Should we start DITHOR this fall, or...

[pollo_la]

My dd is 5 right now and blazing through the emerging readers set. We usually do 2-3 days "worth" in a sitting, and she would easily read the entire book in one sitting if I would let her!! We check-out other books from the library at this level of reading... and some even a bit more challenging and she breezes through those too. She reads constantly - anything she can get her hands on. So, her reading and her reading comprehension are not a problem. She does ask me about things that she doesn't understand.

Anyway, my dd will be finishing up the ER set sometime in the next month or two. Over the spring and summer I will not do any sort of "reading program" with her. I will just continue to let her read when she wants to. She will turn 6 at the end of the summer. We will still continue on with LHFHG at that point, and likely finish at some point in December. There is no problem there. I am wondering what I should do for reading though. I know the amount of reading and reading difficulty will be no problem for her with DITHOR, BUT will the other activities in DITHOR be too much for her? I know the recommended age to start is with a 7 year old, and she will have just turned 6 in the fall. SHould I just have her read a loud to me for 15-20 minutes each day and then have her talk about what she read?

[MomtoJGJE]

I do not have one that reads that much right now:) but here's my opinion because I can see DD2 doing that when the lightbulb of reading pops on.... She can read her reading lessons just fine, but can't move it over to actual books yet. She might be there in a year though, roughly right when she turns 6.

I would let her keep reading and you asking her some questions from each book or part of the book she reads each day, then when you start Beyond you could start DITHOR. It would give her a few more months to mature, let her finish the curriculum you are on, and let her continue to work on her reading.

I'm sure other people will have better ideas on how to do this, but I wanted to throw that idea out since I've been thinking of this myself!

[Benelli]

Hello. I have no advice for you, but I do have a ds who is 5 with the exact same scenario. I have used DITHOR, and my ds would definitely not be ready for the writing required in it, and some of the more complex thought type questions in it. So I also would love to know what a good intermediate solution would be. I have been taking him as slowly as possible through the Emerging Readers set, always keeping him on schedule and always having him read the optional books listed as well. But, even by the end of all that, I don't think he will be ready for DITHOR.

Looking forward to hearing what the dear ladies on this board might recommend.

Blessings,

[my3sons]

SHould I just have her read a loud to me for 15-20 minutes each day and then have her talk about what she read?

This is what we did with my middle ds when he was reading well and had finished the ERS before he was 7 yo. I actually got the DITHOR Book Pack Level 2, and had him very slowly start reading to me from one book, just a few pages each day. We really took this time to work on oral narration and comprehension. He is now almost 7 yo, and we have started DITHOR half-speed. He is doing well with it, but couldn't have done the writing any earlier than now. He loves DITHOR, and is loving the books so much! One word of caution - I wouldn't let dd race through the Book Pack Level 2 books though, as then you'll end up having to hunt for other books later and will miss the full benefit of doing those with the DITHOR plans. DITHOR Level 3 is quite a step up, so anyway, I had to tell my ds that as much as he LOVES the Level 2 DITHOR Books he's reading now, he may not take them to his room and race read them. He knows he may only read about 2-3 pages out loud to me each day, and 2 pages silently. The books are just so good, I can imagine your dd trying to talk you into reading them too quickly, as my ds wanted to. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[Busymomma1]

Hi,
Here's something I posted on this topic before:

We love DITHOR, and I thought it might be overwhelming at 1st, too, but it's not. We really like it! However, I will say that I gave my dd one year to read for "fun" before we jumped in. She was a great reader by age 6 -6 1/2, I'd say, easily breezing through the Emerging Readers set at that age. But instead of jumping into DITHOR at age 7, I just gave her "living" books to read. We'd discuss, do narrations, have her read to me and do occasional vocab work, but that was it. I'm glad, because now at age 8, she's had a lot of experience reading. I didn't want to go too deep with analysis just yet at that earlier age. Just wanted her to have fun reading! Now that we're doing DITHOR, we still have fun, but there IS work involved, too. So... it's a great program, and I'm glad we've started when we did! I hope that helps!

[pollo_la]

Thanks everyone! Tricia, your advice was especially helpful. I think I will just have her read for "fun" next year then. Of course, we will talk about what was read as well! Maybe I will have her read some of the lower level books from the "sample book ideas list."