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I'm planning for fall and DD7 (will be 8 then) will be in 3rd grade. We are doing DITHOR 2/3 this year with the Level 2 book packs. They are interesting to her but she is breezing through them and always want to read more...she's asking for longer books. I chose the Level 2 books even though I knew she could read the Level 3 pack just fine b/c I didn't know how she would do with "analyzing" them along with the DITHOR workbook.

I love the books in both the Level 3 pack as well as the Level 4/5 pack. I don't know which pack to get her this fall. Right now, she is reading Little Pilgrim's Progress on her own-- in addition to her assigned books we are reading (she also reads her own history in Beyond). Little Pilgrims Progress is in the Level 4/5 books pack with a 5.0 reading level (which is right about the middle level of that pack). So, should I just move up to Level 3 books or get the Level 4/5 books and DITHOR level 2/3 workbook?? If I use the Level 4/5 books in 3rd, will there be more book packs to choose from in 4th/5th?! I'm not good at picking my own books but would if I had to.

Just a side note as to how much she LOVES reading and why I'm looking into the higher level books-- she is almost done with Little Pilgrims Progress after only 3 nights of reading...she's a HUGE reader. I'm just wanting to meet her where she is! Any thoughts?

ETA: I also considered getting the books from the Bigger Extension Pkg. (from the library) for her to read since she loves to read so much. Do you think these books targeted for 4th-5th graders would be good books for an advanced 3rd grader to read? I'm not looking to beef it up, but just to find something for her to read for pleasure w/out making complete comprehension an issue. She LOVES when she has books that tie into our history.

I don't know if this will help, but we've decided to linger with books during DITHOR, and really focus on our discussions, character traits, and projects. But then for their independent reading, they can blow through as many books as they'd like, or go slowly, or reread their favorites, or pick easy books, or hard books - they have total control over it - other than I buy the books and put them on a shelf. I often use the Sample Book Ideas list that goes with DITHOR and the Book Shop choices on HOD's website for ideas about which books I'm collecting. That's worked well for us. I'm not sure if the content of the Bigger extension would be too mature for her or not. I haven't used those - but I guess I'd take a look at the Level 3 pack first and then go from there, making them harder if need be.

In Christ,
Julie

Mom2Monkeys,

Maybe you could make a customized pack for your daughter for next year, choosing some from the Level 3 set and some from the 4/5 Girl Pack? Or, if you think that all of the books in the 4/5 Pack are a better fit, you could go with all of those. You'll have a better idea as you get closer to next year.

There will eventually be more book packs for DITHR, however I'm not anticipating adding them next year. It takes a very long time to read and research which books are best content-wise for our packages, and it's a process I don't have time to go through every year. You could have your daughter read the 4/5 Boy Book Pack the following year. My second son read many of the books in the Boy Pack last year, so he's reading many of the Girl Pack books this year. (He doesn't even know they're from the girl pack).

As far as the Extension Pack in Bigger goes, you could easily have your daughter read some of the titles that are available at your library, however you may want to omit some of the books if your daughter is a sensitive reader. The books are very appropriate for the age of the students within the Extension Pack range (grades 4-5), however they may be a bit mature content-wise for a 7 year old. The reading level is also quite advanced (mid-fourth to upper sixth grade level), so don't expect your daughter to "get" it all. If she's fine with Little Pilgrims' Progress, she may be fine at least content-wise with the books you can find at your library in the Extension Pack.

Blessings,
Carrie

Thanks for the advice Carrie. I'll take a close look into all the books and will likely do the boy pack one year and the girl pack the next. I like that idea

As for having her read the extension pack books in Bigger, are there any books in particular that you feel might be "too much" for her emotionally? She isn't really all that much of a "sensitive" child and her understanding is pretty good. Oh, and she won't be 7 then, she'll be a little over 8 when we start! I'll try to stick to the books that are 4th-early 5th grade. Can you tell me where I could find the level of reader each book is?

Mom2Monkeys,

Here is a link to the descriptions and reading level for each book in the Extension Pack:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/BHFHG-extension.php

Blessings,
Carrie

Hey, one more thought/question. If you're using DITHOR 3 days a week, the book pack will last 2 years (plus one extra genre), right?

Kathleen

I think that's right...you would do just one genre twice.

I'm so wishy washy on this...I just don't know what to do with her! I still can't decide if I want to do the Level 3 books this next year or if I want to take two years to do the level 4/5 pack (starting with the easier level books and pick genres based on that)...

I am going to check out as many of the extension pack books as I can since only a few are 6.0 and higher (probably just skip those)...plus I think she'd love the science book even if she didn't grasp it all. I want something that makes her slow down and think about what she's reading in order to gain understanding. Right now she is reading so well that she just breezes through it without really taking the time to think about it. Even though she can tell me an amazing amount of details about what she's read, it's not sinking in since she goes so fast. I think a higher level book might force her to slow down a bit and maybe even ask some questions! She's my "always-up-for-a-challege" girl and seems to thrive on it