Reading Levels

[GinainMD]

Hello ladies! So, I have been planning to start Beyond after labor day with my two older dds with the ER. Over the summer dd2 has progressed SO much. I'm wondering how to determine her reading level and with what level DITHOR begins. Also, will the language arts in Beyond be too easy for her? Any insight would be much appreciated. TIA

[my3sons]

Hi Gina! The Emerging Reader's Set gets progressively harder throughout the year. You could easily start your younger child at the beginning of it, and your older child at the mid-point of it. DITHOR Level 2 Book Pack ranges from 3.0 - 4.1 (third grade to fourth grade first month) reading levels. I know there are ample reading tests dc can take to determine reading levels, but my ds just tested 12th grade on his Iowa Basic Skills test (he's going into fifth grade), and there is no way we'd ever go that route. Book leveling tests don't take into account the length of book, the size of the font, the number of pictures, etc. So, I would just get the ERS as you'll need it for your younger child anyway, and have your older dd read a few pages out loud to you from the beginning book of the set and a middle book of the set. If she reads smoothly and only needs to sound out a word or two in the middle, I'd start there, maybe around "Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express", as that's a level 3 book. For both of our dc, we found the ERS to be excellent preparation for DITHOR 2/3, as the questions are excellent for building reading comprehension. Even though my dc could quite easily read the books within the set, we still worked through them in order to build their comprehension. I think starting around the mid-point if dd is ready would still accomplish that and ensure that dd is more prepared for DITHOR. HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[GinainMD]

Julie, Thanks so much for the reassurance. I was actually coming back here to answer my own question because I rechecked the placement chart and feel confident that I have chosen the right program. Both girls are within the range of skills for Beyond so I'm not sure why I was so apprehensive. I'm going to do what you have suggested and begin a few books in and see what happens. I have already purchased my materials but I didn't realize that the ER have comprehension also. I guess I just assumed it was for reading practice. That's great to know! Thanks again!

[my3sons]

Julie, Thanks so much for the reassurance. I was actually coming back here to answer my own question because I rechecked the placement chart and feel confident that I have chosen the right program. Both girls are within the range of skills for Beyond so I'm not sure why I was so apprehensive. I'm going to do what you have suggested and begin a few books in and see what happens. I have already purchased my materials but I didn't realize that the ER have comprehension also. I guess I just assumed it was for reading practice. That's great to know! Thanks again!

I'm so glad you are feeling content with your placement, and I do think it sounds like both of your dc will do well with Beyond. It's important to consider placement, so you are wise to do that, but now you can just enjoy the teaching since the decision has been made and you have a great plan in place. The ERS has a schedule of reading and comprehension questions in Beyond's Appendix. We loved the bite-sized reading assignments, and the questions were written according to Bloom's Taxonomy, so they built an excellent foundation for incrementally improving reading comprehension. Much better than my questions I used to come up with on the fly! Enjoy Beyond..., it gave us such a happy year with each of our dc the years they were that age.

In Christ,
Julie