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Hi! I have a son who recently turned 14. We have homeschooled him since the middle of k, but he is behind by about 2 grade levels for various reasons. For one, he was sick quite a bit as a younger child with antibiotics monthly. He has progressed every year, but I have tried to push total texts with him and it just does not work for him.

Presently, he is working in IEW SWI -B and it works fine for him. He is in the first book of Fix It grammar and moving pretty fast with that, almost finished. He has read various books this year including The Sign of the Beaver and did a Progeny Press guide with that. He did pretty well with the guide. Math is his very weak point. I have tried various stuff through the years and MUS seems to be the best fit. However, he is In the fraction book, Epsilon. I know that is pretty low, but I am more concerned about him understanding than the level. We are plugging through today and declaring it a "math" day to try and get more accomplished in that area.

DS does not like reading. I think, knowing him, is because he is too into video games. We do limit that, but he likes all tech type things. He can usually fix almost anything that is technical! He does spend lots of time outdoors as well. I have tried it all to try and develop that reading love!

Is this type of study even possible? I have almost given up! He does not know how to take dictation. I have had him to narrate some in the past. I have looked at the placement chart and the Res. to Rev. Looks like it might be a fit, with the exception of dictation. I like the fact that HOD uses some of the IEW material. That is a plus for me. Sorry, this is long. I just need some insight. Thanks in advance!

homemama

I can’t tell you whether or not HOD will work for your son but I can share my experience in hopes that may help you with some soul searching about your question.

When I first started homeschooling, I started out traditional (year 1). I found out very quickly that it was not a good fit for this family. So I became eclectic the next year (year 2). That year was better and I knew that having interesting books and hands-on-activities was important to me and my kids. The following year I also planned it all out choosing my resources and building my year (year 3). But this year life just got busier and I was struggling to get it all done. I knew at this point I really needed to consider a boxed curriculum. A lot of my friends used My Father’s World so I decided to check them out. I went with them for my first boxed curriculum it was a good year (year 4). I loved that I didn’t have to plan anything and that I they used interesting books. I used every resource they recommended for every subject except math and spelling – I had my own. Well, the next year I started out off with MFW again but it was actually a terrible year (year 5). But this year, I had 2 kids in the cycle together and I found that my kids were very different and didn’t learn well together. I also had decided that I didn’t like some of their science books nor did I like the language arts. Week 5 or 6 I started searching to find out how to modify my year to make it a better fit. That was when I discovered HOD. I fell in love. What drew me in was their book selection and variety of resources in every level. I also absolutely loved their science resources and their language arts selections. I also knew that I couldn’t blend HOD and MFW together and have a successful year. I had to make a choice and pick one. After praying about it immensely, I chose HOD. I was very scared because my kids don’t actually like to read. My oldest actually really struggled with reading and had a lot of dyslexic tendencies. It is obviously ironic that I would choose a literature based curriculum for kids who don’t like to read. My oldest placed in Preparing and my younger two I put into the Beyond guide. With my oldest, she had to read half of her history and all of her science. Plus, she completed DITHOR for literature study. It was an overload of reading that she wasn’t really expecting. Were there tough days? You bet. Were their days she tried to boycott school? Actually…..yes. But was it a great fit in the end? Absolutely!!!!!! She has thanked me time and time again for switching. Even that year, shortly after we started HOD she was thanking me. She honestly doesn’t really mind reading the books because they are very interesting and she kept on wanting to read more and more by the end of that first year. We are finishing our 2nd year with HOD now and looking forward to our 3rd year this upcoming school year. It is absolutely a wonderful thing finding your perfect fit. HOD is definitely that for me. I am so glad I found them and I actually no longer have the bug to look at other curriculums and search for things year to year. Yes, I do look and see what is out there but more so out of curiosity. I am never really on the prowl to buy.

