Preparing with extension package for 6th grader

[jenntracy]

I know i am getting ahead of myself but...
who has used Preparing with the extensions for 6th graders? Did you feel it was enough? Did you do the self study history that says it is for 3rd and 4th graders?
My daughter will be going to private school next year for 5th grade. i hope to bring her home the next year for 6th grade like i will be doing for her brother this year.
The thing is she started private school in 2nd grade and he started in 3rd grade.for the last to years my kids went to Classical school so my son did 4th and 5th grade there. He missed the Ancient World history which was in 3rd grade there. His sister didn't miss it. I am doing cTC with him next year with extensions because he did not have that history. then we will skip a guide and go to Revival to Revolution b/c he already did Mediveal history which will place him exactly where i want him for 7th grade.
So my problem is that my daughter has already done the history from CTC and from Ressurrection to Reformationat her private school. I do not wnat to put her Rev to Rev for 6th grade because i want to use it for her 7th grade. also combining she and her brother would not be good. They are at different levels academically. So just want to hear from anyone who has done Preparing for 6th grade. I am thinking it should be fine because i hear all the time that it is a tough one and people like to use it for 4th grade rather than 3rd. thanks for your help!

[LynnH]

You can do the extensions with a 6th grader, but if she places 2 guides higher than that (in RTR) then there is a chance she won't be challenged enough. Skipping a guide is usually not recommended. It seems to work out much better if you place them exactly where they place best according to the placement chart and ignore what history you want them to study. Even if they have studied a certain period in their classical school, the way they will study it in HOD will be very different. After watching this board for many years it seems those who end up dropping HOD or not being satisfied with it are often those who either place their dc in the wrong guides initially or those who try and tweak and change up too many things. HOD is so skill based and those skills build on each other in each guide. Now that we are finishing up the high school WG guide I can see so clearly how all the previous skills learned in the lower guides built on each other to prepare him for this one. Even if you do skip a time period in the lower guides because they place better in a higher guide they will get that time period in the high school guides.

[my3sons]

Hi jenntracy! I am short on time right now, but I wanted to link you to this great post by Carrie as you ponder placement...

Question 3: Why can’t I just place my children in HOD where they would fit next in the history cycle?
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9340

It gives good food for thought as you consider what to do next.

In Christ,
Julie

[jenntracy]

If I were to use Preparing for my future 6th grader (another year), should I use the Self-Study extension package AND the Self-study deluxe History package. It says the self-study deluxe is for 3rd and 4th graders. Looking at it , its seems like something she would enjoy.
My 2nd born is so different compared to the way she learns to my other 3. Since Preparing seems to be one of the guides that appears to be pivotal in HOD (from my reading comments years ago) i thought i would be a good transition for her. I don't want it too easy,, but she can become overwhelmed very easily. She has to work harder to get good grades in school than her brother or sister do. Hard for me to explain the difference but she is just unique in the way God made her and her learning is different from siblings. Sine she only did the 1st 3 guides of HOD before going to private school, i also thought this would be good transition for the 1st year back and then i would put her in Rev to Rev for 7th grade the way it is written the following year.
We would be using her own level of grammar,math , and writing in Preparing and doing a separate science.

[LovingJesus]

Does she place in Rev2Rev now on the placement chart? If she does will doing less work for 6th keep her placed there? If she doesn't I don't think Preparing would prepare her for the work load of Rev2Rev.

Where does she place now? Even more importantly would be to look at where she places in a year, skill wise, when you bring her home.

HOD really does work beautifully when the work load is manageable and they are neither over their heads or under challenged. It is very unique that way. Another program you could pick for history placement. I wouldn't do that with HOD.

Classical learning has such a different focus than HOD does in the history that I also think she would benefit from doing the same era and seeing it from a different angle. Carrie points things back to scripture and uses a number of Christian resources that makes HOD history unique.

If she places in Preparing academically in a year I would start there and go onto CTC. If she places academically higher I would start with the higher guide where she places and then move to the next one. I personally wouldn't want a student over their heads in WG for 9th with the pressure of grades and transcripts.

I would just start wherever she can succeed in a year and go from there.

[LynnH]

You said she gets overwhelmed easily and has to work harder than most kids. Having this in mind I think jumping from Preparing to Rev to Rev is a recipe for extreme frustration on her part. That is a huge, huge jump. There are people who place a dc lower than their skill level in order to combine and then decide to uncombine the following year and jump 1 guide successfully,but jumping over CTC and RTR all the way to Rev to Rev is huge. The skills covered in CTC and RTR are pretty key to success in the higher guides. Most people see the jump from Preparing to CTC as a big jump. Preparing is essential for the younger students in order to build maturity and start teaching how to do a short written narration before moving to CTC, but for an older student that places in a higher guide according to the placement chart then it is fine to not do Preparing.

I agree with LovingJesus that if she places well in Preparing now then put her there, but then she should go on to CTC next year. If she places in RTR well, which is what most do for 6th grade, and you put her down in Preparing then she will most likely be bored and underchallenged.