Looking for placement help with my daughter...

[Elsie]

This past year, for 6th grade my 12 year old daughter did Preparing Hearts with my younger 10 year old daughter. Because I don't feel my younger daughter is ready yet for Creation to Christ, I am having her do something else. My plan was for my 12 year old, (she will be 13 in June) to do Creation to Christ for 7th grade but now I am not so sure. With Preparing Hearts 75% of the year has been focused on Ancient History. Doing Creation to Christ next year will be like repeating that Ancient History. I realize that it will give a lot more detail and possibly a different angle, but it is still Ancient History. I am also concerned the Science will be too light for her. I feel like 7th and 8th grades should begin to prepare a student for high school studies.

Secondly, If I start with CTC, she will have to skip some guides once she hits 9th grade. I am not willing to beef them up for high school. It becomes too much of a burden to do so. So now I am considering having her do Revival to Revolution next year.

In looking over the placement chart, I think she could handle the older guide but it would be a bit of a stretch with some of the materials.

So do I go with CTC and skip Rev to Rev & MTMM once she hits 9th grade?
OR
Do I go with Rev to Rev and work through the remaining guides systematically?
OR
Other?

[Elsie]

Anyone?

[allofakindfamily]

We are quite new to HOD, so I am probably not going to be much help, but a lot would depend on how your daughter responds to a challenge. I think Rev to Rev would be a good challenge. I know with my own children, I have some that will rise up to the challenge and others that feel defeated and struggle.

We are JUST starting to using Rev to Rev with my 14 yo and it's a refreshing taste of history as it intertwines world history through the growth of US. We are choosing to "beef it up" for High School and it's been quite easy to do -- She is doing the Economy, Basic & Extension packages + all the inventor readers, Creative Writing, and "beefing up" with Apologia Biology, Algebra I, and DITHOR -- with High School Literature -- still working on book choices , + adding to the Composer element to give some Music Appreciation credit, and a High School Language Arts program + her High School Electives, too!

I'm not much help here, but did want to share how easy it was for us to "beef up" Rev to Rev. With the program only being 4 days, my daughter has the 5th day of the week to do her electives, etc.

Have you considered Resurrection to Reformation ??? I didn't see that in your options below. It would be a different historical period but not a jump to Rev to Rev either????

I hope that I haven't confused you anymore

[blessedmomof4]

Having done Preparing and now doing CTC, I can assure you it has not seemed like a repeat at all. As for when/if to skip that is a tough decision, I am also facing that idea as are many. The issue is that many of us have used HOD with older children since before there were any high school guides, so we have always "beefed up". What I can tell you is that if she does Rev to Rev for 9th grade, you only need to add extensions and the advanced science to make it appropriate for 9th grade, and MTMM will be fine for 10th with extensions and perhaps beefing up the science or borrowing the science from the Geography guide. From then on up you would only need to add extensions for 11th and 12th because the science would already be appropriate for high school. That would mean you wouldn't have to skip CTC for your older child. If your younger daughter did well with Preparing, she would be ready for CTC. Each new guide does have a learning curve, but each prepares a child well for the next.

[Elsie]

I wanted to clarify I am familiar with the older guides as I have an older daughter who has done all the guides CTC - MTMM. She has actually used MtMM this year as a freshman but what saddens me is she will miss the last high school guide. I will have add some of the important subjects that are in the final guide. I really don't want that for my 7th grade daughter. So I am trying to figure out how to prepare her for high school and how I should go about it with 4 different guides to choose from for 7th and 8th grade.

[Elsie]

I think I have a plan but I would love feedback on it...


I think what I have decided to do for 7th grade is Resurrection to Reformation next year. The science is messed up however so I have decided to use a combination of CTC's science and RTR's science since we have recently studied Astronomy and the Human Body in depth. So I'll take the remaining science books from those two years and schedule them into one year.

Then for 8th grade I am going to do Rev to Rev.

For 9th grade we'll do MtMM. It is just too good to skip. Since I'll also already own the new Geography guide, I'll have her do some aspects of that over the summer before her 10th grade. I am mostly interested in not skipping the actual geography lessons. I'll skip the rest of that guide and finish out her school career with all the remaining HOD guides.

This plan allows me to use all the guides after CTC, even if I am only using parts of them. I'll already own everything since my older daughter is using them. It will be nice to have them for my last two children with minimal extra expense.

Just a side note... I considered using Apologia General Science instead but it was way too textbooky for us, plus the whole second half of the book is human anatomy which we studied this year. I also looked at Rainbow Science but it was too expensive plus I saw an error on their sample stating Pluto is a planet. I am thinking it hasn't been updated for a long time. I am glad to use books that I already own even if it means a bit of work scheduling them.

So to recap:
7th - Resurrection to Reformation with a mix of science from CTC and RTR
8th - Revival to Revolution
9th - Missions to Modern Marvels

SUMMER - Geography portion of new Geography Guide

10th - World History
11th - American History Part I
12th - American History Part II

[Elsie]

I am bumping this hoping that Carrie might have a chance to comment now that the Midwest Homeschool Convention is over.

