Question regarding Duke's King Arthur unit

[swimmermom3]

:blushing: Remind me again why I purchased this. I am reading through it and just not feeling the love. I can't imagine what Swimmer Dude is going to say to 416 questions on a 639 page book, no matter how cool the projects look. At least he ought to understand the various types of questions and how to answer them.:tongue_smilie:

[skissugar]

okay so im taking that as code for "its not all that" lol..

[swimmermom3]

okay so im taking that as code for "its not all that" lol..

 

:lol: Maybe I should not have gone through the Further Up, Further In unit study before I started looking at the Duke guide. As an academic exercise I think it will be worthwhile in teaching my son to answer questions more thoroughly than he does now. I don't think it is a sill that needs to be practiced to quite that extent. I'm sure I can tweak it into something more exciting. I just don't want to. I am hoping someone with experience doing it will chime in with their child's response.

[abbeyej]

Ugh. I'm sorry. I looked at it and was not drawn in. At all. ... But I hoped maybe I was wrong?

[swimmermom3]

Ugh. I'm sorry. I looked at it and was not drawn in. At all. ... But I hoped maybe I was wrong?

 

Ah! A woman with courage, fortitude, and the ability to say "no!" That also makes you wise or at least patient enough to read the fine print. I am thinking this work looks a bit "soul-less" for King Arthur or maybe just dry. I am still hoping to hear some inspired feedback.

[MamaT]

I also purchased it, and am just not feeling the love. I'm not sure if we will incorporate parts of it into next year's study or not. It just doesn't look like something my kids would really get into. We have always enjoyed studying King Arthur just reading and discussing, watching documentaries, and following our own rabbit trails. I will probably just do that intead of the Duke unit next year.

[Capt_Uhura]

oh swimmermom ... you were my canary in the mineshaft for the Duke King Arthur study.......

 

what is the Further Up and Further In unit study?

:bigear:

 

Capt_Uhura

[Stacia]

Ugh. I'm sorry. I looked at it and was not drawn in. At all. ... But I hoped maybe I was wrong?

 

Ah, see, this was me too, lol. From the samples, I just wasn't hooked. I watched the earlier thread w/ lots of interest, hoping that once you gals got it, it would be wonderful.

 

:tongue_smilie:: when you get something that doesn't live up to your hopes for it.

[MamaT]

oh swimmermom ... you were my canary in the mineshaft for the Duke King Arthur study.......

 

what is the Further Up and Further In unit study?

:bigear:

 

Capt_Uhura

 

I'm not swimmermom, but the Further Up and Further In is a study using the Chronicles of Narnia series.

 

http://www.homescholar.org/Narnia%20Curr.htm

[Capt_Uhura]

Ah thanks!

 

Capt_Uhura

[Corraleno]

Well, gosh, I'm really embarrassed I recommended this. :blushing: Maybe I should explain why & how I'm planning to use it, so others would have a better idea of whether it would work for them or not.

 

The only "packaged" curricula I use are math and MCT LA; I put together my own history, science, and literature programs. So, for example, for Ancients, that has meant finding/correlating/scheduling numerous books, documentaries, Teaching Co Courses, read-alouds, and coming up with my own projects (e.g. making papyrus, writing & illustrating our own Book of the Dead, building a Greek Ballista and a Roman warship, designing a board game based on the Odyssey, building a paper model of the colosseum, etc.). I have to schedule the literature (Gilgamesh, Cat of Bubastes, Iliad & Odyssey [Lombardo translation], In Search of a Homeland), and come up with discussion questions that relate the literature to history.

 

So for me the Duke/TIP Arthur study provides:

(1) a reading schedule for the 4 books of The Once and Future King, divided into 20 lessons;

(2) roughly 25 discussion questions per lesson, which directly relate the story to the history & culture of the middle ages, of which I'll probably use 8-10 questions for discussion and a few more for short answer or essay questions;

(3) 30 different research and/or art projects to choose from, of which we'll probably choose 12-15 to do.

 

I think the discussion questions and the project ideas are really good, and the eight "themes" they focus on will be useful in providing an overall structure to our history studies ~ they tie in very well with the Oxford OUP books, and make it easy to coordinate other resources (documentaries, Teaching Co. lectures, biographies and other books, etc.) around the same themes. I've considered doing this as a 4-month study, covering 1 book and 2 themes each month, focusing on discussion questions and research/art projects related to the particular historical/cultural theme during each 2-week module. The Duke syllabus will save me a TON of time vs pulling all this together myself, so for me it was well worth $35.

 

It's not a literary analysis program, though; if that's what other folks were looking for and are disappointed, I really apologize for not having explained it better. :sad:

 

Jackie

[Capt_Uhura]

Thanks Jackie for the explanation! I'm still intrigued by it based on your description.

[Stacia]

Thanks Jackie for the explanation! I'm still intrigued by it based on your description.

 

I agree. Jackie, you're pulling me in... :001_smile:

[prairiegirl]

Jackie, this is how I had intended on using it as well. I think the questions would be helpful for discussions. We would probably use a few for writing practise but that is all. My dd is a project girl but I have difficulty in thinking things up so I think Duke will help with that. I don't need this until the fall of 2011 but from looking at the samples, it looked like it would work for us.