For us, when I decided to try HOD I was very scared because of the reading as well. But I also knew that I was exhausting other school styles and programs because I did know what didn’t work in this family. First, I knew workbooks and textbooks weren’t for us. My oldest hated them and so did I. I also knew that I was getting to a point where I no longer had time to put my own thing together. I work from home and get very busy at times. So if I have to plan my own things, I have tendency to blow things off more. I know I penciled it in my planner and can just erase it. Or I get busy and don’t have time to create the weeks plan. I also knew that as my work got busier, I needed to have my kids become more independent. With MFW, they were never going to become more independent until they were in high school. I was already struggling with finishing all of the science experiments and all of their hands on projects. Those projects had a lot of prep, were pricey, and then they took a lot of time. By time I decided MFW wasn’t going to work for me, the hands on projects were taking up to an hour or more. My kids just couldn’t pay attention that long and I was finishing the project for them. Uhm….no thanks! Plus, they weren’t things I had around the house which was making them pricey. And finally, in trying MFW and teaching all of my kids at the time same time, I knew unit studies would be a terrible fit. I would completely skip all of the activities and would never get to the library to prep anything. Plus, hated teaching everyone together. So……I had exhausted quite a few teaching and learning styles by this time. In finding HOD, they were very different. I was scared about all the reading but I also knew something had to change in this house. I even called HOD and asked about their guarantee. They told me I could try it for a month and if it didn’t work, then I could return it. I knew MFW wasn’t working at all (I only keep mentioning them because that was what I was using at the time) so I figured why not try HOD and see if it works. To be honest, I was shocked that it did work! With having kids who don’t actually like to read, I figured it would be a flop. But it was fantastic. The guide is so rich as are the activities......hands on activities my kids complete alone! Even though it may seem that there is quite a bit of reading, my daughter actually grew to love it. To be honest, because the books are so good and interesting that HOD recommends, my kids do now really enjoy reading. Will they choose to just sit and read if they are given a choice of reading or screen time? No LOL. But, during the winter time they will sit around at times and read for fun. Over the summer, they also read quite a bit as well because they now enjoy it. Will your son develop a love of reading, I do not know. But I can tell you my kids have developed a love of books because of HOD.

I will end with, while I fell in love with HOD initially because of their book selection, I am now planning to use them all the way through to the end because of the skills they include in their guide. That to me is real treasure and is ultimately what has captured my heart. HOD not only makes school enjoyable but it also teaches my kids how to learn. I know you mentioned that you have your own resources for grammar, writing and for math. But I have found that HOD works best if your resources line up time wise with the resources listed in HOD. Also, I am not sure if you are married to IEW or not for writing. I personally had always planned on only using IEW for 4th grade up. But because I got to a point where I knew I needed to just use a boxed curriculum in its entirety, I decided to try HOD’s language arts box as is and completely loved it. I am excited to do IEW for one year but am now glad that they don’t use IEW for every year. I love the fact that HOD uses several different programs to teach kids to write because I think this will give the kids a variety of programs to use and gain knowledge from many different types of writing instruction. If math is working for your son with MUS, then I would stick with it and not jump around. But if you are able, I would consider trying to use the guide as is using all of their selections for every box except math. This will provide balance to your day and the guide is actually very integrated for all skills. For example, the kids will do a few written narrations each week in Rev to Rev. They will complete one for science and one for history. If they are completing a lot of other writing for another writing program, then it may seem overwhelming to them to complete all of the writing assignments. But if you choose to do the writing selections listed in HOD, then your day will be much more balanced. While the writing may not look very challenging, it actually is wonderful. I have seen such growth and improvement with my oldest that I am utterly amazing. What I love most is that I truly believe it will work well for all of my kids who have totally different learning styles and that each will have the freedom to develop their own solid and stalworth style. It is very exciting and liberating to see that my kids are growing and learning and transforming right before my vary eyes in such academic and scholastic ways through the selections that HOD has chosen.

