Help with selections for next year.

[3musketeers]

Hi Ladies!

I am new to HOD but I am beginning my 6th year homeschooling next fall. I have used 2 different Charlotte Mason based curriculums in the past but have still been left wanting. I have actually been to the HOD booth at the Arlington Bookfair in the last few years and wish now I had looked deeper. Carrie, I love everything I've seen recently in your samples and really think your curriculum has covered exactly what I have been wishing/longing for!!!

That said, I have a few specific questions about what to select for next year. I have 3 ds. The oldest will be (10) in Sept. The middle will be (8) in Aug. and the youngest (4) in Oct. I am thinking that I will use Bigger with extensions for older two. I will wait to use LHTH the next fall (2010), when youngest is 4 turning 5 in Oct. Does that sound right?

Here are the questions:

Middle ds will be half way through what you have selected for emergent readers by the end of this year. We have used Sonlight 2 Regular Readers this year. Do I need to try to buy the Beyond IG to complete the emergent readers portion before doing DIHOR? Or can he begin DIHOR level 2/3 and just use some emergent readers until he advances to next level? We will have read Wagon Wheels and Amelia Bedlia by the end of the year. He is half way through R&S 2nd grd. He has great fine motor and is ready for cursive. We have used HWT but think he might like Cheerful. Would it be a hard transition?

Older ds would fit more into the Preparing placement chart. I would like to keep them together in Hist. and Science if possible, therefore Bigger with extensions . We also just finished SL Core 1-2 and need to let CHOW rest (Oh, how I wished I had seen Preparing first. I think they will be able to revisit this the next year. Especially doing it HOD way!!! I feel this year was somewhat of a stinker in the Hist. dept.) Does older need Preparing for written narration insruction and more advanced dictaion? Or is this included in the extension? If I need to also buy Preparing for narration and dict., does it only corelate with those readers or can it be used with any? Since older has not used DITHOR can he start with level 2/3 or should he use 4/5? With extensions would we need book packs and which level? He is a solid ending 3rd/4th grd. reading level. He loves the SL creative writing. Is there any in this program or Igniting Your Writing?

Sorry so long and so many questions. I can use the help.

Thank you!
3musketeers

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD board 3musketeers! I have 3 ds's as well, though slightly different ages (2, 6, 9). I think you will find HOD guides are wonderful - we love them and continue to have great years of homeschooling with them! I'll do my best to answer your questions here:

Do I need to try to buy the Beyond IG to complete the emergent readers portion before doing DIHOR? Or can he begin DIHOR level 2/3 and just use some emergent readers until he advances to next level? We will have read Wagon Wheels and Amelia Bedlia by the end of the year. He is half way through R&S 2nd grd. He has great fine motor and is ready for cursive. We have used HWT but think he might like Cheerful. Would it be a hard transition?

Older ds would fit more into the Preparing placement chart. I would like to keep them together in Hist. and Science if possible, therefore Bigger with extensions . We also just finished SL Core 1-2 and need to let CHOW rest (Oh, how I wished I had seen Preparing first. I think they will be able to revisit this the next year. Especially doing it HOD way!!! I feel this year was somewhat of a stinker in the Hist. dept.) Does older need Preparing for written narration insruction and more advanced dictaion? Or is this included in the extension? If I need to also buy Preparing for narration and dict., does it only corelate with those readers or can it be used with any? Since older has not used DITHOR can he start with level 2/3 or should he use 4/5? With extensions would we need book packs and which level? He is a solid ending 3rd/4th grd. reading level. He loves the SL creative writing. Is there any in this program or Igniting Your Writing?


First off, it sounds like you have a good plan for combining your dc in Bigger Hearts! We did that last year with our oldest ds and has a GREAT year! The Emerging Readers Set is in the Bigger Hearts Appendix, so you don't need Beyond for that. The emerging readers begin easier and get progressively harder. You could just decide where your ds would be on that hierarchy and start there.

As far as DITHOR, once your ds is reading quite well independently (like at the level at the end of the emerging reader's set), he can start DITHOR. For your older ds, you could either give him 1 year in DITHOR Level 2/3, since he has not done it before - or, you could start him off in DITHOR Level 4/5. The Student Books are reproducible (for your family's use), so if you need to save some money, you could do it this way. You could try the Level 2/3 for your 2 older first, and then if you are wanting something more difficult for your oldest, you could always order it then.

As far as the book packs - they are all wonderful! The Level 2 book pack has a reading level of third to fourth grade; Level 3 book pack has a 3.5 (third grade, fifth month) to 5.1 (fifth grade, first month) range of reading level; Level 4/5 boy book pack has a 4th. grade to 5. 7 level range of reading level. The books are all wonderful - so it just depends on where you think ds may fall reading- wise. We always pick books a bit below their peak reading level, just so they can focus on maturing in their comprehension, story element learning, and character training skills they are learning.

