Balancing RtR and Beyond

[jjn3beans]

I need some suggestions or schedules to balance RtR and Beyond. We do history and storytime after lunch, so I'm not trying to fit everything in during the morning, but I would like to finish the rest before lunch (we start at 8:30). Is this just a dream now? The Rod and Staff Grammar is taking longer than I had anticipated. The reading portion is very long, and my 12yo (dyslexic) doesn't seem to be able to understand the directions and what is being asked of her after reading all that. So I have to read it and then help her through the problems. My 11yo can read the directions and instruction in grammar, but we have new-material locked-in-the-headlights thing going on with both of them. This is our first year with HOD, and in previous years, I have pretty much told them what to do until further into the year. Also, there are so many sentences in R&S to do. Are we only supposed to do 1/3 of the exercises or do 1/3 written and the rest oral? Is it okay to do 1/3 written and do extra only if extra practice is needed? Take, for example, dd12 one day. We did 1/3 written, and I saw she needed extra practice on finding the verbs with an adverb separating them, so we did more orally. Then she didn't need a lot of practice on statements and questions, so we just did 1/3 written.

Long story short, my 12 and 11yo girls aren't following directions in the guide. For instance, for science one day, dd11 did everything in the science box, but missed writing several definitions. I know things will go more smoothly as they get used to reading the directions and they need time to acclimate to new material, but I might lose my mind in the meantime! It is so simply laid out in the guide, and I don't understand the problem.

Anyway, I made a schedule out earlier this summer to try to balance the two programs, and it is just failing. I tried to minimize times when I would be interrupted while working with another child, but I'm constantly being interrupted by two of them, and one of them won't interrupt, but then she had a massive amount of questions at the end of the day, still not finished with her work. She's discouraged, as am I! I'm going to sit down with it and try to figure out how to arrange it differently, but I'm wondering if we are just going to have more of a workload this year. With a 6th and 7th grader, maybe this is good to prepare them for high school?

I need time to work intensively with my 8yo, who needs extra attention, but my olders need help too, and I'm feeling a pulled a little too much. As it is now, I start the olders with math, which can be fairly independent except when we hit new concepts. While they're going with that, I work with dd8 on writing, reading (phonics), poetry, spelling, and Bible. Then I move to the olders while younger does math and handwriting. The grammar is turning out to be heavily dependent on me, and I'm just in a quandary and can't figure it out right now. Everything they do except math and science needs me. Help?!

[StephanieU]

First, I would slow down RtR for a little bit until your kids get used to following the instructions. Go half speed for a few units so they have time to learn how to do what is in the guide. Then, once they can follow the instructions and you can run the guide as it is intended, speed up Most HOD families start new guides this way!
As for Rod and Staff, we normally read the information and then do some of the problems orally. Once my daughter has a decent grasp of the concepts, I assign a few written. My goal is normally 2/3 oral and 1/3 written. We even skip some things if I know she has it down well, but we do most of it (we are on Level 3). Carrie definitely does not intend the grammar to be an independent item. It is supposed to be teacher led. So, there is no reason for you to not read it for them. It will probably speed things up if you do read it and do some of it orally first and then do the written after.

[LynnH]

I would also suggest slowing RTR down to half speed for a few units until you can make sure they are following the directions. Teach them to finish the assignment and then go back and re read the box making sure they did everything. Learning to pay close attention to detailed directions is a skill that you want them to get down in middle school before the directions get lengthier in high school and of course college when they no longer have someone to help them interpret the directions.

As far as Grammar goes we did what the pp said. I read the lesson to him and then did at least 2/3rd of the exercises orally or with me writing on the white board and only assigned one section as written. Since my son has dysgraphia sometimes we do it all orally.

[Jennymommy]

What level Rod and Staff are they doing? It is an advanced program, and perhaps you need to drop them down a level? Also, for the science box, I have highlighted specific instructions so my youngest ds knows just how many items he should have completed to show me.

[LovingJesus]

What were they doing previously for grammar? What level of R&S did you start with?

The R&S web-site recommends older students coming into their program to start with R&S 5. I would give the same recommendation, or a lower level if they haven't had any grammar at all.

With R&S I read the lesson orally to go over what it is teaching. Then I do the oral section orally. On the written section I have done any one word or few word answers orally. For example, if the answer is a part of speech or picking out a particular word for a part of speech. Any diagrams or composition writing or sentence writing I had them do odds or evens so they weren't writing all of it. This past year I taught level 5, 3, & 2. Doing 3 levels was challenging, and took more time then I was expecting. I have enjoyed teaching R&S since my oldest was in 2nd grade and this was the first year that burned me out on it with 3 levels. So I would encourage you to be patient with yourself during the transition as you learn a new style.

