Struggling with a decision.

[emnsam]

We are in week 23 of MFW Adventures for 3rd grade. My dd is 9. She hates to write and we have not done much note booking or narrating this year. I am wondering if I should just drop MFW now and order Bigger. We would work on it for a few weeks before our summer break and then pick it back up in the fall. We would probably finish it in Jan. or Feb. She will be 10 in December. The other option would be to finish up MFW and start Preparing slowly. Does anyone know if Adventures and Bigger cover mostly the same material? I don't know why I am having such a hard time with this.

[netpea]

I have personally used Adventures and the HOD guides from Little Hands to Heaven through Preparing Hearts For His Glory. MFW Adventures is roughly on level with HOD Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory. Whether you finish Adventures or not, I would think you would want to look at Bigger Hearts as the next step. Check the placement chart to be sure.

[Carrie]

Welcome! We're glad to have you here! From what you've shared so far, I would lean toward placing your child in Bigger Hearts whether you begin that particular guide now or whether you begin it later. The jump up to Preparing with the struggles you mentioned in writing and narrating would be very challenging.

Bigger is such a foundational year in helping kiddos grow in the area of writing, reading (through DITHR), copywork, and spelling (through studied dictation). It also schedules Rod and Staff English for grammar. Depending on what your child has had in the area of grammar, you could use either Rod and Staff English 2 or English 3. If your child hasn't had much yet in the way of formal literature study, doing Bigger would also allow her time to really delve into Drawn into the Heart of Reading and all of the literary skills that go along with that program. All of this will be so helpful in giving your daughter a strong foundation in the 3R's.

If you get a chance to pop back and share a bit more about grammar, reading/literature study, spelling, copywork, and math that would help us advise you even better!

Blessings,
Carrie

[emnsam]

Hi Carrie. We did Little Hearts for first grade and Beyond for second. We are using Rod and Staff English 2 this year and the BJU press workbook for 3rd grade English which alternates between grammar and writing. We are using Christian Light 3rd grade math and CLP 3rd grade spelling. I am reading books to my daughter and she is reading to me, but we are not really doing a Literature study. We have done a little copy work, but not much.
Thank you for helping me figure this out.

[Carrie]

Thanks so much for coming back and sharing a bit more about your daughter! It was so helpful.

With what you've shared thus far, I would definitely look at Bigger as the best placement for your daughter, whether you begin now or after finishing your current plan. When you head into Bigger, I would just finish Rod and Staff English 2 and move into Rod and Staff English 3. You wouldn't need to continue on with BJU for writing, as Rod and Staff will include writing in the coming levels. (Unless you preferred BJU, which you could then use in place of Rod and Staff English.)

I wouldn't use both BJU and Rod and Staff for English as you go up, because you'd be double-dipping her. We don't want her worn out from writing for grammar when we want to get her copying daily for practice. For spelling, I'd be inclined to switch her to studied dictation (as included in Bigger's Appendix), but you can decide whether to do this or continue with CLP Spelling. I wouldn't do both though, as her day will get very long. If your math is working well, I'd just keep on going with Christian Light.

As far as reading goes, depending on her reading level she could either do the Emerging Reader's Set or DITHR. What are some titles of a few books she's currently reading on her own (or to you)? This will help us know better where she would fit in the area of reading.

Blessings,
Carrie

[emnsam]

She is finishing up the emerging readers right now. She reads well. She is currently reading Tornado. So do you think that going half pace for a while with Preparing would not be a good option? Will she be behind for finishing high school on time? I feel like I wasted this whole year. I'm not sure why it took me so long to realize it. Thanks so much for your help.

[Carrie]

It sounds like she is doing well with the Emerging Readers and will just finish them out and then head into DITHR Level 2/3. Actually, Bigger at full-speed with daily grammar, math, dictation, and DITHR is harder than half-time Preparing. It sounds like your sweet daughter would be very well placed in Bigger and be challenged by the work.

Being well-placed means that she will be getting what she needs as you head into each successive guide. Shooting too high can really result in frustration and in being unsure of how much to down-size each day to suit your child's needs. It's so much better to be accurately placed and know you can expect your child to do all that is within the guide each day.

There are many families who will not finish all of the HOD guides and that is fine. We can make sure that your daughter still gets what she needs to count credits for graduation and for her future plans.

Blessings,
Carrie

[emnsam]

Thank you Carrie for all of your help. I really appreciate what you do.

Thank you Lee Ann for your opinion.