Should I start Beyond at half speed?

[LeAnna]

I had talked to Carrie one time about this, but had another question.
I am going to be doing Beyond (got my new book, by the way.... Fabulous!!! )... with my dd who will be 5 1/2 and my other dd who will be 6 1/2. I was worried about the spelling etc. being too hard for her, and also for the fact that she will only be half way done with The Reading Lesson, and not ready for the Emerging Readers. So, Carrie thought it might be a good idea for me to not do the Spelling and Phonics part with her until maybe at least 10 weeks into it... I hope that was right. Then, at the end of the year, she will be finishing up just about 10 weeks later than her sister. Then, that will bring them in at the same time to Bigger.

But, my other question is... If I was to go 4 days a week with both of them and not start my 5 1/2 year old until about 10 weeks in with Spelling and Phonics, where would that put into the following year... Bigger year. I am sort of trying to fill in that 1 year gap, but don't want to drag so they are behind either. Would that work? Any other ideas?

Thanks,
LeAnna

[Carrie]

LeAnna,

The Bigger Hearts guide has the Spelling List 2 in the Appendix. So, after your child finishes Spelling List 1 from Beyond (taking the extra 10 weeks or so for starting spelling a bit later), she'd go right into spelling list 2 without it affecting your daily plans (since the spelling is in the Appendix instead of in the daily plans).

If you're doing Beyond at half-speed, you may wish to do it 5 days a week, or it could really drag the program out. So, I'd vote for either doing it half-speed 5 days a week, or full-speed 4 days a week. Another possible option would be to start out at half-speed and then move up to full-speed once your kiddos have settled into the program, if you'd rather have a 4 day week.

Blessings,
Carrie

[my3sons]

LeAnna - we did LHFHG half-speed last year for around 4-5 months, and then kicked it into full gear. I just want to encourage you that if you begin BLHFHG at half-speed, I think you will know when they are ready for full-speed. It just sort of becomes clear that they need more in the day-to-day, and then it is super easy to make the switch to full-speed ahead. I think your plan makes total sense, and I would say starting half-speed is a good idea to begin with.

In Christ,
Julie

[Mommamo]

I'm starting Beyond half speed with my 5 1/2 year old who just finished LHFHG. We are going to do it at half speed 5 days a week for a while, especially through the summer, and then we are going to switch over to full speed 4 days a week when she seems ready, probably some time this fall, but later if it seems she needs it. At half speed I think it will be really easy to fit in on days when we have other things like our homeschool coop or dance class because it's really easy to fit in LHFHG on those days as well. We're just planning on switching to 4 days/week when she's ready to do it full speed. Hope that helps!

[LeAnna]

Carrie, see if I am understanding this right.... You think it might be a good idea for me to go at half speed (meaning leaving out the spelling and emerging readers)--- how about the poetry???? until I finish the Reading Lesson, or say 10 weeks in??? Or are you saying just move at half pace (one side of the page a day) with the spelling added, and then go at full speed when I feel she is ready or about 10 weeks in.... ending with the bigger spelling list?? So sorry, just trying to understand how I can best do this.

Thanks,
LeAnna

[LeAnna]

Okay.... I've been doing some thinking about this. Would I be okay to do Beyond full speed 4 days a week with my 5.5 and 6.5 year old.... doing everything, except for the spelling. Or should I go ahead and do the spelling since i am going slower anyway? How much longer does it take to finish doing this?

LeAnna

[my3sons]

Okay.... I've been doing some thinking about this. Would I be okay to do Beyond full speed 4 days a week with my 5.5 and 6.5 year old.... doing everything, except for the spelling. Or should I go ahead and do the spelling since i am going slower anyway? How much longer does it take to finish doing this?

LeAnna

I'm not understanding the spelling. I've read this and reread this, and I'm missing something - but I'd like to help! Can you explain what's going on with the spelling part of this? I'm so sorry I am not getting it. What are you 2 talking about?

In Christ,
Julie

[Carrie]

LeAnna,

I'm so sorry if I've managed to confuse you! I'll try again with a hopefully clearer explanation.

First off, I'm having a tough time remembering whether your kiddos have already done LHFHG or not? I'm thinking that they have, and are just going into Beyond.

If that is the case, then the only reason I recommended half-speed as an option is to give your 5.5 year old a chance to grow up a bit. You could also accomplish this by doing the plans at full-speed 4 days a week instead, if you think your little one can handle the full-speed pace from the beginning. Either option will allow her time to grow up a bit before getting to Bigger Hearts.

Next, as far as The Reading Lesson goes.... Since your younger child will still be finishing up phonics while beginning Beyond, you could either wait to start her on Spelling List 1 (until she's through the Reading Lesson), or.... if you feel she can write pretty well and is ready for spelling list 1, you could begin it when you begin the Beyond guide. Your older child will start spelling right away as scheduled in the Beyond guide.

As far as the poetry copywork goes, your older child will do some copywork from Beyond daily as scheduled. However, your younger child may or may not be ready for copywork. If you think she would benefit from another year with a spelling workbook, like A Reason for Writing A or Italic B, then you could go that route instead for her handwriting practice. Either way, both kiddos would still do the poetry lessons each day as designed in Beyond.

For the Emerging Reader's Set, you would begin your older child on it right away when you begin Beyond. Then, whenever your next child finishes The Reading Lesson she would begin the Emerging Reader Set after that.

Is that any clearer? Please let me know if you have other questions.

Blessings,
Carrie

[LeAnna]

Yes! That is much clearer! Thank you, Carrie!
To answer your question about where they are now... We are almost done with LHFHG. My 5.5 year old struggles now with comprehension in the history and reading, but is that something that will come in time and she should be fine in Beyond?
Also, I am thinking that 4 days a week sounds doable. Can I do that with the 6.5 year old too, or is she going to be lagging behind a bit?
As far as the spelling goes, do they typically start with spelling list 1? If I have "legally" one in K, and one is 1st, should I just do list 1? Or does it matter.

Thank you so much for you help in me understanding this!

LeAnna

[Carrie]

LeAnna,

Thanks for being kind enough to refresh my memory. I sometimes get the specifics confused among families, and I need to make sure I have the information correct before advising!

You will easily be able to have your 6.5 year old do Beyond 4 days a week along with your 5.5 year old. They should stay together for the overall pacing of the guide. Doing Beyond at 4 days a week will give your younger one a bit more time to grow into the skills, as you'll need the 9 weeks into the next school year to finish Beyond. Then, your youngest will be just 7 when you begin Bigger.

Depending on how well she has progressed in Beyond, you will most likely need to start Bigger at half-speed for awhile to get her settled into that program. This will be fine for your older one as well. Keep them together as you go, being aware that you can slow down to half-speed to keep your younger one with you.

As far as comprehension goes, it is typical for a 5 year old to have a tough time comprehending longer readings, as it is a transition from picture books for them.

With spelling, most schools do not begin formal spelling lists/lessons until after the first 9 weeks of 1st grade. So, don't feel any pressure to begin spelling list 1 with your 5 year old until she's ready! Even if she waited until next year to begin the list 1, she'd be fine.

Blessings,
Carrie

[my3sons]

LeAnna - I just PM you about the same thing as Carrie said here. Anyway, I just wanted to reiterate here - that your dc are doing awesome and are right on track for what they should be doing! I also agree that combining them should work just great with doing slightly different things for the 2 of them.

In Christ,
Julie