Is Beyond the right choice for us?

[cozyfamily]

I'm just wondering if it's unheard of to start a child who will be 10 in the fall (2009) with Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory?

I've been looking at the book selections for the economy package and, according to another catalog website, these are graded for a 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. The science for Beyond seems more specifically for younger children, but other than this it seems like it would be fine for an older child.

I will also note that my child is somewhat delayed compared to others in her age range. Although she should be at the end of 3rd grade, I would more accurately consider her a late 2nd, early 3rd in many areas.

Which brings me to a final question. What am I looking for when determining whether my child is emerging or independent in her reading?

Thanks!

[tiffanieh]

Welcome to the HOD boards. There are MANY women, including Carrie herself, that I'm sure will chime in here with much greater detail. However, have you gone to the placement chart to see where your child fits placement wise?

We will be doing Beyond next year with my 1st and 2nd grader since we did LHFHG this year. I'm not sure if it's not meaty enough for your child because only you know your child the best. Carrie though makes very wise and thorough decisions when choosing what books for what level, so I would heed her instruction over the levels these books should be for than other "sources" you may find out there.

Without knowing your child more thoroughly my first guess would be to think NO, you wouldn't want to do Beyond, simply because you want her more prepared to handle the heavier level work that comes in later books to prepare her better for higher level work required in middle and upper grades. I would think that she would need more writing and notebooking exposure you will get in BIGGER than in Beyond.

Again, this is just my guess, and you know your child best. That is the beauty of homeschooling, regardless of the ages of our children we can adjust their level based on their abilities not on their ages.

Best wishes on your journey. Whatever you choose though...I do know that you will be super thrilled with HOD...it is a God sent blessing to our family!!!

[Jessi]

I would second checking the placement chart to really see where she fits best. I also think Bigger might be a better placement just based on age as I am planning on doing beyond with my daughter for first next year. Have you checked over Bigger yet? What are your thoughts on that for your daughter?

[cozyfamily]

In looking at the placement chart, Bigger is the better fit. I guess I've just been looking at the content we'll be missing out on with BLHFHG- a bit sad that we didn't do Beyond this year. I know we'll enjoy BHFHG.

Thanks so much for your input!

[Lynnw]

I "third" checking the placement chart first (it's very accurate!) and then consider adjustments after that. I will say this about Beyond. I started it a couple months ago with my 7yo and 5yo. Even though my 10yo was not "supposed" to do it with us, he certainly listened in a lot. (I just started him in Preparing this week, so he's been busier than he was before ) He also enjoyed any of the science and art activities we did as well as the Bible verses and illustrating the poem once a week. So, in my opinion there's plenty of fun in Beyond for a 10yo to enjoy, but you would likely want to beef it up. I'm sure lots of folks could give you ideas on how to do this after you have told more about where your dd fits on the placement chart, etc.

I don't really know how to advise you about the emerging vs. independent reader.... I would take a look at the emerging reader pack and see if your dd is beyond those books yet. Is she able to read chapter books on her own? Does she still need you to listen to all her readings to check for word accuracy or can she read a fair amount alone (and comprehend it)?

Look forward to seeing where you go with this. I seriously considered keeping my oldest in Beyond with additional assignments, but I ultimately chose to put him in Preparing to prepare him for the workload in Creation to Christ.

Lynn

oops - I see you posted while I was typing.... I'll leave my original response above... but will add that if I were you and saw some not to be missed books in Beyond (like Stories of the Pilgrims?) I would simply add them in as time allowed.

[my3sons]

cozyfamily - Bigger Hearts does sound like a good fit, and I think you'll find it to be a joy to teach. As far as how to determine whether your dd is an emerging reader or not, you can look at the books that are in the Emerging Reader's Set. The books go from easier to harder, and they are shown in that order on the website (and in the HOD catalog if you have that). Here's a link to the set:
http://www.heartofdakota.com/emerging-reader.php

The schedule for the set - along with comprehension questions - is included in both the Beyond and the Bigger Hearts guides. You can start the set at any place - for example, if it seems like your dd falls somewhere in the middle of the set, just start there and follow the schedule to finish it out. Whenever she finishes the Emerging Reader's Set, she can go right into Drawn into the Heart of Reading, Level 2/3. For our dc, we started them at the beginning of the Emerging Reader's Set, even though it was a bit below their reading level, because their reading comprehension needed to catch up with their oral reading ability. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[Tree House Academy]

I will be doing Bigger with my 10 year old this coming fall and we are actually using the extension pack as well just to make sure it really is enough for him. I am doing Beyond with my son who will be 6 and doing mostly 2nd grade reading/writing/math. I agree with the others that Bigger may be the lowest level you would want to go given your dd's age.

