I don't know what curriculum I want to use next year, but I want to consider HOD.
The three dc that I might want to use HOD with will be 12 (Nov 6th grade), 9 (Sept. 4th grade) and 7 (June 2nd grade). I haven't decided which programs yet, but I'm considering RTR, Preparing, and Beyond. I might do CTC, Bigger, and Beyond. I'm not for sure, but I only want to spend 4 hours teaching these three. I have other dc, too. Can my teaching time fit with one of those sets?
I'm thinking through my options for next year
I'm thinking through my options for next year
Last edited by Missy OH on Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:01 am, edited 3 times in total.
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
I think it would be more likely after starting that your teaching time would be less with your first option, RTR, Preparing, and Beyond since the higher guides tend to require less teacher time. Bigger is probably the most teacher intensive since that is the year that you will be spending the most time training your dc in their independent skills. Even with that, my teacher time was only around 2 hours with that guide. Each year after that, my teacher time has continued to decrease. I think it was probably 1 1/2 at the most with Preparing and probably a bit less than that with CTC. I'm guessing this year in RTR, it will probably be 1 hour or so most days. Of course that is using the math and grammar that HOD recommends which is time efficient. Probably the most important thing though is to make sure that your dc are well placed. Have you looked at the placement chart to see where they place? When they are well placed your teaching time (and frustration 
) will be much less. Another thing that would help you out is to work on starting one student at a time and get him/her familiar with his/her guide before adding the next student. So I would probably work on getting your oldest started into his/her guide first and when he/she is comfortable and fairly independent with that guide, then I would add the next dc into the mix. I think either of the combos would be possible to do in around 4 hours of teaching time but correct placement and a good schedule would be essential. Just as a side note, we did Beyond for 2nd grade, Preparing for 4th, and will be doing RTR for 6th. 
) will be much less. Another thing that would help you out is to work on starting one student at a time and get him/her familiar with his/her guide before adding the next student. So I would probably work on getting your oldest started into his/her guide first and when he/she is comfortable and fairly independent with that guide, then I would add the next dc into the mix. I think either of the combos would be possible to do in around 4 hours of teaching time but correct placement and a good schedule would be essential. Just as a side note, we did Beyond for 2nd grade, Preparing for 4th, and will be doing RTR for 6th. Patty in NC
b/g twins '02 Rev2Rev 2014/15
previously enjoyed LHFHG, BLHFHG, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, RTR
******
Nisi Dominus Frusta (Without God, frustration)
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Psalm 127:1
b/g twins '02 Rev2Rev 2014/15
previously enjoyed LHFHG, BLHFHG, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, RTR
******
Nisi Dominus Frusta (Without God, frustration)
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Psalm 127:1
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Would you do all 3 sets of Read alouds and DITHR?? How do you fit all that in?
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
You could choose to do the read alouds from just 1 set. For us this year I'm choosing to read aloud the preparing set to everyone. For rev 2rev and ctc they read their read alouds to themselves as an extension of their history. They read all DITHOR on their own
"Big Mack"--Finishing up high school 
"Cherry Berry Chiller"--geography
"Small fry"--Rev2Rev
"Happy Meal"--fun-school
http://sewhappilyeverafter.blogspot.com/
Http://roseacademyacademics.blogspot.com
"Cherry Berry Chiller"--geography
"Small fry"--Rev2Rev
"Happy Meal"--fun-school
http://sewhappilyeverafter.blogspot.com/
Http://roseacademyacademics.blogspot.com
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
The times that I posted for my teaching time included the storytime being read aloud and DITHOR. Your throat might get mighty sore reading three storytimes every day though. I've noticed in my guide for RTR next year, the storytime is listed as T or I so you could definitely have your oldest read their own storytime. I love how much the history storytimes bring the history to life in Preparing and CTC so if you don't read those aloud with the child doing that guide, I think it might be nice for your dc to read them to themselves and you could just do the follow-ups with them. I think if I had to choose a read aloud to do with all 3, I probably would choose the the one from Beyond or Bigger since there are several sets to choose from and they aren't related to the history. I think that would work better as a group read aloud. Plus I think the younger children need to be read to more so than the olders who are probably capable of doing the reading themselves. That way too when the youngers get to the older guides the history read alouds that go with that guide will be new to them. It's important to do the follow-ups to the read alouds especially in the younger guides to help them learn narration skills.
