Emerging Readers vs DITHOR

[christina101902]

I'm trying to plan my next two years. Is the emerging set more of a 1st grade level or second? Which did you prefer for your 2nd grader's reading block? If you used both ,which was better and why?

[MomtoJGJE]

Emerging readers is before DITHOR and trains them how to think in DITHOR. I'd say the Emerging readers are anywhere from K - 2nd, just depending on how well the child reads and comprehends and how far you've gotten in phonics instruction. If you are talking about a young child I'd say go through the Emerging readers first and then head into DITHOR. You do not need to do both at the same time.

FWIW, my oldest did ERs in 1st grade and started DITHOR about 1/3 of the way into 2nd grade. She will be considered 3rd grade in the fall and is halfway through the level two readers, placed perfectly, and reads at a mid 4th grade level.

My second dd is working on the beginners Bible slowly and will start the rest of the ERs in the fall when she begins Beyond... she'll be considered 1st grade. She will likely get through with level 2 readers by the end of second grade....

[my3sons]

HOD's reading flows from one level to the next as dc need it to, rather than as a match to a grade level. So, dc do phonics for 1-3 years, move on to the Emerging Reader's Set, and then move on to "Drawn into the Heart of Reading Level 2/3", then DITHOR 4/5, then DITHOR 6/7/8. So, once your child has had at least 1 year of formal phonics and can read a "Frog and Toad" type book quite fluently, with only sounding out a word or so a page, then the child can begin the Emerging Reader's Set. If a child has had a year of phonics, and is still sounding out many of the words or reading very slowly within a "Frog and Toad" type book, then another year of phonics using a different phonics program is advised. The Emerging Reader's Set prepares dc beautifully for DITHOR 2/3. The comprehension questions and the daily reading form different genres the ERS has helps dc learn the skills needed to begin DITHOR 2/3, so unless a child is older and past the ERS, the ERS is wonderful to go through! Dc should be at least 7 yo to start DITHOR, as writing is just as much of a skill needed as reading. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[Mommamo]

We did the ERs as second grade (with Bigger), are finishing them up this summer, and will start DITHOR next year when we start Preparing. I think the ERs are so important to do before you get to DITHOR because it trains the kiddos on how to think about what they are reading.