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My children are in Bigger now. I should have placed them in Preparing, but I wanted to cover some US history. (We were using an entirely different program in the past.)

My DS, 8 yrs. old and in 3rd grade now, will be in 4th next year and doing Singapore math 4A and RS Grammar 4. My DD, 10 yrs. old and in 4th now, will be in 5th next year and doing singapore math 5A and RS Grammar 5. After looking at the placement chart, they are definitely ready for CTC next year. We have covered much world history in the years prior to starting HOD last year.

My question for you all...is there anything they will miss from me skipping Preparing? I already have my DD do extensions now and they both add extra writing to their notebook pages for history and science. I have also been requiring them to write complete sentences in cursive (just recently started...they were ready).

I plan to purchase many of the Preparing books for them to read throughout the year as extra free reading.

I am very interested in the answer to this as well. I have a 5th grader doing Bigger this year and I am considering skipping Preparing and moving right into CTC.

I know that it is not usually RECOMMENDED to skip a guide. Of course, each family has to ultimately make their own decisions. Preparing tends to get the kids ready for the independence of CTC. My 6th grader is using CTC right now and it is VERY independent for him. I do read alouds, Genesis/Geog reading, dictation, and go over English when he needs me to. That is it. He does the rest of it all by himself! If your children are already pretty independent, then this may be no big deal for them. The writing is also much more intense in CTC.

Good luck with making your decision!

Christine,

I posted similar thoughts to another poster on a similar topic that I'll share with you here.

I agree that it will be so important for you to place your kiddos where they fit on the placement chart, all thoughts of what they have already had in history aside. With that being said, it is possible that if you placed your kiddos in a guide that was a bit lower than where they placed on the chart (in order to cover American history), then your consideration of placement for them next year could change now that you're placing them by skill level. This is a long-winded way of saying that CTC could be a consideration, depending on a few things.

When looking at placement for your 4th and 5th graders for next year, try to make an honest assessment of where those two kiddos would fit not only on the first page of the placement chart but also independence-wise (as far as reading and following extensive written directions on their own and working on their own). This will play a big factor in how well a move from Bigger Hearts to CTC would go for them. Preparing Hearts does much to train kiddos in the skills of independence a little at a time in bite-sized pieces. CTC is planning for students to have some of these skills in place. I just don't want to have your kiddos move into CTC and have you find that you are needing to sit with them through all of the 'I' boxes and read aloud all of the assignments, because they cannot handle those parts on their own. That would rob them of the much-needed move toward a bit more independence as they grow and keep them from taking more ownership of their learning.

There is a huge jump from Bigger Hearts to CTC in so many skill areas, so unless you feel that Bigger Hearts is quite easy for both students, I would hesitate to recommend for the younger child to jump up to CTC.

The most important decision-making factor here will have to be how well your upcoming 4th grader reads on his/her own with fairly difficult material, and how well your child can follow quite a series of written directions and complete some written tasks on his/her own. To get a feel for the difficulty level of some of the material, check out the links to the books here:

This book is scheduled for the child to read independently. Click on the following link to "see inside" the book: http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/ ... face2.html

Although the publisher lists this text for grades 1-6, we find it best suited for grades 4-7. This is due to the difficult vocabulary and style of writing, which requires a seasoned listener and a strong, independent reader.

This book is scheduled for the child to read independently. Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/kemp_rome_preview.pdf

This book is scheduled for the child to read independently. Click here to read the first chapter. Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/kemp_g ... review.pdf

I am wondering if you may find that your older child would fit well in CTC but that you might be pulling your younger student along a bit to make that fit happen? If that is the case, then you'd be better off in Preparing Hearts, as you could otherwise be set on a course of pulling a younger child along behind an older child for many years to come. We actually find it easier to beef up a guide than it is to water one down. But, as I said at the beginning of this post, it is possible to skip a guide in unique circumstances... if you've originally chosen placement based on history cycle or combining and are now choosing by skill level instead. So, you will know best!

Blessings,
Carrie

Thank you, Carrie, for your feedback. I didn't even think about looking at samples of some of the independent reading books. I will have my DS read some of the samples to get a better evaluation on his comfort level and understanding of reading such a selection.

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