Thinking HoD next year and can't decide on which LA and math

[birchbark]

I am trying HoD this year, just for history/geography, poetry, music, and storytime. I'm leaning heavily toward using the entire program for next year. However, I can't decide if I should go with their rec's for LA and math (R&S and Singapore) or with CLE, which has such rave reviews. Does anyone who has used both prefer R&S or Singapore? It seems like so many have switched.

 

I am such a researcher and tweaker that I was hoping to just go with someone else's planning for once. :) I will have a baby next year and want to simplify school a little bit without sacrificing quality. I do think I will add in Daily Grammar Practice either way. It looks like such a good program and only takes 5 minutes. And I would prob do WWTB which is also recommended.

 

Also want to know if HoD (thinking CTC) contains enough classical LA skills apart from the LA add-ins. Like dictation and stuff.

[Donna T.]

I'm a happy HOD user. The LA is my favorite part of HOD. I really like everything about it but the LA is just what I had been hoping for. We're using R&S. It's just a part of the HOD LA program. The LA is woven throughout the guide. I think you could just as easily use CLE. We tried one unit of CLE and I prefer R&S. They are quite similiar. As long as your child is able to integrate what he/she is learning in CLE and apply those skills to the HOD assignments, you may be just as happy with CLE. The skills that the child is learning in whatever level of R&S they are using are needed to complete the work in that particular guide. If you are covering those same skills in another program, you will be fine. I don't mean that there is a perfect match up but the skill-level is about the same. I don't think this is so important until Preparing and on up. Then, you do want to be sure you are covering the appropriate content though there are probably lots of curricula that could meet that need. R&S was chosen for the thorough lessons, the traditional style, and the Biblical-flavor.

 

We use other math curricula but are using Singapore as a supplement. You don't have to use Singapore but it seems that the HOD users who switch over are generally happy with the switch. It is suggested that you start the Singapore Instructor's Guides by 3A and some do that earlier.

 

It's really just what you prefer to do. The LA is perhaps the main reason that I plan to stick with HOD. I love knowing that the child is being taught just what he/she needs to know to progress and complete the work with success. We do everything - the writing assignments, the poetry, the oral/written narrations, the suggested extra resources, the dictation/copywork... I follow it exactly plus add a spelling workbook and Greek. It's a very well-rounded LA curriculum and I love it.

[Donna T.]

Also want to know if HoD (thinking CTC) contains enough classical LA skills apart from the LA add-ins. Like dictation and stuff.

 

Yes, definately. In Bigger Hearts, you just begin to get a taste for HOD's LA. By the time that you get to Preparing, it is very full with a variety of skills being developed. The guides have multiple levels of dictation so you can place your child where you think he/she should start but you are not bound to that. You can bump them up or down as needed. There is alot of copywork, atleast we think it's alot :001_smile:. That is in addition to the dictation and writing lessons.

 

If you have questions you could email Carrie Austin directly. She responds to emails quickly and gives alot of details. I know they have had an ill child so she was alittle slow on responding there for a few days but she will write back to you and address your particular situation/needs.

[Zebra]

I think the program is easier for Mom if you go with HOD's LA and Math. Plenty of people happily use it with substitutions, but I think if you're on the fence definitely go with whatever HOD suggests. Keep it simple if you can :)!

[MIch elle]

My older ds used R&S math 3-6,8 and English 3-7. I switched my younger ds to CLE math & LA. I like CLE better.

[Sheila in OK]

We are loving HOD Bigger this year, but I kind of wish I'd just stuck with what we were using (succesfully) last year instead of switching over to R&S and Singapore. My kids hate, hate, hate R&S English and I finally gave up last week. DD was already doing her own math (TT), but I switched ds to Singapore from BJU. Singapore had him in tears and he begged to go back to BJU. I finally gave in this week and he is SO much happier.

 

So if you already have LA/math that is working, I don't think I'd switch, but if you're open to R&S and Singapore it wouldn't hurt to try. I think they are good programs, just not a good fit at our house. I will say that we are doing the other LA parts of Bigger (copywork, dictation for spelling, notebooking pages, poetry, etc.) and LOVE it.

 

Also wanted to add that it is really easy just to plug in your own LA/math to the schedule if you're already using something that works.

[hmschooling]

R&S Grammar is top notch in my book! The writing instruction is great, the lessons are quick and effective, and once I do the oral review and a couple examples on the white board, dd is ready to finish on her own. The interaction, while it is brief, makes a load of difference in dc learning and retaining grammar. I also love that the oral review is everyday and really makes her think about what she's learned...it's not the same as just filling in the blank reviews.

 

Also, the writing is in R&S. HOD adds to this as well. There is plenty of writing instruction-- and both R&S and HOD's writing instruction/program choices are excellent, strong choices.

