Please help

[anniam]

Ann,
The guides work with any LA program you choose. So if you were wanting to do the LA scheduled in Preparing you could certainly do that. Which Rod and Staff are you thinking that you should do with your son? Both Rod and Staff level 3 and 4 are options to use in preparing and then for CTC the options are level 4 and 5. So if you felt he fit level 4, that is already an option in CTC. If you feel he would do better in level 3, you could just do a lesson a day, without having to purchase the Preparing guide just for the LA (or look at the number of lessons and schedule it accoriding to how many days you are going to school)

I'm not sure which level of Rod and Staff to put my ds in, probably 4. When I said LA, I meant studied dictations and such, like this one from the CtC guide sample :

"After reading, give each person a white piece of
paper or a markerboard and a marker. Set a
timer for 3-5 minutes and instruct each person
to do a quick outline sketch about the story.
Ideas for sketches include settings, characters,
actions, important objects, or symbols. When
the timer rings, briefly share the sketches."

I don't think he would know what to do. He is fine with oral detailed narration and summary narration, but he has never done an outline sketch. I thought I could swap it out for an assignment in PHFHG. I don't know ......... I just keep confusing myself

[beverett]

Ohh, okay. Well in that case you would probably want to get the preparing if he should do a lower level dictaion. There are 3 levels of dictation in the CTC guide. The first level is level 3. If you would like a sample I could put the first exercise up for you to see? As far as this

"After reading, give each person a white piece of
paper or a markerboard and a marker. Set a
timer for 3-5 minutes and instruct each person
to do a quick outline sketch about the story.
Ideas for sketches include settings, characters,
actions, important objects, or symbols. When
the timer rings, briefly share the sketches."

This is actually in the story time box. I really think the guide works you into this, so if you feel like he places solidly into CTC on the placement chart, then I would not worry about it. Carrie does a beautiful of explaining and helping them work into the skills. If at anytime you were needing help in this or any area you could easily just come here to the board and ask others who have already done it with their children!! This board is such a blessing!! Hope this helps some to ease your thoughts...

[anniam]

This is actually in the story time box. I really think the guide works you into this, so if you feel like he places solidly into CTC on the placement chart, then I would not worry about it. Carrie does a beautiful of explaining and helping them work into the skills. If at anytime you were needing help in this or any area you could easily just come here to the board and ask others who have already done it with their children!! This board is such a blessing!! Hope this helps some to ease your thoughts...

Thank you! That makes me feel much better! I wouldn't feel confident trying to help with certain skills on my own. I thought that box was all the explanation there was And I am very glad I can come here and get help!

[leimarie]

As a new-to-CM-methods family I am finding that the progression of those LA skills you are mentioning through the Preparing guide is the perfect pace to bring my 4th grader up to speed so-to-speak. My son (turning 10 in November) is quite pencil-phobic even though his oral language skills are definitely there! He's a "facts guy" and can give quite a dissertation on any number of things... until I ask him to write it down. It would seem that if your son isn't there yet on the written skills it may be helpful to start in Preparing while prayerfully seeking to find some character study devotionals that are age appropriate for the spiritual nurturing your seeking. There are such wonderful written assignments in CtC it would be a shame to not fully use them if he's not quite ready.

We are working quite hard at helping my oldest son to come to a personal heart knowledge of God's gift of grace through the sacrifice of his Son. Right now he has the head knowledge and it just isn't the same. But that type of understanding and vulnerability is going to come from ministering to their hearts not just their heads. I've been impressed with the reading selections for Preparing that we've received because many are non-fiction and fact-based fiction which will be right up my fact-loving guy's alley.

The spiritual growth will come if we continually lay our children at the feet of Christ and seek to consistently live out these doctrinal principles we are waiting for them to grasp.

((hugs))

[my3sons]

Ann - thanks so much for sharing more about your dc here! It sounds like dd's placement is set in PHFHG - hooray! For your ds, I am wondering about how he does not with the "creative" part of writing, but rather the "physical" part of writing? Is he able to copy, say, a paragraph each day without fatiguing? I guess when you look at the CTC plans, will he be able to do the writing part it is asking him to do? Here is a link to the CTC plans for the first week. Could you take a peek at it with just the writing parts in mind, and see if he can do those?
http://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/CTC-First-Week.pdf

Keep in mind there is a training phase for some of these skills - about 1/3 of them are going to be tough. Usually, 1/3 of the skills are review, 1/3 of the skills are in the semi-independent phase, and 1/3 are totally new and will take the whole year to develop. So it's alright to think he'll need to grow into some things, like the sketching part you mentioned in Storytime. My ds's first Storytime sketch was quite small and not so helpful for him to tell his narration from, but he grew and grew in this skill until he had it down pat and did great with it by the middle of the year. That is why that skill is part of the "T" directed box, because he'll need your help and encouragement to grow into those skills. But as far as the writing goes, I'm more concerned about him being able to do the amount of writing he is asked to do each day. If this is going to be a real struggle, and if he is going to be unable to do a good portion of it, then PHFHG would be better. I'm also more concerned if he can do the "I" boxes independently or not, as those skills he is meant to be able to have on his own.