My only encouragement to you should you choose to try HOD is to order it in, review it, and pray about. If you feel like God lead you to this curriculum for your child, know up front that you may have a few difficult days and or weeks ahead of you. My kids are very strong willed. Luckily, I am very strong willed LOL. There were days my kids would wake up just ready to battle. I had to put my game face on and be one step ahead. The one beautiful thing about HOD is that many of the devotionals they have included in their guides have spoken straight to my kid’s heart and created many opportunities to discuss our sinful nature for when we have struggles with our attitude. I remember a day earlier this year when my oldest dd has to write a written narration. She didn’t want to complete it. So she carried on for a good half hour ranting and raving around the house like a maniac. Finally, I sent her to her room because it was just so disruptive (plus I think she was just having a bad day in general). I gave her a few minutes and went upstairs to talk with her. On a side note, she was memorizing Philippians 2:5, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” So I calmly asked her what her verse was for the week. She told me. I asked if her attitude was the same. To be honest, she yelled at me, said she didn’t care, and then told me to get out of her room. Immediately, she then busted out crying with a scowling on her face (yes, that is actually possible LOL). So I prayed over her (from a distance of course) and then left the room. Later she came down stairs and apologized for her attitude. She shared with me that the Holy Spirit convicted her and that she knew she acted poorly. She still didn’t want to do the written narration and yes, I still made her do it. But she had a better attitude. To me, that is what it is all about. Are my kids going to like everything they have to do? No. But the things HOD does are profitable to learning and ultimately, submitting to things you don’t like doing is profitable to the spirit and the heart. I feel like with HOD we have gained tons of head knowledge but at the same time, my kids hearts are also being transformed to gain a load of Godly knowledge and wisdom. Is every day going to be a day where your child wakes up excited to read the books? I will be honest, probably not. But in my experience, my kids have definitely grown very fond of this style of education and they actually are excited about their days. There is always an area they may not like. Usually it is because it is the hardest area they have to complete. But each one is to the point now that they finish well and strong. Of that, I am a proud mama!!!!

I will be praying for you for the choice you will be making. Life doesn’t come with a handbook making life a bit of trial and error. For us, I am grateful God led me to this curriculum and can’t imagine my children’s life and education without it.

Daneale, Bless you for your very complete description and pouring out of your heart! Your journey sounds a lot like what I am going through. Except, I have an "only." So, it is a little different, but still very similar situation at our house. I am still praying about my choices and still pondering over the placement of ds. I am so thrilled that HOD has worked for you and your family. I also appreciate you being so honest. It helps to hear from someone with kids that sound similar to mine. It gives me encouragement to know that "my" kid is not the only one that doesn't sit and read all day just for "fun". I hear that a lot from local moms and all I can think is "wow", wouldn't that be terrific!
Thanks again Daneale! I will keep praying! You have made my day! Thanks for praying for me as well.

homemama,

I want to encourage you by sharing that many families come to HOD with descriptions of their kiddos similar to yours. Finding the right place to begin in HOD really helps a child be more successful. So, with that in mind, if you get a chance to take a look at the first page of the placement charts linked below to discover where your child fits within those skills on the first page of the chart that will help us understand your child even better and help us talk through possible options.

It isn't uncommon for kiddos who are new to HOD to need to use one of the earlier guides prior to the official high school guides. So, begin with the first chart below and if your child excels in all areas on that chart then go on to the next chart which contains the high school skills. You may want to print the charts and circle the areas where your son fits best to give you a good overview.

Once you've studied the charts, if you'd share with us your son's abilities in reading, writing, math, English, spelling and independence that will help so much. Also, if you get a chance to share about how long of a school day your son is used to and how much independence he currently has (and whether he reads his own history/science/literature that would be great)! The ladies on the board are truly wonderful about helping and giving advice! I know we will look forward to helping you.

Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php
Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-yo ... school.php

Blessings,
Carrie

Thank you so much Carrie for chiming in and being willing to help!Keep in mind, he just had his 14th birthday. He is not working on high school level.

I did study the chart, but I'm still a little unsure. DS would probably fall somewhere between CTC and Resurrection to Reformation (I hope I typed the correct names). The only thing that stands out for him would be the narration and written narrations. He has used Progeny Press guides with some success. He doesn't get all the questions correct, but he doesn't miss them all either, if that makes sense. We have dabbled in Abeka, but I don't think we've ever finished a complete reader or English workbook. He has used SWI B, from IEW successfully and we are halfway through that right now. He doesn't write much with creative writing. Not a creative writer at all. He has used history/science books from Abeka on his own with minimal help from me. However, he gets really bogged down with all that Abeka requires and has been really frustrated with their tests, in the past.

