Need help figuring out where to place each of my childern

[tiffyp007]

My daughter is in the 5th grade and 11yrs old .She is currently using LIFEPAC and is in need of a change . My son is 5 and is using Get Set for The Code and random worksheets I am pulling for him. I was considering HOD for next year, but I am having a difficult time figuring out where to place them. I was considering Little Hearts for His Glory for my 5 yr old , but I do not know where to start my 11 yr old. I was looking at Preparing Hearts for His Glory, Creation to Christ and Resurrection to Reformation and I can not figure out which one to put her in. Thanks for any advice.

Tiffany Post

[StephanieU]

Have you looked at the placement chart (http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php)?
What books can/does she read currently?
What school work does she do independently?
How is she at the physical act of writing (length, etc)?

Those are some of the key questions to ask and answer for placement. You can also view the introduction and first week of each guide via the HOD website. Simply click on the guide image for the guide, and then look for the links for introduction and first week on that page (they are pretty easy to spot).

[tiffyp007]

She does most her school work independently, LIFEPAC has her reading a lot in History, Science and Bible, we have just found it is getting a little boring. History especially she is struggling with right now.
As for books, right now she is reading American girl books and then what she finds of interest at the Library.
With writing she is only writing a couple of paragraphs nothing too long and not a whole lot of detail. She does need some work in the writing department, I think it is probably one of her weaker subjects.
I did look at the placement chart and was going to put her in Preparing Hearts for His Glory since it says it can expand up to 12 yrs but I did not want it to be too easy for her, I am afraid if I use the other books that the writing and oral work may be too advanced for her. I will look at sample pages and compare the work . Thank you for responding

[StephanieU]

CtC might be a good fit. It is the first guide that uses a formal writing program. In Preparing, there is some creative writing related to the poetry, but CtC is where the writing really begins.

[tiffyp007]

Thank you for the information on the writing portion of CtC. I found a link that compares the curriculum side by side, I am going to go look at that .

[my3sons]

Such good dialogue here already! Did you get a chance to compare the guides? I would lean toward CTC for 5th grade, as it is targeted for ages 9-11 yo. However, you'd mentioned writing was a tougher subject area for dd. Could you share a bit more about her writing? How many sentences can she comfortably write in a sitting? 1-3? 5-7? 7-10? Also, is she used to writing on lined notebook paper? I'd love to hear a bit more about dd!

In Christ,
Julie

[tiffyp007]

My daughter has been doing some writing and she can do 10 sentences. She does not like to but she can do it and yes she has been writing on lined notebook paper. She is in the 6th grade so I do not want it to be too easy for her. She has had several writing assignments in the past from me , the problem area is breaking assignment into more than one paragraph.

[my3sons]

My daughter has been doing some writing and she can do 10 sentences. She does not like to but she can do it and yes she has been writing on lined notebook paper. She is in the 6th grade so I do not want it to be too easy for her. She has had several writing assignments in the past from me , the problem area is breaking assignment into more than one paragraph.

Thanks for answering my question! I think you would be deciding between CTC and RTR based on your dd's age and what you've shared so far. In Heart of Dakota's Hearts for Him Through Time series of guides, writing is planned each day, and there is also quite a bit of independent reading, and it is across all of the subject areas. When you look at the first page of the placement chart, which I am linking below, does dd seem to fit better in CTC or RTR?

http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

To give you an idea of the way writing/reading skills are woven into each subject area, here is a link describing these skills in PHFHG and CTC (it will give you a feel for CTC's skills and how they fit dd)...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12582&p=90658#p90658

Also, here is a link to each of the first week of plans for CTC and RTR (if you print each of them, you can read through the "I" independent boxes, and see if dd can do those well on her own knowing she'd need some help initially learning a new guide - planning for about a month of helping her learn the ropes or so; likewise, the "S" semi-independent boxes should be the kind of work you could first approach as teacher-directed and have her finish them independently; finally, the "T" boxes should teacher-directed assignments)...
CTC: http://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/CTC-First-Week.pdf
RTR: http://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/rtr-we ... glance.pdf

Finally, if you scroll to 'my3sons' posts in these weekly check-ins, you can see pictures/descriptions of the work students are completing in CTC and RTR (there are many more than these, you can see more just by clicking through the dates near the ones I've posted if you'd like)...

CTC:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=14648
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13272
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13056
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=12894

RTR:
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=16165
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=15782
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=16053
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=15879

I'd love to hear your thoughts after you get a chance to look at these links!

In Christ
Julie

[tiffyp007]

Thank you for taking the time to show me all this.. My daughter was very impressed with your sons art work, she is an artist too. The images gave her an idea of the stuff she will be doing and she is very excited! We are going to sit down some more today and look at everything. Thanks again, truly appreciate it!