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I am wondering whether CTC or RTR would be better for my ds. He just turned 11. His strengths are details and doing with his hands and creativity.

He is currently doing great with DITHOR 4/5, reads around a 7th grade level, and is finishing up Rod and Staff English 4 this spring. He gives great oral narrations. His written narration experience is writing 2 - 3 sentence narrations. He did some creative writing this winter for our Friday co-op and showed me that he really can put a lot of words onto paper. I wouldn't know how to describe where he is in math; I have a very different approach to teaching elementary math that seems to have worked with my oldest so I am continuing it. He has done level 2 dictations in the back of the HOD TMs and is probably ready for level 3. In science right now he is about 3/4 through Land Animals with younger sister with the Note booking Journal. I am planning on bringing him back to HOD this fall and staying with it through HS. Work load and the amount of writing in HOD will be the biggest challenges for him. With Bible, math, R&S English, spelling, DITHOR, Apologia science, and a story time read aloud that is history or literature based he isn't used to doing as much work as is in the HOD guides for this school year. I think he can learn though the higher work load requirements, it will just take a period of adjustment until he gets strong in it.

Where would you place him? I have gone back and forth between CTC and RTR on the placement chart multiple times. We had him start school later because of who God created him to be so we really could go either way.

Thank you!

I don't know. I would probably go with RTR b/c he is going to be ready for R&S English 5, has writing experience with the co-op, has almost finished Land Animals which is used in CTC, and reads on a 7th grade level. CTC is really good but I did it one time with a child who was similar to yours--at the time 11 yrs old, had done IEW with co-op, read on at least a 7th grade level or higher, and had done the apologia science--. I had put her in CTC to combine with her younger sibling and she would have been happier and more challenged in RTR. She did well in CTC, but it was really easy for her. She would have enjoyed RTR more.

Tidbits of Learning wrote:I don't know. I would probably go with RTR b/c he is going to be ready for R&S English 5, has writing experience with the co-op, has almost finished Land Animals which is used in CTC, and reads on a 7th grade level. CTC is really good but I did it one time with a child who was similar to yours--at the time 11 yrs old, had done IEW with co-op, read on at least a 7th grade level or higher, and had done the apologia science--. I had put her in CTC to combine with her younger sibling and she would have been happier and more challenged in RTR. She did well in CTC, but it was really easy for her. She would have enjoyed RTR more.

I appreciate this insight a lot Tidbits of Learning. You vocalized the reasons I think I have been hesitating regarding CTC. I had the same thing happen with my oldest that you had happen with your daughter. Julie recommended RTR and I went with CTC at age 11 to work on his writing. It ended up being too easy for him which was probably the main reason he didn't do HOD this year.

Thank you!

I think I would lean towards RTR also. It sounds like he is ready for it since he can do quite a bit of writing. The biggest learning curve will be with the written narrations since he won't have all the beginning practice and instruction with it that is in CTC, but you can just slowly build him up to the RTR requirements with that.

LynnH wrote:I think I would lean towards RTR also. It sounds like he is ready for it since he can do quite a bit of writing. The biggest learning curve will be with the written narrations since he won't have all the beginning practice and instruction with it that is in CTC, but you can just slowly build him up to the RTR requirements with that.

Thank you Lynn. This is really helpful to hear.