ongoing placement for special circumstances

[Rice]

We've been using HOD for 4 years and my oldest 2 have had some learning challenges so we have been using lower guides than most at their age, and using science/LA from higher guides. I have had Carrie and Julie's placement help for my oldest in the past, and now that we're dealing with High School, I need some help for my DD, as well. They will be in 11th (DS1) and 10th (DD) next year, and are using the same guide for HOD core (History, Geography, Bible, Worldview, etc.)


In addition to them I also have:
a DS2 who will be in WG next year for 8th (will be newly-13),
DS3, a 5th grader about 1/2 way through Preparing, and
two DS who will begin Beyond sometime in the fall for Grades 1 and 3 (with DITHOR books for the older, who will also have completed cursive; late phonics or early ERs for the younger).
Our 4yo (5 in Nov) DD2 will continue R&S FMS books and will begin phonics when ready, looking to not start LHFHG for at least another year, and
our youngest DS6 will be about 15 mos.


***
First, DS1. Next fall he will be 16 1/2 and in 11th grade. I have consulted with HOD previously about him and have a general plan for science for him (mentioned below).

For 10th he has done:
~Rev2Rev (subjects as outlined above), minus History Projects, plus Extensions (though I've read most aloud this year, since he heard most Storytime books last year, he is capable of reading them on his own; I substituted a number for Canadian books/DVDs)
~Canadian Province study and Prime Minister Study in place of the States and Signers
~MTMM's Nature Study (all 3 older kids and I did this together this year)
~WG's BJU Lit and the Boy Set of novels (without narrations)
~WH's Pace Biology
~WH's Total Health (orally)
~finished Pre-Algebra and finally started Algebra I
~LA: Dictation Level 5, Fix It Grammar! (IEW) (I am not able to stay on top of R&S for all my kids, so have the older 3 doing FixIt together, faster than written.)
~Composition - kind of piece-meal this year. I loved teaching Medieval but the Exciting World of Creative Writing didn't go very well, with me pregnant last year, and I chose not to do WWTB Vol 2 (As you can tell, writing is my weakness. I tried to get some help with it this year but that didn't last long due to the tutor's schedule.)

DS1 is the kind of student that always chooses to do the least amount of work and has trouble keeping track of assignments and books (Executive Functioning issues) as well as struggling with many symptoms of Dysgraphia. We have moved all written narrations to being typed, so that editing is quick and (relatively) painless, and legible.

For 2018-19 I am considering:

~MTMM for HOD's core (History, Bible?, Worldview?, Geography; no President Study; no Nature Journal, since he finished that this year)
~English:
-Dictation - finish Level 5 and move into Level 6
-Grammar - continue Fix It
-Composition - ? (From the description I like what I hear about In Their Sandals from US I - a workbook with specific assignments is an asset to keeping us on track. Or maybe what is scheduled in WG and work with DS2?)
-Literature - ? Literature Study from WH? (I think the skill of annotating would be good for him - IF he actually does it and learns how. He is weak at skimming text to find answers, like in Biology.) I haven't had a chance to look at the US I and US II guides to see how literature is covered in them.
~Science option: Chemistry from AH1 (without the kit) OR beef up MTMM's Chemistry (he's already completed U26-35 Evolution/DNA). I'm unsure which direction to go for science. Elliot and Janessa have done this this year and are frustrated with the repetitiveness of the labs, which I'm sure will bother Benson, too, but I don't know anything about AH1's Chem and whether he could handle it or not.
~I wonder if dropping the President Study and having already completed Nature Journal will allow time for him to complete the Finanaces course from US II (If at all possible, I'd like to do this with my oldest [Benson, Janessa & Elliot] 3 all at the same time either this coming year or in 2019-20, which means I'd have to carve some time out of the schedules for those two, as well.)

DS1, if continuing to follow this plan, will use WG for 12th, so there are some things I would like to include from later guides in these last 2 years, but struggle with adding too much to his work load. This year has been heavy (he's working full school days and is still needing a fifth day to catch up each unit, although I'm hoping to get away from that in the coming month or so).

Things I would like to include (rated by *="like" and ***="non negotiable"):
~WH's Fine Arts* (I think this would be easiest when DS2 is in this guide in 2019-20 so they could work together; having someone to work with not only helps keep him accountable but makes fewer subjects for me to juggle.)
~WG's Logic** (also best, IMO, in 2019-20 when he is using this guide)
~WG's Practical Happiness (**?)
~US II's Created for Work** (could this be done this coming year in place of MTMM's Bible Study [which I don't think will be a good fit for him]). Also, is "I Don't have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" scheduled in this box, too?
~US II's Finances by Dave Ramsey ***

Any input would be greatly appreciated, especially for composition, literature, science and managing electives (I think I have too many "wants" to fit into just 2 years for him).

