HOD

[Heather in VA]

The summary narrations come in later! It's not overlooked, just the kids will be learning both skills, instead of just one. ;)

 

I don't know how this falls in HOD, but I completely agree that the summary narration should be a later skill, not something a 2nd or 3rd grader should be focusing on as is done in WWE. In Classical Writing, the focus of summaries is to identify the key parts of a narrative - in CW they are calls essentials - and those that are not critical to the narrative's purpose (accidentals). When a student can identify the purpose of a narrative and see which portions are essential to that purpose, they can begin to see how to more effectively choose information in their own writing to complete their purpose. This begins in Homer and continues in Maxim. This type of work requires more advanced thinking than an early-mid elementary student is prepared for. So while you can go through WWE and talk about summaries, you really aren't going to be able to utilize the concept of a summary effectively until the student is older. So I prefer to focus on developing good narrations, forming good sentences etc in the early years so that writing structure foundation is solid when it comes time to move the focus to the content of the writing.

 

Heather

[kwickimom]

DITHOR question-

 

Did anyone jump in at level 4/5? I am still not sure what level I should do with DD9. I was thinking of buying both levels and see where she would fit. I was going to start her in 2/3 just because she has never done anything like it before.

[twoxcell]

My siter just started her 10 year old at level 4/5 last month. From what she has told me both her, and her dd love the program. Her dd is an avid reader though, and loves school.

[Donna T.]

I just wanted to share that HOD's LA is super. Super great :D. I used Preparing with the Extensions and DITHOR with my then 5th grader last year. Before HOD, he had done Rod & Staff English 2 and part of English 3 and Spelling 2, 3 and 4. He had also done FLL 1, 2 (from K to middle of 2nd grade) and 3 (in 4th grade) and WWE 2 (tried it in 3rd/4th but it didn't work well for him), Writing Tales 2 (4th), and a good bit of the workbooks published by Queen Homeschool Supplies.

 

So, he had had alot of "teaching" and he did OK. He was a pretty good speller and had an excellent grammar base, but he was a very reluctant writer. VERY!! He cried many tears over his writing many days.

 

When we started HOD, we dropped FLL (which he really enjoyed) and WWE (which he hated) and went back to Rod & Staff for English 4. I also stuck with Rod & Staff Spelling since he had started it in 2nd grade and it worked well for him. We used the LA in Preparing pretty much "as is" and the DITHOR workbook at Level 2/3. His readers were probably closer to a 6th/7th grade reading level but I used them with the lower level workbook because I wasn't sure if he was ready for alot of writing, though he did love to discuss his books orally.

 

All that to say that it all just "came together" for him after we started HOD. Honestly, the LA in HOD is just the best we have used and his skills grew by leaps and bounds. Carrie's plans are so easy to follow, very thorough, and it all just "clicked" for him. I loved everything about HOD but the LA was the absolute best... I am very, very thankful for his year with HOD.

 

It really is not all that different from TWTM. I think if you like TWTM you will also like the LA in HOD. I think the difference for us with HOD is that Carrie really holds the child's hand and it is VERY clear what he is supposed to be doing. I have heard some say it is "spoon feeding" the child and makes it too easy but my son needed it to be easy, he needed the very clear instructions and he needed the clear expectations. With Carrie's lesson plans, he knew what was expected of him and he knew just exactly what he was supposed to do and he did it, his writing improved dramatically. I also found that I felt more confident teaching Carrie's lessons and that probably helped alot.

 

Well, I just wanted to share. HOD's LA was a huge benefit to my son and he really grew in his writing skills last year.

[Leimarie]

Can we discuss DITHOR? I'm just really torn on this one. Can't decide if I want it or not.

 

I used it this past year for my 3rd grader (the rest of our curricula was totally eclectic). I didn't follow word for word (like the introduction activities and such) but we did use the worksheets and discussion questions. I liked it and may use it more "completely" ;) this coming year. Our BoE (we report to the local county system) reviewer really liked the worksheets from DITHOR that were in the portfolio.

[Leimarie]

I just wanted to share that HOD's LA is super. Super great :D. I used Preparing with the Extensions and DITHOR with my then 5th grader last year. Before HOD, he had done Rod & Staff English 2 and part of English 3 and Spelling 2, 3 and 4. He had also done FLL 1, 2 (from K to middle of 2nd grade) and 3 (in 4th grade) and WWE 2 (tried it in 3rd/4th but it didn't work well for him), Writing Tales 2 (4th), and a good bit of the workbooks published by Queen Homeschool Supplies.

 

So, he had had alot of "teaching" and he did OK. He was a pretty good speller and had an excellent grammar base, but he was a very reluctant writer. VERY!! He cried many tears over his writing many days.

 

When we started HOD, we dropped FLL (which he really enjoyed) and WWE (which he hated) and went back to Rod & Staff for English 4. I also stuck with Rod & Staff Spelling since he had started it in 2nd grade and it worked well for him. We used the LA in Preparing pretty much "as is" and the DITHOR workbook at Level 2/3. His readers were probably closer to a 6th/7th grade reading level but I used them with the lower level workbook because I wasn't sure if he was ready for alot of writing, though he did love to discuss his books orally.

