD with your ds. We have loved HOD within our own home for a decade. We are so thankful for it!

In Christ,
Julie