It shouldn't be a hard transition to Cheerful Cursive. It is an easy program to use - our ds loved it and did it pretty much independently after the first initial directions I gave him.

Bigger Hearts has 2 choices for spelling: spelling lists and dictation passages. PHFHG has 3 choices - which are 3 levels of dictation passages. (The first level is the same as the Bigger Hearts dictation, but the other 2 levels get progressively harder.) I think you would want the guide for that. Creative Writing starts in the PHFHG guide. You could do Igniting Your Writing Vol. 1 if you would like to for your older ds, or you could just wait until you do PHFHG. R & S has writing in it too - though I am not sure which level your oldest ds is doing. If he's doing Level 4, that has more writing in it too.

The extension package suggests doing a rotation of activities for comprehension. The written narration guided lessons are paired with CHOW in PHFHG, so those lessons couldn't really be used with Bigger Hearts. If you do end up getting the PHFHG guide for the dictation though - you could look at the written narration notes in the Appendix (very helpful), and also you could follow the method laid out in PHFHG Day 2's daily plans for written narrations and use the concepts there with Bigger Hearts.

Keep posting questions - hope something here helped!

In Christ,
Julie

[netpea]

Welcome to the boards,
Do I need to try to buy the Beyond IG to complete the emergent readers portion before doing DIHOR? Or can he begin DIHOR level 2/3 and just use some emergent readers until he advances to next level? Emerging Reader Schedule is also in the Appendix of Bigger, so you wouldn't need to buy the Beyond manual for that.

We have used HWT but think he might like Cheerful. Would it be a hard transition? We like cheerful cursive, but we haven't used HWT, so I don't know about the transition.

Does older need Preparing for written narration insruction and more advanced dictaion? Or is this included in the extension? You would probably need Preparing for Dictation.

Others will chime in with more help.

[my3sons]

Welcome to the boards,
Do I need to try to buy the Beyond IG to complete the emergent readers portion before doing DIHOR? Or can he begin DIHOR level 2/3 and just use some emergent readers until he advances to next level? Emerging Reader Schedule is also in the Appendix of Bigger, so you wouldn't need to buy the Beyond manual for that.

We have used HWT but think he might like Cheerful. Would it be a hard transition? We like cheerful cursive, but we haven't used HWT, so I don't know about the transition.

Does older need Preparing for written narration insruction and more advanced dictaion? Or is this included in the extension? You would probably need Preparing for Dictation.

Others will chime in with more help.

Thanks, LeeAnn - wow, I need to go to bed! I forgot the Emerging Reader's Set schedule was in Bigger Hearts too . I am so glad you answered here, and I edited my post already.
Julie

[netpea]

Thanks, LeeAnn - wow, I need to go to bed! I forgot the Emerging Reader's Set schedule was in Bigger Hearts too . I am so glad you answered here, and I edited my post already.
Julie

You're welcome Julie! I'm glad you answered the rest of her questions, cause I'm not thinking too clearly here either.
Yet, I can't seem to tear myself away from the board to go to bed.

[3musketeers]

Julie and Lee Ann, thank you for both of your replies!

Julie, I really appreciate your detail in answering my post. I feel like I have some more direction. I really liked:

"We always pick books a bit below their peak reading level, just so they can focus on maturing in their comprehension, story element learning, and character training skills they are learning."

This helped me alot when looking at the book packs.

Lots of great info!

Blessings,
3musketeers

[Carrie]

3musketeers,

LeeAnn and Julie have done a great job of answering your questions. I'll just chime in to mention that you would most likely begin your middle child in the middle of the Emerging Reader's Set (just picking up after Wagon Wheels) and following the schedule in the Appendix of Bigger Hearts until he finishes the set. Then, he could do DITHR for the part of the year that is left after he finishes the Emerging Reader's Set.

You'll also need to add the right side of the Preparing Hearts guide for your older child to up the level of language arts to include harder dictation passages and most likely Rod and Staff 4 (or 3 if your oldest hasn't had much formal grammar). Preparing Hearts would also include the upper level of Singapore math schedules (3A/3B, 4A/4B) if you happen to need those. You would add DITHR Level 4/5 for your older child as well, and probably add Igniting Your Writing I or at the very minimum use Rod and Staff 4 for its writing lessons.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Samuel'sMommy]

I can't answer your questions as I only have one little guy and we are doing LHTH. But, I wanted to welcome you to the boards. Everyone here is so friendly and I'm sure they will be happy to help you out.

[3musketeers]

Carrie,

I want to thank you for your time to answer so many of our questions personally. How exciting to be able to hear from the author of the curriculum! I look forward to meeting you at your booth in Arlington, as well.

Here is what I am planning to do. See if it sounds right according to all of the great direction I received here on the board. Then only a few more questions.