His major problem has been math. He is working through MUS Epsilon. He is over halfway through that book and is doing well with MUS. I probably will not change math because we have tried to do that in the past and MUS was the only curriculum that made him comfortable. He is not using the manipulatives to get answers. However, the one concept at a time seems to be best for him now.

For English, we are working speedily through the first Fix-It grammar book. At the start of this year, we worked in Easy Grammar Plus and got about half way through. EG was working o.k., but Fix It appealed to us because we were working with SWI and the grammar/writing combo complemented each other very well. Science has been a bust this year. We tried to do Abeka Science 7 with the DVD, but it got very frustrating because the class went way too fast for ds and we finally stopped that as well.
He was able to use the Abeka Lit. book, but he has stated that he likes the Progeny Guides better.
So, I hope I was able to give you a better pic of our situation! We usually have a long day. We start around 8:30, take about 45 min. to and hour for lunch, and then finish anywhere between 2:00-3:00. Finishing by 2:00 in the afternoon would be a great day for me! We do plan to school through the summer, as we do every summer. We will plug away with math and whatever else we stay behind in! I am soooo tired of trying to catch him up to grade level! I have just given up on that. Sorry, I just had to vent!

Feel free to ask me anything to help better place my ds. Thanks!!!

homemama

I think HOD will be a breath of fresh air for both of you. My 14yo ds (now 15) started the year using abeka for science and literature....it was a bust for both of us. We ordered the HOD programs and school went so much better. The way everything flows together is such a blessing...no more tests, quizzes, regurgitation, just learning. As for the writing, I would be inclined to look at CTC with extensions, but also maybe MTMM . I say MTMM because the readers and history are really engaging for a young man. You may do it with your MUS, and use Rod and staff level 5 rather than 6. I would not do extensions, and I would start slow, remembering that the goal is to be more independent by the end of the year. If you do CTC with extensions, there is definitely more hand-holding and guidance for narrations, but I wonder what would really motivate him?

Thanks Jennymaine for the help. CTC might be the best fit. I will check out the packages for that. I am unsure about Rod and Staff grammar?? How advanced is the Rod and Staff???
DS seems to catch on to grammar much better than math. However, I think math is more a phobia from the past than anything else. Anyway, glad this has worked for your son and I hope I can find a good fit for ds. Would it be o.k. to use CTC for a 14 year old?? Thanks again for the help!

homemama

Many people have used CTC-MTMM for highschool, adding extensions and beefing up the science. Are you considering this for highschool, or 8th grade? If not highschool, just do it as is, using the level 5 English, and DITHOR with either 5/6 or 6/7 bookpack and level 6/7/8 workbook.
My younger ds is doing CTC this year, and we had to take a couple months off because he just wasn't ready in his maturity. He is back at it and doing well now, and really loving Draw and Write Through History We use a spiral bound sketchbook for science, and that works well for him.
The Rod and Staff grammar is advanced, and is scheduled to end with level 8 in 12th grade, so you will be fine starting with level 5. Remember that you do most of it orally, or on a white board, and ds will have minimal writing (at least for grammar)

homemama,

Thanks so much for sharing a bit more about your son. It helps to get a fuller picture of his abilities as we try to offer placement advice. It is often a sifting and sorting process to find the best fit. The ladies are doing a great job of helping you sift and sort through possible options.

With that in mind, I have a few more things I still need to know in considering placement options. First of all, will this be his 9th grade year, or will this be his 8th grade year? Next, if he is headed into high school right now, do you foresee college of some sort in his future? I know it can be hard to tell at this juncture, but it helps us to know his potential future plans so we can be sure he is as prepared as possible for what he may consider doing one day.

Next, from what you've shared thus far, and considering the age of your son as a factor, I would be inclined to place your son in Resurrection to Reformation. While this will definitely be a step up in writing and reading, I believe that since he has read his own Abeka history and science in the past and has gotten through Abeka literature, he will be up to the challenge this will provide.