 

All that to say that it all just "came together" for him after we started HOD. Honestly, the LA in HOD is just the best we have used and his skills grew by leaps and bounds. Carrie's plans are so easy to follow, very thorough, and it all just "clicked" for him. I loved everything about HOD but the LA was the absolute best... I am very, very thankful for his year with HOD.

 

It really is not all that different from TWTM. I think if you like TWTM you will also like the LA in HOD. I think the difference for us with HOD is that Carrie really holds the child's hand and it is VERY clear what he is supposed to be doing. I have heard some say it is "spoon feeding" the child and makes it too easy but my son needed it to be easy, he needed the very clear instructions and he needed the clear expectations. With Carrie's lesson plans, he knew what was expected of him and he knew just exactly what he was supposed to do and he did it, his writing improved dramatically. I also found that I felt more confident teaching Carrie's lessons and that probably helped alot.

 

Well, I just wanted to share. HOD's LA was a huge benefit to my son and he really grew in his writing skills last year.

 

Can I just tell you how happy I am to read this?!?!?! I will be ordering Preparing for my (will-be) 4th grade 10yo because skill-wise I know he is capable of all of it, but he is a very complaining writer so I hesitated for a bit, but hearing success from a family that dealt with similar reluctance is very encouraging! I have had him read the samples for himself and I actually saw a little excitement in his face, which we have NOT had this past year.

[blessed2five]

My dd 9 will be using Preparing in the fall with PR 3. Can anyone tell me if the writing instruction in Preparing that is not in Rod & Staff will be enough for her along with PR? or do I need to add an independent writing program alongside PR? Part of me just wants to get R&S 3 just to make sure I have all my bases covered.

[Twilight Woods]

I just wanted to share that HOD's LA is super. Super great :D. I used Preparing with the Extensions and DITHOR with my then 5th grader last year. Before HOD, he had done Rod & Staff English 2 and part of English 3 and Spelling 2, 3 and 4. He had also done FLL 1, 2 (from K to middle of 2nd grade) and 3 (in 4th grade) and WWE 2 (tried it in 3rd/4th but it didn't work well for him), Writing Tales 2 (4th), and a good bit of the workbooks published by Queen Homeschool Supplies.

 

So, he had had alot of "teaching" and he did OK. He was a pretty good speller and had an excellent grammar base, but he was a very reluctant writer. VERY!! He cried many tears over his writing many days.

 

When we started HOD, we dropped FLL (which he really enjoyed) and WWE (which he hated) and went back to Rod & Staff for English 4. I also stuck with Rod & Staff Spelling since he had started it in 2nd grade and it worked well for him. We used the LA in Preparing pretty much "as is" and the DITHOR workbook at Level 2/3. His readers were probably closer to a 6th/7th grade reading level but I used them with the lower level workbook because I wasn't sure if he was ready for alot of writing, though he did love to discuss his books orally.

 

All that to say that it all just "came together" for him after we started HOD. Honestly, the LA in HOD is just the best we have used and his skills grew by leaps and bounds. Carrie's plans are so easy to follow, very thorough, and it all just "clicked" for him. I loved everything about HOD but the LA was the absolute best... I am very, very thankful for his year with HOD.

 

It really is not all that different from TWTM. I think if you like TWTM you will also like the LA in HOD. I think the difference for us with HOD is that Carrie really holds the child's hand and it is VERY clear what he is supposed to be doing. I have heard some say it is "spoon feeding" the child and makes it too easy but my son needed it to be easy, he needed the very clear instructions and he needed the clear expectations. With Carrie's lesson plans, he knew what was expected of him and he knew just exactly what he was supposed to do and he did it, his writing improved dramatically. I also found that I felt more confident teaching Carrie's lessons and that probably helped alot.

 

Well, I just wanted to share. HOD's LA was a huge benefit to my son and he really grew in his writing skills last year.

 

Ok NOW I am really excited about doing HOD :) Thank you for your feedback!! This has helped solidify our decision.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I don't know how this falls in HOD, but I completely agree that the summary narration should be a later skill, not something a 2nd or 3rd grader should be focusing on as is done in WWE. In Classical Writing, the focus of summaries is to identify the key parts of a narrative - in CW they are calls essentials - and those that are not critical to the narrative's purpose (accidentals). When a student can identify the purpose of a narrative and see which portions are essential to that purpose, they can begin to see how to more effectively choose information in their own writing to complete their purpose. This begins in Homer and continues in Maxim. This type of work requires more advanced thinking than an early-mid elementary student is prepared for. So while you can go through WWE and talk about summaries, you really aren't going to be able to utilize the concept of a summary effectively until the student is older. So I prefer to focus on developing good narrations, forming good sentences etc in the early years so that writing structure foundation is solid when it comes time to move the focus to the content of the writing.

 

Heather

 

 

I just had an "Aha" moment, complete with light bulb. I've been so tempted to get WWE since borrowing it from the library but any insecurity I had over our CM route has been relieved.

