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Ruth Beechick vs. Samuel Blumenfeld's HTT


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So, I have read The Three R's twice in my homeschooling years I think but it has been years since I last read it.  Both times I read it before I put it down and did nothing with it.  I have never read her book for grades 4-8 and I remember glancing over her book about A Biblical Home Education and deciding it wasn't what I was looking for at the time.  Now I think I am in a different place and I think I may want more of a guide of basic skills and lessons for grades K-3 and would also be interested in the grades 4-8 book because I am questioning if I want to keep our content reading and narrations separate or combine them somehow.  Anyway, I am pretty sure I am not going to agree with her about grammar and maybe not about spelling but I am willing to tweak a basic set of lesson plans to fit my philosophies about spelling and also add in grammar in grades 4-8.  I also don't know her stance on math curriculum, but I would definitely be using a math curriculum from 4th grade through high school.  

 

Anyway, I was looking at Samuel Blumenfeld's How to Tutor (which I own on my kindle app) and am thinking about following the cursive lesson plans but instead using a Cursive First font and using it to teach beginning blending.  Following that I would use the reading section and then once they were able to read I would have them doing copywork and reading on their own and then begin the arithmetic section.  I know this isn't how it was intended to be used (cursive to spelling to reading to arithmetic) but I think I could make it work.  It introduces the letters in a different order than I would but I may be willing to fore-go my normal order so that it was also useful for spelling words to learn blending.  

 

I don't think I own a paperback copy of either The Three R's or HTT anymore and if I do they are boxed up in the garage.  I am considering ordering HTT if I attempt the cursive/spelling plans with my 5 year old and they go well so that I have something larger to work with for the reading lessons, but I am wondering if I would rather order The Three R's.  Unfortunately you can only buy her book A Biblical Home Education on kindle.  Does anyone have input on how they compare and what people would be drawn more to one than the other?  Maybe I will read A Biblical Home Education on my kindle and go from there.  Is A Biblical Home Education meant to cover all subjects or does one still need her other books to understand her methods?  

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

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There is quite a bit of overlap between the two, but they complement each other nicely, and each includes content that the other doesn't.

 

HTT is more explicit. 3R's is more inspiring that you don't need explicit instructions. Both are meant to be used instead of a textbook.

 

If you want open-and-go, buy HTT. If you want to be inspired that you CAN do your own thing, buy 3R's.

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Well, I already feel that I CAN, but if she offers additional ideas I might welcome them.  I looked over A Biblical Home Education, but I am afraid I will be put off by her view of language arts.  I am sure there are some areas in which we agree, but the ones we don't agree on my turn my stomach one too many times.....

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After skimming Biblical Home Education, I was afraid it looked more like theory than practical. I gave away my Beechick book for 4-8; it wasn't as explicit and practical as 3R's. When it comes to Beechick, I have whittled my collection of her books down to just the 3R's.

 

Can your borrow these books from your library?

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Unfortunately the library has been pretty much outlawed by my husband because of racking up fines but I can go there and see if they have them and look through them to see if they are worth ordering.  

 

I used HTT last night and this morning with my 5 year old.  Her writing of a, m, and n in cursive went well but she still can't remember what the words am and an say.  I usually would teach all of the single-letter phonograms before blending but I want to try his way.  Also, I normally teach all the clockface letters first and then all the loop letters, etc.  But it didn't seem to be hard for her to go from writing an a to an m so I will continue.....Maybe am and an are not memorable enough.  Most little children don't even use the word an as they should so they don't really recognize the word by hearing it....

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Little ones recognize nouns easier. HTT has been perfect for my adults, and the thrill of writing a full cursive sentence is heady for them, but the Hoenshel list I've linked you to, before, teaches single word nouns, first, if you find you need that for a 5 year old. Was it you, that balked at the LONG explanation of presenting "hat"? Maybe not. Read pages 11-26.

http://books.google.com/books?id=u1cXAAAAIAAJ&oe=UTF-8

 

I do find words, instead of just phonograms, necessary for some of my students. HTT is the best to write full sentences with just a few letters. Hoenshel gives the best single words list. 3R's is the best do-it-yourself instructions for creating your own child specific list.

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