if you have used HOD Preparing and CTC, please come in.

[fenni]

I need some guidance. I'm sure if I posted on HOD, the advice would be to go to Preparing and that is why I'm posting here. I need some think outside the box answers.

 

Background: My 11 yr. old son used Bigger two years ago, then last year we tried something else, and this year I purchased CTC for him. I thought we might have to do some tweaking but I wanted to make it work because I feel like we are always behind and I didn't want to take the year to do Preparing. I am seeing, though, that he would fit better and be more successful in Preparing. (I think. I don't have the manual.) I have many of the Preparing books, but don't really have the money to get the rest of the books or even the manual. It is too late to send CTC back. The other issue comes in that he really dislikes the One Small Square books. (He used them in Bigger.) He likes the science book he is using in CTC but I don't want to work out of two manuals.

 

So I'm not really sure what to do. Should I keep on with CTC? and how can I tweak it? We are 4 units in. The amount of writing is too much for him. I've cut back how much he has to write in cursive. I feel badly for skipping Preparing because he hasn't had basic instruction in composition/written narrations, and me winging it is not working so well. Is that really covered well in Preparing? More than just the page in the appendix about written narrations? The work in general takes too long. I have told him to just do 4 boxes/day now plus math, and just keeping plugging along. We are not using DITHOR.

 

Grammar is another issue. I can barely stomach R&S so I put off doing it. Some things are very frustrating to him...like subject and predicate. I'm also not sure that I buy into the whole repeat grammar for years way of thinking. I am thinking about getting Jr. Analytical Grammar for him.

 

Finally, if I really should go back to Preparing, how can I stop worrying about "being behind?"

 

ETA: I guess one reason I want to hang onto CTC is because we have jumped around and not finished things a lot through the years, and I would like to have success and stick to something once!!

[Tidbits of Learning]

This is coming from someone whose kids did Bigger and skipped Preparing. I would slow down and take 2 days to do 1 day of CTC and really work with him on getting a good flow. We had some bumps when we started CTC, but about a month in it was going pretty smoothly. You may have to slow down and give good examples of a written narration. I would get whatever I needed for grammar and just shelve the R&S. We had Preparing for about a month before we exchanged it for CTC. Preparing was just not a challenge for my 5th grader. It was easier to get done, but it wasn't going to stretch my child or really make her grow at all. CTC did stretch her skills. I am glad that we chose to stick out CTC.

I like your plan of 4 boxes a day and keep plugging along. You may want to add another box in after 2 weeks at 4 boxes and another box after 2 weeks at 5 boxes and so on...

[fenni]

Thank you! You have an important perspective.

[MrsMe]

If you stick with CTC, don't look at it as he has to accomplish what they're asking at the moment. Look at it as he needs to make certain accomplishments either by years end or quarterly.

 

Have him print most, doing one box in cursive then gradually moving on. If he can do everything expected when he completes the CTC year, he'll be fine. They're not expected to be able to do it all themselves right away.

 

Dump R&S if you hate it. I can't stomach it either. It's easily changeable.

[ChicoryChick]

I agree with the others who said to slow down CTC. Do math, grammar and reading every day. History and science are content subjects so don't think of yourself as being behind in them but rather as enjoying the ride.

[morningcoffee]

This is coming from someone whose kids did Bigger and skipped Preparing. I would slow down and take 2 days to do 1 day of CTC and really work with him on getting a good flow. We had some bumps when we started CTC, but about a month in it was going pretty smoothly. You may have to slow down and give good examples of a written narration. I would get whatever I needed for grammar and just shelve the R&S. We had Preparing for about a month before we exchanged it for CTC. Preparing was just not a challenge for my 5th grader. It was easier to get done, but it wasn't going to stretch my child or really make her grow at all. CTC did stretch her skills. I am glad that we chose to stick out CTC.

I like your plan of 4 boxes a day and keep plugging along. You may want to add another box in after 2 weeks at 4 boxes and another box after 2 weeks at 5 boxes and so on...

 

We found the early weeks of CTC really hard too but things do get better.