help....i can't decide where to start

[makdonnelly]

Hi everyone, I have been trying to decide which year to begin with for my 3 of my 4 children....My ds is 12, then I have a dd, 10 and dd, 71/2. My 4th is only 2. I would like to A. leave them all together or B. keep the girls together and put my 7th grader to be in his own year. I met Carrie at MassHope and talked with her about it and still am conflicted. Does anyone have any thoughts and also do you think I can possibly put them in one year together??? Thanks! Alicia

[Heidi in AK]

HI Alicia! Welcome, first, to the boards! I, for one, am so excited you are here and I think you will LOVE HOD for your DC's! Plus, this board is SOOOO helpful.

If you'll look at the selection chart at

• http://www.heartofdakota.com/program-se ... -chart.php

, then this will be a great place for you to get started to look at which guides you'd want to narrow on. Then, you can choose the program placement chart and the scope and sequence chart accessible from the same place to focus on. If you also provide details about your kids' capabilities once you have a chance to look at these three charts, the sweet ladies here can help you figure out which guides to look at.

Glad you are here!

[my3sons]

Hi Alicia! Heidi already gave such good and kind words here! Yes, we'd be glad to help you decide where to start, and I think you will find this board to be full of helpful, encouraging Christian ladies. Before we can give any advice though, we'll need to know some more about your dc, as age is just thing to consider in placement. I have 3 dc and have used the placement chart to place them with great success. It is accurate and easy to use. If you get a chance, can you take a peek at it, especially the first page of it, and share a little about each of your individual dc with the first page's subject areas in mind? Then, we can better tailor our advice toward your family's needs. We look forward to getting to know you here! HOD is such an awesome way to homeschool - we really love our school days. I bet you will too!

http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

In Christ,
Julie

[amf1025]

I just LOVE HOD!!!! I agree that you should use the placement chart. If I were you I would consider putting the younger 2 in preparing, and your ds in CTC. Doing 2 guides will be easy for your first year!!! I am currently doing 3 guides and it runs smoothly You will love this board. Everyone is so nice and helpful. If you have a questions this is the place to start or maybe with someone you know already using HOD

[makdonnelly]

Thank you ladies for chatting with me! My main concern is if I should keep them all together or not. my ds is currently in 7th, my dd's are 4th and 1st. We have used MFW before and I was able to keep them all together. Now that Ryan will be entering 7th in the fall, I'm thinking maybe he needs more independence Just not sure...Help!!!

Alicia, wife to Mike

Mom to Ryan 12, Olivia 10, Emma 7 and Matthew 2

[raceNzanesmom]

Welcome!

Personally, I would not put a 7th grader and a 1st grader together. The skills are waaay too far a part for nearly all siblings that age. If you want to keep it simpler with two guides, then I would see where your middle child fits best. She could go with brother and beef his up with the extensions OR she could go with younger sister and beef it up for her with the extensions.

I'd like to also suggest you read Carrie's posts of questions- 1-6 I think, and also the why she does things the way she does sticky at the top of main forum. It should help you understand why more than one guide is suggested.

I know it can seem scary, and I know I only have one in HOD (other one graduates in less than two weeks), but HOD is laid out so nicely I could easily do another guide without stressing. Carrie has done such a great job scheduling the materials that the day really flows.

Make sure to talk it over with dh and pray about it too.

[my3sons]

Thank you ladies for chatting with me! My main concern is if I should keep them all together or not.

The very best way to determine this is to check out the placement chart. It helps make clear if combining your dc together is a good thing for your particular dc and your individual family. HOD is not a one size fits all kind of program - instead, it takes into account each of your dc's needs, along with any other important considerations (i.e. health concerns, size of family, personality conflicts, learning disabilities, etc.), and helps families find a customized fit for their own needs.

Charlotte Mason says that dc the age of 9 or older should be responsible for reading their own books in all subject areas. I agree! Reading the books oneself helps improve comprehension on so many levels, and it also helps dc be reading what they should be for their age, in maturity and content. We certainly won't be reading aloud to our dc in high school, so it is just a matter of time when dc are going to be responsible for their own reading. It would be unfair and a complete shock to dc to have read aloud to them for all of their school up through 8th grade, and then suddenly expect them to be reading all of their own material independently (at a much more difficult level) for high school. HOD follows Charlotte Mason's sage advice and eases dc into this skill, which really helps prepare dc for higher level learning. It also helps give balance to older dc's day, as they have some new teacher-directed skills being taught each year in increasing difficulty, some semi-independent skills that they need some teacher instruction and then can finish out on their own (without mom "hovering", as my ds says ), and some independent skills that they have mastered and are fine-tuning and improving as they work on them independently.

I share this as unless your 1st grader can read independently, or your 7th grader has a severe learning disability and is unable to read his own material at a level appropriate for his age, they would definitely not be well-served being placed together. They have totally different needs that cannot be breached by simply reading aloud the same books to the 2 of them.

