Bigger or Beyond?

[agstefko]

I am so excited that I have found HOD! I have two kids that will be in school next year and am not sure which guide to place my ds in. He is 7 and will be starting 2nd grade. I have looked at the placement chart and not sure which one to stick him in.
READING:Either Bigger or Beyond...he is reading independently and we already have DITHOR for next year
WRITING:Beyond would be ok. He can copy sentences, but he really doesn't like to write too much and he has a bad habit of using bad handwriting.
Grammer: Bigger would be fine. He did Shurley English 1 this year and I was planning on using either R&S english or Shurley 2 this next year.
MATH: Bigger: We just finished Singapore 1 and will use Singapore 2 next year also.

So overall I am thinking Beyond, but I am not positive because what I have read on the boards is there is a lot more writing required. Thanks

[lissiejo]

I would go with Beyond. There is quite a bit of writing in Bigger. I used Beyond this year with my 1st grade daughter and she'll do Bigger as a 2nd grader, but if 2nd grade were her first year I'd go with Beyond. There are many skill building things in Beyond that I wouldn't want her to miss.

[netpea]

If he doesn't like to write, I would go with Beyond and get the Bigger manual for the math activities that go along with Singapore 2A/2B.

[agstefko]

Thanks, I think Beyond might be a nice fit
I was thinking about maybe having my dd join in with him. She will be almost 6 then. She can write well, reads CVC words well, and will be ready for Singapore 1A in the fall. She has completed pretty much a K program and has listened into almost all of SL Core B with my son this last year. What do you think?

[lissiejo]

I used Beyond as a 1st grade program with my daughter and it was a great fit for her. She is advanced for her age (she'll be 7 in August) and the challenge was good for her. Always keep in mind that if it's getting to be too much you can slow down the pace for a while. Enjoy your year with Bigger! Ours was simply beautiful!

[raceNzanesmom]

We'll be finished with Beyond on Wednesday. It has been a fantastic year!!! My ds is a just turned 8 second grader. It has been a perfect fit. We're both excited to start Bigger in August.