***
Then, DD. Next fall she will be 14 1/2 and in 10th, though age-wise she should have been in 9th. We started her "early" before realizing that she was actually slower than average to catch on to some things, namely language and reading. She didn't learn to read till around age 11 (and was tested, revealing NO LDs), and, though much improved, is still below grade level in reading.

For 9th she has used:
~ Rev2Rev
~ most of the Extensions; however, she heard many of the Storytime books last year when I read them to her brother, so I have been reading most of the Extensions aloud. I don't think she could yet handle reading them all on her own.
~ Canadian Province study and Prime Minister Study in place of the States and Signers
~ MTMM's Nature Study (all 3 older kids and I did this together this year)
~ CLE's English 5 for grammar (skipping the spelling tests, although, due to her language struggles I've had her do the exercises that use those words)
~ Dictation - Level 4, starting 5
~ DITHOR 6/7/8 with books around 6th grade level
~ Fix It Grammar: the Nose Tree for editing practice with her brothers
~ MTMM's Chemistry with DS2 (she is not able to read the Fermi bio, so I am reading this aloud. The first chapter, of 2 for that day's reading, took her 25 minutes to read.)
~ TT's Pre-Algebra (another indication she's more at an 8th grade level)

For 2018-19 I am considering:

~MTMM (same as DS1) for HOD's core (History, Bible, Worldview?, Geography; no President Study; no Nature Journal, since she finished that this year)
~English:
-Dictation - Level 5
-Grammar - continue CLE English 6 and Fix It
-Composition - ?
-Literature - ? I would love to have her in BJU next year with Elliot, but I don't think she'll be able to keep up to the reading load of BJU, even without the added novels. I'm completely unsure what to do for her next year. I'd kind of like something different than DITHOR, but I suppose that is an option, with books closer to the 7/8 level, daily instead of 3x/unit. I don't know if I can handle 3 different high school literature programs. (I know Elliot can handle BJU, with the novels, but still have to daily discuss.)
~Science option: WG science (with Elliot again?)
~? second language: ASL 101, 102, 103 at our local Community College (evening courses 2x/week) - an option we're considering
~US2 Finances? Or is her plate already full enough, depending on literature and Science, despite no President or Nature Study?


FYI, DS2 is doing MTMM in 7th this year, and is reading the Extensions by choice, so is earning 9th grade credit for many subjects. Next fall he will be newly 13 in September and will follow WG. I have not had a chance to look at it for sure, but I assume he will do it basically as written, as that has worked the past 4 years for him (with the exception of FixIt Grammar, and Canadian substitutions).

One more complicating factor is that I need to decide these things relatively soon. Not only is our provincial conference on March 23-24 (at which time I hope to have decisions made) but I will need to order in early April, as Benson & Janessa will finish Rev2Rev mid-month, and we hope to get 5-7 units of MTMM done before the summer break! (As we did with Rev2Rev last spring.)

Carrie and Julie, I really covet your perspective and suggestions for my plans. I would love to phone to chat about them, but there are so many details that I wanted to post, first, rather than trying to explain everything orally. I am so thankful for your previous email consultations, so I could go back and read the details, as needed.

In Him,

[Rice]

Why is it that I always think of something AFTER I post?

A thought for DD's Literature: maybe I could do DITHOR for analysis, but with the Girl Literature books scheduled for WG?

And for Science, is there any reason I shouldn't put all 3 oldest in WG's IPC together? (DS1 is not headed for a science field, and now has Bio, but hasn't done this one yet.)

Thanks to anyone who has gotten this far!
Blessings,

[Carrie]

Rice,

Whew! You have a lot of juggling going on. You have worked so hard to find a customized plan for your unique situation! I will offer a few thoughts you can ponder as you think about what would be best for your kiddos. I am first going to focus on your oldest son as that is what I have time for today!

I think your plan of using MTMM for your oldest son's core is a good one. I agree that the history and geography part would be good for him. Pretty much everything on the left side of the MTMM plans (with the exception of the President study... since you have already done a Canadian version of this). I would also encourage you to have him read the Economics on that side of the plans each week.

