Preparing Hearts/Using your teacher's guide ?

[MainelyJen]

So I had showed my son the HOD website, because I was thinking of starting him in the new program this fall. Welll. . .he saw the booklists for Preparing and really liked the look of it, too. I had thought of putting him in Preparing this past fall, but I was afraid some of it might be too easy for him (he just turned 12). I had decided to stick with our textbooks, especially as I knew I'd be starting my daughter's 9th grade year with her and it would take extra time on my part. But based on his enthusiasm and since I was already placing a CBD order, I added the Preparing manual and it arrived this week.

Wow. Carrie, I just don't think the sample on the website can do your program justice. I spent hours last night reading through weeks worth of plans and I was speechless. We are in our 9th year of homeschooling, and time and again I've used programs where I end up scratching my head, asking "Where on earth did they come up with this? What does this have to do with anything?!?" I am so impressed with what I'm seeing in the Preparing manual. I love the way the activities and writing are balanced throughout the subject areas. I think the language arts portions are right where he needs to be in order to gain confidence in his writing. We're jumping in!

Now, here's my Preparing question. Once I've selected a dictation level for Sam, should I just plan on flipping back and forth to the dictation section? Or is it easier to write it in the margin for that week's plans? I also have that same question regarding some of the extension reading I want to add in. Is it easier to just write the schedule for these in the margin, rather than flipping?

I'm so enthusiastic about making this change!

[deltagal]

Welcome to HOD -

There are many ways to keep track of where you are, obviously what works for you is what you should do. This is what we do:

1.) Dictation - I have multiple children in HOD at different levels. I have all their dictation/spelling in a card file box in numerical order. We pull the card with their dictation passage for the day. They study it. I dictate it and then they check their work and circle the words or punctuation on the card which they need to study more. The card then goes back in the front of their section to be used again until mastery and then it is moved to the back of their section. This card file box method helps keep the manual cleaner for future use.

2.) Independent Reading assignments - I create a spreadsheet each week for my 12 yo son with his assignments for the week and I include on that spreadsheet his independent reading assignments. If he were strictly working out of the manual I would probably write it on a post it note and add it to the page.

I really love HOD and Preparing. I'm quite satisfied with the academic content that my newly turned 12 yo is exposed to.

[Kathleen]

Hi Jen!

I'm not using Preparing yet, but we're doing Bigger this year. In my guide, I have 3 little post-it note tabs (they're called "durable index tabs"). I have one on the day that we're on in the guide. One for math (since we're ahead in that). And, one for poetry. I photo copied the dictation passages so that my son could write on them - circling his mistakes and checking off the ones we're done with. I love the little tabs as they make it easy to flip to the right pages in the guide and they're easily moveable.

Kathleen

[Motherjoy]

Both of those are great ideas!

We also want to keep the manual clean, so I just have my son circle and mark the dictation passage that he wrote. The next day he looks at it, and writes again on a clean sheet of paper.

But, I really like the photocopy suggestion.

[MainelyJen]

Thanks for the great suggestions!

I think I have a page flipping phobia now. The textbook curriculum we have been using came with 3-hold drilled printed lesson plans (separate for each subject!) along with answer keys, tests, and on and on. There was so much paper to handle and I spent much of my teaching time flipping from one section to another. As you can imagine, I feel so blessed by the simplicity of the layout of Carrie's plans! It reminds me of a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt which I read this week: "A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think."

As I don't plan on trying to sell the guide when done and this is my youngest I'm using it with, I'll make it my own. I'll just jot down the extension reading assignment and any other notes about other resources.

I'm so pleased with the layout and how the writing assignments are spread across all subjects, not to mention the centrality of Christ throughout! Love it!
Jen

[deltagal]

The textbook curriculum we have been using came with 3-hold drilled printed lesson plans (separate for each subject!) along with answer keys, tests, and on and on. There was so much paper to handle and I spent much of my teaching time flipping from one section to another. As you can imagine, I feel so blessed by the simplicity of the layout of Carrie's plans! It reminds me of a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt which I read this week: "A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think."

Just yesterday a friend of mine wanted to see my HOD materials and she wanted to share with me her materials from a curriculum she was previewing. It was quite funny! She had multiple binders and sections as she flipped back and forth between things and finally sighed and said, "I've got a lot to learn." Then I pulled out my manuals one by one for each child and opened them to the 2 page spread and then showed her the items that I had tabbed in the back for dictation, extension reading and math schedules. Her comment, "Oh, my this is so EASY to use." I agree.

[my3sons]

I am so late to this post - but I wanted to chime in to say I am a sticky note gal with the guides too! There really is minimal flipping ... honestly! Pretty much the whole time we are homeschooling my HOD guides are just open to the 2-page daily spread. In fact, when we do need to flip, my 9 yo just flips on his own to the dictation, math, and poem in the Appendix himself now. I call, "Are you ready for me?" And zip away from my other HOD using son to do whatever. So, even if you are flipping-phobic - I believe this will not push you over the edge! (BTW, I had a Sonlight guide once that would scare the pants off any flipping-phobic girl! )

In Christ,
Julie

[inHistiming]

HaHa...the 'flipping' is one reason I stayed away from MFW...I couldn't understand the manual, but maybe it was just me!

Anyway, we just have a slip of paper marking our spot...the lesson, poetry, spelling, and the extension pack schedule since we're using that. We're also ahead in math and english, so I created a schedule for my dd and ds and stapled it into their Singapore textbooks/R&S books so they can follow it independently. They do the same thing with handwriting...one lesson a day...so once they finish those 3 things it's my turn to step in and 'teach' with the manual. The flipping is not bad at all. HTH