 

I'm glad I didn't totally avoid this thread like I was wanting to initially - I did gain something useful from it. :)

 

I should walk away now and go start my own LBC thread but since it seems the whole world has gone HOD I'd probably be best going to bed instead. :tongue_smilie:'Nite ladies!

[Edwena]

I'm copying and pasting from another forum what I typed up about our experience with DITHOR.

 

The long and short of it is that I love it and ds loves it too!!! He says things like, "Momma, aren't you so glad it's time for reading?"

 

We use it 5x's a week (it could be used less, say 3x). You can use any book with it as long as it's on the child's reading level. I've just picked the books for ds. What I love is that we're reading genres I would never choose. For example, I would rarely pick a fantasy book, but we've read 2 so far and liked both of them really well. There's vocabulary work (3x's in a 20 day period), not a ton, where it's overwhelming, but this is something I've never done with ds. There's several different formats to use, synonyms, contextual clues, etc.

 

We love the kickoff for the genres. It's where you do fun activities to introduce the genre. It really has a unit study feel. Then there's a wrap up to the genre too. For example, for the Fantasy genre, my ds made a large mural of the book that he read.

 

It's about really getting to know a book rather than just devouring it. I ask him questions (that are in the manual) which help him narrate things back to me. DS really likes this. On days when there were no questions, he's asked me, "What are my questions today?"

 

I love that we're loving different Godly charact traits, faith, fear of the Lord, brotherly love, etc. We discuss their definitions, examples of it in our lives and how we can show the trait more, what Bible character showed these traits, and whether the characters are demonstrating these traits or the opposite of the character traits. This has led to our everyday lives. Both my children have started to say things like, "You were really showing brotherly love, Momma."

 

It covers story element lessons too with us learning about things like characters, setting, mood, etc... DS will draw pictures of the setting, or even contrast the setting with our home in a drawing. We've drawn different expressions on the dry erase board and they are suppose to point to mood being expressed when I'm reading. He loves this and wants to do it when we're not doing DITHOR. There's more, but those are a few examples.

[JoyinIndo]

I just wanted to share that HOD's LA is super. Super great :D. I used Preparing with the Extensions and DITHOR with my then 5th grader last year. Before HOD, he had done Rod & Staff English 2 and part of English 3 and Spelling 2, 3 and 4. He had also done FLL 1, 2 (from K to middle of 2nd grade) and 3 (in 4th grade) and WWE 2 (tried it in 3rd/4th but it didn't work well for him), Writing Tales 2 (4th), and a good bit of the workbooks published by Queen Homeschool Supplies.

 

So, he had had alot of "teaching" and he did OK. He was a pretty good speller and had an excellent grammar base, but he was a very reluctant writer. VERY!! He cried many tears over his writing many days.

 

When we started HOD, we dropped FLL (which he really enjoyed) and WWE (which he hated) and went back to Rod & Staff for English 4. I also stuck with Rod & Staff Spelling since he had started it in 2nd grade and it worked well for him. We used the LA in Preparing pretty much "as is" and the DITHOR workbook at Level 2/3. His readers were probably closer to a 6th/7th grade reading level but I used them with the lower level workbook because I wasn't sure if he was ready for alot of writing, though he did love to discuss his books orally.

 

All that to say that it all just "came together" for him after we started HOD. Honestly, the LA in HOD is just the best we have used and his skills grew by leaps and bounds. Carrie's plans are so easy to follow, very thorough, and it all just "clicked" for him. I loved everything about HOD but the LA was the absolute best... I am very, very thankful for his year with HOD.

 

It really is not all that different from TWTM. I think if you like TWTM you will also like the LA in HOD. I think the difference for us with HOD is that Carrie really holds the child's hand and it is VERY clear what he is supposed to be doing. I have heard some say it is "spoon feeding" the child and makes it too easy but my son needed it to be easy, he needed the very clear instructions and he needed the clear expectations. With Carrie's lesson plans, he knew what was expected of him and he knew just exactly what he was supposed to do and he did it, his writing improved dramatically. I also found that I felt more confident teaching Carrie's lessons and that probably helped alot.

 

Well, I just wanted to share. HOD's LA was a huge benefit to my son and he really grew in his writing skills last year.

 

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing this! What an encouragement. The funny thing is that my upcoming 5th grader pretty much followed the exact same LA path as yours, and I'm ready to have it all come together this next year with HOD.

Thanks again!

[dancer67]

I haven't read all the threads, so my apologies ahead of time if this has already been discussed.

 

I am really leaning on doing the new RevtoRev with my soon to be 13 yo for September. I would use R+S(Not sure if we would do Grade 5 or 6 yet), the DITOHR as well. Their Science and either Math Mammoth or Lials BCM.

 

But, I am torn on what they are recommending for writing. "The Exciting World of Creative Writing".

 

I believe I have seen this book before and it seemed dry. And I am not so sure I want my dd focusing on only creative writing all year. She is very good with that. I want to start focusing on essay writings and research reports.

 

I was wondering what people's thoughts were on this?

[abrightmom]

My dd 9 will be using Preparing in the fall with PR 3. Can anyone tell me if the writing instruction in Preparing that is not in Rod & Staff will be enough for her along with PR? or do I need to add an independent writing program alongside PR? Part of me just wants to get R&S 3 just to make sure I have all my bases covered.

