Dear Carrie
In Bigger Hearts, will it be too much to do Drawn into the Heart of Reading and Storytime?
Dear Carrie,
My 9 year old is doing Heart of Dakota‘s Bigger Hearts. He started the Emerging Reader’s Set (ERS) last year. He’ll finish it soon. (I took longer, lack of consistency on my part)! Anyway, I want him to grow into a stronger reader. I hear Drawn into the Heart of Reading is both interesting and enjoyable! However, I currently read aloud the Bigger Hearts Storytime books. We are on historical fiction now and enjoying it very much. I certainly don’t want that to end. Can I do both DITHOR and Storytime, or will that be too much? Is it practical to be reading two different genres at the same time? Like him reading biography while I’m reading historical fiction to him? Or him reading his own fantasy book while I am also reading a different fantasy book? Thanks!
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Help Me Understand DITHOR and Storytime in Bigger Hearts”
Dear “Ms. Please Help Me Understand DITHOR and Storytime in Bigger Hearts,”
Since your son is 9, we would plan for him to be heading into DITHOR after the Emerging Reader’s Set is done. If you don’t plan to use DITHOR, then we would be expecting you to be choosing a different reading program in its place to make sure that he is getting the skills that are required in the area of reading state standard-wise. The area of reading has many standards that are to be met, and those standards include understanding, discussion, and analysis of character, plot, setting, mood, comparison/contrast, theme/moral, rising action, prediction/inference, and so on.
One aspect of understanding literature is knowing the genres, and another more important aspect is knowing moral discernment while reading.
Another aspect of understanding literature is knowing the various genres and what makes a certain type of book a certain genre.  These areas of literature do not typically come up in regular discussion unless you plan specifically to talk about them and address them within your child’s daily reading. But, an even more important component we feel with reading instruction is that of teaching moral discernment in light of the Bible as kiddos read. This is another aspect that DITHOR addresses, which often does not come up in regular conversation as much as we’d like, without it being planned within the day.
Bigger Heart’s Storytime covers needed reading standards, with a focus on applying these standards to books they are listening to as read alouds.
Bigger Heart’s Storytime does have a mini-DITHOR planned within it, which serves two purposes. One is that it covers the needed reading standards that I’ve mentioned above for students who may still be doing the Emerging Reader’s Set. Two is that it focuses on applying these reading skills and standards to books that the children are listening to as read-alouds. This is different than applying these skills to books students are reading on their own. Listening to a book read aloud and reading on one’s own are two different skills of reading.
Students that complete the ERS are to move up to DITHOR next.
So, as soon as kiddos complete the Emerging Reader’s Set, we are expecting that they are heading into DITHOR (unless they happen to be younger than 7). If the child is younger than 7, then it would be alright to ease into DITHOR slowly (as the state standards for reading are not as exhaustive or in-depth for a child of that age).
Having children simply reading silently alone will not address state standards.
While every state is different, all states do have set standards in reading that are along the lines I’ve mentioned above. Once you get to our guides from Preparing Hearts on up, we no longer do a mini-DITHOR in the Storytime box. At that point it is really important to be doing DITHOR or something comparable, or you’ll be missing needed literature/reading instruction. Simply having your children silent reading on their own does not address the standards mentioned above.
At times we mention waiting on DITHOR, but this is the exception, not the rule.
While we do at times mention that families who are very busy or very large can wait on DITHOR until their children are a bit older, this would be the exception rather than rule. This is because very large families, or those who have extreme health issues, or those with heavy work situations must make choices between what they are able to accomplish in any given day. So, we are mindful of that in our recommendations, knowing each family is different. In your situation though, it sounds like your 9 year old is ready for DITHOR and with his age in mind, he will be in need of its instruction.
Blessings,
Carrie