I think he would benefit from Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons in Resurrection to Reformation. This would replace the need for SWI-B for now. I believe he also would make needed gains overall in English by using Rod and Staff English. I would do English 5 with Resurrection to Reformation (doing it twice weekly as scheduled in RTR). However, he would do the first half of English 5 (rather than the last half of 5 as scheduled in the RTR guide). Since Rod and Staff is divided into daily lessons for you, just do one lesson each time it comes up in the RTR plans. Be sure to do much of it orally or on a white board, assigning 1/3 or less of the overall lesson to be written on paper.

I would encourage you to do Drawn into the Heart of Reading with your son for literature study. You could begin with the 6/7/8 Student Book and use books from either the 5/6 Boy Set, the 6/7 Book Pack or the 7/8 Boy Book Pack. These are linked here for your review. Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/DITHOR56-boys-pack.php
Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/DITHOR67.php
Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/DITHOR78-boys-pack.php

He would do Drawn into the Heart 3 times weekly as scheduled in the RTR guide. RTR is a 4 day plan, giving him each 5th day free.

If your son is going into high school, we will need to discuss the science to make a plan there. If he is in 8th grade, then you could use the science as scheduled in RTR.

In the beginning, your son will need to plan on longer days while you train him in how to use the guide. Boxes coded with an 'I' are meant to be completed independently, but since your son is new to HOD you will need to work with him on those boxes originally in training him on what each box is asking of him. 'S' boxes are meant to be semi-independent, requiring some help and oversight by the parent. Boxes coded 'T' are meant to be teacher-directed.

I would encourage you not to skip anything in the guide, as each part of the plans has a needed skill in which it will be training your son that will help as he moves forward. Your day should be approximately 4-4 1/2 hours long, but with your longer math times, you can plan to add at least a half hour to that time. Also, with being new to HOD, your days may be longer in the beginning month or two (but as your son hits his stride, time will reduce to the more normal average listed above.)

Even if math is your son's weak area, I would be sure not to exceed 45-50 min. a day in working on it. This is about the maximum amount of "productive time" at your son's age level in an area of frustration. I would be available during that time as much as possible to help, guide, and direct, moving him through this tough area with as much help as needed for success. It may help to know that it would be better for him to work a shorter period of time with you available to give direct help, then to work longer on his own. I share this after learning this the hard way after 25 years as a teacher. So, feel free to shorten assignments as needed to be able to be present for as much of your son's math time as possible.

Feel free to share your thoughts!

Blessings,
Carrie

Thanks so much, Carrie!

I'm sorry, I forgot to post the grade level. I actually would like to consider him an 8th grader. However, if he were to return to all texts, he would probably fit in better as a 7th grader. It would thrill his soul to be "only" one grade behind with age. I try not to stress over that, as I'm trying to let go of "grade levels" except for placement into curriculum, of course.
He does have plans to attend college. He does not know exactly what career he wants to pursue at this point. He most likely will attend a local community college near home. I know he is behind skill wise, but I do think this is possible for him. He is very "tech" minded and may pursue something along that nature. This is the kid that can fix almost anything that is electronically driven!

More about the skills----
DS has not completely finished the Abeka literature, but it was just the right challenge for him. He could read the assignment and answer most of the questions for the selections that he read. However, we did not finish. He was somewhat bored. As far as writing, if we used Res. to Ref., would we stop using the SWI-B and switch to the Medieval Writing from IEW? I know that is scheduled in the guide, so wondering if that is the best plan?? What about the writing lessons scheduled in Rod and Staff? Are those writing lessons supposed to be completed along with IEW??
Thanks so much for the help! If there is anything else that I can answer to help with placement, just ask!

Oh, and I almost forgot! What about dictation/narration with DS. He has not been in the habit of using that previously. So, is there something special we should do for that?


homemama

I think for your writing program, if it were me, I would probably just finish your school year that you have set up. So if you are working through SWI-B, then I would just go ahead and finish as far as you had planned to finish. I would also finish up whatever else you had scheduled for the year and finish it as far as you had planned.

