Megan reads advanced books. She generally likes science books. However, DITHOR is a program that introduces her to many different genres through read-aloud time and independent reading. While Megan can read advanced material, I liked the idea of Charlotte Mason's way of savoring books by reading them slower and drawing more out of them.
The result is I am slowing her down. I already owned the 4/5 Student Book for DITHOR as well as the Teacher's Guide. Megan could do the 4/5 lessons, but I didn't feel she was doing her best work. Some of the concepts were escaping her in her effort to complete the assignments. She could do it, but she became more focused on doing the pages than on absorbing what the pages were meant to teach her.
I bought the 2/3 Student Book and grade 2 project book. This evening I reviewed the Student Book. I skimmed through the DITHOR level two selections along with the Student Book and Teacher's Guide. I realized how very much I LOVE the program!
The level 2/3 Student Book and level 2 readers (reading levels 3.1 - 4.0) are perfect selections for engaging my third grader without the reading being too much. Megan may be able to read more advanced materials, but I am not looking simply for skill. I'm more concerned with developing her love of literature!
As a young reader, I fell in love with reading by reading books that were considered "easy." I must have read the Little Golden Books on my grandmother's shelves a couple dozen times each. I still credit Looney Tunes' Sylvester and Tweety for engaging me in a simple story when I was a beginning reader.
In my older years I became hooked on Sweet Valley High books. Yes, it would be considered "twaddle," but I felt I knew Jessica and Elizabeth. Their lives comforted me with happy endings. During the years I moved often and was always the new girl at school, they were familiar friends.
Characters were my friends in many novels. I read the Little House series so much that I named a daughter Laura Elizabeth in honor of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I discovered I had a kindred spirit in Anne Shirley after reading Anne of Green Gables.
I fill our read-aloud time with lively characters. My daughters will often take the books I have read to them and re-read them independently. I want the same for the books they read. I want the characters to come alive! I want the stories and the characters and the places and the lessons to impact my children for a lifetime.
DITHOR helps draw out those very things. While I chose some of the suggested books sold by Heart of Dakota, I have the choice to use whatever book I wish with the program! This program works with any book as long as it matches the genre we are studying. For instance, if we are reading a mystery, I can go to the library and look for any mystery that I think will be in my child's reading level and catch her attention. From Nancy Drew to Sherlock Holmes, Encyclopedia Brown to the Hardy Boys, from Ginger Pie to Scripture Sleuth, the choices are endless and mine.
I plan to use the 2/3 Student Book for the rest of third grade and then through fourth. I have the 4/5 Student book and the 6/7/8 Student Book to use until High School. I have used these guides with my older daughters and have seen how awesome they can be both educationally and in touching the hearts of students for Christ.
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