[Alison in KY]

I guess I'm the odd duck here, but I wanted to say that I think Beyond will work great for your 10 year old. I'm using HOD basically for the left side and doing my own LA's and math with my kids who are just turned 10, soon to be 8 and soon to be 6. I don't consider it below him at all. The history books are great and they keep my oldest's attention very well. Our first RA was Helen Keller and all the kids loved it. This has been a great fit for us and it isn't dumbed down at all for my oldest. He's actually interested in what we are covering. To ease my piece of mind, because I do experience frustrating moments of doubt, I have been adding in a general science book and Abeka's 3rd grade history (great book) to beef his program up...but I really dont' think I'm going to continue this for very long. I keep thinking how silly it is to be adding to an already great program where my oldest is learning.

Why am I always the odd one out?

Hope this helps,
Alison in KY

[my3sons]

I guess I'm the odd duck here, but I wanted to say that I think Beyond will work great for your 10 year old. I'm using HOD basically for the left side and doing my own LA's and math with my kids who are just turned 10, soon to be 8 and soon to be 6. I don't consider it below him at all. The history books are great and they keep my oldest's attention very well. Our first RA was Helen Keller and all the kids loved it. This has been a great fit for us and it isn't dumbed down at all for my oldest. He's actually interested in what we are covering. To ease my piece of mind, because I do experience frustrating moments of doubt, I have been adding in a general science book and Abeka's 3rd grade history (great book) to beef his program up...but I really dont' think I'm going to continue this for very long. I keep thinking how silly it is to be adding to an already great program where my oldest is learning.

Why am I always the odd one out?

Hope this helps,
Alison in KY

Oh Alison - I don't think you are the odd one out! Please, please don't feel that way. Things are going well for you and your dc - school with HOD Beyond is grand, everyone is learning, everyone (including mom) is happy - what more is needed than that?!? Your post here is exactly why I struggle with helping others with placement. The truth of the matter is that no one knows best like "mom". Each family's situation is so different. The placement chart gives a ballpark age or goal to shoot for, but then there are so many other things to consider in placement...
whether a person wants to combine or not, finances, heath concerns, dh's opinion-involvement-job-if there is a dh at all, the mom's current state of mind (near burnout? happy and content? comfortable managing several programs?), competition between dc, dc dying to work together, learning styles, size of family, special needs, an ailing parent, activities involved in, whether mom is working - and those are just the ones that come to mind immediately! There are so many things to consider in proper placement, and that is why HOD offers many, many options, and many, many ways to customize programs.

When it's all said and done, we all do our best to help out with correct placement, but the mom truly has to know what's best in the end. On this board, we all only know the pieces of the puzzle that we are told, and sometimes there are pieces we don't know about that are pretty important - maybe because they are too private to share, or maybe because a person just didn't think to share them - but for whatever reason, we are just going on the information that's been given. So, that is why advice may seem very different for 2 families that have the exact same-aged children. It's one of the most wonderful things (IMO) about HOD. This ability to alter things based on specific needs of families.

SO, you in no way wanted nor needed this long and drawn out answer - because things are going SUPER for you, Alison!!! Placement has just been so on my mind as of late - and I guess this is the post that brought it out. I think it is vital that while we may not always be right with the advice we all give, the more ladies that give advice the better - because somewhere in all of those posts where people have tried to help with placement is the perfect answer for the person who posted the question. The more people that take a shot at helping the better! Your post here Alison, may be the right answer for cozyfamily, or it may not. Either way, it's given her one more thing to consider for her personal situation, and having options is never a bad thing. Thanks for letting me share!

In Christ ,
Julie

[cozyfamily]

Oh my. I just wrote a lengthy response to all of you and hit the wrong button and lost it. Sigh. This will be an abbreviated version. First, thank you to all who have responded. I really appreciate your thoughts.

Thank you, Alison, for helping me to see that if it feels "right" to use Beyond then it probably will be just fine! My dd has been a delayed learner and because of this I have focused on little else than getting her up and running as a reader (phonics, spelling) and doing math - she processes slowly, so these 3 subjects take about 3 hours). The only history she has received has been through historical fiction as read aloud. (Note: she was in private school for K-1 and we were doing at least one hour of homework/catch-up every night. We brought her home for 2nd grade and she is now in 3rd grade.) I do see her reaching a new level of development and I feel strongly that she is ready to take on more. That said, I do not think Beyond would be too light for her. I can always use a beefier language arts program but the core books would likely be a good fit.

By the way, the catalog that I referred to for grade level inquiry was Rainbow Resource. I use them as a reference quite often. They may not be completely accurate but I think they have a good feel for grade levels, overall. It's a good starting point when I've found a book that I want more info. on, ya know?

[Alison in KY]

Thank you Julie, wise words from a wise woman!

Good luck cozyfamily, I'm sure everything will be great with Beyond if that is what you end up doing.

my 2 cents:

IMHO, I think people sometimes see those placement guides and don't really give HOD a chance. This is really just an impression I have from spending time at another board. Our year is working so well with Beyond that I wish more people who wanted to combine would take the leap and feel assured that everything will work out. From all the reading levels I've seen, the HOD's actually are somewhat advanced. I was comparing and I don't think there is too much difference between say a HOD level and a MFW level (which has a wide grade level range). But what do I know anyway

Alison in KY