Now, there is a possibility your 4th and 7th graders could be combined. They may be closer in what they are able to read, how much they are able to write, how well they work independently, etc. If they are, then it may prove to be a very good placement to combine them in one core HOD guide, but add the extensions for your 7th grader. However, I'm not sure about this, as I don't know anything about them individually other than their ages. So, here is where I'm going to ask you to pretty please with sugar on top, look at the placement chart, and if you could, share a little about what each of them can do? I will ask some questions here to get the ball rolling...
1. Have your older dc read their own history and science, and if so how did that go?
2. Have your older dc had formal literature study (i.e. reading instruction teaching genres, story elements like plot/setting/problem/solution, vocabulary work, etc.)?
3. Is your first grader doing phonics, reading simple books like "Frog and Toad" or "Amelia Bedelia", or is she reading harder chapter books independently?
4. How about the rest of LA? Have they each had formal dictation, oral narration instruction, written narration instruction with editing practice, creative writing instruction, grammar with diagramming (for olders), step by step writing instruction (i.e. how to write clear, organized paragraphs, writing a summary, etc.)? If so, how much are each of them able to write each day with comfort?
5. Have they practiced following step-by-step directions to complete work in an orderly fashion? (i.e. following steps in a guide to independently complete some assignments)

If you get a chance to share about your dc with some of this in mind, I would sooooo love to help chat about placement for your precious family! I always think, "this is a year of this family's lives", I don't want to glibly give advice that is not based on solid information, as I would never want to steer you the wrong way. On the flip side, I can quite confidently give placement advice if I know the above information about dc, and then between all of us putting our heads together, the result is usually a tailor-fit plan for your family that results in a wonderfully successful homeschooling year! That is sooooooo what I want for families, as we have enjoyed this ourselves, and had amazing years of schooling together. So, let's dig in and see where this leads - I'd love to help!!!

In Christ,
Julie

my ds is currently in 7th, my dd's are 4th and 1st. We have used MFW before and I was able to keep them all together. Now that Ryan will be entering 7th in the fall, I'm thinking maybe he needs more independence Just not sure...Help!!!

Alicia, wife to Mike

Mom to Ryan 12, Olivia 10, Emma 7 and Matthew 2[/quote]

[makdonnelly]

Ok, here we go....Ryan, my 6th grader and Olivia my 4th grader have read their own history reading as well as literature. My 7 yr.old has not. i have always incorporated the CM methods in our homeschooling so we have gone over some dictation and we use narration. I have been on the more "relaxed" side of Language Arts as far as intense grammar study and writing curriculum....so.....

As far as my dd in 1st, she can read simple books and is continuing with further phonics instruction. Other than that, we do handwriting and copywork.

I am still trying to instill better narration skills in my children because it doesn't come naturally for them..HELP!! Any advice would be so appreciated. I just want to do what's best for each of them and God's best not mine!!

BTW....my 6th grader is voicing his opinion and does want to start being independent from the girls come 7th gd.

God bless you all for your help and time!
Alicia

[mom24boys]

So when you look at the placement chart, where do each of your children fall? (Not considering combining just yet. )

I think it will help Julie and/or the other ladies determine the best way to combine them by knowing where each child naturally places on the placement chart. Then they can work toward a solution for combining them.

[amf1025]

I was wondering maybe combine your oldest 2 in CTC if they fit. And having your 2nd grader do Beyond I am doing CTC with my 8th grader this year and I really feel that it is a solid program and your oldest will love it as does mine

[Carrie]

makdonnelly,

I'm so glad that we got a chance to visit at MassHope. I am not quite remembering for sure the particulars of your kiddos in the 3R's, but from what you've shared so far, I would say that your 7 and 1/2 year old belongs in either Beyond or Bigger. I'm leaning toward Beyond, but you'll know best by thinking of that child all by herself and finding where she fits on the first page only of the placement chart linked here: http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

Next, as far as your older two go, from what you've shared so far I can't tell if the 4th grader could possibly combine with the 7 and 1/2 year old or whether that child may fit better with the oldest, or whether she belongs in her own program?

Are you able to refresh my memory about what we discussed as possible options for you at MassHope. Without knowing better where each of your kiddos place as individuals on the first page of the chart, I can't advise you more clearly. Usually if someone shares a bit more of the details of a conversation I've had, it will come back to me.

As you ponder, I would also love for you to read the common questions we get asked here, as this will help you understand placement at HOD: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9344

The questions will also explain a bit more about our philosophy and why we do what we do at HOD.

Blessings,
Carrie

[amf1025]

Well here we are almost another year later. After leaving HOD and going to MFW what a big mistake. I am so glad that I found my way back to HOD it is the best!!!

[makdonnelly]

I completely agree amf but you still didnt answer my orginal question HELP!!!!!

[Tidbits of Learning]

I am curious are you asking about this school year or next now? I noticed this thread was started in May 2011 and you were asking about this school year. Your children were in 7th, 4th, and 1st in 2011, right? So are they finishing 8th, 5th, and 2nd now and what have you used this year? Are you asking about now or next school year when they would presumably be 9th, 6th, and 3rd? I am just a bit lost I guess.

[amf1025]

I believe she is asking for next. She will have an 8th, 6th, and 3rd grades. I think she is nervous about running 2 guide but i think it will work. My advice is preparing and Rev to Rev, what do you think?