When/How to use extended reading packs

[Lisa M]

Hi, I am planning our second year of homeschooling (after public school) and second year using HOD. I have an almost 12 year old (6th grader), 10 year old (5th grade), 7 year old (Beyond/1st grade) and 4 year old Little Hands/pre-k), and toddler tagging along We used Bigger Hearts last year with extended reading, and Little Hearts for my then 6 year old. I don’t think that I understood the placement guideWhen I look more closely at the placement guide I think my oldest places in Creation to Christ for this year and my 10 year old in Preparing Hearts. They need to be split up I believe. Does that mean my older two would need the extension packs since their grade levels don’t match the program? If so, what are some good ways to fit the reading in...before lessons, after, or could they be summer reading after we have finished up our year?

Let me just say that I love HOD and everything about it, the prayerfulness, Book choices, the Bible focus, and the gentle approach taken with children. I am really feeling led to this program and want it to work for our family, but it will be tough. I don’t believe that necessarily means we aren’t using the right program I think we’ve been led to. But I want to be sure I’m placing them in the right programs based on skill and not just what the age and grade range says.

Thank you!

[Rice]

* Preparing is fine for 3rd-5th without Extensions. Your 6th grader/12yo can do this with Extensions, if you want to keep them together.
* CTC is fine for 4th through 6th without Extensions, but since your 6th grader is 12, the Extensions would be optional based on their reading level/proficiency, your goals, etc. (They are so great that, if they enjoy reading, I like to suggest having them around for "free reading" on their own time, but without expecting them "for school.")

What would be your reasoning for separating them?

If you want to separate them, does your older one, who has done Bigger, have the skills that would be taught in Preparing in order to skip it and move in to CTC? Did you fit any written narrations in to Bigger for your older child? I assume he would have the reading skills and maturity to work independently? Was Bigger too easy?

Preparing is a foundational year for written narrations and independence. It is usually best to just continue to the next guide, rather than trying to skip a guide.

I am sure any others with thoughts on this would be interested in your answers to the above, too. I won't make any recommendations without knowing more about your situation.

Blessings,

[Lisa M]

Hi Rice, thank you so much! I’ll try to answer your questions now. My daughter will be 12 in November and she loves reading. She is using 4/5 DITHOR and a 5/6 girl book pack. She did enjoy reading the extension books with Bigger Hearts last year (our first year and introduction to HOD) and has only done oral narrations a few times with those books and maybe a couple written narrations, although they may have been like a book report for a whole book at times. My son, 10 years old, is using 2/3 in DITHOR the second time this year, so due to their different reading levels I thought they place in different programs. I did not think that Bigger Hearts was too easy last year being that they were learning many things they had not been taught in public school. In public school they had been at or above their grade skill levels for most subject areas, but HOD was so new and different that it did take quite a bit of work and time each day for them.

My daughter wants to have her own course this year because things were often held up last year attempting to work with her younger brother who would not often cooperate or work well with her to get something done. So I don’t know yet whether combining or having an additional guide (4 total) to go through this year is best.

I have looked ahead at HOD high school and I’ve wondered how to include some of the wonderful books and courses covered into only two or three years of high school. The economics, government, and boy/girl devos that I wouldn’t want them to miss out on. Is it easy to combine one or two high school years or move electives and courses around after they have moved up through the younger guides? Do some parents just end up holding them back another year so they can complete the HOD guides?

[Rice]

My daughter wants to have her own course this year because things were often held up last year attempting to work with her younger brother who would not often cooperate or work well with her to get something done. So I don’t know yet whether combining or having an additional guide (4 total) to go through this year is best.

That totally makes sense. At this point I will defer to HOD to make a recommendation for how to separate your children so that your daughter can move ahead at her skill level. Whether that means skipping a guide or not will need their guidance, so that you can support her in any skills you would be missing by skipping. It isn't easy to do, but is sometimes the best.

I have looked ahead at HOD high school and I’ve wondered how to include some of the wonderful books and courses covered into only two or three years of high school. The economics, government, and boy/girl devos that I wouldn’t want them to miss out on. Is it easy to combine one or two high school years or move electives and courses around after they have moved up through the younger guides? Do some parents just end up holding them back another year so they can complete the HOD guides?

I have had children placed in HOD lower than may be ideal (one for executive functioning/organizational challenges, the other due to Irlen Syndrome affecting her reading, though not comprehension, level), and we have found HOD easy to switch things around in to give them the electives they needed/desired.

For example, while they were in RTR they did the Nature Study from MTMM; while in MTMM, they did the Logic elective in WG; and in WG they did the Personal Finance from US2. (He graduated after WG; she will graduate this year after WH.) We also moved Lit around for him - WG's in RTR for 10th, WH's in Rev2Rev for 11th. And science - WH's Biology in 10th with Rev2Rev.

I would not recommend attempting to combine any guides, though. HOD's high school guides are VERY full. For each elective/course that you bring into a guide, you need to drop something else to make room for it.

I am not keeping either of them home an extra year to finish HOD; they have had the requisite number of years of school and are ready to move on. They have had an excellent education - far surpassing what they would have received in PS, partially because they would have been given passing grades, even if they weren't capable of doing the work. Since they were placed for their skill level, I am confident that they learned the most that they could (instead of passing courses they didn't grasp), and have the skills to complete whatever is thrown at them in the future.
Blessings,

[Lisa M]

Yes, thank you, I will give them a phone call and find out. My son enjoys reading, but not writing, so that has been the main problem we had last year when combining the two. But if I remember correctly, they didn't really have to do projects together all the time so it seems that most of the hold ups are due to our large family, needs of the younger kids, potty training, and a nursing baby going on all at the same time. I'm really not sure which would be easier on us to combine them or all have separate guides. Our time is severely limited!

My daughter who will turn 12 this year has tested for reading and comprehending at high school levels, but we've always kept her at her grade level for books because her teachers in school recommended it since there was so much material that wouldn't have been age appropriate. So she does enjoy the extended reading books a lot. My son would not like the extra reading or writing though. I remember that I had chosen Bigger Hearts because I really wanted to go over American History for our first year with HOD and homeschooling. So I will find out if skipping the world history with my daughter will be fine for her or too much. Thanks again!