I'm also wanting to make sure he's ready for the history reading he'll be doing independently. This is quite a level up from PHFHG's history reading he'd be doing. Here is a link to a portion of one of the harder CTC history readings he'd be having to do (the first is an excerpt from the book, and the other links are retyped but are word for word from the book):
http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/ancient26-27.pdf
http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/ancient-xxx.html
http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/ ... xxxix.html

When you get a chance, can you share your thoughts about the writing especially, and also about the history readings? That will help me give better advice I believe.

As far as the dictation goes, if you would rather use a dictation level from PHFHG rather than CTC and are doing CTC with ds, that is just fine. Likewise, wherever he best places in R & S English is where he should start. I agree R & S English 4 sounds like a good placement, and I'd be sure to follow HOD's recommendations of doing 2/3 of it orally or on markerboard, and of only having him write around 5 -7 answers or about 1/3 of it. HTH, and I'll check back to hear your thoughts about the above things!

In Christ,
Julie

[anniam]

Ann - thanks so much for sharing more about your dc here! It sounds like dd's placement is set in PHFHG - hooray! For your ds, I am wondering about how he does not with the "creative" part of writing, but rather the "physical" part of writing? Is he able to copy, say, a paragraph each day without fatiguing? I guess when you look at the CTC plans, will he be able to do the writing part it is asking him to do? Here is a link to the CTC plans for the first week. Could you take a peek at it with just the writing parts in mind, and see if he can do those?
http://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/CTC-First-Week.pdf
He is capable of the physical portion of the writing. I'm only concerned about him being able to do the rest, such as outlining and written dictation. He does write slowly, will that matter? He has nice handwriting though. As far as being able to read and understand the history readings independently, absolutely he can! I was considering the extensions for him as long as they don't require extra writing. He is a voracious reader! I'm typing on my iPad and I can't figure out how to move down, so I'm just answering it all here . As long as ds can have some handholding in the beginning with the LA and following directions I feel he can handle the work. Being able to come hear and get help is WONDERFUL and what I need right now! I'm so excited to order and get started, my dh is even on board!

Thank you so much Julie!!


Keep in mind there is a training phase for some of these skills - about 1/3 of them are going to be tough. Usually, 1/3 of the skills are review, 1/3 of the skills are in the semi-independent phase, and 1/3 are totally new and will take the whole year to develop. So it's alright to think he'll need to grow into some things, like the sketching part you mentioned in Storytime. My ds's first Storytime sketch was quite small and not so helpful for him to tell his narration from, but he grew and grew in this skill until he had it down pat and did great with it by the middle of the year. That is why that skill is part of the "T" directed box, because he'll need your help and encouragement to grow into those skills. But as far as the writing goes, I'm more concerned about him being able to do the amount of writing he is asked to do each day. If this is going to be a real struggle, and if he is going to be unable to do a good portion of it, then PHFHG would be better. I'm also more concerned if he can do the "I" boxes independently or not, as those skills he is meant to be able to have on his own.

I'm also wanting to make sure he's ready for the history reading he'll be doing independently. This is quite a level up from PHFHG's history reading he'd be doing. Here is a link to a portion of one of the harder CTC history readings he'd be having to do (the first is an excerpt from the book, and the other links are retyped but are word for word from the book):
http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/ancient26-27.pdf
http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/ancient-xxx.html
http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/ ... xxxix.html

When you get a chance, can you share your thoughts about the writing especially, and also about the history readings? That will help me give better advice I believe.

As far as the dictation goes, if you would rather use a dictation level from PHFHG rather than CTC and are doing CTC with ds, that is just fine. Likewise, wherever he best places in R & S English is where he should start. I agree R & S English 4 sounds like a good placement, and I'd be sure to follow HOD's recommendations of doing 2/3 of it orally or on markerboard, and of only having him write around 5 -7 answers or about 1/3 of it. HTH, and I'll check back to hear your thoughts about the above things!

In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

Thanks, Ann! I think ds sounds ready for CTC - hooray! I would not worry about the written dictations and the outlining, there is much hand holding for those skills, and ds will have time to grow into them. As far as the speed of his handwriting, if he hasn't had the chance to choose whether he'd rather do cursive or printing as a preference, I believe I'd give it to him. I have done that with my almost 12 yo, and his writing improved so much. It sounds like you now have a super plan for both of your dc! Hooray! Now you just have the fun of getting started!

In Christ,
Julie