As for the writing assignments in R&S, yes, you would complete those in addition to the assignments in IEW. They are very different in nature but they definitely offer an element helpful for well rounded writing.

As for grade level, yes, it is hard to let go of that thought! I think HOD will be a breath of fresh air in the sense that you don't need to think of his grade level! To be honest, I feel like my kids are well above their grade level by using these products. When I talk with other moms and show them what my kids have done, they are all in shock So your son may be caught up sooner than you think As for him graduating, I would take it year by year. I know you mentioned that he is behind in math. I would check the requirements for graduation for your state. I think in my state my kids only need to finish Alegbra 1 and maybe Geometry for high school. He can always take more math in college if he doesn't make is as far you would like high school. So I would not stress about him being behind. It probably makes him feel pressured by it as well. And with HOD, you can easily modify most guides to make them high school worthy. Because of the resources they use, most are multi-grade level anyway. So even if you don't finish all of the guides, that is fine! Your son will still be more than prepared for college once you finish up through the 4 levels you have assigned for high school.

Thanks so much Daneale! I like your plan. I plan on trying to finish all I can before starting with anything new. I am most concerned about the fact that ds has not been in the habit of doing narrations/dications. I hope that he can get in the habit of doing those. Any tips for starting the narration/dictation late in the game, would be appreciated!

I will be praying for God's lead in all of this!

homemama

In the back of this guide, there are 9 pages that talk all about oral and written narrations. They are very helpful. I recommend reading through those. Even though my dd has done them for 2 years, I feel like every year there is always room for improvement. Before next school year, I will be revisiting these pages. Also, every year in the guides help kids learn to do this skill also. HOD starts written narrations in Preparing. In that guide, they provided her a series of questions to answer. Then in CTC, it started with a series of questions but that is no more. My dd is almost finished with CTC and now has to write her narration from scratch Doing it from scratch was a change and it helped her to do a dry run oral prior to written. She will also a times make notes or an informal outline on a sheet of paper to help organize her thoughts before she writes them down. R2R does not have leading questions but to be honest, I don't think you will need them.

In addition, learning a new skill may seem overwhelming. In the back, there is a check list of things that a written narration should include. I would make sure to work on one or two things at a time. I will also say that the oral narration is going to help with the written narration and visa versa. Be sure to do the oral narrations with your son each week as they are scheduled. I know it may seem scary to start something like this at this stage of education. But I think you will find it to be a very natural flow and engaging. I have found that for my kids and my style, I am more "hands off" on how they communicate what they remember unless there are gaping holes. For example, my girls are completely natural story tellers and my son is not. For my girls, I don't really jump in and remind them of anything, again, unless they are seriously lacking something. I will give them a pointer here and there but not much. For my son....my goodness, he is NOT a natural LOL. For him, I start by having him retell me the story doing the best he can while I listen. Then we retell it again together from the beginning with me starting it, him adding info, me prompting when we have left parts out and him always finishing my prompt. And then he retells it third time trying to include everything we put in there together. It may seem tedious but it really isn't. It goes very quickly. Also, my son does have auditory processing disorder so this is an area that is a huge challenge for him anyway. He doesn't complain, has fun with it, and he has grown tremendously in this area. When we first started HOD 2 years ago, he could barely remember what was in a paragraph. He could not remember what had been read to him on a full page let alone the entire reading. He is now to the point that he can give me a few major things that happened on his own. I am just so proud of him! So I guess I am just saying that if this is a struggle with your son, (my son is kind of special circumstance but doing these things have made major improvements) then I would just be patient and help him as much as you need to.

homemama,

I have added the missing links for the DITHR Book Packs in my previous post. Sorry for missing those!

The ladies are doing a great job in helping answer your questions. In thinking through your son's age and in pondering what he has done thus far, I do think that it is true that he will make steady progress as you move through the HOD Guides. Often you will see the most fruit in your second year of HOD, as the skills taught in one guide help prepare your child for the next guide in line. The layering of skills over time produces strides in learners as time passes that are definitely noticeable. So, be encouraged that your son can make needed gains in his difficult areas!

