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Ok...more questions..i know, i have alot!
Thank you to everyone who has been giving me some input, i truly do appreciate all the help. SO, still looking at Beyond for our first yr hs..my oldest will be 6 next month, and fairly certain he places in Beyond as he reads and writes well. ( was thinking of doing Beyond/Bigger over 3 yrs since he would be on the young end) I really love the look of the Emerging Reader set for this level as well....my concern is if he starts in this level, im afraid he may be missing phonics instruction..? He is finishing K in ps right now..and seems to know basic phonics as he sounds words out well...but i don't know for sure since i did not teach him this yr.

Are any phonics taught in Beyond??....or is their reading level JUST the emerging readers (or whatever level you choose)?

I have considered Little Hearts...but just not sure as i "think" he places in Beyond...hope this all makes sense I would appreciate any thoughts on this

I have done both. Beyond can be used with one or the other and I would make absolutely sure his reading instruction is solid before moving to emerging reader books. Or doing a continuing phonics program alongside the books if he just has some things to still learn. I have had a reader who just picked phonics up easily and then one who had so many holes after her phonics program ended that she is continuing with an intensive reading program along with DITHOR scheduled books in second grade. She just needs lots of reminders and review.

If you're already thinking that you may have to stretch Beyond and Bigger out over 3 years to allow your son to grow up a bit, I would instead lean toward doing LHFHG with the first grade options. Typically, we would want a child on the youngest age range of the guide to be very strong in the 3R's. Otherwise, it would be better to do LHFHG and really cement your son's skills before moving into Beyond and later Bigger.

I would also make sure to finish out the phonics instruction started in K. I'd lean toward The Reading Lesson for that as it is easy to move more quickly through what he already knows and get to the new sounds and sound combinations. Once he's done with The Reading Lesson, then you move into the Emerging Reader's Set for a year.

Feel free to pop back and share a bit more about what your son is able to do, especially in the 3 R's, so we can be more sure in our advice. It would be good to know if your son is already reading real books like Frog and Toad or Amelia Bedelia yet. It would also help to know if he can copy a sentence at a time or whether he is still cementing letters and words. It would also be good to know whether he still prefers books with pictures to be read to him, rather than chapter books with fewer pictures. Last, it would be good to know if he is a wiggly child, who likes to move or whether he prefers to sit and do seatwork.

Blessings,
Carrie

Hi Carrie,
Thank you for taking some time to respond to my question. To try to answer some of your questions...the reason i was thinking of stretching out Beyond/Bigger is i have read many concerns about going into Preparing on the young end....not necessarily because of the content of Beyond or Bigger...but more to be more mature going forward as that seems to be a concern of others..or it seems that way. (so he would 9 starting Preparing instead of 8 as he would be if we went straight through)...but i know thats a little down the road... ....He has actually read "Frog and Toad are Friends" as you mentioned...with very little help from me. He seems to do well with chapter books of that sort...and likes to be read to from just about anything...he does like pictures, but can listen/read books with just a few pretty well..if you are familiar with "Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories"..we read every night, they have 1-2 drawings per story, with nothing fancy, he sits still for those...if that helps any..?
When i ask what "reading" he is learning at ps, he says they just let him read...says he know all his "letter pairs", the sounds for oo, oy, ch, sh ..are ones i asked specifically. So, it seems he had covered basic phonics already..i just don't want him to miss anything. Like i mentioned, he does sound words out well..the books in the Emerging Reader seem like books he would like to read..so just not sure..
He can write several sentences on his own as well...writes letters to other people, or what day it is, or if it's sunny...for example....as far as wiggly...he is able to be pretty still..maybe middle of the road....if it's something he is interested in...no where near like my other son, a true wiggly willy...so hope this helps....
your advice is greatly appreciated!...i feel i really need all i can get right now, trying to figure everything out for our first yr!!
BTW..i have sent his teacher a note for a copy of what phonics/ rules, he has covered....so maybe that will help as well
Sarah

momof3kids,

Thanks so much for coming back to share a bit more about your son! That really helps us so much! I agree that having your son's current teacher give you a list of sounds that your son has covered is a great idea. I'm thinking that your son needs to finish out his phonics instruction, so to do that I'd lean toward using The Reading Lesson (and either starting near the middle of the book, or starting at the beginning and moving quickly through what he already knows). After that he will be ready to go through the Emerging Reader's Set.

I'm going to link another thread of yours running on the board right now, just to help all of us have all of the information needed to help place your son well. Link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13628

As far as placement goes, it does sound like your son could handle Beyond. However, if you end up slowing it down too much you may quickly find that doing LHFHG at full-speed would be a fuller program then Beyond at half-speed (for a long period of time).

