Thinking ahead to next year...help please!

[tnahid]

Okay, I am thinking ahead to next year already. I know it's early, but I want to clarify something. Now, my son who will be 10 in Feb. is doing Beyond with his younger brother this year. So next year, I plan to do both of them in Bigger. Now, if I do history/science extensions along with the DITHOR 4/5, won't this be a tremendous amount of reading for him? I am just wondering. It sounds wonderful, but I am also looking at our budget for this, and it may get a bit pricey with all of these books.

I appreciate any help in this area you can give. This year, we had to work out a way to do science with him, as he did NOT like doing a science journal at all. He said he wanted a book that he could read and that would then ask him questions that he could just write down...a regular textbook... I was like, sigh well okay. So, we got the R&S 3rd grade science book, and he LOVES it. He told me today, "Mom, I REALLY like this science book." Oooookay....I would think that this science book is SO dry and boring, but he likes it. He is a VERY structure oriented child, very black and white. I LOVE the living science book approach, but it stresses him out he says.

Anyway, DITHOR has been a similar struggle, but he LOVES the book selections and really enjoys reading. I have seen a big improvement in his reading aloud skills in just this year! Yay! It's funny, but he even likes to read his R&S science book aloud to me. He reads it with expression, and even I think it is interesting! I attribute this to the reading aloud time in Beyond and DITHOR.

With that said, I am a bit concerned about the History/Science extensions, since they are more of the journaling approach. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he has been in an institutional school setting for the past 2 years, and that is why he is more textbook oriented. Not sure, but if he could simply READ the history portions of the books and not have to journal or anything about them, I think he would do fine. If he could just read them to me and tell me what he learned orally. Is this a good option? Otherwise, I see it continuing to be a struggle with this approach, although he LOVES the history read-alouds, etc, and learns a lot. He is more of an audio learner I think.

Thanks for any help with this. So, two things, how to be more economical in this, and how to approach his style of learning in these areas a little better.

Hope it's clear as mud!

[my3sons]

Hi Tina! I have a ds who would have loved to have read textbooks, filled out an accompanying worksheet, and been done with it. He is my oldest and a perfectionist. He is very bright and not lazy, but he tends to prefer there be one answer to things, and he loves to give that one answer and be "right". I have chosen to encourage him to expand his horizons by doing the living books in HOD, and I've been very happy with the results. He has to think so much more when questions are higher level, when assignments are open-ended, for those types of questions/assignments are more complex, and they don't have the one, right answer. Likewise, living books are more complex than textbooks, as they weave many different layers throughout the book. For instance, an author's personality or unique writing style is inherent, whereas a textbook reads like a textbook, and the author is rarely a consideration when choosing it. Christian beliefs are often a part of many of the living books HOD chooses, and that is of course most often left out of textbooks. Over time, I'd be willing to bet your ds would be like mine, and would gravitate more and more to living books, rereading, and rereading them, just for fun, over and over again. These are just a few of the many reasons your bright ds should be challenged to move out of his comfort zone and read living books (IMO). On a side note, having a child like this can be a good thing character-wise, as they tend to know right from wrong and adhere to those beliefs strictly. The challenge is to also teach them compassion for others, even when they make a mistake, as dc like this tend to be somewhat judgmental. This has been our experience at least.

So, in answer to your questions - You are already being able to be very economical by combining 2 dc in one program, and very little extra will be needed for your older ds other than the extension package, which extends the areas of history and science, and whatever LA/math levels he needs. In BHFHG, science becomes a daily subject that has a variety of skills and follow-ups throughout the week:
*Day 1: practice narration by retelling the science story
*Day 2: create a science notebook entry
*Day 3: conduct an experiment related to the reading and log it
in a science notebook
*Day 4: practice narration by retelling the science story
*Day 5: conduct an experiment related to the reading and orally
discuss it

The BHFHG Appendix explains the extensions well. Here is a portion of what it says...

Older students should first listen along with younger students to the scheduled history readings in Bigger Hearts for His Glory. Then, older students will independently read the assigned text and literature from the Extension Package for each unit. These readings will provide more details about people and events already being studied as well as immersing older students in the time period being studied.

