Questions about group study

[pruettpack]

Hello, I am a homeschool mom of 8 children. I have successfully graduated two, am currently teaching 5 (ages 16--11th grade; 14---9th grade; 13---7th grade; 9---4th grade; and 6---1st grade), and have one 4 year old still to go. I have used SOS and Lifepac along with Horizons (math) for most of the many, many years of homeschooling. Two years ago I developed chronic migraines and suffer with at least some degree of headache almost every day. For this reason I stopped using Switched On Schoolhouse, because the computer screen would give me an instant migraine. I am running this through the tv screen (which does not affect me as fast) just to find out info about HOD. My 9 year old son also has chronic migraines. Due to this, he fell behind a lot last year and so I had to spend extra time getting him caught back up. I have been considering a group teaching format for years, but I didn't know what was out there. I only recently learned of Heart of Dakota from our homeschool umbrella church coordinator who loves HOD. I still do not know much about HOD except that I requested a catalog and am trying to decipher it all. For the reasons mentioned above, and more importantly for my 13 year old daughter, I decided to try my best to see if a group teaching style would benefit us more. To explain a little about my 13 year old daughter: she is first of all very smart. However, she loves to get personal attention, and I'm sure some of you can well imagine she does not always get it with the number of siblings she has and especially the three younger ones requiring more of it. She often falls behind in her school work because she waits for me, just sits there and stares at her workbooks, sits there and doodles, or just sits there and stares off into space. This pattern has gone on for years and really got worse this past year. I would have to spend even more time that we didn't really have getting her caught up. So I was hoping that someone could give me advice on any of these topics. Would HOD be what I am looking for? Could this help my family especially my daughter? If so, what do you recommend for us? How do we get started?If my children were separated into groups, how many groups? Wouldn't teaching a lot of groups would leave me in the same situation? How do you make a group study harder for an advanced child and easier fpr a younger one? Is this method spelled out in the teacher plan? I know this is a lot to chew on, but it will get me started. I'm sure there will be more questions to follow.

[StephanieU]

The first thing I would do is look at the placement chart in the catalog (also online, but I bet reading the catalog is easier for you). Based on what is there, where could your kids place? If the 9th grader would place into the Geography guide, I would be tempted to use that for the older two. The 9th grader would use it as written and the 11th grader would use some extensions. Then, I would look at the 7th and 4th graders. They could possibly be combined into the guide the 4th grader places in, but it might be easier to get each of them their own guide. Last would be the 1st grader. This one would probably be in his own guide too. You could go slowly in history and science (left side of the guides) and include the 4yo with the 1st grader if you use LHFHG. If you did that one half speed this year and next, both could be together in Beyond when they are 6 and 8. But, if the 6yo wants to go faster, then I wouldn't slow down just to combine later.

As for scheduling, there are a lot of awesome schedules in the pinned post on the main board. The boxes are take under an hour to complete. Some boxes are meant to be independent, but you are to check up on what she has done. Other boxes you have to help with, which would give her the attention she wants (S and T boxes). Also, you could put a group of kids at the table for I things to keep an eye on all of them (especially the 13yo and younger ones). I bet others with more kids will have more ideas too, especially once we know where you kids fit on the placement chart.

Oh, and if you like Horizons, you can continue this through Algebra. HOD allows you to use what you want for math, although Singapore is scheduled. We are using Horizons, and I just do 1 lesson (or more a day).

[Motherjoy]

Welcome to HOD. I hope you find the answers that you need to make homeschooling easier for you. I'm also the mom of 8, but my oldest is just 15.

First, HOD is not really created for group learning. Carrie explains her thoughts on this in a post that appears the top of the forum called "Reasons behind our choices". A large family mama can use HOD for her brood, but we have to use more than one guide, usually, and teach a few smaller groups, rather than one large group. I have five students this year, and I'll be using three guides. I have three boys in one guide, and I can't imagine having more than that in a guide, unless you had a set of twins or something. The guide range is three years with two extra with extensions. Check the placement chart first, to see where everyone falls and then see if you can squish some into a few different groups.

Second, the 13yo should be mostly independent. She shouldn't be needing a lot of hand-holding right now. you can use this year to get her to be an independent learner, and I think HOD is WONDERFUL for that!!!! my oldest has been almost completely independent since he was 12, and he is just an average kid. He is not a genius or anything. HOD really did make the transistion very easy for ME, because I still wanted to teach him everything, but had to realize that my time was limited by my littles AND that he would greatly benefit from learning independently. I check his work when needed, ask questions when needed, and try to keep him accountable. We are all prone to shortcuts, so I do have to go through his notebook and make sure he is doing everything assigned every few weeks. But, for the most part, he has a 4year high school planner, he knows what must be done to graduate, and I've given it over to him *for the most part*. It's scary and freeing at the same time.

Depending on abilities, I'm thinking you'll have to run three guides, maybe four, but the oldest three could be mostly independent. My first, second, and fourth grader are in the same guide! Bigger Hearts. My first would be considered "ahead" and has no trouble keeping up, but some of my others at his age could not have handled it. You can skip boxes for younger kids and add extensions for olders. Check out the placement chart, and then we can help you work up a plan.

[mom23]

You've gotten some great advice already-I don't really have any of that, but I will just add that I know there are a couple of Moms on here that do combine their large families into a couple of guides...hopefully one of them will chime in with exactly how they make that work. I haven't been able to make it work for us; we're going to have 4 kids in 4 guides eventually.

The one thing that I did want to say in regards to your child who likes lots of one-on-one time, and how independet learning facilitates that: when the kids can work independently that means I can be working with someone else at the same time and school is still happening for everyone. That means we get done with school more quickly, and it allows me time with the kids outside of school work. I like that! That said, everyone still gets their one-on-one chunk of time with Mom, with the older ones it's following up on things they have already worked on-asking questions from the Manual, or checking over Notebooking pages; with the youngers it might be reading to them or working on Math.

[MomtoJGJE]

I also wanted to chime in and say with HOD, as long as children are placed appropriately, that running separate guides is NOT difficult. The way HOD is set up, by the time they get to harder stuff, they are mostly independent.

My oldest is a very "needy" child in that she REALLY REALLY LOVES attention. But with HOD she's learned to thrive off the attention that she gets from being independent. I have more time to spend with JUST HER, even though I only have to do a few short and sweet things with her, simply because the others are either working on their own things or are done with school. I don't have to have people coming up and interrupting, and I don't have to stop in order to correct someone else's work. Now obviously with 4 younger sisters we do get interrupted But not like if we were trying to teach everything to everyone at the same time.

And like I said, it's completely doable.... I have 5 kids, 3 compulsory now and we are doing the preschool guide with my 4yo who does NOT let us miss her school All four of them are in different guides. It takes me about two hours of my time every day for school. Maybe 2.5 when everyone has a new math concept on the same day

[jenn in nc]

I also wanted to chime in and say with HOD, as long as children are placed appropriately, that running separate guides is NOT difficult. The way HOD is set up, by the time they get to harder stuff, they are mostly independent.

This is very encouraging to me! I'm new to HOD this year and I'm planning to run four different guides. I've been group-teaching my kids for many years, so I am a bit nervous about the switch. We've reached a placed where it has become more work to try to keep everyone on the same page though, so here we go! It is helpful to hear your experience.