New to Homeschooling: Drawn into the Heart Of Reading

[Bw3taz]

Hello, I am new to Homeschooling but excited to start. I will be using Bigger Hearts For His Glory. I am an Army wife and stay at home Mom to twin 8 yr old boys. I have a ton of questions but will stick to this topic of Drawn into the Heart of Reading.

1.) Am I understanding correctly I need to purchase 2/3 Package for $78.12 and an extra 2/3 Student Book for $21.95?

2.) Do I even need to buy the Level 2 pack or Level 3 pack. One twin finished 2nd grade at 3.2 and the other finished at 4.1. They read pretty thick chapter books and comprehend fairly well. They read books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Magic Tree House etc. I like for them to be challenged but not so much that they aren't picking up what is being taught.

3.) Do I need to purchase the book packs or could I check books out from the library and if so would these books be suggested through the Sample Book Ideas List? Saving money would be great anyway I could.

Thanks for any help anyone can offer. I have read and read and read blogs, posts, pinterest, Heart of Dakota website and yahoo groupd etc.

Shelly

[StephanieU]

I can answer #3. You can use the library, and DITHOR is easier than other book packs because the version of the book isn't important. I think what is important is the reading level and genre match. Our library has 9 of the 14 books in both DITHOR 2 and DITHOR 3 for example. So, I am going to go to used book stores to get the others. Since they are only 8, I would probably go with the DITHOR 2 books and then do DITHOR 3 books next year. But, you could also mix and match them as needed too (or use other ones not on the list but in the right genre and at the right reading level).

[jhperry]

Hi! Welcome to homeschooling and the HOD Board!

#1 - Yes, each child will need a student book so in your case of twins, you will need to purchase the package plus an extra student book.

#2 - I would probably lean toward the book pack #2...even though one of yours might could do level 3, there are some really good books in level 2 and starting at a slightly easier reading level may help when doing DITHOR the first time. Plus it will be easier and cheaper for you if they are reading the same books.

#3 - It is possible to check out these books from the library or substitute other ones from the sample list. However, the ones Carrie has so carefully chosen for the book packs are some of the best! I have found too that my kiddos read these books over and over again in their free time so I consider it well worth the investment.

Hope that helps! Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have.

[MelInKansas]

Yes, you would need a 2/3 student book for each student, but if you want to do the "Book Projects" you only need one copy of the "Book Projects to take home" book because the copyright on that one says you may reproduce as many times as you need to for your own educational use. I recommend the "Book Projects" book, these are the fun, crafty projects (that include presentations) that my kids enjoy. The DITHOR teacher's guide, the big green one, you only buy once, that is for you to read to have the instructions for each day of reading. It helps you plan ahead for your whole unit.

You can use any books you want, as long as you can pick some out for each genre. I would say it would be more challenging to find good books, at the right reading level, for each genre, and then decide on appropriate pacing because while some books are short, they are harder, or longer and easier (without reading all of the books yourself of course). The sample book list - most of the books on there are not available at our local library (which I live in a small/medium size town, it is a good sized library but not huge). Nor are they even easy to get on Amazon, many of them you would have to buy from Christian publishers. So, I would say that is not a cheaper option than the book pack from HOD. They are excellent book selections, and part of what I love about the books that HOD has chosen for each level, and for DITHOR, is the moral quality of what is written. Good character is held up for the children to see and try to mimic. There are a lot of good books out there, but HOD has chosen great books for their selections, so I highly recommend sticking with those.

I echo what others said. Start with the level 2 books. My daughter could (can) read higher level books and on her own she often does, but with the level of comprehension and analysis expected for DITHOR, it is much better to start with books that are relatively easy for them to read.

I hope this helps and feel free to ask other questions too!

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD Board! I am excited for you to begin HOD! I agree with the ladies' answers here already. You can use your library for DITHOR books, but we too tried that and found (due to the size of our library and late fees due to my inability to return things on time and the fact that I want to OWN the great books DITHOR uses) for our family, it is better to buy them. You could always try the library and see how it goes? I did want to mention HOD offers a military discount, so be sure to ask for that when you order. The package savings are BIG, and usually the best way to save. I think you will love Bigger Hearts and DITHOR! Keep asking questions until you are set - we love to help here!

In Christ,
Julie

[MelInKansas]

I will say, it sounds like your twins are right about where my daughter was when we started DITHOR, reading-level wise and I did choose some books from the level 2 and some from level 3 (you would not necessarily get the package discount this way, I didn't buy them all from HOD). I chose them based on what I thought she would like the best. She has done okay with the level 3 books, they have definitely been more challenging but she could do them.

[Bw3taz]

Thank you for all the great responses. I appreciate all the feedback. I think to save a little money, I am going to try the library and give it a chance for Dithor but buy the read aloud Classic Set of books for the other part. Since this is my first year I want to take things slow and steady and not get to overloaded trying to learn everything plus I am the kind of person who would like to buy everything out there if I had the money (you should see my Pinterest boards..lol).

I just need to figure out if we are doing say Biography do they both read the same book? or give them 2 different people? Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone,

Shelly

[MelInKansas]

There are some activities where you use the book itself or you look through and try to learn things from the cover, synopsis, and chapter titles of the book. I'm not sure what I would do if I had two kids at about the same reading level, but I think I would have them do different books. Because it would be too easy for one of them to do a lot of an answer or a worksheet and the other one just use what the first one came up with. Plus often they read aloud to you at the 2/3 level, only occasionally do they read it to themselves. They work on reading skills. You would have to do them separately where they could not even hear the other one reading in order for it to really be a "cold read" for them. You could tell them (especially the one that loves reading) that they can read the book the other kid did for a genre as free reading after you are done with the genre. I know there would be jealousy, but also if they always do different books maybe there would be less competition and jealousy over what the other kid is reading? I don't know. Just some thoughts.

[homefire]

I was also Unsure of which level to purchase for my 8yo so went the library route for the first few units and ended up purchasing the the level 2 package. She could read and comprehend level 3 and picks that level for her own reading from the library but for DITHOR the level 2 was the right fit. It also leaves us somewhere to go next year as there is a big jump in maturity between 3rd and 4th grades.

[my3sons]

Keep in mind that Level 2 actually has reading levels from 3.0 - 4.1 (third grade, to fourth grade first month). So, Level 2 doesn't mean second grade readers. Just thought I'd share that as it may make a difference in your decision! The reading level span is listed at the top of the column of each book pack description on the DITHOR links, so you can see what they are as you make your decision. In general, we choose books that are NOT a challenge level of reading for our dc when we choose DITHOR book packs. DITHOR is challenge enough and does an excellent job of teaching them new reading skills, so challenging them with reading levels is not necessary nor the way to 'increase' their reading abilities, as the DITHOR plans do that already. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie