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My son just finished PHFHG but he is really desiring to study the presidents, states and wars. It looks like that is all scheduled in Revival to Revolution. However, if I stick to following the next guide, he won't go through Revival to Revolution unless he did it as a freshman (and he doesn't want to wait that long). Should I skip a guide? My son has been hs as well as attended ps for his K, 3rd and 4th grade years so he is accustomed to a lot more writing and reading that is usually scheduled. The only subject he is behind in is grammar. He just finished Rod and Staff 4th level and he loved it because it challenged him. They don't diagram in our ps. After this long post, my question is, can he skip the next guide or will it cause a gap in his education? Thanks in advance for your advice!

Pam

Maybe I posted prematurely. I searched through past posts and found some great answers about skipping guides. However, if we were to skip CTC, he'd miss out on some great science that is scheduled in that guide...sigh!!! Not sure what to do. I could potentially use a different curriculum which covers similar science, a bit on presidents and states and then come back to HOD next year. This is not an easy choice and our hs convention is this weekend at Disneyland! I can't wait since it's my first time attending!!!! Whoo-hoo!

Pam

Actually the President's study isn't until MTMM. In Rev to Rev there is the 50 state study and you research the signers of the Declaration. Of course you learn some about the president's from Washington up to at least Andrew Johnson in Rev to Rev as you study the history.

If you look with fresh eyes at the placement chart without considering the history time period where does he place? Does he place solidly in RTR? If he does then from what you have said about his writing ability you might be ok skipping CTC and going to RTR, but that still won't get you to the American history next year so would that help at all? The one thing to keep in mind is that CTC really builds some skills especially in the reading and comprehending more difficult material and in the area of writing. CTC is also so strong in building the biblical foundation for history.

People so often fail to see how many skill building things Carrie has in each guide. Now that we are heading in to MTMM I can really see the big picture. If you leave and go to another program you would miss out on that incremental skill building.

Hi Lynn,

I'll have to skip one guide if MTMM is the 8th grade level so that I'll be right on track for highschool, right? Skipping a guide is a very difficult choice. My son is going into 6th grade this summer (we hs year round). I was going to do CTC this year but since I had PHFHG I just decided to stick with it. However, the science in CTC looks wonderful. History aside, his reading is on an early 7th grade level (per Accelerated Reading quizzes). So besides wanting to study states, presidents and war, I'd like him to move right into Carrie's highschool guides when that time comes.

Pam

I agree with Lynn that there is so much more skill building than meets the eyes in all of the guides. So skipping a guide is really tough unless you find that your dc has been placed in too low of a guide before. We found the jump in skills from Preparing to CTC a big one, and it took several months before my dc were comfortably completing a day in CTC. Each guide really builds on the last one so it's important to do the guides in sequence to be fully prepared for the next guide. It's possible though if your son places as far as skills in the higher guides that he could manage it. Where does he now place on the placement chart: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php?

Sorry I wasn't clear in my 1st post but this doesn't have to do with what guide he places into (I've used 3 of HOD's guides and have utilized their wonderful placement charts). Due to budget I didn't buy CTC this last school year and used what I already had which was PHFHG. However, if I were to use CTC this school year for 6th grade he'd miss out on one of the middle school guides. Which guide should I skip? I want him to begin highschool with Carrie's highschool guides. Thanks for helping me!
Pam

The thing is I don't know if we can tell you what guide to skip without looking at where his skills are and where he places on the chart. If right now he places strong in RTR then I think you could skip CTC. If he doesn't then I would do CTC this year and then re-evaluate at the end of the year and see if you think his skills are strong enough to skip RTR. You just can't look at the history time period and say "that isn't my favorite time period so we will skip that one." The level of difficulty of the guides just builds too much to do that. I hope that makes sense.

Maybe if I tell you how I view the transition between guides that might help. Here is where I see the biggest jumps in skills from guide to guide. Others may see it differently, but this it how it has been for my ds. I think from Preparing to CTC is a huge jump. From CTC to RTR is a smaller jump with the exception of writing. From RTR to REV to REV is a jump as far as the amount of work and the time it takes as well as in the deeper type of thinking required. From going thoroughly through the MTMM guide at this point I think the jump from Rev to Rev to MTMM is also going to be a big jump in the amount of work, time it takes, and amount of writing activities.