Next, I think the Bible portion of MTMM would be a good idea. You had mentioned it might not be a fit for your son, however I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist would be a significant challenge. It is a terrific book that takes a strong reader. The readings each day are quite lengthy. The questions are deep and thought-provoking and the follow-up assignments are manageable but require more writing. This is why it is scheduled for grade 12 in our guides. I'm not sure how overwhelming this would be to your son, or how much you would need to take over to help him through this course? This is why I would lean toward the shorter Bible lessons in MTMM. The Biblical Worldview portion of MTMM may be on the young side for your son. You will have to weigh whether this suits him or not.

One other possibility for Bible would be for your son to do the Bible scheduled in World Geography. He could do the Old Testament Survey this year, and then do the New Testament Survey as scheduled in World History for his senior year.

As far as composition goes, In Their Sandals is a wonderful creative writing course. However, in your son's case it sounds like he might be in need of a more structured writing program at this stage. This is why I would lean toward having him do Essentials in Writing as scheduled in the World Geography guide along with your DS2. I think this would keep him accountable and be easier for you to manage. Then, the following year, depending on how successful he was with Essentials in Writing, I would lean toward having him do the writing in the World History guide with your DS2 as well.

As far as literature goes, if your son did well with the BJU lit and novels from World Geography, then I would move into doing the literature from World History with him for the coming year. It will be a definite challenge, but the books are amazing and well worth it!

In considering science, the Chemistry in the US1 guide is on the math heavy side. With this in mind, I would shy away from doing that Chemistry with your son this year. I would wait for him to get one year further in his math before tackling Chemistry. Instead, I like the idea of your son doing IPC from World Geography for science this coming year.

In thinking about the Finance course in USII, I agree that it would be an excellent course for your son to do! He should also have something in the government area. With your son's challenges in mind, I would lean toward doing the Constitutional Literacy course along with MTMM instead. Then, for his senior year, I would do the Finance course from USII. This would give your some some good exposure to government and economics.

I hope this helps! The only downside to this plan is that your son will be juggling multiple guides. It sounds like you have done it successfully in the past, so I wish you the best as you ponder what your son can handle.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Carrie]

Rice,

OK, I have a bit more time this morning, so let's chat about your daughter. You've done a terrific job of sharing about your kiddos which really helps as talk through options!

As far as your daughter goes, I agree that doing MTMM as her core guide for pretty much all of the left side is a good idea. I would also be sure she does the Economics once daily that is scheduled on the left side of MTMM.

As far as Bible goes, I would lean first toward her doing the Bible in MTMM. If you don't think this would suit your daughter well, you could consider having her do the Bible in World Geography instead. However that plan would leave her doing I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist as a senior. I am not sure if this would be a good option, as I can't imagine you reading this aloud simply due to the volume of pages.

Next, I think your plan for dictation and grammar sounds good. For composition, she could do WWTB II as scheduled in MTMM; however, since your sons will likely be doing EIW10 as scheduled in the World Geography guide, I would lean toward having your daughter do that along with them. This would save you time and keep them all accountable. It would also allow for less comparison as three people doing a similar program makes for greater variety than two people doing a program. The level of difficulty between WWTBII and EIW10 isn't that different, so either one would be a challenge.

For literature, I like the idea of doing the girl books from World Geography with DITHR. Some of the books, like Little Women may be too long to fit neatly in DITHR's 15 days of reading per genre. So, you would just stretch DITHR out to make that work. For example, you could do one day of DITHR lessons with reading, then the next day she could just read part of Little Women without doing a DITHR lesson. Then, the next day she would head back to doing a day of DITHR lessons with reading. By alternating like this, you can make sure the volume of reading doesn't get too big each day. For the shorter books, like A Lantern in Her Hand, 15 days should work fine. So, you could just follow DITHR's regular schedule.

As far as science goes, I think it would work to have her do IPC with your two other sons. This would be a good course for all of them and would maximize your time!

If you do decide to do Constitutional Literacy with your older son, you could weigh whether to add it for your daughter too. She may have room in her schedule due to not doing the President's Study or the Nature Journal (since she did both last year). I don't think I would add it to your newly 13 year old son's plate though, as he will be busy enough simply doing World Geography as a 13 year old. He will also make it to the final US1 and US2 guides, so there is no need for him to do Constitutional Literacy now.