If your son can handle Beyond, then I wouldn't drop below 4 days a week at full-speed. Otherwise, he would be better placed in LHFHG at full-speed if he cannot handle Beyond at full-speed. If you do need to slow Bigger down for a season when you get there, then that is fine. However to slow Bigger down over two full years would really slow down the skill progression in Bigger so much that your child won't be ready to handle the rigor of Preparing when he gets there. For this reason, it is best to go full-speed for the majority of a guide in order to prepare a child well for the next guide in line.

Usually when we speak to families who feel that Preparing was too much for their child, we discover that either they have placed their child too high, or they haven't done everything within Bigger that will prepare their child for Preparing (meaning they weren't consistent with teaching all of the boxes in Bigger). If you do the program as written, you will truly find your child well-prepared for the next guide in line.

If you are concerned that Beyond will be too much, I'd lean toward LHFHG instead. If you feel that Beyond would fit well, then I would plan on a full-speed 4 day a week plan at the minimum. With this being your first child, you will have the time needed to work with him and get him going. Slowing down is only needed if the momma's schedule is too full with many others to teach, or if the teaching within a previous guide was sporadic, or if the child just needs a bit of growing room at the beginning of the guide. Otherwise, heading forward as written is the better plan!

Blessings,
Carrie

Thanks Carrie,
i think i have just gotten a little confused as far reading others posts about going through the guides...it seems others for some reason don't want to go into Preparing before a certain age/grade..(age 9 or 4th gr) for the maturity level..so i was under the impression that we would not be able to go straight through....that i would need to slow down Beyond and Bigger.....
as far as his ability right now, based on the placement chart..he does "seem" to fit into Beyond...and i have asked other questions here about his placement and had many responses, from Julie and other users that Beyond looks good for him based on his ability...but maybe like you suggested, using the Reading Lesson first. I would not want to go any slower than 4 day/wk as you mentioned...thought this may give us some time for "extra" activites, and a little wiggle room for our first yr.....but that was just a thought.....
Just hard for me to really know what to do this first yr, since i havent been the one teaching him through K... ..so not really sure which level is best...
If we did not do Beyond this yr....would it still be a good fit for him next yr?, he would be 7 ..with probably the higher reading/math as needed??

You are so kind to take the time to answer all my questions as well as others. This is one thing that really impresses me with your programs, to actually get advice from the one who wrote it. I am excited to be beginning this new journey...and unfortunately being new also comes with ALOT of questions!...just want to be sure of all the information so i can be sure to put him, (and siblings following ) where they fit best!..Again, thank you!

Just to encourage you with your question about ages in certain guides...

My girls will all be on the young end of the guides. They are academically ahead of their peers in public school for the most part and I feel like HOD helps challenge them in a way other programs do not. There was definitely a learning curve for Bigger with my oldest this year who had not quite turned 7 when we started at half speed. She grumbled a bit at first about the work load, but soon got into the routine and has done beautifully. A lot of it for me has been training her from the beginning to be independent in her work. I teach the material, but then I leave her to do the work without me unless there is a question. I do this also so I can teach her sisters at the same time, but all three are learning to be more independent from me. This has adequately prepared her for the older guides from my perspective. I am also ready at any time to slow down the pace if I need to for any of my girls. They are going to always be on the younger end if I plow ahead, but I don't want to do so to if it is not the best for them. With Beyond we had no problem completing a unit (sometimes 2!) in a week. With Bigger we started out more slowing taking 2 days to complete 1 day of work in order for me to teach her some of the skills she would need. Now we are coming to the end of the guide and she does almost all of her work independently so I am certain she is ready for Preparing. I may start her at half speed again this summer just to get ease into the new things like more vocabulary, independent Bible study, etc., but I think this program builds upon itself so beautifully that even the kids on the younger end of the guides are adequately prepared to do well, especially if they are starting in the early years.

Thanks Melissa, so encouraging!....
As you stated about your little ones....my ds teacher said he is ahead of the work most K'ers are doing ..even though he would be on the young end of the guides with HOD, that may be where he needs..since he would still be in the age ranges...??...just don't want to feel like i am "pushing" him, but at the same time..challenging him appropriately..
these are issues i never knew i would be trying to figure out for my sweet little ones...but i do feel a call that ps is not what they need right now, just praying i can be the teacher they need, and gain the knowledge and guidance to "place" them right where God wants them to be this yr!
this is such a helpful board, i really don't know who else would be able to answer all these questions i have!!

bumping up, hoping for response...

momof3greatkids,

As we're looking at placement for your son, and thinking down the road, it's good to know that Preparing has a target age range of 8-10 with extensions for ages 11-12. As we look at the target age range of the guide, you may find that those kiddos who come into the guide at the youngest age range are often first-born children who were just born ready to go (and the parent had the time to really sit and work with the child from an early age, since this was their first-born child). While this is not always true, it does seem to happen more often! Additionally, God seems to equip those first-born kiddos to lead and gifts them in a unique way where they are self-starters. All of this, when combined with solid skills in the 3 R's, makes these types of kiddos thrive at the youngest age range of the guides.

