What is extensions?

[Gwenny]

I'm realizing that I don't understand what extensions is. I thought it was just extra books to read. I don't understand how you beef up a program. Also, the DITHOR, I thought it was "generic" and not tied to a book. So, are there specific questions to specific books in there? Very confused.
Nancy

[striving2Bprov31]

Good morning!

The "extensions" for a program are an optional package of books that the child works through independently. They reinforce the history and science study. The extension package reading schedule is found in the appendix of the guides that offer extensions.

For example, this is what it says about the extensions in the appendix of Bigger Hearts....

"This reading schedule is recommended if you wish to extend the areas of history and science to include more advanced material. This will allow your 4th and 5th grade students to learn along with your younger students."

Hope that helps!

About DITHOR...

You are right, it is not tied to any specific book title. There are not book specific questions in the guide. They are all generic questions that could coincide with any book you choose. All you do is choose a book that is the correct genre for the genre unit you will be doing. It is very very fun! We are really enjoying it! My son is doing the mystery unit and reading The Treasure of Pelican Cove, and my daughter is doing humor and reading The Saturdays.

Hope this helps!

[MomtoJGJE]

I can't exactly answer on extensions... I'm pretty sure it's a way to give an older or more advanced child a little extra to keep pushing them a bit.

As far as DITHOR.... There are not questions directed to a specific book. It is directed to the specific genre. So whatever book you pick you would line it up with the genre it represents (if you pick a biography, you would do the biography section and not the fantasy section) but you are free to use any book under that genre you would like to use.

Did that help or confuse you more?

(cross posted with striving... that's a much better answer! )

[Gwenny]

I think I'm starting to get it. I'm sure once the manuals get here, it will become clearer. Should be here Friday! I'm so excited! It's so funny how we are all excited about books!!
Nancy

[striving2Bprov31]

It's so true!

I knew I was a true homeschooling mom when I realized that I would rather have books than ANYTHING else for my birthday and special purchases. I was so excited when a big bookstore chain began to carry all of the classics/award winning type books in a prominent place in the store. They have a whole section devoted to such books and I could stay there for hours!! Last summer my husband said, "What would you like for our anniversary?" I didn't say my answer out loud, but in my mind I answered, "A book order from Heart of Dakota!"

Leave it to us homeschooling moms!

[Heidi in AK]

I'm laughing, Liz! I feel the same way! My kids are completely in LHTH and I even have LHFHG for next year, but I want to peek into Bigger!!! LOL!

[Gwenny]

Sounds like I'm definitely not alone! It is so ridiculous how many books I have. We always need more and more bookshelves, and I just placed an order for a ton more. I can't wait to get them, and read them! Right now we've got ice again in Austin, TX. What am I worried about? I'm worried that it will slow down the UPS trucks and my HOD order won't get to me on Friday like it's supposed to!!! If it doesn't get here on Friday, UPS doesn't deliver on Saturday and so it will be Monday afternoon!! The kids and I are leaving on Monday morning for Florida for about 10 days. I will be so sad to wait until I get back to see those guides. The one week sample online doesn't do it for me!

Nancy

[pjdobro]

Sounds like I'm definitely not alone! It is so ridiculous how many books I have. We always need more and more bookshelves, and I just placed an order for a ton more. I can't wait to get them, and read them! Right now we've got ice again in Austin, TX. What am I worried about? I'm worried that it will slow down the UPS trucks and my HOD order won't get to me on Friday like it's supposed to!!! If it doesn't get here on Friday, UPS doesn't deliver on Saturday and so it will be Monday afternoon!! The kids and I are leaving on Monday morning for Florida for about 10 days. I will be so sad to wait until I get back to see those guides. The one week sample online doesn't do it for me!

Nancy

I'm laughing here! I can totally relate to how you feel Nancy. I would be hoping the ice didn't slow down the UPS man either. That will be a very long wait if you don't get your guides on Friday. I understand wanting the whole guide as well. How sad is it that we'll be doing Preparing next year and I keep looking at CTC and RTR thinking about ordering those. I'm wondering if a person can become addicted to HOD? LOL! We may have to form some sort of a support group to get through this overwhelming urge to keep getting more and more HOD manuals and books!