I would wait to do Logic until both your older two students are in World Geography. I would also wait to do Fine Arts, until your DS2 is in that guide. If tough decisions have to be made about what your students need the most and can truly handle, logic and/or fine arts could be skipped if absolutely necessary. My advice in this area will change if your students are bound for college. I would also wait to do Practical Happiness with your older son until he is in World Geography as a senior. Simply do it as scheduled in the WG guide at that time.

You will ultimately know best what suits your students, but sometimes it just helps to talk through options! Normally, I wouldn't advocate mixing and matching parts from different guides, as it can get really confusing from year to year as to how to proceed. However your situation is unique, and with what you have done in the past it helps to talk about how to go forward from here.

Blessings,
Carrie

[Rice]

Thank you, Carrie, this does indeed help!

So for DS1:
~MTMM - history, geography, economics
~WG - EIW, IPC
~WH - Bible (OT Survey), Lit
~Fix It grammar

And for DD:
~MTMM - history, geography, economics, Bible (she does well with workbooks so we'll stick within her core guide, but thank you for pointing out the down sides of moving her ahead for that subject)
~WG - EIW, IPC, Lit novels with DITHR
~CLE English & Fix It grammar

The only thing we won't do that you suggested is Constitutional Literacy. Our politics are different enough that I won't spend our time teaching US government. Government/constitution/Citizenship are not even on a regular listing of optional credits (except as "Social Studies") in our province, so it isn't needed. One 9th grade course here is Canada in the Contemporary World, so I may try to add some current events studies to our work next year, from a Canadian perspective.

About the WH Bible Study/OT Survey, I understand they will do a prayer journal - is that something that is in the workbook, or a separate scribbler? Also, to clarify, the Pilgrim's Progress study is part of that subject, as well, correct?

One more question I do have for you: my DD has previously listened to the audio book and followed along with the text for Little Women. Should I have her do this again, or find a substitution? Should I have her move on to Little Men/Jo's Boys, or should I pick something from somewhere else? (even multiple books from DITHR 7/8?) I'm guessing that even if I spread the WG Lit books over more days than you have scheduled in the guide, we'll still have extra time in the year, and I'd like to have her reading every day.

Once again, I am indebted to you for your time, wisdom and perspective. I look forward to going over this in more detail and working out a schedule for them! A lot to wrap my brain around, but definitely the best for each of them.

Time for my annual "shot in the arm": deciding on courses (so much easier, thanks to you), attending our provincial conference next weekend, then placing my HOD order!

(And am I ever glad that my other kids will largely do the guides as-written!!!)

Blessings,

[Carrie]

Rice,

I thought I'd pop back today while your situation was fresh in my mind to see if you'd had a chance to respond.

Somehow in the mix of my notes I forgot for a moment that you were Canadian. So sorry about that! I totally understand the need to forego Constitutional Literacy. Since you won't be doing Constitutional Literacy, you could judge whether to do Finance this year with your older son and maybe your daughter. Another thing you could consider would be to instead do Logic with all 3 of the older kiddos from the WG. This would keep you from dipping into another guide this year from those you are already juggling.

As to your other questions... the Prayer Journal is separate. Pilgrim's Progress is also separate from Bible in that it does not coordinate specifically with the Old Testament study. We do list it as part of the Bible credit, but there is enough in the Old Testament study for it to be a credit on its own. So for your son's situation, you would only do the Old Testament Survey, not Pilgrim's Progress.

If your daughter has already read Little Women with audio, you could forego it. However, if she loved it, then I would have her read it on her own without the aid of the audio this go round. If she would instead prefer to read a different book, you could do that instead. I would definitely go with her interest on this one! I would lean toward letting her select the books that seem of interest to her from the girl 7/8 DITHR pack linked here: https://www.heartofdakota.com/drawn-int ... nal7-8.php

I know it seems like a lot of juggling, and it is! But, hopefully having 3 of your kiddos together for writing with EIW and science with IPC from the WG guide will help!

Blessings,
Carrie

[Rice]

Thank you so much Carrie!

Yes, next year does seem "do-able"; much more so than this last year has been. In writing out what credits are planned for this year and next year, I realized that DS1 is earning 8 credits this year! No wonder his year has been so full! Next year seems much more manageable, even if we do add in Logic!

I'll be printing out this latest reply, like I did the previous ones, to remind myself of your suggestions - I know DD will like the freedom of choosing a book or two. And I think DS will enjoy the OT Survey more than the Romans study. I'm glad for him to get OT and NT in for his last years at home.

Thank you again for all your time and thought put into our situation. I love HOD, even with using multiple guides, and look forward to next year!

In Him,