For (soon to be 8 ) ds Bigger with second half of Emergent Readers and then DITHOR 2/3 with book pack level 2. Possibly Cheerful C. (I will look at this at the book fair and then decide about staying with HWT). Then Preparing to Build R&S. We are doing Saxon math so we will not need Singapore.

For (9, 10 in Sept.) ds Bigger left pg., science, and storytime with extensions. Then, Preparing right pg for LA, Reading, and Dictation...also for written narration instruction in the appendix. DITHOR 4/5 with a mix of book pack 3 and 4/5. Igniting writing and Building with Diligence R&S. Again he uses Saxon so no need for Singapore.

Questions:
1. Both ds's are half way through the R&S books that are planned next year (the ones I listed above). Do you think it would be ok to stretch these out doing 2 lessons a week through next year, so that fall 2010 they can be on schedule for Preparing?

2. We are using Sequential Spelling this year. Can we continue using it next year with dictation? Do we need to? I would love to hear what Carrie thinks about SS. as a whole?

3. Older ds has had lots of experience with copywork but has not done dictation. Could he possibly do dictation in Bigger or will it still be too easy? Does the dictation corelate with the History reading and would his be off if we did the year ahead? I would still buy Preparing for written nar. instruction. Ds has had alot of oral narration practice and is very ready for that.

4. Did I get the book pack levels right for older ds.? He reads very well. He has done SL 2 advanced readers this yr. There was just sooo many good ones in level 3, I didn't want him to miss out.

I am putting in my order for Bigger and Preparing today. I will also be buying DITHOR level2/3 and 4/5. Then I can think through and gather my list for the book fair.

Sorry more question. You guys are so helpful!

I have been spreading the word about HOD to friends!!!

Blessings,
3musketeers.

[Carrie]

3musketeers,

It sounds like you are well on your way to having a good plan! HOORAY! As far as Rod and Staff goes, at HOD we recommend completing Rod and Staff 6 by the end of grade 8. We feel this will prepare kiddos well for high school level writing, without burning out parent or student on grammar instruction.

You can easily do 2 lessons a week in Rod and Staff, keeping your grammar coverage moving forward steadily without moving too quickly into the harder/heavier grammar instruction in levels 5/6 of Rod and Staff. Of course, if you prefer you could just keep going with Rod and Staff at the pace your are on. It is a matter of personal preference.

DITHR works with any books you choose, so if you feel your child would love and enjoy some of the Level 3 books, you can easily choose those to mix in with the 4/5. I like a variety for my own kiddos too.

As far as spelling goes, you would either want to use Sequential Spelling OR dictation, but not both. While you could use both (because they are covering different things), I personally wouldn't want that much of my day taken up in spelling instruction. So, if you're happy with Sequential Spelling, you could just use that.

I have come to realize that I much prefer dictation over any other spelling method I've used, but it took me almost 15 years of teaching to be able to come to that conclusion. I ordered equential Spelling at one time and found that it was a lot of work for me, as the teacher, to read off the word lists every day. Yet, it didn't seem to transfer well to the kiddo's written work. I do think it is an interesting program for dyslexics, but that dictation works just as well for kiddos no matter whether they're good at spelling or not. Dictation is a slow burn taking time to show fruit, so if you do go the dictation route, commit to at least a year of using it. Even if your child hasn't had much dictation, I think the passages in Bigger Hearts would be easy for a 10 year old. I'd look at using the Level 3 or 4 passages in Preparing Hearts instead. If you'd rather not purchase the Preparing Hearts guide, then you could do dictation using passages of your own choosing instead.

The rest of your plan sounds very good. I'd only do Igniting Your Writing on the 5th day of each week and keep it low key. I also wanted to mention that much of the written narration instruction for Preparing Hearts is within the Reading About History box each week, however the editing checklist of what to look for in a written narration is in the Appendix (which will be of help to you as your older child begins written narrations). My oldest son just started writing narrations without any special instruction from me, so it can be done without all the fanfare. The editing checklist helps you know what to expect when looking over the written narration.

Blessings,
Carrie

[3musketeers]

Carrie,

Again, many many thanks to you and all the others who posted.

I placed my order for Bigger, Preparing, DITHOR 2/3, and DITHOR 4/5 this morning. I am so excited about all the great things we will be doing next year.

I look forward to seeing you in Arlington. I'll have my list of wonderful books to buy!

In His love,
3musketeers

[Carrie]

Sounds good!

Blessings,
Carrie

[netpea]

Carrie,

Again, many many thanks to you and all the others who posted.

I placed my order for Bigger, Preparing, DITHOR 2/3, and DITHOR 4/5 this morning. I am so excited about all the great things we will be doing next year.

I look forward to seeing you in Arlington. I'll have my list of wonderful books to buy!

In His love,
3musketeers

Yay! I'm glad you've got your plan worked out. Have a happy box day!

[my3sons]

Wonderful! I can't wait for you to have your box day!
In Christ,
Julie