Coming into HOD with older students is a challenge. Last November I started CTC with a 5th grader, Preparing with a 3rd grader, and Beyond with a 2nd grader. I ended up doing 2 guides instead of 3. The work wasn't difficult for any of them, but the work load itself was a challenge. It was the amount of work that challenged them more then the type of work. If that makes sense. I was already a R&S grammar user though, so I am sure that helped us some in the transition. It did get easier. My oldest was doing almost everything on his own with CTC, and I missed having more interaction with him having been a more hands on home schooler. The adjustment though took time. I am sorry I don't remember exactly how much time. I did pull the assignments out of the TM though for him and wrote them down, instead of handing the TM to him in order to keep myself in the loop more. He worked off my list quickly. I think the TM itself might have slowed him down some, even though he is good at following written directions. I would encourage you to be patient with yourself. It takes time to adjust to a new curriculum, and it takes time for our children to adjust to different expectations and learning styles. HOD has its own methodology, and I found it definitely took time for them and I to get used to coming from very different types of home schooling methods.

I hope that helps.

[jjn3beans]

Thanks all! I started my 6th grader in level 5 R&S and my 7th grader in level 6 to work over the next 2 years. The material isn't difficult at all, it's just the reading portion. Most of the time, after I read the lesson, they don't understand until we do some sentences together, then they grasp it fully.

ETA: We've used First Language Lessons 1st grade through 4th, one year of Hake Grammar, and 1 years of Easy Grammar.

[countrymom]

We just started R2R and I have a younger in Bigger. I can see it would be a real adjustment if you were new to HOD. I read the manual and decided I would take a week to just work with my son in R2R and give my younger a week off. I highly recommend you do that. I spent time with him going over everything and helping him with the assignments, making sure he knew the expectations, etc. I think if you do that and slow down to 1/2 speed for a bit things will start to fall into place. We have used HOD from the beginning and once you get past Beyond it seems it takes 2-4 units to feel like you have a flow. I agree with the others on Rod and Staff. We do all of the oral and part of the written oral. I assign the written parts to be actually written each day.
As for a schedule, I have two one-on-one sessions with my R2R son with the first being the heaviest. We start our day with both boys doing math and I go back and forth between the boys. My Bigger boy is also doing some writing then. He then gets recess while I work with my R2R. Then he goes off to do his work and I work with my younger, give him a break, and have another session with him. Sometimes I do my 2nd session with my R2R son before younger's second session, but usually just use it to check on him as he isn't done yet. My younger is doing Bigger at 1/2 speed, so our schedule is probably comparable to Beyond. Hope that helps, hang in there; it will get better.

[MelInKansas]

As has already been implied here, because you are just getting started, these bumps aren't completely unexpected and it will get much better if you persevere. Since your kids aren't used to being that independent, you need to spend more time with them, making sure they are reading the directions and following them carefully, and making sure they understand what they need to do. I would definitely plan on and devote one-on-one time with your oldest doing the reading/narrating portions and helping her understand what is needed there. And you may need to cut back to 1/2 speed, or plan on using 5 days to do the 4 days of work, meaning that if there's anything they have trouble with or can't complete, they can leave it for day 5. Really even for my DD who has been doing HOD for her entire school career, whenever we get into a new guide there is a learning curve. We have to be more diligent and things just take longer. Once you get about 3-4 weeks into it, it gets much easier and starts to go along at a good clip.

I too would just let your 8YO off the hook for now and focus on the other two, getting them into a good routine. Once they are in a good routine and you are in a good routine of checking over their work and making time for the things they need to do with you, add the 8YO back in. That will save your sanity!

[jjn3beans]

Thanks again! One thing with our start this year is we've started, then had VBS for a week, then we are started again for 2 weeks, then the girls are leaving for grandma's for a week. That's why we started a little early because of these interruptions, but we haven't been able to get our routine/flow down yet. Thanks for helping in our transition. Sometimes just the paragraphs themselves give them problems, as they can't find their place again after completing the assignment. I'm going to have them place a sticky note beneath the line in the paragraph they are working on so they don't lose their place and have to keep rereading the sentences over and over again. Then they can move the sticky as they complete each requirement within the assignment.