What DITHOR level should I use next for my daughter with special needs?
I am trying to figure out what literature to get my 17-year-old daughter this year. She has Expressive-Receptive Language disorder and is mildly autistic. She is currently halfway though Revival to Revolution (RevtoRev) and should finish in December. Her reading/comprehension level is 7th/8th grade, so she is in the perfect Heart of Dakota (HOD) level for her. The books she most enjoys are history-based stories and biographies. She read though most of the Drawn into the Heart of Reading (DITHOR) 4/5 Girl Interest level this year. She absolutely loved The Doll People and Naya Nuki! Should I move her to the DITHOR 5/6 Girl Set? Or the DITHOR 6/7 Set? Or, should customize the books to her interests (history and biographies)?
We’ve listed her as a senior this year, so we can be done with the state requirements. However, I do plan to homeschool her for an additional 2 years (in case that makes a difference in your advice). My hope is to get through both Missions to Modern Marvels (MTMM) and World Geography (WG). I am customizing Heart of Dakota (HOD) for her this year by adding the economics from MTMM (she is done with math, so that will take the time that math would have). I doubt she will go to college. If she does, it will be at an older age. For now, I just want this newfound love of reading she has from doing DITHOR not to go away. Thanks!
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Help Me Choose the Next DITHOR Level of Literature”
Dear “Ms. Please Help Me Choose the Next DITHOR Level of Literature,”
We are so glad your daughter has a newfound love for reading, and we don’t want that to go away either! I would lean toward the 5/6 Girl Interest Set for DITHOR for a couple of reasons. First, it would be an incremental step up from the set she has just finished successfully. Second, it would give her a more varied reading experience. This often results in finding new books to love that would otherwise have been missed. It looks like she is somewhat varied in her likes right now, so you may be surprised by which books she enjoys in the 5/6 set.
Third, the books in the 6/7 set would be a bit of a jump up in length and in reading level from the set she just exited. The 5/6 set has a few more books that would be more of a bridge from where she was reading last year. Books like A House of Tailors, A Family Apart, The Castle Corona, The Secret of the Old Clock, and The Middle Moffat are good bridge books. Often success and enjoyment in reading comes from finding books at the right level that are interesting, yet the right length and amount of challenge.
Hope this helps!
Blessings,
Carrie
