Independence in Bigger for 11 yo

[psreit]

Sorry to asking so many questions. I'm determined to start things off right. We are beginning Bigger tomorrow. Even though my daughter is not reading much independently because of dyslexia, I would like to allow her some sort of independence/involvement while working in the guide. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to accomplish that? I was thinking about letting her read what is inside the boxes (with help if needed) and then let her pencil a check mark in each box as it is completed. That would help her to see exactly what needs to be completed on a daily basis. This will teach consistency and help her to be diligent to finish what is required. Any other ideas?

[MelInKansas]

I would absolutely think you would (could, should) let her read and try to follow the directions in the guide as much as possible. This will build great independence and direction following skills for her. You may want to (as Preparing does) just pick a couple of the areas to declare as "independent" that she is reading and taking the lead in getting done, rather than just doing as much as possible, but I think as you try it you will find a good balance.

Was it last year that you tried to start Preparing? Did she do okay with this in Preparing? Was she able to read the boxes' instructions on the independent work and mostly follow through and get them done?

[MomtoJGJE]

So far my kids don't have reading trouble, they just don't like it. But throughout Bigger I have them work toward reading the either the history or science and completing the science box and notebooking on their own. I also have them do timeline and cursive on their own. All three of mine have reached that at different points in the guide. One of the first things I do is have them read the instructions to me and find the pages in all the books we will be using that day. After they get that down, they do any copywork/writing (notebooking or experiment pages, etc) on their own. Then they do the whole notebooking page. After that is going well I have them start reading. At first I will pick whichever is the least amount of and easiest reading. Then after they get good at that I start having them pick. Toward the end I just assign which one to read.

This has worked really well with two out of three, and my third is already at the point where she's picking which one she wants to read each day.

I don't know how this would translate to someone with dyslexia, but I hope you find some of this useful.

[MelInKansas]

I would think with dyslexia you wouldn't have her do any of the reading on her own that isn't assigned. Simply because the reading level on the things the parent is supposed to read is higher, it's the listening comprehension level that is met there. So I would think you would focus more on the boxes where it's following directions, doing notebooking or something? Maybe vocabulary (rotating box)? Just a thought here, do what seems best to you.

[psreit]

She is not ready to be given a book and go off and read by herself. I still have her doing ER books and the like for reading practice, but that's it. She has been using more of a workbook for grammar and recently has been wanting to complete the daily lesson without my help. Sometimes I will make sure she understands the directions, but she has been reading some of those on her own. So, I think reading what is in the boxes and following directions is what she needs right now. Finding pages is a good idea. Math is another very weak area for her. That is probably even weaker than her reading. So, Thank you both for your input.

[Mumkins]

What about alternating a page of reading history? So you read a page, she reads a page and so on?

[psreit]

Mumkins - That may be something to consider a little later after we find our groove. It will also depend on the level of reading, and these Eggleston books may be a little difficult. The amount of reading I give her affects her level of frustration because of the dyslexia. So, I need to be careful I don't overload her with reading. She did ask to read the poem, which was slow, so the flow wasn't there. But, I let her do it. I basically wanted to give her a sense of 'taking charge' of some of her work, to teach her some responsibility. I let her know this morning that I was going to let her check off the boxes as we finish each one. Well, she was wanting to check them off before we were finished. I guess she thinks the sooner it is checked off, the sooner it will be done. This will take some time.

[MelInKansas]

Yeah I was reading in First Book Of American History today and my daughter doesn't even know the meaning of many of the words! Yes, she is younger, but someone who struggles with reading would really struggle through this I think!

Storytime is much more adaptable as you know and so you could try to use books there that she could read. But really, the reading practice you are doing is probably plenty enough as far as reading goes for her. You may still end up reading things to her that she is "supposed" to be reading herself on down the line. I'm sure you've already thought of this.

I am sure the Lord will give you wisdom in what you can/should do. You know her best!