 

HOD has LA woven throughout the plans. Copywork may come from science, Bible, poetry, history, etc. There is wonderful variety. And it's not always just plain 'ol copywork...sometimes it copy this scripture on the top of your lab sheet and then draw a picture of the the tides from your science lesson. Or copy this stanza of poetry and draw/paint the picture it puts in your mind. Dictation is structured and builds up well...it's deceptively simple b/c it's not really long...quantity is not HOD's goal...but quality. A short passage that has excellent examples of correct grammar, punctuation, word choice, etc. and written in dc's best handwriting, is by far better than a long paragraph of "ho hum" writing.

 

My kids dont' always like what we are using for our 3R's...but when it comes to grammar, math, and the like-- retention, effectiveness, content, and ease of use for me are top priority..I mean, really, what kid is really going to "like" a grammar book. Generally, I find that if my kid really LIKES a certain book (basics, not literature), it's because it doesn't make them think and is just easy for them. My dd will tell you anyday, she loves R&S...she will complete that by saying, "well, I don't really like it, but I really like that I'm learning so much and can remember it. And I like to correct my mom and dad's grammar and quotation marks. (insert girly giggle)." ;)

 

Singapore Math is has given my kids an amazing ability to USE math and DO math. I'm now using Math Mammoth with the oldest, b/c she isn't ready to move on in SM...we needed to fill some gaps from our schooling before we moved on to Singapore. It is very much like SM but it's a bit more independent..I teach some, and she does the rest. I LOVED Singapore math with HOD's plans...When we got to 3A, I was a bit overwhelmed by the HIG and HOD no longer had hands on activities planned. So we transitioned then. SM is AMAZING and simple to teach using HOD's plans. We NEVER needed drill or extra workbooks. I went too quickly in SM with DD and ran into some issues...HOD's plans seem so simple, but WOW, that mixed with the SM lesson really do work. If only I had followed it exactly!

 

I am using the hands on stuff for my K'er for SM earlybird K but we usually dont' do the workbook lesson. I just have him show me with manipulatives or drawing on the white board. He looks at the pages with me in the book and acts it out. It's wonderful. Her activities are that effective and SM'a methods are that good. He is a math maniac! WAY math-minded at the age of 5. Quicker in his head than I am! LOL

 

I'm sure you will enjoy HOD either way, but being able to just do what the plans say and not have toplan something else is wonderful!

[i.love.lucy]

I don't really have much else to share except to agree with what has been posted. HoD is a very strong program, and when I started I began with R&S and Singapore. I found I didn't like R&S, too repetitive and long, not independent enough. And my dd just did. not. get. Singapore. So I switched both to CLE and have been very happy. YMMV. It's been seamless for me to do my own math (especially since we do 2 lessons a day) and grammar. Easy peasy.

[Sheila in OK]

I don't require my kids to *like* everything either. But when something isn't a good fit, it isn't a good fit. I too think R&S is a good, solid program, it just wasn't for us. I tend to get excited about a new program and want to do *everything* just the way they suggest, but I'm learning that if we are already doing something that is working, we shouldn't mess with it. ;)

[birchbark]

Thanks for the replies. These are all good thoughts. I'm wondering if I should just get the HoD rec texts and perhaps the first lightunit of each subject and try them both for a little while, to see which goes better. Maybe over the summer or something.

[i.love.lucy]

Keep in mind the first LU for math is completely review, so it may go great, or seem to easy. You might want to do the placement test and see where they place, then get that LU since they are so cheap. Make sense?

[birchbark]

Keep in mind the first LU for math is completely review, so it may go great, or seem to easy. You might want to do the placement test and see where they place, then get that LU since they are so cheap. Make sense?

 

This is good to know!

 

For those of you who use CLE with HoD, how do you schedule the work?

[birchbark]

UPDATE: I posted this on the HoD board but thought it might be useful here as well:

 

"DS and I spent the last few weeks trying out both CLE and R&S for grammar. I had heard great reports about both programs, and didn't know what I wanted to use next year with CTC. So I thought I would try out both and see which worked better for DS and I.

 

I really thought CLE would win out; certainly the workbook and spiral format would be easier for DS and I was drawn to the idea of more independent learning so as to have more time with my littles. But after road-testing, this is what we discovered: I was actually spending MORE time doing CLE. Going over all his work and then explaining where he went wrong got time-consuming and I realized that I was just doing my teaching after the fact rather than before. When we did R&S the HoD-recommended way (most of the lesson orally and on the markerboard with just a few exercises on paper), it was fast and smooth and well-absorbed. DS at first said he liked the workbook, but after correcting it with me for a few sessions he sighed and said, "I guess I like the yellow grammar better, Mom."

 

Another thing I noticed is that his handwriting got pretty sloppy on the single lines in the workbook. It stayed nicer on notebook paper.

 

So if any of you are unsure about R&S, give it a try before you knock it. HoD really does have great recommendations."

 

 

Now I just need to decide on math. I have Singapore in hand but Math Mammoth sure has a strong pull!!! Arggh!