As far as DITHOR, that is something that you can do a lot of the lesson together. If you look in the DITHOR teacher guide, it will list out the days that are group days. So some days you would be able to have all 3 students together for most of your instruction and just have a little time with each one individually later. The tricky thing here is that in the younger guides, DITHOR is scheduled everyday and once you get to Preparing, it is only scheduled 3 days a week. So you may need to have your olders and younger in different spots in DITHOR. Even still, your time each day that you do DITHOR will usually be only 15 minutes or so with each child and the older ones will need very little of your time most days. At level 6/7/8 in DITHOR, a lot of the work is independent. Level 4/5 there is semi-independent so it takes less time than level 2/3. One thing that I found out after doing DITHOR for a while is that in the back of the student books, there is an emergency plan. So if for some reason you absolutely can't work with that student for the day, they can do the emergency plan in the back on their own. That's always nice to have that just in case.
It might help you out to take a look at the schedule thread sticky on the main page. There are lots of ladies out there that are doing 3 or more guides and have shared their schedules. I'm not one of them, but I can see how it could work just based on the times that I have spent teaching each of the guides up through CTC. It will take some careful scheduling and some tweaking of your schedule, but I do think it is possible. You can do it!
I've noticed in my guide for RTR next year, the storytime is listed as T or I so you could definitely have your oldest read their own storytime. I love how much the history storytimes bring the history to life in Preparing and CTC so if you don't read those aloud with the child doing that guide, I think it might be nice for your dc to read them to themselves and you could just do the follow-ups with them. I think if I had to choose a read aloud to do with all 3, I probably would choose the the one from Beyond or Bigger since there are several sets to choose from and they aren't related to the history. I think that would work better as a group read aloud. Plus I think the younger children need to be read to more so than the olders who are probably capable of doing the reading themselves. That way too when the youngers get to the older guides the history read alouds that go with that guide will be new to them. It's important to do the follow-ups to the read alouds especially in the younger guides to help them learn narration skills.As far as DITHOR, that is something that you can do a lot of the lesson together. If you look in the DITHOR teacher guide, it will list out the days that are group days. So some days you would be able to have all 3 students together for most of your instruction and just have a little time with each one individually later. The tricky thing here is that in the younger guides, DITHOR is scheduled everyday and once you get to Preparing, it is only scheduled 3 days a week. So you may need to have your olders and younger in different spots in DITHOR. Even still, your time each day that you do DITHOR will usually be only 15 minutes or so with each child and the older ones will need very little of your time most days. At level 6/7/8 in DITHOR, a lot of the work is independent. Level 4/5 there is semi-independent so it takes less time than level 2/3. One thing that I found out after doing DITHOR for a while is that in the back of the student books, there is an emergency plan. So if for some reason you absolutely can't work with that student for the day, they can do the emergency plan in the back on their own. That's always nice to have that just in case.
It might help you out to take a look at the schedule thread sticky on the main page. There are lots of ladies out there that are doing 3 or more guides and have shared their schedules. I'm not one of them, but I can see how it could work just based on the times that I have spent teaching each of the guides up through CTC. It will take some careful scheduling and some tweaking of your schedule, but I do think it is possible. You can do it!
Patty in NC
b/g twins '02 Rev2Rev 2014/15
previously enjoyed LHFHG, BLHFHG, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, RTR
******
Nisi Dominus Frusta (Without God, frustration)
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Psalm 127:1
b/g twins '02 Rev2Rev 2014/15
previously enjoyed LHFHG, BLHFHG, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, RTR
******
Nisi Dominus Frusta (Without God, frustration)
Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Psalm 127:1
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Thanks for explaining all that! It helps so much.
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Hi MIssy OH, and welcome to the HOD Board! The ladies have really given some helpful information here. I teach 3 guides with our 3 sons, and we are able to do so in a very manageable amount of time. Having teaching blocks going on at the same time as having independent blocks helps our day be super time effective. One important thing that helps time be most manageable is having dc accurately placed within HOD. So, I'd love to hear about each of your dc with the first page of the placement chart in mind, as this will help us make sure they each have the best placement possible, while also help us to consider placement within the family structure as a whole. Also, your dc are close in age, especially the 7 and 9 yo, so combining may be very feasible somewhere with individual LA/math levels. Here is a link to the placement chart...