It goes on to say this about science...

In the area of science, Exploring Planet Earth is used to provide more advanced science material on topics not already covered in the science portion of Bigger Hearts for His Glory. This text was not chosen to use as a substitute for the science in Bigger Hearts for His Glory, rather it was selected to use in addition to the science resources and experiments already found in Bigger Hearts for His Glory. Exploring Planet Earth covers a similar time period in history to that being studied in Bigger Hearts for His Glory.

Blending a creationism perspective of science with definitions of terms and identification of famous explorers and scientists, this book gives students an excellent knowledge of people and places. Rather than corresponding by unit to the science plans, it is meant to be used as a stand alone text that introduces students to even more men of science in a biographical way. The Story of Thomas Alva Edison is scheduled in the Appendix in addition to the biography of Edison already used in Bigger Hearts for His Glory. It provides more events and details from Edison's life. .

Here are the follow-ups suggested for the extensions
Depending on your goals for your older students’ independent readings, you may want to assess their reading comprehension in some way. Some suggestions for assessment of your older students’ reading could include having them do a combination of the following things:
• orally retell what they’ve read (suggested twice during each unit)
• write a one paragraph summary of the reading (suggested twice during each unit)
• draw a picture with captions about the reading (suggested once during each unit)

So there is a nice variety of follow-ups that is more directed than journaling, and thus more skill focused, while still providing the opportunity (and the challenge) for dc to respond in more creative, personal ways to what they've read. As far as approaching your ds's learning style, I would give him a rich diet of CM style learning, and watch him blossom! I remember Andreola commenting specifically about how it is important not to tailor learning toward personal learning styles, but rather to encourage development of them all, as this creates a well-rounded individual who can function well in a variety of situations, with a variety of people - which this world is sure full of. I hope something here helps! Good questions!

In Christ,
Julie

[tnahid]

Thank you, Julie! That was VERY helpful. I appreciate you so much taking the time to answer this... You are a blessing! And I do agree. I think you are right!

P.S. One great thing is that this curriculum has truly helped is to give my son a love of reading. He LOVES to read now, which is something he did not like while he was in school. I am so thankful!

Thank you!

[shellbell]

Just wanted to say thank you for posting this. My older son fits many of your descriptions. We have been using R&S which we all like, but I am finding it difficult to really be a part of everyone's schooling in the way that I would like when each one is studying something different. Yes they are able to get the work done and they understand what they are learning and they are good independent workers, but I would really like to do their science and history with each one (I mean read though it together and discuss it, not just having them read it and me grade the work) and can not do that now that I have a baby and a kindergartner. So I am looking to put the older 2 in Bigger ASAP, so that they can be combined and we can all study the same thing together. They are almost 9 and almost 11 (their birthdays are in a few weeks), 3rd and 5th grade. I know Bigger will be the perfect level for my 3rd grader. I will add the extensions for the 5th grader. I think it might be a little easy academically for my 5th grader, but I know he is going to be stretched in a lot of the ways that you mentioned with your son. My son does like to draw, he usually enjoys making maps in his history and such, but when it comes to more relational questions and questions that make him think "out of the box" he doesn't it like to much! I know this from our current discussions we have with R&S. He also is not big on journaling. Very black and white and to the point! Although he does enjoy writing poems and stories when they are not assigned. So I guess all that to say that I really appreciated knowing that there are others in this boat as this was my only "concern" in starting Bigger. Which it wasn't really a concern, I just know it will be stretching for him. In fact when I was telling him that I was thinking of switching curriculum for some part of our schooling and what we would do, he said that he likes what he is doing now and wasn't to sure about changing. He did say that he would try it though, esp. after I said that I wasn't getting rid of his textbooks, he could still have them to read through and look at. I think we'll have some challenging days, but they will be good and in the long run better for him.

[tnahid]

So glad you found this helpful! Julie's answers always make me feel better!

[my3sons]

Glad to help shellbell, and glad to meet you too! I bet you will love BHFHG. It is an outstanding program! We are in the middle of it now, and it's my second time through with my second son - still lovin' it. I look forward to getting to know you here!

In Christ,
Julie