Should I stop Bigger Hearts and just focus on reading and math skills?
I have homeschooled for three years and have a 9-year-old son who is currently doing Bigger Hearts for His Glory (BHFHG). This is our first year with Heart of Dakota, (HOD) and we love it!!! I am in week 20, day 5. When my son reads, he is slow. We did MFW phonics and Time for Learning last year before switching to HOD. Sometimes he sounds out words and sometimes he doesn’t. He states not all the words can be sounded out. Correct! He tends to run his finger underneath the words but passes the next word before finishing the previous word.
His spelling is pretty good. He reads 1st grade and maybe a little into 2nd grade level books. Fluency is not there, but he does comprehend. He does make mistakes while decoding words but corrects them sometimes. I hate to sound like he cannot read at all. Small words are even sometimes hard for him and other times not.
Last year, he was tested by the Peabody Test, and he showed a reading level of 2.4 and that was at the end of the 2nd grade. He does all the sections of the Bigger Hearts program. I do the Rod and Staff oral sometimes and written sometimes. He loves writing in cursive and always does well on his spelling words. We do the writing on the Science Lab as well. He read as far as Prairie School and that was hard for him but he survived. During the day and especially at bedtime, he LOVES to be read to. He still flips B and D and 8 and 9 …. Bless his heart!
My question is this: should I stop BHFHG and just focus on reading and math skills? I own Sing, Spell, Read, and Write phonics. Then, when he is doing better, I can go back to finishing BHFHG. I have already purchased Preparing Hearts and looking at it, he would not be able to complete the independent parts. Carrie, I respect and appreciate your opinion and look forward to some help. Hubby and I are at a loss. Thanks!
Sincerely,
“Ms. Should I Stop BHFHG and Just Focus on Reading and Math Skills?”
Dear “Ms. Should I Stop BHFHG and Just Focus on Reading and Math Skills?”
Thanks so much for taking time to share about your son. It really helps to gain a clearer picture of where he is reading-wise. From what you’ve shared, I’d say that it is possible that your son has never actually gotten to the 2nd grade phonics-instruction level. What I mean is that by doing MFW 1st grade and then switching to Time4Learning, it is pretty likely that your son got a solid introduction to typical first grade skills, but may not have gotten through all the phonics he needs to know in order to read well.
In actuality, phonics instruction typically runs through K, 1st, and 2nd grades (increasing in difficulty and adding sound combinations as you go). Kiddos often don’t need to take all three years to go through all needed sounds, but they do need to go through all the needed sounds and know them before “graduating” from formal phonics instruction.
He may have missed typical 2nd grade phonics due to changing phonics programs mid-stream.
With this in mind, often when we change phonics programs mid-stream, you can end up missing the typical “2nd” grade level of phonics instruction. Since you own Sing, Spell, Read, Write, you could go from the beginning of that program (skipping much of the writing and doing the singing, spelling, and reading or whatever pieces help him learn and practice using the sounds). Just make sure to go through all needed sounds to the very end of the program.
Or, if that feels too lengthy (which to me it would, since it is a full K-2nd grade program), you could instead choose any 2nd grade level phonics/reading program and take him through just that level for the rest of his phonics instruction. There are many out there to choose from, however I’d lean away from those that will bog you down with a lot of writing (and spelling) and instead just worry about getting the phonics down.
He’ll need more than just drilling the sounds, as he’ll actually need to read controlled books or stories that practice those new sound combinations, which is why it would be good to have a program for that. Bigger Hearts will cover your needed writing, copywork, spelling, and English skills. So, you’re truly looking for a reading only type program and only for the last chunk of sounds more typical to 2nd grade.
Reading Reflex is another option.
Another thing that you could look into is a book called Reading Reflex. It is helpful in making sure kiddos have all the sound pictures/phonograms they need to read well. It takes a different approach than a purely phonetic approach, but we used it during my school teaching days for third/fourth grade to help kiddos who were struggling as readers and it does work. There are many reviews out there on it too.
Make sure your son gets his eyes checked.Â
I would definitely get your son’s eyes checked too. Third and fourth grade are the most common years for a child’s eyesight to take a turn and for him/her to need glasses. This could be another huge factor in your son’s reading. I’d make an appointment for him as soon as possible to rule this out.
Keep going with Bigger Hearts – your son is doing well!
Next, as far as Bigger Hearts goes, I wouldn’t stop the daily pace you are on, since it sounds like your son is handling all of the other areas well except for the reading. I would just keep going doing a day in a day. When you take your summer break, I would work on only reading for the summer. Then, in the fall, I’d pick Bigger back up where you left off and keep on going.
Don’t worry about Preparing Hearts right now. Kiddos can change so much over time, and even if you took no summer break from Bigger, you’d still have a minimum of 14 weeks left (which is 4 and 1/2 months, or half a calendar school year). With any kind of a break, you’re 6 months away from finishing Bigger now. That is a long time in the world of kids!
Have your son “practice” the Emerging Reader’s Set book before reading it to you.
Finishing at a 2.4 Reading Level would put him at the beginning of the Emerging Reader’s Set. If he made it all the way to Prairie School that’s quite good! That is where many kiddos begin to hit a bump in the road, as the text gets longer and harder and the pictures begin to go away.
One thing that has helped my kiddos at the Emerging Reader’s Level is to practice reading their pages to themselves (reading it aloud) before they come and read to me. This gives them confidence, allows them practice time to sort out their words they’re not sure of, and makes their reading time with me more enjoyable. When you finish your formal tour through phonics, I’d pick the Emerging Reader’s Set up again. You may have to back up to get him reading more confidently in the Emerging Reader’s Set, so you’ll have to weigh how far you want to back up. Also, it is good to add in any of the extra books suggested for each week. These are great for practicing more on a similar reading level.
Blessings,
Carrie