Playing Catch Up After 3 Years In Public School

[3greatkids]

I am hoping some of the experienced homeschool Moms can help me create a plan for my oldest son. We are homeschooling this year for the first time and we were so fortunate to find Heart of Dakota. It has gone so well we will be homeschooling again for the next academic year. My daughters are quite straightforward. They completed kindergarten in public school and are currently using Beyond for first grade with Singapore 1A/1B with the ERS and they are doing very well, on unit 21. My son is harder. He just turned 9 and is in 3rd grade. I have him doing the left side of Beyond with the girls and he is using Bigger for the right side. He is working through R&S 2 and Singapore 2A/2B based on the placement testing last winter ( I was over anxious to get the materials and probably tested him and ordered books sooner than I should have) and really doing well. Additionally he is in DITHOR, level 2 (we tried level 3 at the start of the year and it was a struggle). He is well placed, but I worry he is "behind" because of the time we lost in public school. Should I double up on grammar, math and/or work through the summer to get him through R&S 3 and Singapore 3A/3B so he can be ready for R&S 4 and Singapore 4A/4B when he starts Preparing in the fall (my plan is to have him do the left side of Bigger starting in the fall with the right side of Preparing)? I know he is capable of being ready for the level 4 "stuff" by fall, but don't want to burden him and take the enjoyment out of his learning either. Thanks to the forum ladies, I have appreciated your wisdom and gained lots of knowledge by regularly reading posts on the message board.

[StephanieU]

No need to catch up with Rod and Staff and Singapore. These two programs are advanced, so being one grade level "behind" isn't really behind. You will see if you look at the later HOD guides that after Singapore 6B many students are ready for Algebra 1. So, really you only need to get through 6B by the end of 8th grade. If math is normally a struggle, it might be nice to get done a little early so you can do pre-algebra at the end of 8th grade, but that is still an extra semester that you aren't using yet. As for Rod and Staff, you will see in the later guides that grammar is only once a week. Rod and Staff 7 is as high as HOD has planned, and that is often started in 9th grade. The middle school guides I think only have grammar a few times a week though, doing half a book a year. But, again, you still have time. Bigger is actually a great 3rd grade guide, so he if continues with the LA and math as he is, he will be on grade level for those (Preparing for 4th, CtC 5th, RtR6, Rev2Rev 7th, MtMM 8th).

[MelInKansas]

I second that. It does not sound to me like your son is behind at all. My daughter is a 3rd grader and she is just starting R&S 3 now, but many people use Bigger, R&S 2, and Singapore 2 for 3rd grade, and there is still plenty of time to get through everything, even for the college bound, through 8th grade. I would not consider him behind, or consider you to be catching up at all. Just keep going at his pace.

[my3sons]

I second all the wise advice here already! Ds just turned 9 yo, and he is doing well where he is placed - hooray! Celebrate! I don't think you need to feel the push to catch him up in LA and math. My oldest ds did 2B/3A in 3rd grade math, 3B/4A in 4th grade, 4B/5A in 5th grade, 5B/6A in 6th grade, and 6B/DM 7A in 7th grade. For 8th grade, he went right into high school level Algebra 1 with Foerster's curriculum. SM is THAT advanced! For R & S English, your ds will easily be able to complete R & S English 6 by the close of Grade 8 by using HOD's plans. He is doing super! Please just enjoy the journey. Keep in mind your ds was 8 yo when he began Beyond, and he is 9 yo at 21 units into it! There are many 9 yo dc doing Beyond and finding it a good fit. Many on this board!

Your ds will have this 'core guide' path as is through HOD...

3rd grade - Beyond
4th grade - Bigger Hearts
5th grade - PHFHG
6th grade - CTC
7th grade - RTR
8th grade - RevtoRev
9th grade - MTMM (count as a portion of his American History)
10th grade - WG
11th grade - World History
12 grade - other portion of American history

He'll be fine!!! HTH! And, your other daughters can just finish out the last HOD guide for their senior year! Couldn't be better!

In Christ,
Julie