Question about DITHOR in use with the HOD Teachers Manual

[Daph]

Does the BIgger manual have boxes for DITHOR or is this an added thing? When you say that Bigger takes about 3 hours, does that include DITHOR or no? And I had planned to sign my rising 4th grader into a writing program for next year, but will that be too much writing with Bigger and DITHOR? I'm planning on using Bigger at half speed unless we both decide we want to use it more, though I don't see how we'd be able to do it for more than 4 days a week with our schedule. I know I ask a lot of questions.

[MrsMandy]

I haven't started yet but Bigger has DITHOR scheduled in on all 5 days on the right side in the Reading Choices box. I haven't started yat so can't help with time but looking at the other work for Lang. Arts I would say you might not want to do that class. English 2 with Rod and Staff has composition built in, the Dictation increases in difficulty as time goes on, poetry can be used as copywork and of course all the narrating can be written or oral (although at this stage oral is recommended until the next guide). I would focus on outlining, sentence and paragraph construction and maybe a little of the different types of writing if I wanted to beef up the writing portion but really a lot of that is covered in R & S.

[Kathleen]

Yes, one of the boxes in Bigger tells you to do DITHOR. You use the DITHOR techer guide to actually teach the lesson, though. And, it is included in the estimated time that Bigger will take you daily.

If you only use Bigger 4 days per week, you'll just have 42 weeks of school planned for you instead of 34. One option to up the writing in Bigger without really adding anything on your own would be to use R&S 3 with Bigger for your 4th grader (unless you don't think he's ready for that). There really isn't a lot of writing included in R&S 2. I would be leary of adding a writing program as I have just really loved the way writing has been taught by HOD. It's working SO WELL for Grant! If you were to add something, it would add time to your day as that is not planned in the guide. I guess that HOD stocks Igniting Your Writing....maybe someone could tell you about that? They have it stocked so that those using DITHOR (and not a HOD guide) can round out their LA by adding a grammar and writing program.

Kathleen

[Daph]

Thank you for the input, ladies! It's much appreciated!