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php
If you get a chance to share about each of your dc's reading, writing, math, and grammar especially - we will chime in with more specifics and with detailed time allotments to expect for both you and your dc!
In Christ,
Julie
The ladies have really given some helpful information here. I teach 3 guides with our 3 sons, and we are able to do so in a very manageable amount of time. Having teaching blocks going on at the same time as having independent blocks helps our day be super time effective. One important thing that helps time be most manageable is having dc accurately placed within HOD. So, I'd love to hear about each of your dc with the first page of the placement chart in mind, as this will help us make sure they each have the best placement possible, while also help us to consider placement within the family structure as a whole. Also, your dc are close in age, especially the 7 and 9 yo, so combining may be very feasible somewhere with individual LA/math levels. Here is a link to the placement chart...http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php
If you get a chance to share about each of your dc's reading, writing, math, and grammar especially - we will chime in with more specifics and with detailed time allotments to expect for both you and your dc!
In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Oh dear Julie, this is very long. Sorry. First off my two younger girls are behind because of some health issues of mine the past two years. I am feeling better, but part of the reason I'm considering HOD is because it is so laid out that dad, grandma, or an older brother might be able to step in and keep school going if needed.
DD#1 (turning 7 this month and will be in 2nd grade)
Reading CVC words
Copying 2-3 sentences is about as much as she is comfortable doing. I probably need to stretch her more with this. Her narration skills are just beginning to develop. They are very short and I usually need to get her to focus on one small part of the story for it to come out at all. She seems to understand what I read to her and as just recently enjoyed listening to All of a Kind Family and The Trumpet of the Swan.
1/2 way through Singapore 1A. I don't think she is really understanding this and might need hands-on to help.
DD#2 (turns 9 in September and will be in 3rd grade)
She is reading Level 4 I CAN READ BOOKS with a some help on a word here and there. She is more comfortable with taking Level 2 and 3 books to bed for independent reading. She can narrate what she has read well. Gives good oral history narrations.
She knows how to form cursive letters and is beginning to write some of her school work in cursive, but needs a bit of help with connecting some letters still.
She can write 1/2 page narrations on her own with lots of spelling and punctuation mistakes, though. I believe she is ready for dictation, though.
She has finished RS English 2
Finishing Singapore 2B this summer. Seems to be understanding it well but needs to work on her math facts.
DD#3 (turns 12 in NOV and is going into 6th grade)
She has just finished reading several of the Anne of Green Gables books. I believe she can comfortably read the 6/7/8 books but the 4/5 workbooks looks more on her level for DITHR.
She is a great oral narrator and can easily write 1-2 page narrations and I believe if her assignments had longer readings she'd keep on writing. She has very poor spelling even though she rarely misses a word on her spelling tests (RS 5) or dictation assignments (Spelling Wisdom level 1).
She just finished RS English 4.
Finishing Singapore 4b and doing well.
**I ended up continuing this post in the next one down.***
First off my two younger girls are behind because of some health issues of mine the past two years. I am feeling better, but part of the reason I'm considering HOD is because it is so laid out that dad, grandma, or an older brother might be able to step in and keep school going if needed.DD#1 (turning 7 this month and will be in 2nd grade)
Reading CVC words
Copying 2-3 sentences is about as much as she is comfortable doing. I probably need to stretch her more with this. Her narration skills are just beginning to develop. They are very short and I usually need to get her to focus on one small part of the story for it to come out at all. She seems to understand what I read to her and as just recently enjoyed listening to All of a Kind Family and The Trumpet of the Swan.
1/2 way through Singapore 1A. I don't think she is really understanding this and might need hands-on to help.
DD#2 (turns 9 in September and will be in 3rd grade)
She is reading Level 4 I CAN READ BOOKS with a some help on a word here and there. She is more comfortable with taking Level 2 and 3 books to bed for independent reading. She can narrate what she has read well. Gives good oral history narrations.
