Love2Smile Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Have any of you used this?? How does it work and do you like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I haven't used it, but I can tell you that based on the samples I've seen on the Web site, it wouldn't interest me at all. It's way too much like public school stuff, where the teachers are trying to make up for a lack of good strong phonics instruction by doing lots of stuff with trade books (books you would buy or get from the library as opposed to vocabulary-controlled basal readers). I canot imagine myself actually having those conversations with my dc. They would just stare at me and wonder what on earth....??? I know there are many people who use and like it, and I'm sure they'll comment (perhaps they'll be kind to me, lol), but this is JMHO. It is not a product I would use. Ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I love it! We have used it for 2 years now and I will use it for my youngest next year as well. I am switching my 7th grader to LL 7 next year. At the beginning of the school year, we discuss genres. What they are, what are examples, etc. Then I let dc pick out their first genre. We discuss that in more detail. They pick out the same genre so this is a combined discussion. Next we chose a book for each dc. If you have similar reading stages, you could pick one book and have them take turns reading aloud. Then I go through the activities and pick out about half that I want them to do for that book. You dont want to do all the lessons, you want to save some for when you go through that genre again. Then we start reading. My youngest still reads aloud, but my oldest would read silently to herself then does the assignment. We would discuss it together. When that book is finished, we pick another genre and start the process again. The exception to this rule is a series. We did Little House on the PRaire last year. I used this for Historical Fiction and Adventure. So we covered 2 genres using the series. We also did The Castleberry Farm Mystery series. This covered both fiction and mystery. It is very easy, very straightforward. It really developed a love of reading for my oldest. We had done BJU Reading previously. That is a fine program - no question about it. But, it did not instill a joy of reading. It was more tedious than fun. I am glad we did BJU, it helped in many ways - esp around 3rd grade. But, I started my youngest with DITHOR in 2nd grade and did not think twice about it. I am switching over to LL 7 now rather than complete DITHOR in 8th grade because I want to dive into literature more thoroughly. I could remain with DITHOR and be okay, but I feel more comfortable with the LL concept at this point. Never having taught LL, I do not know if this is a smart move or not. But, I always have DITHOR or even BJU Lit Studies to fall back on. If you have more specific questions, please feel free to ask!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 To address one of Ellie's concerns, you select the books you want to use. If you want to use Little Bear readers, Amelia Bedelia or even BJU or Abeka readers, you can do that. The point of DITHOR is flexability. With my oldest, I started the program second semester 4th grade after several years of BJU. She was a solid reader. With my youngest, I started it 2nd grade after a solid year of BJU instruction. I used DITHOR with GWG and SWR to complement my language arts. Also, DITHOR can be used to complement history or science. Many times we have used readers for history as our DITHOR choice. I have also used biographies (another genre) of great scientists to supplement what we are doing in science. My gf looked at DITHOR and did not like it due to the flexibility. She wanted a more structured program like BJU or Abeka. So, alot depends on what and where you are going and your teacher style vs student learning style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love2Smile Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 Well I do like the fact that I can pick my own books...Do you have the book list? How extensive is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tami Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I agree that the TM is way too schoolish. The workbooks have good ideas. Another resource I like almost better is "How to Report on Books" by Evan Moor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 They do sell a book list for about $5 I think. They also have several books listed for sale on their website. Even if you dont purchase them, it gives you a good idea. I bought and use their booklist. But honestly, I also use booklists on line. One of my favorites: http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html Also, I check out the Sonlight booklist, Veritas Press, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ann@thebeach Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 They have all the books used in the programs on their web-site and in their catalog. The catalog is new this year and has lots of great information. Each program has a booklist by genre by "classics" or "boys" or "girls" so there are lots of choices if you WANT a list done for you. Once you hear the author speak about it it does not seem so academic as I first thought. It seems quite doable and not "too schoolish" to me at all. But I have a different perspective now that I heard the author talk more about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 What's LL? Sorry to interrupt. Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dayle in Guatemala Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 We did DITHOR and had a wonderful time with it. My dc liked it and I thought the activities were great. We had good conversations and learned a lot. Not much more to add to HollyDay's review. We had the same experience as she. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 To address one of Ellie's concerns, you select the books you want to use. That isn't one of my concerns :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 What's LL? Sorry to interrupt. Wendi Hi Wendi!!! LL is Lightning Literature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 That isn't one of my concerns :-) Sorry Ellie!! I misunderstood. I think what I was trying to say, is one could certainly use the type of books you described. I hit the send button before I proofed it!! Again, sorry for the misinterpretation on my part!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntPol Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I have it bought and actually can't wait to implement it. I would say it the one curriculum that I am most excited about starting! My son is coming out of public school and is a high level reader. He is thrilled to be able to pick his own books at his level instead of being stuck reading things he read years ago. My DD who will remain in school is actually upset because she thinks the workbook looks interesting. She's very visual so she likes graphic organizers. I told her I would get her a workbook so she can do the worksheets too LOL. I sat down last week to align my curriculum choices with the state standards to make sure I didn't leave anything out and DITHOR covers almost everything (except simile and metaphors but that is covered in my writing program) and often goes beyond. I also went through to see how it stood up with Bloom's Taxonomy and found that it touches all levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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