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I am ready to order Bigger and DITHOR for my oldest two. They will be 2nd (7) and 4th (8 ½) graders next term. I think I’ve figured out most of what I need. I do have a few questions though. In the interest of budget, is Bigger enhanced more by the Emerging Reader set or the Deluxe Story pack? Neither set is fully available at our library. The younger child reads on a 3rd grade level now, but he says he doesn’t like to read. It seems to tire him out rather quickly. I thought it might be helpful to work through the emerging readers either this summer or start them with Bigger in August. I was thinking that keeping him at the emerging level would be beneficial before moving him to level 2 in DITHOR. He is starting to read for fun without prompting, but I don’t want to push him too fast or he may lose the desire completely. Does this sound like a good plan?

Also, does the Emerging Reader schedule include questions or activities for each book? Is Planet Earth a necessary addition for a 4th grader?

Thank you so much for your help. I’ve spent hours reading the forum and am so excited to start with HOD!

If budget is a concern, perhaps you could break it up and by what you need from Emergent and the delux story pack that isn't available at the library and then check out what you can. That's what I did, but with beyond. HTH!

slpchris,

Mumkins gave you some great suggestions! The Emerging Reader's Set does come with a daily schedule in the Appendix telling the kiddos what to read aloud to you each day. It also includes 3 follow-up questions each day to check their comprehension and once a week a narration type prompt is included instead. I think it sounds like a good idea for you to have you son go through the Emerging Reader's Set and build his confidence prior to heading into DITHR. You'll most likely want to pick the Beginner's Bible if your son is reading level 3 type books, as the Beginner's Bible is a bit harder than the Early Reader's Bible (which is more for kiddos just coming out of phonics). Many of the Emerging Readers in our set can be found at a good library (with the exception of the Bible and the CLP Nature Reader).

For a 4th grader, Exploring Planet Earth does extend the science, so it's an important part of the Extension Pack.

As far as the read-alouds go (which would be the Deluxe Package for Bigger), those titles are ones that you may have a better time finding at your library. So, if you needed to economize, you could do it there. Just use our suggestions in the Appendix to give you good ideas of what to look for in each genre.

Blessings,
Carrie

It does sound like your ds would enjoy and benefit from a trip through the Emerging Reader's Set. That really helped our ds not only improve his oral reading, but also build his reading comprehension. You probably do want the extension package for your older child. I do think the best way to economize would be to get the Storytime read-aloud books (which are the Deluxe Package books) from your library (unless you are like me and rack up late fees - in which case - it would be better financially just to own them) .

In Christ ,
Julie

I don't think I've given you a big HOD welcome yet...so Welcome! I did Bigger and DITHOR with my oldest this year, so I just know you're going to have a great year with your kids!! (It was our 1st HOD experience and we've loved it!)

I just thought I'd mention that in the appendix of Bigger, Carrie gives you 4 titles from each genre to choose from for storytime. So, when it's time to read a biography, you can pick any one of the 4 suggested titles to read, etc. Surely you will be able to find one of each genre to read. So, if you're wanting to economize, skipping the Deluxe package is your best bet. I'm however not great at getting to the library when I need to (as we're out of town quite a ways...a small town at that), and I'm also not good at getting the books back when they need to be. So, if you're like me, it will most likely save you money to own the books.

Kathleen

Kathleen wrote:I don't think I've given you a big HOD welcome yet...so Welcome! I did Bigger and DITHOR with my oldest this year, so I just know you're going to have a great year with your kids!! (It was our 1st HOD experience and we've loved it!)

I just thought I'd mention that in the appendix of Bigger, Carrie gives you 4 titles from each genre to choose from for storytime. So, when it's time to read a biography, you can pick any one of the 4 suggested titles to read, etc. Surely you will be able to find one of each genre to read. So, if you're wanting to economize, skipping the Deluxe package is your best bet. I'm however not great at getting to the library when I need to (as we're out of town quite a ways...a small town at that), and I'm also not good at getting the books back when they need to be. So, if you're like me, it will most likely save you money to own the books.

Kathleen

Along those lines, there are also additional books listed in the appendix for the emerging readers. Yesterday, I found a flip-chart of Bloom's Taxonomy, which is what Carrie bases the comprehension questions on, for only $3.00 at my local teacher supply store. I plan on using it with the early-reader bible that I have, it is not one of the ones offered in this curriculum so I need to come up with my own questions, this was more economical than buying a another child's bible. If you could find something like that, you could substitute other emerging readers for the ones in package and ask your own questions. I would warn you, that you have to be careful to pick books that increase in difficulty and are of high quality so as to advance your little guy's comprehension and enjoyment of reading.
Best wishes!!