She knows how to form cursive letters and is beginning to write some of her school work in cursive, but needs a bit of help with connecting some letters still.
She can write 1/2 page narrations on her own with lots of spelling and punctuation mistakes, though. I believe she is ready for dictation, though.
She has finished RS English 2
Finishing Singapore 2B this summer. Seems to be understanding it well but needs to work on her math facts.
DD#3 (turns 12 in NOV and is going into 6th grade)
She has just finished reading several of the Anne of Green Gables books. I believe she can comfortably read the 6/7/8 books but the 4/5 workbooks looks more on her level for DITHR.
She is a great oral narrator and can easily write 1-2 page narrations and I believe if her assignments had longer readings she'd keep on writing. She has very poor spelling even though she rarely misses a word on her spelling tests (RS 5) or dictation assignments (Spelling Wisdom level 1).
She just finished RS English 4.
Finishing Singapore 4b and doing well.
**I ended up continuing this post in the next one down.***
Last edited by Missy OH on Thu May 30, 2013 7:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
I have some more thoughts to add after spending a lot more time looking at the samples. Even though my 2 youngest daughters are going into 2nd and 4th grades, I know they are more at 1st and 3rd grade levels.
I think Beyond is a good fit for my going to be second grader.
I am wavering between Bigger and Preparing for my going to be 4th grader. I don't think she is ready for independent work, but she is farther along in the language arts and math area in Bigger. I have used Bigger for about a month (I think) with my oldest DD when she was in 3rd grade and I thought it was hard. Especially the history and science (seashore book). I don't have a problem helping her do the independent work in Preparing until she can do it on her own. She would not be able to read the extension package in Bigger if that helps any.
My oldest dd would do fine in RTR. She hasn't had much ancient history, though. I think WWTB would be a better fit than the medieval writing lessons. She hasn't done history independently before. She is a bit sensitive but has made leaps to overcome it this year. She did do Flying Creatures this year on her own.
All three girls did American History from CLP (5th grade text) for the first part of the year. I read a loud and they narrated and made some notebook pages. The last part of the year we have been doing CHOW. They really like CHOW but we haven't gotten far into it.
I think Beyond is a good fit for my going to be second grader.
I am wavering between Bigger and Preparing for my going to be 4th grader. I don't think she is ready for independent work, but she is farther along in the language arts and math area in Bigger. I have used Bigger for about a month (I think) with my oldest DD when she was in 3rd grade and I thought it was hard. Especially the history and science (seashore book). I don't have a problem helping her do the independent work in Preparing until she can do it on her own. She would not be able to read the extension package in Bigger if that helps any.
My oldest dd would do fine in RTR. She hasn't had much ancient history, though. I think WWTB would be a better fit than the medieval writing lessons. She hasn't done history independently before. She is a bit sensitive but has made leaps to overcome it this year. She did do Flying Creatures this year on her own.
All three girls did American History from CLP (5th grade text) for the first part of the year. I read a loud and they narrated and made some notebook pages. The last part of the year we have been doing CHOW. They really like CHOW but we haven't gotten far into it.
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Thanks for getting back to me!
I agree - your 7 yo places solidly in Beyond. From what you have shared, I think your 9 yo places in Bigger Hearts. I think your oldest could be in CTC or RTR, but I have a few questions about your older dd please...
Has she read her own history? How does she do with reading and following written directions? How independent has she been in the past? What formal writing programs has she had up to this point? Has she had any formal literature study, and if so, what has she done?
I am thinking no matter what guide your older dd ends up doing, it would be a good idea to consider combining your 7 and 9 yo in Beyond Little Hearts, and using the Bigger Hearts guide for LA/math to beef up for your 9 yo using cursive, dictation Level 2, and 2B hands-on math activities for summer and 3A/3B math for school year. You can just do 1 lesson a day for R & S English 3 for her. For reading, your 7 yo can do another year of phonics using "Reading Made Easy," "The Reading Lesson," or a phonics of your choice. For your 9 yo for reading, I'd have her do either all or the last 3/4 of the "Emerging Reader's Set," as these span from Level 2-4 readers. The questions for these books are wonderful! They build not only good reading comprehension skills, but also good oral narration skills. The books will build confidence and are fun reads.