 

Oh no no no! PR 3 is huge! You definitely don't want to use R&S 3 with PR3. That's using two grammar/composition programs side by side. You need to choose one or the other :001_smile:.

[abrightmom]

I'm copying and pasting from another forum what I typed up about our experience with DITHOR.

 

The long and short of it is that I love it and ds loves it too!!! He says things like, "Momma, aren't you so glad it's time for reading?"

 

We use it 5x's a week (it could be used less, say 3x). You can use any book with it as long as it's on the child's reading level. I've just picked the books for ds. What I love is that we're reading genres I would never choose. For example, I would rarely pick a fantasy book, but we've read 2 so far and liked both of them really well. There's vocabulary work (3x's in a 20 day period), not a ton, where it's overwhelming, but this is something I've never done with ds. There's several different formats to use, synonyms, contextual clues, etc.

 

We love the kickoff for the genres. It's where you do fun activities to introduce the genre. It really has a unit study feel. Then there's a wrap up to the genre too. For example, for the Fantasy genre, my ds made a large mural of the book that he read.

 

It's about really getting to know a book rather than just devouring it. I ask him questions (that are in the manual) which help him narrate things back to me. DS really likes this. On days when there were no questions, he's asked me, "What are my questions today?"

 

I love that we're loving different Godly charact traits, faith, fear of the Lord, brotherly love, etc. We discuss their definitions, examples of it in our lives and how we can show the trait more, what Bible character showed these traits, and whether the characters are demonstrating these traits or the opposite of the character traits. This has led to our everyday lives. Both my children have started to say things like, "You were really showing brotherly love, Momma."

 

It covers story element lessons too with us learning about things like characters, setting, mood, etc... DS will draw pictures of the setting, or even contrast the setting with our home in a drawing. We've drawn different expressions on the dry erase board and they are suppose to point to mood being expressed when I'm reading. He loves this and wants to do it when we're not doing DITHOR. There's more, but those are a few examples.

 

Edwena,

 

Your post makes me want to try DITHOR! Goodness gracious, the Lord knew I needed this thread today! As I read these positive experiences with DITHOR I imagine both of my sons really really enjoying it. I am definitely going to try one genre all the way through and then assess!! Thanks so much for sharing.... Good good stuff!!! I like all of the skills and concepts they are learning through DITHOR.

[islandmama]

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing this! What an encouragement. The funny thing is that my upcoming 5th grader pretty much followed the exact same LA path as yours, and I'm ready to have it all come together this next year with HOD.

Thanks again!

 

Sounds like us too!!! I'm going to use Preparing with my 5th grader... I was afraid of R&S but it seems with the copywork, dictation, and narrations, it sounds a bit gentler. And then I remember that SWB recommended R&S for grammar and writing before she completed her FLL and WWE series... So I think it will be just fine! I lean toward the CM side too, similar to Carrie. :)

[Kirch]

OK....just kidding.:tongue_smilie: I have nothing to post. I'm just sad the other HOD threads have gotten bumped away. I miss talking about it because I'm excited about starting soon!! :)

 

Keri! Hi! Fancy meeting you here. :D

 

Nothing to add at the moment--haven't read the rest of the thread yet. Just wanted to say hi!

[home'scoolmom]

Summary narrations are in CTC. Oral summary narrations are scheduled for the read aloud selections. Written summary narrations are assigned with the extension books.

 

We use DITHOR, but have only been using it for a little while. It does take a little extra planning to familiarize yourself with the guide, and look at it ahead of time to know which days are independent and which days are teacher directed each week. I also photocopy the student pages out of each book since the workbook is pretty spendy to use as consumable, IMO. Then I put the week's worth of worksheets in my dc's folders.

 

I'm really liking it so far. I love the character study. I also love the fact that it uses real books, and any that you choose. We've done Pathway and CLE for reading in the past, and I like those too, but I just really like using whole books for teaching reading. Seems to make more sense to me. We don't have the Book Projects book so I can't speak to that. I like the instructions in the guide about how to teach my child to read out loud well, and to have them read a few pages out loud to me. I hadn't been doing that before what has turned out to be very beneficial. I'm even using the 6/7/8 manual with high school level books for the high schoolers. I think it's plenty challenging so far!

 

BTW, would anyone like to give me a quick-and-dirty synopsis of what the WTM/SWB approach is to writing? It's been several years since I read TWTM, and I haven't looked at WWE very closely before. It would help me in following the comparisons with the method/philosophy to CM. :001_smile: Thanks!!

 

MP

Edited April 28, 2011 by home'scoolmom

[joyfulhomeschooler]

Of course I had to click on the new HOD thread ;-) I have to say I am still undecided though. I know we want to try something new this year with the plan of going back to MFW if it doesn't work. I like the looks of HOD but it seems like it would be way to easy for my soon to be 8yr old. Plus I think my kiddos are getting kind of tired of learning about the pioneers. They enjoy history, but we have been learning about the pioneers for two years and I think they are ready to move on. With HOD they would be placed in Beyond and I just don't know.... I can't decide what to do.

