I think I should have placed my daughter in a different guide, but she’s 15 units into the guide already. What should I do?
We are new to homeschooling after being at a STEM charter school. Homeschooling was something the Lord was nudging me toward, and COVID pushed us over the edge. I have a 9 1/2 year-old daughter in fourth grade, a 7 1/2 year-old son in second grade, and a 15 month-old daughter. Based on what my kids were doing at their charter school, I placed my daughter in Bigger Hearts for His Glory (Bigger) and my son in Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory (Beyond). My daughter’s been doing Drawn into the Heart of Reading (DITHOR) Level 4/5 and Singapore Math 3B. My son’s been doing DITHOR 2/3 and Singapore Math 2B. We have completed 15 units in each guide. My son is well placed, but as the year has progressed, I feel my daughter is not.
When we started the year, my daughter had not done any history, grammar, or cursive. Because the switch to homeschooling was a big change (and she tends to fear change and be overwhelmed easily), I felt Bigger Hearts was the right choice. I think it was a great place to start, but now most of her work just seems too easy. We are doing dictation, and she never makes a mistake. She flies through Rod and Staff English 2, and she narrates very well. I would like to see her doing more writing and just generally being challenged a bit more. DITHOR and math are just right, they are challenging at times but not overly so. She is definitely capable of working independently, and I already have her do that when possible.
Is it a bad idea to switch to Preparing Hearts for His Glory (Preparing Hearts) now? Or should we finish Bigger and skip to Creation to Christ (CTC) in the fall? I looked at the extensions for Bigger Hearts, but it looks like more reading. I’m also concerned that she’s a year “behind” and won’t be able to complete all the high school guides unless we skip something at some point. Thanks for the help!
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Help Me with Placement for My Fourth Grade Daughter”
Dear “Ms. Please Help Me with Placement for My Fourth Grade Daughter,”
It sounds like you are off to a good start with your kiddos and are enjoying school. It can take some fine-tuning when first placing your kiddos in Heart of Dakota (HOD). In thinking about your options, the jump from Bigger Hearts to CTC is really large skill-wise and independence-wise too. It would be better for your daughter to have Preparing Hearts in between.
When kiddos are coming to HOD from a school setting it can take time to find the right guide placement – as it takes a bit to see what each child can truly do. Some kiddos can really take off and need a new look at placement. That sounds like what has happened with your daughter.
Your daughter can begin Preparing Hearts after your next scheduled break.
Based on what you’ve shared thus far, I would lean toward having her begin Preparing Hearts after your next scheduled break. Taking into account her age, her skills, her move toward independence, along with her spelling/reading/math/English skills, it looks like she would be well-placed in Preparing Hearts. I would continue having her do her cursive workbook each day from Bigger Hearts to learn cursive handwriting. Just do a page a day until she is done.
Your daughter can begin Rod and Staff English 3 when she begins Preparing Hearts.
As far as Rod & Staff English, I would lean toward beginning Level 3 as scheduled in Preparing Hearts whenever you begin that guide. My oldest son began Rod and Staff English with Level 4 and did great! He did have previous formal grammar instruction, just not to the level of rigor in Rod and Staff. Typically, I wouldn’t advise skipping ahead a level in either grammar or in guides, but finding the correct placement can sometimes be a bit of a dance and each placement in unique!
Your daughter can just keep moving through dictation as she has been.
As far as dictation goes, you may have a natural speller, so she may not be one to miss many passages even when you go up a guide. Don’t get too worried about over-challenging her as far as dictation goes. I had one child who never missed a passage for years. It didn’t hurt him at all to do all of the dictation levels. He is a terrific speller and still enjoys writing to this day. Dictation was just one of his “easy” subjects, and everyone needs some of those!
If you get a chance, feel free to pop back and share your thoughts! The good news is you’ll be able to use Bigger Hearts with your younger son in the not too distant future!
Blessings,
Carrie
Reply from “Ms. Please Help Me with Placement for My Fourth Grade Daughter,”
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply, Carrie! I really appreciate it! My gut was telling me to switch to Preparing Hearts soon, and it’s very encouraging that you agree. It was definitely challenging to decide on placement when switching from public school, but I feel like we got a great start with Bigger. She’s just now ready to take on a little more. That is good to know that it’s ok for dictation to be her “easy” subject. She’ll be glad to hear that!
Thank you so much for your wonderful guides! I have been so impressed with how thoughtfully the subjects are woven together, and I have felt so well equipped to teach my children this year. That’s an incredible feeling for a new homeschooler! My kids have both become voracious readers this year, and I believe it is due to the fantastic books you recommend. I had to start hiding the DITHOR books – my son was reading them all before the next unit!