For now, I think we can go into RTR considering this to be his 8th grade year. This will give him earth science exposure. This would mean that for high school he would follow the sequence below:
9th grade Revival to Revolution (last half of English 5 and Advanced EE Physical Science for high school as scheduled in guide)
10th grade Missions to Modern Marvels (all of English 6 - as scheduled in the guide and Chemistry with beef ups as scheduled in guide)
11th grade World Geography (first half of English 7 - as scheduled in the guide - possibly IPC as scheduled in guide or other science)
12th grade World History (last half of English 7 - as scheduled in the guide and Biology as scheduled in guide)

This sequence will give him needed credits in American History, Geography, and World History. It will also give him a steady rise in skills in the language arts area and cover his needed sciences. For math, I agree that it would be good to get through a minimum of Algebra I and Geometry (with a possible hope of also doing Algebra II - albeit in a introductory way).

We can address the sciences as we go to be sure he is getting what is needed in that area each year as it arises.

In pondering that we would be considering your son as an 8th grader this year, we have a bit more wiggle room in using this year as a skill-building year (picking up needed teaching in some key areas). With that in mind, I would lean toward doing Level 6/7/8 of Drawn into the Heart of Reading Student Book along with the Boy Set from Creation to Christ. Since you won't get to Creation to Christ with your son, you can use the CTC Boy Set with Drawn into the Heart of Reading (as there is one book for each genre). This set will work well for your son's age and should include topics of interest. Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/hearts-for ... ckages.php

Or, if preferred, you can use any of the DITHR book sets I linked in my previous post above. Any will work.

I agree that your son should follow your plans for SWI-B until this current school year ends. When you being his new year in the fall, you would also begin Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons (setting aside SWI-B even if he did not finish it). Be sure to follow the plans within the RTR guide for Medieval Writing Lessons, as we omit some assignments and stretch others out longer. I think Rod and Staff 5 (first half only - doing a lesson each time it comes up in the plans twice weekly) will be a good fit as well.

I would also encourage you to either have your son read the Basic Package or do the Extension Package but not do both. This is due to the new level of work and skills that will be required already within the RTR Guide. I would allow your son to choose between the two sets to see which he desires to read. The Basic Package is scheduled in the daily plans. The Extension Package is scheduled by day in the Appendix. Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/rtr_hearts ... ckages.php

Studied dictation exercises are in the back of the RTR Guide. You will want to begin your son at a level where he is having to repeat a passage only once or twice a week. Otherwise, he will be at a frustration level. The RTR Guide tells you when to do studied dictation.

Hope this helps!

Blessings,
Carrie

It will be important for your son to fully complete all that is scheduled within each day of plans. Some of the assignments may feel young at times, as he is on the highest age range of the guide. However, the skills gained by reading and following written directions, adjusting to the volume of the readings, becoming comfortable in writing across the curriculum, and being trained in a higher level of independence, when combined with regular skill practice will all be needed in preparation for high school next year. Try to keep in mind that if you skip a box, you skip a skill.

I think this is a workable plan, which we can revisit as your son progresses.

Blessings,
Carrie

Thanks so very much Carrie and Daneale! You all are extremely helpful and I so appreciate it!

I am still praying about what direction we should take. I have some questions in my head about future plans with high school. We have considered using a cover school from TN, even though we are in MS and do not have to use a cover school. It was recommended by a local community college. However, I have heard that some here make their own transcript. I am wondering how Rod and Staff English is listed as high school on a transcript? I know it is very complete and worthy of credit, but unsure if it would be accepted by a cover school for English credit because of the number on the book?? The cover school is still something that we haven't decided upon and it is more important to us that ds gain skills that anything else. However, there seems to be a stigma here in MS (our test scores are usually the lowest in the nation!) concerning home school and there are plenty of school drop outs. There is not much "trust" from colleges, nor the public. Things are beginning to change some, but not like the rest of the nation.

Anyway, Carrie, I really like the plan that you have mapped out for ds! I am going to pray and ponder over all this and hope to have an answer real soon!
Thanks again!!!

homemama