Which route should I take with reading this year?
My sixth grade son is finishing Resurrection to Reformation (RTR), so I’m planning out the next guide. He’s done several years of Drawn into the Heart of Reading (DITHOR). While he has enjoyed DITHOR, we’ve decided to let him have a year off and just do some reading. Would it be better to order the Revival to Revolution Extension Package and just let him read those throughout the year? OR, should I just get the Level 6/7 Book Pack from DITHOR? He is an excellent reader, so I’m not worried about difficulty. He has mentioned that he really likes the exciting stories from the DITHOR packages, and he’s worried that he won’t be “drawn” into the stories if we do the extension pack. However, I was thinking that the extension books would fit better with his studies. So, herein lies the problem. I’m just not sure which route to take with reading this year, and would love to hear your advice! Thanks so much!
Sincerely,
“Ms. Please Help Me with Which Route to Take with Reading This Year”
Dear “Ms. Please Help Me with Which Route to Take with Reading This Year,”
As you consider which route to take with reading this year, I’ll share the story of my own oldest son with hopes that it may be a help to you as you ponder. My oldest son did DITHOR from the time he was seven, because he was an early reader reading well by age four. He was not, however, an early writer! So, as we moved through DITHOR full-speed (five days a week) year after year, I felt that he needed a break from DITHOR by the time he was 12.
I lost touch with my son’s reading time when we took a break from DITHOR.
By then, he had been through Level 2/3 twice, Level 4/5 twice, and part of Level 6/7/8. So, over the next two years we allowed him to do Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings. He did enjoy the study and did it mainly on his own. But after the two years were over, I felt I had lost touch with my son’s reading time. I was eager to return to DITHOR 6/7/8 for his eighth grade year.
I deeply regret my time away from the reading within DITHOR.
During my son’s eighth grade year, my next son was in 5th grade. So, they did the reading plans in DITHOR together. I can’t tell you how difficult it was to get my oldest son to answer the heartfelt questions in DITHOR. It was like pulling teeth. It was as if he had become so used to the factual questions that he had lost the deeper thinking and discernment that we had developed previously through years of reading instruction in DITHOR. My 5th grade son, on the other hand, did his assignments naturally and easily and shared openly from his heart. My older son did open up more as the year passed. However, in looking back, I must say I deeply regret moving away from DITHOR during his very formative years.
Doing DITHOR at a pace of three times a week is what I would recommend.
With my next two sons in line, we did the reading plans in DITHOR every year. Since we did it three times a week (as scheduled in the Heart of Dakota HOD guides), we haven’t grown weary. It has also been a great way for us to stay connected to one another, and for the channels of dialogue to stay open about heart issues. So, before you throw in the towel with DITHOR at a key moment in time, I want to encourage you that staying the DITHOR reading course (just three times a week) can pay big dividends at his age. DITHOR has provided me with insight into the hearts of my sons, and I am grateful for the peek inside!
Blessings,
Carrie