[Mombeck]

Hi Elsie,
I'm bumping you up as my daughter is turning 12 and will be new to HOD. The answers you receive may also help me in planning.
Rebecca B.

[Elsie]

I really wish Julie or Carrie would comment. Here's to another bump

[my3sons]

Hi Elsie! I'd be glad to help you! I know you have thought through this and are wanting some feedback on your current plan. I am just reading this though, as I was out of town and somehow missed this before we left - so sorry! As I am reading through your post, I wondered if you could help me out with some questions that arose? Specifically, I wondered if you could tell me a little more about your 12 yo dd in the areas of reading, writing, math, and grammar. I guess I am wondering if PHFHG was a good fit last year for her? Did she do the extensions and their follow-up assignments? Also, what did levels did she do of DITHOR, R & S English, dictation, and math? One last question - did she do a writing program, or just the creative writing lessons from PHFHG? So sorry for the questions, but I don't want to make a snap decision here in advice, as I can be off then - especially if I'm not sure about LA and math skills. You know the jump from PHFHG to RTR is pretty massive, having taught them for your older dd - I just don't want to give the wrong advice here. I want you two to have a terrific year together!

In Christ,
Julie

P.S. On a side note, I certainly respect your opinion, but for other ladies reading this considering using CTC after PHFHG, we have thoroughly enjoyed our years through PHFHG and then CTC different times with each of our 2 older sons. PHFHG didn't feel 'ancients heavy' to us, nor did CTC feel like a repeat of it. We are just wrapping up CTC with our second ds and had an awesome year! As I said, though, everyone is entitled to her own opinion - just sharing mine!

[Elsie]

Specifically, I wondered if you could tell me a little more about your 12 yo dd in the areas of reading, writing, math, and grammar.

I guess I am wondering if PHFHG was a good fit last year for her? It was good year but easy.

Did she do the extensions and their follow-up assignments? We did not do the extensions but 1/2 way through the year I began adding in my own additional literature reading assignments. She reads extremely fast. We had started PHFHG at the end of the previous school year. At that time she didn't need the extensions but in hindsight, I should have added them at the beginning of this year as she had advanced over the summer.


Also, what did levels did she do of DITHOR, R & S English, dictation, and math? We don't use DITHOR or Singapore Math. She did level 4 in R & S English this year and it was pretty easy for her. Dictation we did at the highest level and she always gets 100%.

One last question - did she do a writing program, or just the creative writing lessons from PHFHG? Just the creative writing but I am planning on dropping HOD writing and adding in IEW SWI-B next year to her lessons.

Thanks Julie for asking and I am looking forward to your advice. I could possibly even do some summer work if you think it necessary.

Blessings!
Elsie

[my3sons]

Thanks for getting back to me, Elsie, and happy Sunday morning to you! I appreciate your answers to the questions I asked, as that helps so much. In thinking over what you have shared, I remembered a thread where I compared PHFHG to CTC in skills...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=12582&p=90658#p90658

Looking back at that thread, and considering what you've shared and the jump in skills from PHFHG to RTR, I would say CTC with extensions is probably a good placement for dd. CTC has dc reading their own history and their own science, writing 5-8 sentence narrations, learning to give detailed/summary/outline sketch oral narrations, R & S English 5, using the formal literature program "Write with the Best Vol. 1" and using formal reading instruction "Drawn into the Heart of Reading." These are the areas I am considering when thinking CTC with extensions is a good placement.

I am thinking dd didn't read her own history/science as she was combined with her younger sibling, but perhaps I'm off there? Even if she did read her history/science in PHFHG the books are much younger and easier, and she didn't do the other LA things mentioned, which really does make CTC with extensions a good fit. The LA components are so strong and in such solid balance with HOD - they are hard to catch up on or replace, but you will know best there. I know your dd is a strong reader, which is such a benefit, and you can certainly weigh that in your decision!

Perhaps dd could have done much more but was combined with a younger sibling and this is why she didn't? I would love to say a quick 'yes' to your well-thought-out plan, but I am trying not to be swayed by that, and to look at this as I would anyone else sharing the placement information you have. You definitely know your dd best! Perhaps she would really rise to the challenge of RTR, and the transition would be a smoother one than I am envisioning. Either way, I want to encourage you to take another look at "Write with the Best" and "DITHOR," as well as the excellent dictation and narration skills you are already having your dd move through with HOD. The way HOD teaches those skills have been my best friend in teaching LA skills in not only a strong, balanced way - but also in a way that does not require a ton of my time as the teacher. Another area that is not as academically focused but is more spiritually focused is the Bible Quiet Time and the Genesis Study. This part of CTC has done much to get to our sons 'hearts' and grow their faith in the Lord. Studying the ancients time period as it is written in CTC is powerful, and these areas of the guide develop personal time with the Lord as well as open up lines of communication with us as parents in regard to faith. I have loved this personally, and felt that it was such a blessing in doing CTC. That is just my personal thought on that though when it comes to CTC. If there is anything else I could try to help with here, please let me know - or if you just need to think through this more 'out loud' - I know that helps me! Or, prayer, that's always a help for sure. I hope something here has helped, Elsie!

In Christ,
Julie