If you get a chance to answer the questions about your older dd, and share any additional thoughts you have on this, I'll gladly get back to you! I wanted to share that my dad, my mom, and even my 22 yo babysitter have had to step in and teach our HOD guides (we are doing 3 of them) from time to time. HOD has made this very manageable and easy to do! I love that even when health concerns, job requirements, and life's unexpected happenings make our life topsy-turvy - HOD is still consistent. This is such a blessing! I think you would find the same to be true for you. May the Lord continue to be by your side through any lingering health concerns you may have! God bless!
In Christ,
Julie
I agree - your 7 yo places solidly in Beyond.
From what you have shared, I think your 9 yo places in Bigger Hearts. I think your oldest could be in CTC or RTR, but I have a few questions about your older dd please... Has she read her own history? How does she do with reading and following written directions? How independent has she been in the past? What formal writing programs has she had up to this point? Has she had any formal literature study, and if so, what has she done?
I am thinking no matter what guide your older dd ends up doing, it would be a good idea to consider combining your 7 and 9 yo in Beyond Little Hearts, and using the Bigger Hearts guide for LA/math to beef up for your 9 yo using cursive, dictation Level 2, and 2B hands-on math activities for summer and 3A/3B math for school year. You can just do 1 lesson a day for R & S English 3 for her. For reading, your 7 yo can do another year of phonics using "Reading Made Easy," "The Reading Lesson," or a phonics of your choice. For your 9 yo for reading, I'd have her do either all or the last 3/4 of the "Emerging Reader's Set," as these span from Level 2-4 readers. The questions for these books are wonderful! They build not only good reading comprehension skills, but also good oral narration skills. The books will build confidence and are fun reads.
If you get a chance to answer the questions about your older dd, and share any additional thoughts you have on this, I'll gladly get back to you! I wanted to share that my dad, my mom, and even my 22 yo babysitter have had to step in and teach our HOD guides (we are doing 3 of them) from time to time. HOD has made this very manageable and easy to do! I love that even when health concerns, job requirements, and life's unexpected happenings make our life topsy-turvy - HOD is still consistent. This is such a blessing! I think you would find the same to be true for you. May the Lord continue to be by your side through any lingering health concerns you may have! God bless!
In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Thanks so much!my3sons wrote:Thanks for getting back to me!
I agree - your 7 yo places solidly in Beyond.
Has she read her own history? How does she do with reading and following written directions? How independent has she been in the past? What formal writing programs has she had up to this point? Has she had any formal literature study, and if so, what has she done?
My oldest dd has not read her own history. She has never been given written instructions for school; they have all been verbal. She can follow directions in an art book for a project and follow directions in her English book after I told her what lesson and exercises to do. Independently she has done the Flying Creatures Apologia book and RS spelling book. She works on her math and English independently after we go over the lesson. The only formal writing program she has done has been in the Rod and Staff English 4 book this year and no formal literature program except what we did with Beyond Five in a Row in 4th grade.
I had not considered putting my two youngest girls together in Beyond. This seems to be a really good option for me, but I would like to know why you think it would be a good idea. I like the plan for using part of Bigger for the summer: math activities and the emerging reader's set with the comprehension questions.
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Thanks for patiently sharing here - I know I'm asking a bunch of questions, but it makes me feel more confident in giving placement advice, as each family is so different!Missy OH wrote:Thanks so much!my3sons wrote:Thanks for getting back to me!
I agree - your 7 yo places solidly in Beyond.
Has she read her own history? How does she do with reading and following written directions? How independent has she been in the past? What formal writing programs has she had up to this point? Has she had any formal literature study, and if so, what has she done?
My oldest dd has not read her own history. She has never been given written instructions for school; they have all been verbal. She can follow directions in an art book for a project and follow directions in her English book after I told her what lesson and exercises to do. Independently she has done the Flying Creatures Apologia book and RS spelling book. She works on her math and English independently after we go over the lesson. The only formal writing program she has done has been in the Rod and Staff English 4 book this year and no formal literature program except what we did with Beyond Five in a Row in 4th grade.
I had not considered putting my two youngest girls together in Beyond. This seems to be a really good option for me, but I would like to know why you think it would be a good idea. I like the plan for using part of Bigger for the summer: math activities and the emerging reader's set with the comprehension questions.
