heartofdakota.com

Hello, this is our first year with HOD. We are loving it, but I do have a question about DITHOR. My 9 year old has been a great reader for several years now and enjoys all books, however struggling very much with the workbook. I'm using the 2/3 book. Right now we are reading Shark Lady for the Biography and she loves the book and can narrate back,(She read Louis Braille for the first 5 days, sometimes with Shark Lady she has asked me to read-she just got glasses) but just can't fill out the sheets or even discuss them...it's a lot of I don't knows..any ideas of what I should do? Thanks so much in advance

For it being her first time doing literature study, this is probably normal. There is a lot of thought and new concepts being covered. When I started DITHOR with my daughter (I think she was 7 1/2 or 8 at the time) I did the worksheets with her. We discussed them orally and I would write her answers down for her. This helped a lot. We were 1/2 way or 2/3 of the way through it before she started doing them a little more on her own. Another suggestion I have read is to discuss it and you write down their answers on a white board and they can copy them onto the worksheet. This will help them remember the answers better and of course more ownership and doing the work in their own writing. As long as they can get the concepts and provide some answers (and in your discussion feel free to guide her a bit or explain things again if she is confused) they are progressing as they should.

I hope this helps.

With my younger ones I discuss with them the answers. There aren't really set answers, and that throws a lot of kids off. Has she done the emerging readers yet? Even if she's past that with the actual reading, the questions will really help her get started with DITHOR. So if you could start ERs with maybe 1/3 of them left to do (so the last maybe 5 books?) and you could even go through them fairly quickly. Just to give her a start with the type of thinking they are asking for with DITHOR.

This is exactly why it is so important to do Drawn into the Heart of Reading. Dc can often read books well, but developing their reading comprehension skills takes a formal reading program, and DITHOR (IMHO ) is simply the best for this! Partnering with your child in the ways already suggested (i.e. by discussing answers to the questions together and by writing answers for dd as she dictates them) are good ways to model the thought process that goes into analyzing books using higher level thinking. The Emerging Reader's Set sets the tone for this type of thinking, but if dd is past the reading level of the ERS (and it sounds like she is ), then you can step in and model it for her first. As the year progresses, it will be important to have dd take on the responsibility of writing her own answers. This builds writing skills as well as reading comprehension skills. With my ds who will be almost 8 yo beginning DITHOR this year, I'll write the answers for him at first, eventually write them on a markerboard for him to copy, and then be near him to help with spelling when he takes it over by the end of the year. We followed this progression with our middle ds when he was almost 8 yo doing DITHOR. Keep in mind that DITHOR is teaching important higher reading level skills that do not come naturally, which is why it is so important to do. For example, the best of readers cannot discuss plot and rising action if they have never had a formal reading program to teach them these things. I am so glad you asked this question because though DITHOR may be hard at first - that is what makes it all the more important to do!!! My oldest ds moved through all the levels of DITHOR prior to his high school year with HOD's World Geography, and all of his years in DITHOR made the transition to high school level literature a smooth one. Keep encouraging dd - she will blossom with DITHOR given time!!! And then, that ability to comprehend literature at a higher level with cross over into comprehending virtually every subject area better! Time very well spent.

In Christ,
Julie

Thank you all for you words of advice and encouragement!

I am glad for the encouragement Julie!
I started DITHOR with DD 7 and I have been doing most the writing. She's enjoying doing the program, we do it 4 times a week, together with ds 9, he reads level 4 books, but we did level 3 writing to get him used to DITHOR again after our long summer break!
I am glad for the reminder to build up to her writing and putting focus on discussion points

moedertje wrote:I am glad for the encouragement Julie!
I started DITHOR with DD 7 and I have been doing most the writing. She's enjoying doing the program, we do it 4 times a week, together with ds 9, he reads level 4 books, but we did level 3 writing to get him used to DITHOR again after our long summer break!
I am glad for the reminder to build up to her writing and putting focus on discussion points

A big HOD huuuuuuuugggggggg to you moedertje! How are you? Hope you are doing well!!! Missed seeing you last year at the book fairs. Praying for a good year for you ahead!

In Christ,
Julie

my3sons wrote:
A big HOD huuuuuuuugggggggg to you moedertje! How are you? Hope you are doing well!!! Missed seeing you last year at the book fairs. Praying for a good year for you ahead!

In Christ,
Julie

Doing really well, need to catch up again, are you coming to Florida next year? I will come to FPEA, just to see you praying for you and Carrie as well. Send you a PM!