Difference b/t Beyond-Bigger writing

[hs.mama07]

Hi! I know I've seen this question on the boards but I just can't find it. We are in Beyond right now and I'm wondering how much more writing and reading there is in Bigger. Could anyone let me know how much of a jump there it?! Thanks!

[StephanieU]

Here is the link to Julie's list of writing in Bigger:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=16183#p113659

[hs.mama07]

lol...not sure how I missed that! Thanks so much!

[hs.mama07]

Wow! It's hard to imagine my DS7 being ready for that. He turns 8 in Nov. and we are on unit 20 of Beyond. He's not a big fan of writing. . He can do 2 lines of copy work well, so long as it's on handwriting paper (with dashed line in middle) and so long as I write the lines for him to copy. Even then, he still sometimes misses words or letters. On days he needs to write more than just copywork he gets tired and things start getting sloppy.

And for reading, we just finished the Early Reader's Bible, which was a bit of a challenge for him at times. (He had trouble on the days that required more reading--he's just still very slow). Owl at home is definitely too much, so I think we are going to go back and do the supplemental titles for the first 2-3 units and alternate those with the Beginner's Bible.

All that to say, I'm considering taking a couple of months off from Beyond and just focusing on basics...give him a chance to mature in writing and reading for a while. Do you think that's a good idea? Not sure if it's better to just keep moving forward...??

[StephanieU]

We will start Bigger in just over a week, half speed. I do know that my daughter grew a lot in the last few months. She will be 8 in Dec, and writing and age are the things that had been holding her back. But we will still be doing 1/2 speed for a few months, because Bigger will be a jump in workload for her, even though we did Rod and Staff 2 with Beyond and already started cursive.
My recommendation would be to not force the end of the school year. You have 14 units left, and I bet you want to do some fun things when the weather is nice. So maybe cut back to 3 days of HOD a week, continuing handwriting and reading daily. Then when you are done with Beyond, start Bigger half speed. The reading isn't a huge issue as the only place students read in Bigger is the reading box (ER or DITHOR). Handwriting stamina and ability is what you really need to focus on, while not pushing too hard. Work on copying the verse from the guide or written at the top of the page. Work on increasing the length to 3-4 lines a day.

[Nealewill]

I was also very concerned about my son this year starting Bigger with all of the writing. But we were doing all of the copywork last year with Beyond and doing every writing item that the guide said. I was shocked this year at how well my son has embraced the work. My son even hated to draw before starting this year. But he has been copying the pictures fairly well and he never complains about the drawing for science experiments. He does have some processing issues, so, at the beginning of the year I used to have sit near him and show him how to "see" a picture to copy it. For example, if he had to draw a bird, I would sit next to him on his side ready to draw on a paper of my own and he has a paper of his own. I would show him the first "line" I needed to start the bird and physically draw it onto my paper. Then he would mimic me. I would then show him the next line I would draw and draw it too. Again, he would mimic me. The entire time, I would explain to him that I was using points of reference to know where to put lines and connect lines. So if something connected in the middle of an arc, or one leg was lower than another, I would literally point this out. Sometimes he got it, sometimes he didn't. But he is doing great now. We are on unit 27 and he can now do most of the drawing and mapping without help from me. It has been really neat to see how much he has grown.

If your son struggles, starting off slowly will work great. For the copywork, I actually had my son take a break in the middle of it at first. So for science, he would write the verse. Then take a break. He would then come back to it and copy the picture that he was supposed to draw. Doing things this way was a really great fit. The neat thing is that he has grown into this skill and he no longer needs a break. As you move through the year, some of the assignments will get a bit longer too. I love that he doesn't even need a break for this either.

As an encouragement to you, I was completely panicked about the increase in workload before we even got to it. And it was all totally fine! I tell my self with each child, "Don't panic, Daneale!" Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't But each child has been completely fine moving into the next guide. I usually just go a half pace for a few units. This helps them get the hang of their new guide and gets them used to workload. I truthfully find that by the time they make it to the next guide, they actually are ready for it. It has been really neat to see in each of my kids.

[hs.mama07]

Thank you ladies! That is very encouraging. I hadn't started freaking out yet--was just was surprised--I'm grateful for your replying quickly and keeping me from freaking out, lol.

I like both your ideas and am planning on doing all of them. Taking breaks will help and three day weeks will be a good way to stretch things out a bit. Good to hear your ideas for drawing too because I can already tell that will be a bit of a challenge for him. He doesn't like drawing very much--He wants his pictures to look just right and his little hands just won't obey.

Thanks again! Hope you have a good week!

[Jennymommy]

Liz, I have a ds who hated drawing because he just couldn't make things look the way he thought they should. We spent lots of time looking at art of many forms, looking at the differences in how the greatest Artist of all made trees and people, and talking about how our own expression of art, when done to glorify God, is "right" and worth doing to the best of our ability. This helped him a lot.

[hs.mama07]

Thank you for sharing that! I will do that with him--I know it will help him a lot. I honestly wish someone had said something like that to me when I was young...I was never very good at art and learned to avoid it. Don't want him to grow up feeling the same way!

[gardenmama28]

This has more to do with the drawing side of things...... But I thought I'd throw it in there. I have a book called Drawing with Children By Mona Brookes. It is a book to teach you how to teach your children to draw. In this book, she takes drawing very step by step and talks about lines and circles and shapes and how they relate to each other. But the main thing I wanted to say about this book, is that the author believes that drawing is not so much a talent as it is a skill to be developed. Just as some people have a natural aptitude for music, unless a person takes lessons you will not develop that aptitude. And a person who has just average aptitude can become a very skilled and accomplished musician through practice. In the same way, learning to draw can be developed through training and practice. The method she uses is very similar to what Daneale used with her son - taking drawings step by step and focusing on lines and how they relate to one another. There are many examples of pictures that students in this method have drawn as young as five years old, along with pictures drawn by adults who trained under her, adults who "couldn't draw" and were scared to try - it is crazy to me the quality of artwork they produced. FYI!!!!!!

[hs.mama07]

Thanks! I will have to look at that book. He's had one drawing class that taught principles similar to that--but it was short. It'd be great to follow-up (for both of us!)