I think I would see where he places and do that guide. However, if he has a strong interest in presidents or states, that would be pretty easy to pursue alongside HOD. Although the state study is a part of another guide, you could schedule it yourself. If he would prefer the presidents, that would be a little harder to schedule by yourself, but you could just buy the tapes for now and watch them together, or look for another president resource to use now and save the HOD choices for later.

Okay, gotcha now. He does easily place in Ressuriction to Reformation especially in his writing skills. I wouldn't skip a guide if we had time to finish them all before highschool but we don't. However, he's never had the human body science that is in CTC. What it mess him up for future guides if I had him do the science from CTC instead if I chose to use the rest from RTR? Honestly, he'd rather use HOD but he saw in my hs catalogs what another curriculum had scheduled for 6th grade history and science (human body, study of states and presidents) but it's all worksheets and I don't feel enough of indepth reading. Sorry I'm creating a headache for some with this post but I just want to make the best decision.

Hugs,
Pam

I would not sacrifice the beauty of using one guide unless you needed to. However, ladies use 2 guides for one child all the time, so if he really likes the looks of the the other science better, go for it. Again, my suggestion would be to buy a book about the human body and do it on Fridays if that is his interest right now. Buy an American history book to read on Fridays. Just let him pursue his interests on Friday.

I agree with Melissa that it is easiest to stick with doing one guide completely. Everything integrates so much better that way. Since it is a 4 day program though, that 5th day is great to pursue other interests. The human body info that was covered in CTC was only a small part of the science in CTC. The first part of the year was land animals, plants, and birds. Then it was more about the history of medicine then ending with a few weeks of human anatomy. So if he wanted to pursue some of those things, it would be easy to pick up those resources in which he is interested and let him read them on day 5 each week.

I don't think it would significantly alter the flow of the guides though if you did choose to switch out the science. It might however change up the skills being developed a bit. I have started to look over RTR and the science is structured differently than in CTC. A typical week in CTC would have the student doing a notebook page on day 1, an oral narration on day 2, answering written questions on day 3, and performing an experiment on day 4. In RTR it appears that day 1 is still notebooking, day 2 is still oral narration, and day 4 is still an experiment. However day 3 is vocabulary and a written narration. I'm not for sure if that would matter in future guides, but typically skills learned in one guide are needed in the next. So I can't help but think that the science vocabulary used and the writing of science narrations in RTR will help prepare dc for what comes in future guides.

We'll be doing RTR with my 6th graders here this year. So if that's what you end up choosing, we can share the journey together.

We have found it is best to place our dc in HOD based on their skills rather than on their current interests in history and science. Their interests come and go, and they are easy to find things for that are shorter term. I often say I am interested in things, and I truly am! But, I am not necessarily interested in those things for an entire 9 months (which is how long school goes typically). For example, I was interested in reading Jane Austen, and I did so passionately for about half a year - but then I truly needed a change. I was also interested in trying new recipes and cooking new things, for about 3 months - then I ran back to my old favorites with joy! I was interested in reading Christian romance novels for a few months, but then I switched to wanting to read tips about how to organize my home more efficiently. I think you will find your ds is interested in American history and the human body, and that is a valid, good interest to have, but I bet that interest won't stay strong and steady for 9 months necessarily. I think I'd get science package from CTC for free reading on the fifth day, and get the CTC guide as well, letting ds know he can do any of the experiments he wants to from that guide on the fifth day throughout the year. But, if funds are still a concern, I'd definitely first get everything from RTR that you need, and fill his current interest need with books from the library, or maybe with just one book from the CTC science package. There is a definite progression of skills in all subject areas, and this progression is important to move through. Interests come and go, but the sets of skills and bodies of knowledge dc need to learn from one year to another within their academic education really does follow an important progression that is best to be followed. I think you and your ds will love RTR, as long as you are certain he is ready for it! The jump from PHFHG to RTR is massive - so just be sure before you leap that he fits well in RTR. If he does, you have an amazing year ahead of you!!!

In Christ,
Julie