 

I am actually waking up at night with curriculum on my brain lol. Mainly HOD and WP are the two I am going between. Although we have most of the books for the SL core 1+2 UGH!!! We have almost all of the books for HOD Beyond too though. See why I am undecided...

[blessed2five]

Oh no no no! PR 3 is huge! You definitely don't want to use R&S 3 with PR3. That's using two grammar/composition programs side by side. You need to choose one or the other :001_smile:.

 

Thank you for the heads up. I knew that the grammar would be enough but worry about the writing instruction. I was just going to get R&S to look at the writing portion, not the grammar. I guess with PR 1 and 2 there was not anything but copywork and narration, which I think is great but there was never, "Write a story about this or what does that picture mean to you?" We did do that with PLL which I used only as an oral tool except the writing which I thought was just enough. Maybe that will be the case with HOD Preparing in the form of narrations and summaries? I haven't spent a lot of time looking through PR 3 so I'm not sure about the writing there. Any more thoughts?

[Evergreen Academy]

I have been interested to read this thread, as I am waiting for Bigger to arrive for ds(almost)8, and am deliberating about ordering CTC for my 2 ds who will be 11 in the fall. One thing that is holding me back is a concern about the writing.

 

Our use of written narration has increased here in the last few months with the 10-year-olds. Before this, we had used oral narration, taking turns discussing things after a history reading, but I realized with horror that one of the boys was retaining almost no important information about our readings - we're talking major things, like what century and state or country we were discussing. After studying the HOD catalog a lot, I began inventing notebooking pages, and requiring the boys to do a written summary of our readings. One boy does it easily, from memory. The ds in question needs to skim through the text again, or a history encyclopedia, to get his facts straight. BUT, this child is now remembering key facts, bringing up things like Mussolini's tactics in discussions, and went from wailing and whining, to completing his pages without being asked to.

 

So what is my concern? In some of the HOD sample pages, it looks like the notebooking is completely guided, and the children are told what to write. I believe that accessing the information themselves is what is helping my children remember, and I am hoping that the HOD narration and notebooking is open-ended enough that my kids will have to come up with their own information, and not what someone supplies them with in a guide. I believe I have asked this question here before, but I'd love to have more input on this.

[Blueridge]

...So what is my concern? In some of the HOD sample pages, it looks like the notebooking is completely guided, and the children are told what to write. I believe that accessing the information themselves is what is helping my children remember, and I am hoping that the HOD narration and notebooking is open-ended enough that my kids will have to come up with their own information, and not what someone supplies them with in a guide. I believe I have asked this question here before, but I'd love to have more input on this.

 

I was reading an interesting thread at the HOD board last night. Julie wrote a nice post about the individuality in each student's notebooking sheets here:

 

http://www.heartofdakota.com/board3/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9041

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Of course I had to click on the new HOD thread ;-) I have to say I am still undecided though. I know we want to try something new this year with the plan of going back to MFW if it doesn't work. I like the looks of HOD but it seems like it would be way to easy for my soon to be 8yr old. Plus I think my kiddos are getting kind of tired of learning about the pioneers. They enjoy history, but we have been learning about the pioneers for two years and I think they are ready to move on. With HOD they would be placed in Beyond and I just don't know.... I can't decide what to do.

 

I am actually waking up at night with curriculum on my brain lol. Mainly HOD and WP are the two I am going between. Although we have most of the books for the SL core 1+2 UGH!!! We have almost all of the books for HOD Beyond too though. See why I am undecided...

 

 

If it would be way too easy for him, perhaps his skills would actually place him in a higher guide than Bigger? I know age is the top factor in placement but it's far from the only one. Of course, the next guide up is still in American history but at least perhaps the biographical approach might be a bit of a change up while working on skills.

[KeriJ]

I just wanted to share that HOD's LA is super. Super great :D. I used Preparing with the Extensions and DITHOR with my then 5th grader last year. Before HOD, he had done Rod & Staff English 2 and part of English 3 and Spelling 2, 3 and 4. He had also done FLL 1, 2 (from K to middle of 2nd grade) and 3 (in 4th grade) and WWE 2 (tried it in 3rd/4th but it didn't work well for him), Writing Tales 2 (4th), and a good bit of the workbooks published by Queen Homeschool Supplies.

 

So, he had had alot of "teaching" and he did OK. He was a pretty good speller and had an excellent grammar base, but he was a very reluctant writer. VERY!! He cried many tears over his writing many days.

 

When we started HOD, we dropped FLL (which he really enjoyed) and WWE (which he hated) and went back to Rod & Staff for English 4. I also stuck with Rod & Staff Spelling since he had started it in 2nd grade and it worked well for him. We used the LA in Preparing pretty much "as is" and the DITHOR workbook at Level 2/3. His readers were probably closer to a 6th/7th grade reading level but I used them with the lower level workbook because I wasn't sure if he was ready for alot of writing, though he did love to discuss his books orally.

 

All that to say that it all just "came together" for him after we started HOD. Honestly, the LA in HOD is just the best we have used and his skills grew by leaps and bounds. Carrie's plans are so easy to follow, very thorough, and it all just "clicked" for him. I loved everything about HOD but the LA was the absolute best... I am very, very thankful for his year with HOD.