I like to try my best to get it right. So, based on what you've shared about your oldest dd, I'd say "Creation to Christ" would be a super fit! CTC assumes dc have read part of their history and all of their science before (as they do in PHFHG), but I think dd is a good reader and will do fine with starting to read all of her history and science this year in CTC. Dc follow step-by-step written directions for their "I" boxes in PHFHG to get ready for the more multi-steps, beefed up written directions in CTC, but again, I am confident your dd will do fine with this in CTC and probably grow into it rather quickly and smoothly. "Write with the Best" is a challenging writing program in CTC and is the follow-up to creative writing lessons in PHFHG. CTC's writing is based on excerpts from classic literature. Writing lessons in CTC are 2 times a week, and I think she'll grow into this just fine too. WWTB will be challenging enough though for her age, for sure. She can do R & S English 5 with CTC. Having not had a formal lit program, doing "Drawn into the Heart of Reading 4/5" with higher level book packs, like 5/6 Girl Interest or 6/7 Book Pack, or books of your own choice will be a good fit. She can use the 5A/5B math schedule in CTC. I think this would all fit her well, and also make her "I" independent work more successful (which really is key because it will make sure you are not having to step in and teach - and other helpers teaching will not have to step in and teach - things that were supposed to be done independently. I'd say this is key in running multiple guides well. You'd asked why I think Beyond would be a good fit for your 7 and 9 yo. First of all, your 9 yo will just have turned 9 in Sept., and when trying to place her she could really do either Beyond or Bigger Hearts. The two of them are quite close in age, and the areas your 9 yo would place in Bigger Hearts are still easily added to Beyond... cursive - she can do cursive easily alongside Beyond, R & S English 3 she can easily done alongside Beyond - just do a lesson a day, 3A/3B math is scheduled in Bigger Hearts and can easily be done with Beyond, Dictation Level 2 is also scheduled in Bigger Hearts and can easily be done alongside Beyond. The Emerging Reader's Set is scheduled in both Beyond and Bigger Hearts. Basically, your 2 dc could easily do Beyond together for history, science, Bible study, Bible memory work, devotionals, art projects, geography, timeline/history activities, poetry, music, gross motor skills, copywork, oral narrations, storytime genre studies, guided literature discussions, story element lessons, and Godly character lessons - and, with a few additions from Bigger Hearts, your 9 yo would have just what she needed. I also like the idea of your 9 yo having a year to grow in her writing skills and practice her cursive more leisurely. Your 9 yo would need a lot of teacher attention to be able to do Bigger Hearts, and with doing 3 programs, you wouldn't have as much time to give that teacher attention to her. Looking ahead to teaching both Bigger Hearts and Preparing Hearts at the same time, that would really take more teaching time. It is not impossible, but if your dd could really do Beyond as easily as Bigger Hearts with just those easy beef-ups with Bigger Hearts this year, it will be a smoother family approach to homeschooling in all the years to come.
HTH, but what do you think now?
In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Julie,
Thank you for taking so much time to help me think this through. I think your suggestion for my oldest dd is the best route for her, and we are going to go with it. Yay, one decision down!
My dh and I talked about your suggestions last night for the youngest two and we are still feeling a little unsure and want to talk out one more scenario with you if you don't mind. We are thinking of just calling them 1st and 3rd graders for this coming year. We think it would be in their best interest for several reasons. School for them has been very sporadic and I think back-tracking a bit would be a good idea. I'm also thinking that having each child working fully from one guide would be easier to keep track of for us.
What do you think about putting the youngest girl in Little Hearts using the first grade options? Her handwriting isn't all that great. This would give her some time to see that school really is fun. Math might be a little easy for her but she dreads math, and I really don't think she understands it. Maybe backing up and using the hands-on stuff in the guide will make it more enjoyable. I know how important it is to have a solid math foundation. I would just use the guide as is.
Then since Little Hearts wouldn't take as much time to teach, I might have more time to spend on Bigger with my middle daughter? I would go ahead and work through those emergent readers we haven't done and 2B over the summer. Maybe check through the spelling list to make sure she is ready for dictation. I could possibly have her do English 2 over. This would keep her in the guide.
