Bigger and DITHOR

[Daisy]

Do most of you use BIgger and DITHOR together? DS will be in 2nd grade and 7yo. He's an excellent reader but I'm wondering if it is necessary to begin a reading program in 2nd grade. He is a reluctant writer. He'll gladly read a Littles book in one day but don't ask him to write about it. He'll talk my ear off about it but don't ask him to pick up a pencil.

So do I wait or do I go ahead with DITHOR? Can I just use DITHOR's TM without the workbook at that age?

[netpea]

There are only a handful of workbook pages for each unit in DITHOR 2/3. Maybe 5. I sometimes write my son's answers in for him. but it really isn't much writing.

Have you done the Emerging Reader set yet? the schedule is in Bigger. Perhaps you could start there. There isn't any writing involved with that....

[Mom2Monkeys]

My dd7 is in 2nd grade and a great reader doing DITHOR. She is NOT much on writing (and actually has had physical issues with writing that she has been in therapy for ) and she gets along great with DITHOR. The few times she has to write isn't much, but b/c it's asking for her opinion and there's some creativity to it, she is starting to enjoy it!

But as the pp said, you could go with the emerging readers instead if he's not independent or just have him read the books to you from the DITHOR packs without the rest right now...I've seen that many have waited to do DITHOR until later.

[Carrie]

Daisy,

The ladies have done a great job of explaining the amount of writing expected in DITHR. I will share that Bigger Hearts does include a mini-literature study in the Storytime box of the plans in order to cover you in the area of literature study (in case your little reader/writer is not quite ready to start DITHR). So, technically you could wait until the following year to begin DITHR, if you felt your son wasn't quite ready.

One other thing weigh, if you do go the 2 program route, is that you may wish to wait to begin DITHR until a few months in (or even mid-year), after you've hit your stride with getting the other parts of the programs underway.

Just some food for thought!

Blessings,
Carrie

[my3sons]

I just wanted to mention that you could just do DITHR 3 days a week. I also wrote the the answers for my ds to begin with, then he copied them from a markerboard, and last he did them on his own. That was a good progression for him. I like Carrie's idea of starting the core programs first, and then adding DITHR a few months into it, or you could just start DITHR with him the next year too.
In Christ,
Julie

[Daisy]

Thanks everyone. I think I'll wait and decide once I get the curriculum to actually look at. It'll be easier once I can see just how much writing is in Bigger.