 

It really is not all that different from TWTM. I think if you like TWTM you will also like the LA in HOD. I think the difference for us with HOD is that Carrie really holds the child's hand and it is VERY clear what he is supposed to be doing. I have heard some say it is "spoon feeding" the child and makes it too easy but my son needed it to be easy, he needed the very clear instructions and he needed the clear expectations. With Carrie's lesson plans, he knew what was expected of him and he knew just exactly what he was supposed to do and he did it, his writing improved dramatically. I also found that I felt more confident teaching Carrie's lessons and that probably helped alot.

 

Well, I just wanted to share. HOD's LA was a huge benefit to my son and he really grew in his writing skills last year.

 

:):):):) (loved reading this)

[KeriJ]

Keri! Hi! Fancy meeting you here. :D

 

Nothing to add at the moment--haven't read the rest of the thread yet. Just wanted to say hi!

 

Hi Heather! :)

[4littleones]

.

 

I'm so stumped. There is much to love about HOD (really, it's gorgeous) but I'm struggling to reconcile SWB/WTM writing with HOD's path. They really are very different.

 

What is your plan??? I would LOVE to hear thoughts and ideas here.... I've toyed with lots of different options such as NOT using DITHOR and focusing on WWE. Or, dropping Carrie's creative writing selections and using something else (WWE/WWS/Writing Tales depending upon the age/level).

 

 

 

We are very near the end of the Beyong Guide and have used all of Carrie's suggestions re: LA and WWE2, just because we can!!!

 

Why not? I cannot see why it should be either or. I just tell my children that narration is a detailed retelling (HOD) and we use the word summary for WWE2- style -to-the-point retelling. So they know that narration and summary is different.

 

We do DITHOR every other genre. Since the guides are good for two years, we will cover the other half of the genres next year.

 

All the best, HOD is a lovely curriculum!

[home'scoolmom]

If it would be way too easy for him, perhaps his skills would actually place him in a higher guide than Bigger? I know age is the top factor in placement but it's far from the only one. Of course, the next guide up is still in American history but at least perhaps the biographical approach might be a bit of a change up while working on skills.

 

 

I've heard from reading threads on the HOD board that Beyond is quite a bit different from Adventures, despite the fact that they share a common history spine, Pioneers and Patriots. And Bigger is very different from Beyond, a totally different focus and approach, no pioneers at all! Preparing after that, is a one-year world history focus.

[home'scoolmom]

But, I am torn on what they are recommending for writing. "The Exciting World of Creative Writing".

 

I believe I have seen this book before and it seemed dry. And I am not so sure I want my dd focusing on only creative writing all year. She is very good with that. I want to start focusing on essay writings and research reports.

 

I was wondering what people's thoughts were on this?

 

I'm wondering this too! I have never heard a peep about this program. :001_huh:

[Donna T.]

Thank you for the heads up. I knew that the grammar would be enough but worry about the writing instruction. I was just going to get R&S to look at the writing portion, not the grammar. I guess with PR 1 and 2 there was not anything but copywork and narration, which I think is great but there was never, "Write a story about this or what does that picture mean to you?" We did do that with PLL which I used only as an oral tool except the writing which I thought was just enough. Maybe that will be the case with HOD Preparing in the form of narrations and summaries? I haven't spent a lot of time looking through PR 3 so I'm not sure about the writing there. Any more thoughts?

 

I haven't read through the responses, so this may be redundant for you, but I don't think you need R&S if you are only concerned about the writing instruction. If you can get it, you could pull out the writing lessons and just use those but really, R&S doesn't have alot of writing instruction until you get to the higher levels. The lessons in the Preparing guide are the bulk of the instruction. Preparing is the year that the student is really working on getting their narrations down on paper and one paragraph is sufficient. It may be helpful to cover basic paragraph construction if you haven't already, but I wouldn't make it too complicated. The lessons in Preparing will have the child producing paragraphs on their own, without additional writing instruction, especially if the child has done some oral narrating in the past.

[Geo]

I have no idea how we're going to proceed next year at this point. My DH had a stroke 5 weeks ago and was laid off last week (!) as his whole company is closing business. So we're sort of out of money from the medical emergency and now out of income. Not sure we can afford HOD! (Not sure we can afford our mortgage come July either, so it's sort of a moot point.)

 

So who knows... I'm having a very bad month. LOL

 

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Praying for your fam,

Geo

[abrightmom]

Carrie addresses summarizing...good stuff. Sorry if it's been shared already!

[abrightmom]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Praying for your fam,

Geo

 

Ditto! So sorry for the painful trial....praying for strengthened faith and for provision for all that you need....:grouphug:

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Ditto! So sorry for the painful trial....praying for strengthened faith and for provision for all that you need....:grouphug:

 

Same. :grouphug:

[HollyM25]

Ok, you ladies have drawn me into wanting to know more about this program... Im a newbie and a sucker for anything that people are raving about. ;)

 

I feel confused about the HOD website. My oldest will be 7 and it looks like he should be in the Beyond level. Does this include LA? I seen everyone talking about R&S, but dont see that on the website. Or does HOD have its own LA for Beyond?