Do one story time for the both of them? By putting my youngest one back a level that would also mean I wasn't teaching preparing and bigger at the same time. What do you think about this scenario, keeping in mind the amount of time I have?
For my oldest dd in CTC: would you have her read the history read a louds independently? Or skip them and have her join the other two girls for storytime?
I'm sorry, I thought of one more question about DITHR. My daughters' schedules will be different. It looks like one is daily and the other would be 3 days a week. Should I try to align them?
Thank you for taking so much time to help me think this through. I think your suggestion for my oldest dd is the best route for her, and we are going to go with it. Yay, one decision down!
My dh and I talked about your suggestions last night for the youngest two and we are still feeling a little unsure and want to talk out one more scenario with you if you don't mind. We are thinking of just calling them 1st and 3rd graders for this coming year. We think it would be in their best interest for several reasons. School for them has been very sporadic and I think back-tracking a bit would be a good idea. I'm also thinking that having each child working fully from one guide would be easier to keep track of for us.
What do you think about putting the youngest girl in Little Hearts using the first grade options? Her handwriting isn't all that great. This would give her some time to see that school really is fun. Math might be a little easy for her but she dreads math, and I really don't think she understands it. Maybe backing up and using the hands-on stuff in the guide will make it more enjoyable. I know how important it is to have a solid math foundation. I would just use the guide as is.
Then since Little Hearts wouldn't take as much time to teach, I might have more time to spend on Bigger with my middle daughter? I would go ahead and work through those emergent readers we haven't done and 2B over the summer. Maybe check through the spelling list to make sure she is ready for dictation. I could possibly have her do English 2 over. This would keep her in the guide.
Do one story time for the both of them? By putting my youngest one back a level that would also mean I wasn't teaching preparing and bigger at the same time. What do you think about this scenario, keeping in mind the amount of time I have?
For my oldest dd in CTC: would you have her read the history read a louds independently? Or skip them and have her join the other two girls for storytime?
I'm sorry, I thought of one more question about DITHR. My daughters' schedules will be different. It looks like one is daily and the other would be 3 days a week. Should I try to align them?
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Missy OH wrote:...What do you think about putting the youngest girl in Little Hearts using the first grade options?...
I love this idea! I think this makes sense for all the reasons you shared here already.
...Then since Little Hearts wouldn't take as much time to teach, I might have more time to spend on Bigger with my middle daughter? I would go ahead and work through those emergent readers we haven't done and 2B over the summer. Maybe check through the spelling list to make sure she is ready for dictation. I could possibly have her do English 2 over...
This also makes good sense. I think all of your plan is right on track here. The only think I'd say is that I'd move her on to R & S English 3, and you can spread 1 lesson over 2 days. Then you can finish out the second half of it during Preparing Hearts for His Glory. This would be just fine to do, and I don't see any need to repeat R & S English 2, as R & S English 3 is not that big of a step up from that. Many students come to R & S English with little grammar background and do R & S English 3, so this is a common placement that is not unique to your dd.
...For my oldest dd in CTC: would you have her read the history read a louds independently? Or skip them and have her join the other two girls for storytime?...
The CTC history read-alouds are excellent. I'd probably have her read those independently, provided she is a strong enough reader and would enjoy that. I think they add much to giving that living feeling to the time period. For your other gals, I'd probably do the Bigger Hearts Storytime for the 2 of them. HTH!
... I thought of one more question about DITHR. My daughters' schedules will be different. It looks like one is daily and the other would be 3 days a week. Should I try to align them?...
I would just do DITHOR 3 days a week and keep them on the same genre. I have done this with my dc and been happy with it. If your younger of the dc would benefit from daily reading though, you can spread her 1 day's worth of reading over 2 days instead, but only do the DITHOR TG, workbook, and plans 3 days a week.
Sounds like you have a super plan intact here! I am so glad you and your dh were able to talk about this, and I think you have a wonderful year ahead of you with HOD! If you have any ordering questions be sure to ask, and I'll help any way I can! If you own some of the books, we can still figure out how you can use HOD's substitution policy to still receive your package savings, as this is a great way to save. HTH!
In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie
Re: I'm thinking through my options for next year
Thank you, Julie!