[my3sons]

In general, extension packages are a set of living books that are added to HOD core programs in order to extend the learning for older dc in the area of history. Target age ranges indicate the level a core HOD guide is written for, and extensions extend that learning, so older siblings may learn along with younger siblings, and be combined in the same core guide. You can look at the HOD catalog or HOD placement chart to see the span of target ages, and the span of extension package ages for each guide. Extension packages first become available in Bigger Hearts for His Glory, and then continue to be available every year after. Bigger Hearts for His Glory is the only guide that includes science and history titles within the extension package - the rest of the upper guides only include history. All extension packages match the flow of chronological history. They have a schedule with pages to be read independently by the student in each HOD guide's Appendix. Follow-up activities are suggested in each guide's Appendix, and a student is to rotate through those follow-ups each week along with the scheduled reading. Extension packages are more mature in content and are intended for the older age levels of dc indicated by the placement chart. They are intended to be read independently by the student, and were chosen for this purpose. Thus, if a parent chooses to read them aloud (at the upper levels especially), the readings will feel long. Of course a person can do this, and may enjoy doing this, but the purpose the extension packages were written for was to help older students extend their learning by reading titles appropriate for their age level independently.

How does it extend their learning? In many ways. First and most obvious, it extends their learning in the area of history. A deeper look at history with a wider view of what it was like to live during that time period is gained by reading these books. Second, it extends their learning in reading, as they are reading more books each day. Third, it extends their learning in LA Charlotte Mason type skills, as their follow-ups include in their rotation oral narrations and written narrations, of which the length and the specifics of increase each year. Fourth, it extends their learning in the designing follow-up higher level thinking activities that are more open-ended and draw upon students' creativity, as well as their ability to pull what was learned all together and show what they learned in a final response that meshes their core program learning with their extensions. So, notebooking type responses with specific guidelines are used, for example. Fifth, it extends their learning by requiring a more mature level of independence. They are responsible for following their reading schedule of extensions and completing and turning in their follow-up assignments (this is an excellent stepping stone for secondary style education).

This past post may be beneficial to read. In it, Carrie addresses how to get the most out of BHFHG's extension package for dc:
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=6095&p=44665#p44665

I hope that helps! The extension packages offer an amazing tool to extend HOD's core guides for older students without adding much more to a busy homeschooling parent's day. Save for correcting assignments and giving feedback on them, a student should be learning independently within the extensions, which is an important skill to learn as dc mature.

In Christ,
Julie

[Gwenny]

Thanks so much everyone. That is very helpful, each post gives me a little piece of the puzzle to figure this out.
Thanks Julie, I needed to hear that. All of the different packages, extensions, DITHOR, emerging readers, read-alouds, etc., my head was spinning. . Also, in reading all of the posts, all of the abbreviations were hard to keep up with, I had to keep going back to the HOD website and figure out which guide everyone was talking about. I have it now! .
Based on this and on Carrie's post to my using 4 guides, I'm going to use all of your combined wisdom and put my 2nd grader in Bigger and my 14 yo in the extensions. It seems to be what most of you all suggest.
Blessings, Nancy

[my3sons]

Gwenny - You've come to a good decision there, and I am excited for you to begin HOD! Placement is by far the hardest - yet most important time worthy part - of HOD. I had to laugh at your abbreviations dilemma - I too had that! For the longest time the "d" in "dc" , "ds", "dd" stumped me. I thought, what is that "d" there for?!? Is it some tongue in cheek slang like, "da children", "da son", "da daughter" but no, that seemed silly and not right. I finally asked, and it's "dear children", "dear son", "dear daughter" - Ah-haaa! Please ask about any and every abbreviation you're not sure of - in doing so you will be helping many other readers too! Anyway, hooray for deciding on BHFHG, and enjoy! We're in the middle of it a second time with second ds and lovin' it! It's a huge stepping stone for years to follow- truly important teaching time for what's to come - so time in BHFHG is time so well spent. I look forward to getting to know you more here! Oh, and we'll have to share it with others on the "Weekly Check-In"! That's an awesome place to encourage and be encouraged!

In Christ,
Julie

[krismoose]

Julie, thanks for that excellent description of extensions! I couldn't find anything like it on the main website - is it there somewhere?