 

I was planning on using Phonics Road, MFW Adventures and MM for next year. Im ok with dropping MFW and PR (or can I use PR and HOD or will that be overkill for a 7 yr old), if HOD is something that I might want to use for the long haul (of course I can always change my mind) but I hate second guessing myself. The HOD website just does not appeal to me but have read more positive reviews on HOD than MFW.

 

Im patiently waiting for the HOD and MFW catalogs in the mail... :001_smile:

[Twilight Woods]

Ok, you ladies have drawn me into wanting to know more about this program... Im a newbie and a sucker for anything that people are raving about. ;)

 

I feel confused about the HOD website. My oldest will be 7 and it looks like he should be in the Beyond level. Does this include LA? I seen everyone talking about R&S, but dont see that on the website. Or does HOD have its own LA for Beyond?

 

I was planning on using Phonics Road, MFW Adventures and MM for next year. Im ok with dropping MFW and PR (or can I use PR and HOD or will that be overkill for a 7 yr old), if HOD is something that I might want to use for the long haul (of course I can always change my mind) but I hate second guessing myself. The HOD website just does not appeal to me but have read more positive reviews on HOD than MFW.

 

Im patiently waiting for the HOD and MFW catalogs in the mail... :001_smile:

 

with HOD you have the option of using their chosen Science/LA or your own. HOD uses R & S for LA. R & S does not start until Bigger. If you look at the placement chart and look at skills needed DC could use either beyond or bigger.

Edited April 28, 2011 by my3luvbugs990105

[joyfulhomeschooler]

Ok, you ladies have drawn me into wanting to know more about this program... Im a newbie and a sucker for anything that people are raving about. ;)

 

I feel confused about the HOD website. My oldest will be 7 and it looks like he should be in the Beyond level. Does this include LA? I seen everyone talking about R&S, but dont see that on the website. Or does HOD have its own LA for Beyond?

 

I was planning on using Phonics Road, MFW Adventures and MM for next year. Im ok with dropping MFW and PR (or can I use PR and HOD or will that be overkill for a 7 yr old), if HOD is something that I might want to use for the long haul (of course I can always change my mind) but I hate second guessing myself. The HOD website just does not appeal to me but have read more positive reviews on HOD than MFW.

 

Im patiently waiting for the HOD and MFW catalogs in the mail... :001_smile:

 

I don't know if you should second guess yourself. Adventures is a great program too :-)

[mytwomonkeys]

I have my fingers crossed we like this and I will keep my tweaking fingers off it. I'm going to put both my next year 2nd grader (7) and 5th grader (10) in bigger with him doing the extensions.

 

I'm doing the same things with my kids . they'll be in 2nd & 4th, & my daughter will be 10 in the fall. i purchased the extension pack for my oldest. i can't wait to use it, and am praying it will be a great fit! keeping them together for the bulk of their subjects would be ideal:D

[twoxcell]

You need to look at the placement chart and place your child by skills not just age. Beyond has its own LA built in: copywork, spelling, and once a week gentle grammar. Some people use R&S 2 with Beyond if they are combining a younger, and an older child.

[Rikki06]

Ok, you ladies have drawn me into wanting to know more about this program... Im a newbie and a sucker for anything that people are raving about. ;)

 

I feel confused about the HOD website. My oldest will be 7 and it looks like he should be in the Beyond level. Does this include LA? I seen everyone talking about R&S, but dont see that on the website. Or does HOD have its own LA for Beyond?

 

I was planning on using Phonics Road, MFW Adventures and MM for next year. Im ok with dropping MFW and PR (or can I use PR and HOD or will that be overkill for a 7 yr old), if HOD is something that I might want to use for the long haul (of course I can always change my mind) but I hate second guessing myself. The HOD website just does not appeal to me but have read more positive reviews on HOD than MFW.

 

Im patiently waiting for the HOD and MFW catalogs in the mail... :001_smile:

 

I did this exact thing and decided on HOD after getting the catalog. I didn't think the website was great but the catalog totally convinced me so definitely hold out for that. :)

[HollyM25]

with HOD you have the option of using their chosen Science/LA or your own. HOD uses R & S for LA. R & S does not start until Bigger. If you look at the placement chart and look at skills needed DC could use either beyond or bigger.

 

I don't know if you should second guess yourself. Adventures is a great program too :-)

 

You need to look at the placement chart and place your child by skills not just age. Beyond has its own LA built in: copywork, spelling, and once a week gentle grammar. Some people use R&S 2 with Beyond if they are combining a younger, and an older child.

 

Thanks for your responses! I think since I am confident in the fact that I want PR, I will go stick with MFW for this year. I know it will be a good enough fit for us. I just dont think with the ages of my kids MFW will be good long term, and thats why I was thinking about HOD. But I really want to choose my own LA, which Im sure I probably could do with HOD but it might be easier with MFW....

