New to HOD, need placement help

[mrs_mike98]

Hi! I am Erin, mom to 8 kids. We've been homeschooling since the beginning (my oldest is 14 now) and we're mainly Sonlight users. However, my third child, Joel, is very artistic and desires more hands-on materials than Sonlight provides. My best friend uses HOD and loves it, so I am considering switching Joel over.

Joel will be 11 in January, which is also when we'll be finishing up our current school year. I am having a difficult time figuring out where to place him. He does not want to to CTC, as the history we are just finishing is the exact same time period. I know HOD says not to go by time period, but he's really not wanting to do another year of Ancients. So, the options I have been considering are 1. Preparing, with the Extension pack, or 2. Resurrection to Reformation. According to the skills chart, he easily meets the requirements for Preparing, but for RtR he is a little behind in the LA categories - he can write paragraphs, but not necessarily with ease, and the grammar he is not up to par on (we would continue to use our own grammar program, anyway, so I'm not sure if that skill portion is important). He is able to work independently on pretty much every subject.

The one drawback to using Preparing is that puts him in an awkward set up of which guides to complete for Middle School... would we be able to skip CTC after preparing, and jump right into RtR at that point?

I don't want to bite off more than he or I could chew, but at the same time, he's eager to be challenged and do independent work... I'm really torn!

I'd love some expert advice! Thank you so much for any help anyone can offer!

[rumkimom]

I started RtR this year with my 14 year old daughter. She has some learning disabilities which is why she is placed where she is. She also did not 'fit' in RtR for LA....we use the writing program used in CTC instead (Write with the Best) and a different Grammar program (I might switch to R&S next year with her). I choose to use RtR instead of CTC because of her age and I hoped that we can get though the first high school guide before she graduates. RtR is repeating the same thing she had for history last year (she did Mystery of History III and they do repeat some of that book, but it is different enough that it is not bothering her at all). Also it is repeating what she did for science 2 years ago, but again, it is different enough that she is loving it. RtR is hard for her (they have narrations in both science and history that they write or do orally every day) and currently we are going half speed (5 boxes/day instead of 10) and do it everyday instead of 4 days a week. I am hoping that we can pick up speed soon so that it does not take her too long to complete each guide. In some ways I wish we had started with CTC as it would have been easier for her.....

If your son can handle the volume of reading he might be OK in RtR (personally I would not put him back....he would be better off repeating that history). You might have to do like us and go half speed for awhile if it is too hard in the beginning. We are now on Unit 5 and we thing are going smoothly most of the time.

[Gwenny]

I would recommend Preparing with the Extensions and he could probably do pretty much everything independently instead of you doing the Teacher boxes. I'm not sure if you have done much with oral and written narrations before, and that is a big part of HOD. In RtR, it is assumed they have had 2 years of doing those. Preparing is a great introduction to those. If he does all of Preparing, pretty much independently with the extensions (there are activities with the books, not just reading) I would think he could probably skip CtC after if you'd like. Preparing is my favorite year. There is lots of drawing and my son loves that. The other good thing about starting with Preparing, is that the science experiments and history projects are written to them and them learning to do them and follow the steps is a great learning skill. If you haven't done much of that, the RtR could be more difficult and you would have to help more.
If you wanted more on the LA part, you could do the writing for CtC, Write with the Best also.

I think you will love HOD!

[LynnH]

I wouldn't factor the grammar too much in the equation since you are using something different. The writing plays a somewhat bigger part. I don't think I would put him in Preparing unless you just really feel he can't do the work in RTR. If you start at a slower speed for RTR or give him a little more help with the writing in the beginning and then are able to back off I think that placement might work. Also IEW Medieval Writing lessons is very helpful for getting them up to speed on writing paragraphs. When you say he is used to working independently does that mean he can read fairly large amounts on his own? Can he follow the directions in the Independent boxes(those with an I) without assistance? Of course when you start the guide giving some help and making sure he understands how the program works is fine. If he can do these things then I would tend to lean towards RTR.

[my3sons]

Hi Erin! If your ds can write paragraphs, PHFHG is going to be quite easy for him. Written narration instruction in PHFHG begins with 1-3 sentences. Grammar is something you can customize easily enough in any guide and is less of a consideration than writing stamina and ability. With him turning 11 yo, I would be looking at CTC or RTR. I realize he may not want to repeat the ancients, but having the skills, workload, and instruction match his needs as closely as possible truly gives the best year ever. See Carrie's thoughts on this below...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9340

Based on the above thoughts shared, if you think CTC fits best, I'd do it. It is only one year of somewhat of a repeat, and HOD's ancients study is unique anyway. It truly is amazing! Such a breath of fresh air when compared to most ancients programs, IMHO. Having ds placed properly for not only this year but for years to come would be worth it, I think. However, If you are opposed to that, and you will only be considering PHFHG with ext. or RTR because of the time period, or if he really does place in RTR quite well upon second look, I'd do RTR with him (half-speed, if necessary), unless he has any reading, writing, or special concerns not shared here. I think PHFHG with extensions will be too young for a student that can write paragraphs with ease. If you get a chance to share more about your ds with the placement chart in mind, that would help us better help you too. I hope something here helps. but as a mother of 3 sons, I will say HOD really makes learning active, memorable, meaningful, and fun for boys too! HTH!

In Christ,
Julie