Looking for input on placement

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andreav
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2019 9:06 am

Looking for input on placement

Post by andreav » Fri Mar 08, 2019 1:07 pm

Hello! I am looking into moving to HOD after many years with Sonlight. I am planning to use the World Geography Guide with my eldest, who will be 15 in July, for his 9th grade year. However, I am looking for input on where to place my younger two. My son will be 10 at the end of September and starting 4th grade, while my daughter will be 7 in June and in 2nd grade. Although I have used separate Sonlight cores for each of them, they listen in to all of each other's assignments and are fairly close in skill level. I am wondering if it would make sense to combine them in Bigger, perhaps with extensions for my 4th grader, if needed. They both read independently and well, especially my youngest. She has been reading longer chapter books for awhile now - currently working through Sonlight's 3rd grade readers with no problems reading or comprehending. They both read from the ESV Bible independently for personal devotions. My son has been learning cursive this year, and my daughter is anxious to learn it. Both have been doing copywork and oral narration. My son has done some dictation (he's using Spelling You See level C) and my daughter is breezing through Spelling You See B. Neither have done a lot of grammar, just bits here and there, so I think they'd both benefit from starting with Rod & Staff 2.
Running 3 guides doesn't intimidate me if that's the best course, as I've been running 3 Sonlight cores this year and it's been doable. But combining them in Bigger would be simpler for me.
What's your advice - combine? Or not?

StephanieU
Posts: 1652
Joined: Tue May 21, 2013 7:10 pm

Re: Looking for input on placement

Post by StephanieU » Fri Mar 08, 2019 3:20 pm

If you look at the placement chart for each of them, where do they place?
If in fact they place in Bigger or in Bigger and Preparing, then combining does make sense. If the older one places better in CtC or the younger one in Beyond, the separate guides are better.

One nice thing about HOD is that there is built in independence. So, if the almost 10yo places in CtC, then a lot of his work will be done independently, saving you time! If you look at the first week (they are pdf files you can download from each guide page), you will see that some boxes are I (independent), S (Semi-Independent - where at least half can be done by the student without the parent), and T (teacher led- parent needs to be with the child for most of the work). These box markers start in the Preparing guide.

Another thing I have noticed about HOD vs Sonlight is that the reading volume is less and more manageable, so this would make running three guides, if necessary, a lot more do-able! I am currently running two guides completely (very few modifications) and one guide loosely. It is totally doable for us, and we are done in about 5 hours most days. Long days are at most 7 hours, and they are very few.
Mom to
DD15 US1 (completed LHFHG-WH)
DS13 MtMM (completed LHFHG-Rev2Rev plus some of LHTH)
DD12 Rev2Rev (completed LHTH-RtR)
DS7 Beyond (completed LHTH-LHFHG)

my3sons
Posts: 10698
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Looking for input on placement

Post by my3sons » Fri Mar 08, 2019 4:55 pm

andreav wrote:Hello! I am looking into moving to HOD after many years with Sonlight. I am planning to use the World Geography Guide with my eldest, who will be 15 in July, for his 9th grade year. However, I am looking for input on where to place my younger two. My son will be 10 at the end of September and starting 4th grade, while my daughter will be 7 in June and in 2nd grade. Although I have used separate Sonlight cores for each of them, they listen in to all of each other's assignments and are fairly close in skill level. I am wondering if it would make sense to combine them in Bigger, perhaps with extensions for my 4th grader, if needed. They both read independently and well, especially my youngest. She has been reading longer chapter books for awhile now - currently working through Sonlight's 3rd grade readers with no problems reading or comprehending. They both read from the ESV Bible independently for personal devotions. My son has been learning cursive this year, and my daughter is anxious to learn it. Both have been doing copywork and oral narration. My son has done some dictation (he's using Spelling You See level C) and my daughter is breezing through Spelling You See B. Neither have done a lot of grammar, just bits here and there, so I think they'd both benefit from starting with Rod & Staff 2.
Running 3 guides doesn't intimidate me if that's the best course, as I've been running 3 Sonlight cores this year and it's been doable. But combining them in Bigger would be simpler for me.
What's your advice - combine? Or not?
Welcome to the board! I think you will enjoy using HOD as much as my family has for the past many years! I have 3 children, and it has worked well to have them in their own guides. However, combining can work well too sometimes, and it very well could for your 7 and 10 yo within Bigger Hearts for His Glory. The placement chart is accurate, so I'll link it below (keep in mind the first page in regard to reading, writing, grammar, and math is most heavily weighed in proper placement in HOD)...

https://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-your-child.php

The writing is something to weigh when choosing guides, as it is across all subject areas and gradually increases in difficulty and in length each year in HOD to prepare students well for upper middle school and high school level work.
Carrie's response to the question in this link may help when comparing Beyond Little Hearts and Bigger Hearts as a placement for your daughter...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1516&p=11829

This link may help when comparing Bigger Hearts and Preparing Hearts as a placement for your son...
Amount of writing in Bigger vs. PHFHG:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3602

Here are links to the printable PDFs of the first week of plans for Beyond, Bigger Hearts, and Preparing Hearts (so you can print and compare them)...
https://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/beyon ... t-week.pdf
https://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/BHFHG ... s-2018.pdf
https://www.heartofdakota.com/pdf/PHFHG-sample-week.pdf

If you find that your daughter places best in Beyond Little Hearts, and your son places best in Preparing Hearts, I would separate them. If you find your daughter places best in Bigger Hearts and your son also places in Bigger Hearts, I'd combine them and add the extensions for him. If you find your daughter places best in Bigger Hearts and your son places in Preparing Hearts, you can either still combine them in Bigger Hearts, add the extensions and up the LA and math accordingly for your son, or you can place her in Bigger Hearts possibly half-speed and him in Preparing Hearts full-speed. I'd love to hear more about each of them with the placement chart in mind though if you get the chance to share that with us!

In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie

andreav
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2019 9:06 am

Re: Looking for input on placement

Post by andreav » Fri Mar 08, 2019 8:07 pm

Thank you both for your replies! One of the main reasons I am considering leaving Sonlight (which we've used for 9 years) is because their language arts just is not a good fit for us. Although we have loved the books and all the reading, we are missing the writing/notebooking pieces and the literary analysis I find in HOD. I have tried to pull things together myself from various programs to cover this for my oldest son, but I am excited for it to be all in one place in the WG guide for his freshman year.
As to my younger two, after thinking carefully through the placement guide and looking at the links you included, Julie, especially in regard to the writing, I really do feel that they'd both do well in Bigger. My daughter solidly places there, and my son places at the high end of Bigger or the low end of Preparing. And perhaps adding the extensions for my son would make him feel that he had his "own" schoolwork that was more advanced than his little sister's, thus curbing any competition that may arise (I hope!). That said, we do school year round, so I will reassess closer to fall and see if that is still where I would place their skills.
I so appreciate the input and look forward to seeing how God leads as we consider our course for the coming year.
Andrea

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