 

Yes, Im and confused and unconfident... I need to learn confidence for my curriculum choices... And stop opening and reading these wonderful threads about other options!! Or I might go crazy!! :lol:

[HollyM25]

I did this exact thing and decided on HOD after getting the catalog. I didn't think the website was great but the catalog totally convinced me so definitely hold out for that. :)

 

Lol, thanks!! I think I will probably stick with MFW, until the HOD catalog arrives and then I will probably be back at square one while I drool over the new catalog...

 

Why does there have to be so many good choices out there??

[kwickimom]

Lol, thanks!! I think I will probably stick with MFW, until the HOD catalog arrives and then I will probably be back at square one while I drool over the new catalog...

 

Why does there have to be so many good choices out there??

 

 

Warning: The HOD catalog is beautiful!! IMO its one of the best. Oh...the notebookig pages at the back of the book :drool5:

[twoxcell]

Yes the catalog is what did me in last year! I have every intention of just doing my own thing forever. I realized I was spending a ton of time trying to basically recreate HOD on my own. The TM price is worth it for my sanity.

[Malenki]

Thanks for the prayers. I realize I'm sort of blurting out too much information these days! Things are weighing a bit heavy.

 

The whole point to my ramble was that we'd be continuing with HOD for sure next year if we can just because of how easy and well this year has gone. The least stress for me and the most growth for the boys since we started homeschooling five years ago. We've done MFW (K and ECC), Cantering the Country, FIAR, KONOS, and TruthQuest (Am History 1, 2 and 3) in the past and by far this year was the best for us.

 

What I'd love to hear is how well the kids who have done Preparing do with CTC. Do they continue to show improvement and growth? Is Write with the Best helpful/challenging/interesting/overkill? Does it feel like too much language arts in a given week?

 

I'd like to see my son continue to be challenged but not frustrated (which is exactly what Preparing did for him). I think CTC would give that to us based on what I've seen of the samples. And it's so easy to just open the guide up and go... so low stress! Which is probably worth a fair amount to us these days. No stress is good!!

[silliness7]

I'm excited too. I've been pouring through my catalog while manning my garage sale, which I"m having to pay for HOD. :D

 

I'm popping in for a quick check before I go outside. Looking forward to reading through the whole thread.

 

I'll ask a random question real quick though and maybe someone can help me out.

 

I'm looking at using DITHOR for my 8th grader but notice there are no book packs at an 8th grade reading level. I think the 6/7 pack would be too easy for him. Anyone done this and have a sugged pack with all 9 genres for a 7.7 -9.2 or so reading level? Thanks!!

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

Argh! That gorgeous catalog propelled me into a huge curriculum crises for a couple of weeks but thanks to time and some much appreciated help I have worked through it and am maintaining my original course. Now I need to write down all the books incase I want to include them at some point and then burn the catalog. :lol:

[abrightmom]

Argh! That gorgeous catalog propelled me into a huge curriculum crises for a couple of weeks but thanks to time and some much appreciated help I have worked through it and am maintaining my original course. Now I need to write down all the books incase I want to include them at some point and then burn the catalog. :lol:

What is your original course? :001_smile:

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

What is your original course? :001_smile:

 

Living Books Curriculum. It has the history sequence and extras I wanted to add to the phonics and math I'd already chosen and I'll just be adding Latin and Classical Writing come second grade instead of PLL/ILL which it schedules (although those do look good).

[abrightmom]

Living Books Curriculum. It has the history sequence and extras I wanted to add to the phonics and math I'd already chosen and I'll just be adding Latin and Classical Writing come second grade instead of PLL/ILL which it schedules (although those do look good).

I like your plan. I spent a long time with LBC last year and wanted it to work here. In the same way that HOD stumps me, placement/combining was my downfall. I had to set aside LBC. :001_smile: I purchased the guides for the 1st and 2nd grade year. They were excellent! I like the 2 streams of history idea too. It isn't as structured as HOD which works well if you have your own ideas for LA.

[Guest RecumbentHeart]

I like your plan. I spent a long time with LBC last year and wanted it to work here. In the same way that HOD stumps me, placement/combining was my downfall. I had to set aside LBC. :001_smile: I purchased the guides for the 1st and 2nd grade year. They were excellent! I like the 2 streams of history idea too. It isn't as structured as HOD which works well if you have your own ideas for LA.

 

The combining thing is an issue for me also. What I've been thinking is doing something like MFW and VP do with their rotating history. I could even use VP as a resource for book suggestions suitable to younger and elder siblings if needed since they split their history that way to accommodate the age differences of the children in the rotation. I'd have to think it through a little more to really hammer out a plan but I've got a couple of years before it's an issue.

[Heather in VA]

LBC is really excellent. I am trying to avoid the LBC website because when I go there I start rethinking my decision to use HOD. I think my problem right now is which HOD level. I've been convinced to use Bigger but the more I think about it, I'm just not sure if she really should do Preparing - even though I'd rather do American history.

 

So what say the HOD experts? Which is the deciding factor when choosing an HOD level? Is it age? History content? LA ability? I know the push in the HOD board is to really avoid stretching too much when you place, but I've been burned by that advice before and ended up with material far too easy. I don't think it's ever intended that way - it just happens. So I worry about ending up with something when I wish it was most challenging. But at the same time I don't want to overdo it.

 

 

Thoughts?

 

Heather