[Nealewill]

Because my son has auditor processing disorder I do not have read the books at all this year. His reading is improving significantly but he would struggle through these books. I think next year when we do Preparing he will be fine. Plus, Bigger is not necessarily mean to be done by the student necessarily. So I wouldn't worry there at all. One thing though that I do have my son do is he reads the manual for his assignments for the notebooking pages. On Tuesdays he reads what he is supposed to do for the Day 2 science assignment and then on Fridays he reads what he is supposed to do for the history notebooking and the timeline. He does read everyday but it just isn't the history or the science. I just don't think he is ready for that and so I am not going to push it.

[Carrie]

Pam,

The ladies are doing a great job of helping you talk through ideas! I tend to agree that the readings in Bigger are meant to be done by the parent, unless the child is typically aged 9 or above, is a good reader, and is able to read the assigned pages easily on his/her own. Since your little sweetie has had some struggles in the area of reading, I would steer away from having her read any of her own history or science at this point. I wouldn't push her to alternate reading with you either. Right now, she just needs to gain the other skills that come along with Bigger, and she needs to learn to enjoy the guide. Starting right will make a huge difference in her perception of the guide! Eventually, after she hits the halfway point through the guide, you can evaluate again, but for now I wouldn't put undue pressure on either you or Angie to go beyond what the guide asks, and Bigger is written for the parent to read to the child.

Of course, it's alright to lead a child in the direction of doing more on his/her own if the child has regularly been moving through the HOD guides and seems ready for more. However, upon just returning to Bigger, I'd be thinking that doing the guide as written will already be more than Angie has been used to recently, so I wouldn't be quick to push her more on top of that.

Eventually, you can have her begin getting her books out and finding page numbers. Then, you can have her start getting out needed supplies she notices she might need. Later, she could start reading a box of directions on her own. But these things can wait until she starts showing some interest in them. Right now, reading is probably an overwhelming code that feels unbreakable, and tons of text on a page (like in the guide) would feel stressful. Just be sure she knows the guide is yours and you'll read to her from it. In Preparing, she will start being responsible for two boxes only, so she will baby step up to that in a year's time.

If she is accurately placed, then don't push her to go beyond that right now. Simply settle in and teach the guide as written. Put your blinders on as far as the age range on the guide goes, and teach the child rather than the grade level. You will see progress as you journey! Learning is a process that just takes time. My best advice would be to teach her where she is right now, rather than where you want her to be. This is a lesson that I have learned the hard way! May The Lord richly bless you and your sweet daughter!

Blessings,
Carrie

[psreit]

Carrie,

Thank you for your insight. We have done three days of Bigger this week, although the first two days I totally forgot spelling/dictation. So, we didn't do it today. I thought I would wait until Monday, since we won't do school the rest of the week. The first day I was letting Angie check the boxes as we completed them. After that, it didn't seem to excite her. So, for now, I will just take charge of the guide. I did decide to just have her read her ER book for now and she will sometimes read directions in her grammar book. For now, I have decided to keep her in the grammar she has been doing since last school year, since it seems to be working. If I know she understands the directions, I will leave her to do the work on her own (it's a consumable). I'm a little nervous about switching back to R&S right now.

Angie likes doing some things without my help. So, I was thinking of some ways to allow her some independence. The problem with that in her school work is her reading. I have to sit with her and make sure she has read directions properly and understands them. So, I am doing as you suggested, and not giving her more reading at this point. She is currently reading the CL Nature Reader 1, so technically she is reading some science. She has been reading sections in that with almost no help. She is so happy when she can do that.

I do want her to enjoy learning. Starting with history she already did is proving to be a good thing. We were reading about Christopher Columbus today, and I was going to have her do narration after the reading, but, in the middle of the reading, she began telling me what happened. This will give her confidence, as we have not done a lot of narration in the past. I think Bigger is a good fit just as it is, so 'thank you' for affirming my intentions. My evaluator has said, "teach the child, not the curriculum", and I am finally following through with that. So, I think we can finally sit back and once again enjoy HOD and not worry if something needs to be tweaked. I really believe, by the time we get to Preparing, Angie will be ready for the independent boxes. So glad to be back and thankful for all the support.