makdonnelly wrote:Thank you ladies for chatting with me! My main concern is if I should keep them all together or not.
The very best way to determine this is to check out the placement chart. It helps make clear if combining your dc together is a good thing for your particular dc and your individual family. HOD is not a one size fits all kind of program - instead, it takes into account each of your dc's needs, along with any other important considerations (i.e. health concerns, size of family, personality conflicts, learning disabilities, etc.), and helps families find a customized fit for their own needs.
Charlotte Mason says that dc the age of 9 or older should be responsible for reading their own books in all subject areas. I agree!
Reading the books oneself helps improve comprehension on so many levels, and it also helps dc be reading what they should be for their age, in maturity and content. We certainly won't be reading aloud to our dc in high school, so it is just a matter of time when dc are going to be responsible for their own reading.
It would be unfair and a complete shock to dc to have read aloud to them for all of their school up through 8th grade, and then suddenly expect them to be reading all of their own material independently (at a much more difficult level) for high school. HOD follows Charlotte Mason's sage advice and eases dc into this skill, which really helps prepare dc for higher level learning.
It also helps give balance to older dc's day, as they have some new teacher-directed skills being taught each year in increasing difficulty, some semi-independent skills that they need some teacher instruction and then can finish out on their own (without mom "hovering", as my ds says
), and some independent skills that they have mastered and are fine-tuning and improving as they work on them independently.
I share this as unless your 1st grader can read independently, or your 7th grader has a severe learning disability and is unable to read his own material at a level appropriate for his age, they would definitely not be well-served being placed together.
They have totally different needs that cannot be breached by simply reading aloud the same books to the 2 of them.
Now, there is a possibility your 4th and 7th graders could be combined. They may be closer in what they are able to read, how much they are able to write, how well they work independently, etc. If they are, then it may prove to be a very good placement to combine them in one core HOD guide, but add the extensions for your 7th grader. However, I'm not sure about this, as I don't know anything about them individually other than their ages.
So, here is where I'm going to ask you to pretty please with sugar on top, look at the placement chart, and if you could, share a little about what each of them can do?
I will ask some questions here to get the ball rolling...
1. Have your older dc read their own history and science, and if so how did that go?
2. Have your older dc had formal literature study (i.e. reading instruction teaching genres, story elements like plot/setting/problem/solution, vocabulary work, etc.)?
3. Is your first grader doing phonics, reading simple books like "Frog and Toad" or "Amelia Bedelia", or is she reading harder chapter books independently?
4. How about the rest of LA? Have they each had formal dictation, oral narration instruction, written narration instruction with editing practice, creative writing instruction, grammar with diagramming (for olders), step by step writing instruction (i.e. how to write clear, organized paragraphs, writing a summary, etc.)? If so, how much are each of them able to write each day with comfort?
5. Have they practiced following step-by-step directions to complete work in an orderly fashion? (i.e. following steps in a guide to independently complete some assignments)
If you get a chance to share about your dc with some of this in mind, I would sooooo love to help chat about placement for your precious family! I always think, "this is a year of this family's lives", I don't want to glibly give advice that is not based on solid information, as I would never want to steer you the wrong way. On the flip side, I can quite confidently give placement advice if I know the above information about dc, and then between all of us putting our heads together, the result is usually a tailor-fit plan for your family that results in a wonderfully successful homeschooling year! That is sooooooo what I want for families, as we have enjoyed this ourselves, and had amazing years of schooling together.
So, let's dig in and see where this leads - I'd love to help!!!
In Christ,
Julie
my ds is currently in 7th, my dd's are 4th and 1st. We have used MFW before and I was able to keep them all together. Now that Ryan will be entering 7th in the fall, I'm thinking maybe he needs more independence
Just not sure...Help!!!
Alicia, wife to Mike
Mom to Ryan 12, Olivia 10, Emma 7 and Matthew 2[/quote]
side of Language Arts as far as intense grammar study and writing curriculum....so.....
I am doing CTC with my 8th grader this year and I really feel that it is a solid program and your oldest will love it as does mine