I think you'll also find that if you visit with others, those who feel a child "must" be 9 to do Preparing are usually not talking about their first-born (and are often families who are either new to HOD and started a young child too high up in order to combine with an older sibling, or did not place their 8 year old based on skill level and have come into Preparing unable to do what is asked, or have a struggling writer or reader). While Preparing does work well for 9 or 10 year olds, it also works for 8 year olds who are appropriately placed from the beginning. My own sister has had this situation with her two oldest boys, who have always come in on the youngest age range of the guides and excelled.

With this in mind, and with the skill level you've already shared that your son has in the 3R's, I would lean toward placing him in Beyond for the coming school year. I would make sure to go through all of the rest of his phonics, through The Reading Lesson, prior to having him begin the Emerging Reader's Set. However, I would plan on the Emerging Reader Set being his reading as you are going through Beyond, because I think finishing up his phonics will not be a long process. The schedule for the Emerging Reader's Set is in the Appendix of Beyond (with included follow-up questions and narration prompts). I would do Math 1A/1B with the plans in Beyond. If he can handle full-speed, I see no reason to slow him down. Doing school 5 days a week at the Beyond level is very doable if a child is well-placed. I think you'll have a great year!

When you get to Bigger Hearts if you need to slow down at the beginning, you'll be able to tell. However, it might not be necessary to do so. I wouldn't make a plan to formally slow down a guide. Usually, we only suggest that route if a child needs time to grow into the skills in the guide at the beginning for a bit or if a family has multiple students and needs more time to work with a certain child (and then slowing down one child's guide gives them this time).

Blessings,
Carrie

Hi Carrie,
You are so kind to address all these questions!....i really appreciate your advice, and all the ladies here who share their own experiences. I value your advice (as you know this program better than anyone!), and will look forward to doing Beyond with my son in the fall. As you mentioned reviewing The Reading Lesson, would this be something i could start now?..and possibility through the summer months?...so i could start the Emerging Readers with the guide as you suggested??
I really feel this is be a good path for us to start hs'ing on!
Also, thank you for giving clarity to the issue of spreading the guides out and the question of the age ranges....since this is our first yr, i MAY be trying to overly plan.... , instead of placing him for what he needs right now and going forward. I guess i was under the impression i would HAVE to slow him down and some point, but now i can see that is not the case...but is an option if needed...thanks again for sheading some light!
BTW- We have gotten LHTH for my 4 yo..we are about 3 weeks in and we all love it!..i am so glad i have found this program, that is already help teach the Bible to my dc! (he does a preschool here in our county 2/wk for and hr...he says now he doesn't want to go, he wants to stay home and do school with mom..lol)...wish we would have found sooner!
i can only hope and pray my oldest son feels the same when we begin Beyond!.....
we are planning on attending the conference in our area this month, and looking forward to seeing all the material for the first time!
thanks again for your insight!
Sarah

momof3kids wrote:Hi Carrie,
You are so kind to address all these questions!....i really appreciate your advice, and all the ladies here who share their own experiences. I value your advice (as you know this program better than anyone!), and will look forward to doing Beyond with my son in the fall. As you mentioned reviewing The Reading Lesson, would this be something i could start now?..and possibility through the summer months?...so i could start the Emerging Readers with the guide as you suggested??
I really feel this is be a good path for us to start hs'ing on!
Also, thank you for giving clarity to the issue of spreading the guides out and the question of the age ranges....since this is our first yr, i MAY be trying to overly plan.... , instead of placing him for what he needs right now and going forward. I guess i was under the impression i would HAVE to slow him down and some point, but now i can see that is not the case...but is an option if needed...thanks again for sheading some light!
BTW- We have gotten LHTH for my 4 yo..we are about 3 weeks in and we all love it!..i am so glad i have found this program, that is already help teach the Bible to my dc! (he does a preschool here in our county 2/wk for and hr...he says now he doesn't want to go, he wants to stay home and do school with mom..lol)...wish we would have found sooner!
i can only hope and pray my oldest son feels the same when we begin Beyond!.....
we are planning on attending the conference in our area this month, and looking forward to seeing all the material for the first time!
thanks again for your insight!
Sarah

Not Carrie, but...Yes, you can start The Reading Lesson now and continue through the summer . It is very easy to do and only takes a few minutes a day.

ok, great!..thanks!...
i think that is a good suggestion to make sure he has covered all phonics before doing the ER set...