[swimmermom3]

Well, gosh, I'm really embarrassed I recommended this. :blushing: Maybe I should explain why & how I'm planning to use it, so others would have a better idea of whether it would work for them or not.

 

The only "packaged" curricula I use are math and MCT LA; I put together my own history, science, and literature programs. So, for example, for Ancients, that has meant finding/correlating/scheduling numerous books, documentaries, Teaching Co Courses, read-alouds, and coming up with my own projects (e.g. making papyrus, writing & illustrating our own Book of the Dead, building a Greek Ballista and a Roman warship, designing a board game based on the Odyssey, building a paper model of the colosseum, etc.). I have to schedule the literature (Gilgamesh, Cat of Bubastes, Iliad & Odyssey [Lombardo translation], In Search of a Homeland), and come up with discussion questions that relate the literature to history.

 

So for me the Duke/TIP Arthur study provides:

(1) a reading schedule for the 4 books of The Once and Future King, divided into 20 lessons;

(2) roughly 25 discussion questions per lesson, which directly relate the story to the history & culture of the middle ages, of which I'll probably use 8-10 questions for discussion and a few more for short answer or essay questions;

(3) 30 different research and/or art projects to choose from, of which we'll probably choose 12-15 to do.

 

I think the discussion questions and the project ideas are really good, and the eight "themes" they focus on will be useful in providing an overall structure to our history studies ~ they tie in very well with the Oxford OUP books, and make it easy to coordinate other resources (documentaries, Teaching Co. lectures, biographies and other books, etc.) around the same themes. I've considered doing this as a 4-month study, covering 1 book and 2 themes each month, focusing on discussion questions and research/art projects related to the particular historical/cultural theme during each 2-week module. The Duke syllabus will save me a TON of time vs pulling all this together myself, so for me it was well worth $35.

 

It's not a literary analysis program, though; if that's what other folks were looking for and are disappointed, I really apologize for not having explained it better. :sad:

 

Jackie

 

There's no reason to be embarrassed, Jackie. Like you, history, literature, science, and writing are all my own in the coming year.I appreciate having the questions on hand and projects defined A rough idea is already forming as to how I will adapt the program.

 

I just really wanted to hear from someone that was actually using it as I wanted to hear about their child's response to it.

[swimmermom3]

Okay, Jackie, down to the practical matters. I am looking at doing one lesson a week. With regards to the questions, I am considering something similar to what you proposed. We'll answer most questions orally but those questions that give specifics with regards to one of the 8 theme areas will be answered on paper and kept in a binder behind tabs for each of the topics. That should help with the research for his projects and give him some practice writing strong short essay answers. I figure just covering the types of questions frequently encountered and how to write a scholar's TCQC short answer would provide a couple weeks' worth of writing lessons, especially since it involves topic sentences, connectedness and context, how to work with quotes and paraphrasing and writing commentry.

[Corraleno]

In terms of implementation, I'm thinking of grouping the eight themes in pairs like this, and assign each pair to a book, so we would do roughly one book & two themes per month:

 

Feudalism & Monarchy

Knights & Castles

The Quest (includes the Crusades) & Knowledge (science/medicine/writing/etc)

Daily Life & the Role of Women

 

(We'll probably spend a little more than a month on that last pair, since the Teaching Company's Medieval World course has 36 lectures mostly on "everyday life" type topics.) I need to pre-read the books and go through the syllabus to see which books would best link up with which themes. It seems like it will be really easy to correlate resources with those themes, and I think there's probably a DK (or similar) book on each of the eight topics (I already own Castle, Knight, and Medieval Life), so it should be easy to find appropriate materials for my 3rd grader as well as my 7th grader. I like your idea of using a tabbed binder, to keep essays, research, and projects grouped together by theme.

 

All of the projects are really in-depth activities, and most involve historical research combined with creative (art/writing/building) projects. Some examples of the projects (paraphrased & vastly abridged) for the benefit of those who haven't seen the book in person:

 

Research the history, methods, and goals of alchemy, and it's relationship to modern science. Create a catalog of materials and equipment that would have been used in alchemy (at least 12 products), with illustrations and descriptions of all products. Write a lesson plan for an alchemy apprentice, including an introduction to the philosophy of alchemy, a clear set of steps to follow and problems to solve, a list of materials & equipment, etc.

 

Research the Crusades and create a timeline with the beginning and end of each Crusade, major figures, etc. Plot the route of each of the Crusades on a map. Create a timeline for the the Quest for the Holy Grail in The Once and Future King and document the similarities to, and differences from, the Crusades. Create a diary of a knight on one of the Crusades, commenting on his living conditions, important events, his feelings about his role and the code of chivalry, etc.

 

Research early historical kings such as Aethelred the Unready, Edward the Confessor, Henry V, Edward the Black Prince, etc. Choose one figure to write a biography about, and compare him to Arthur. Write a script where your chosen king meets with Arthur in one of the scenes from The Ill-Made Knight. Highlight how each man reacts to the events, and what their reaction is to each other.

 

Research the history/role of troubadours. Listen to Medieval music and compare the lyrics and instruments to modern music. Compose a ballad about one of the key events in The Ill-Made Knight, and perform the song.

 

Research evidence for a historical Arthur. Make a timeline of his possible life, and a map illustrating & describing the important historical sites associated with him. Create a Quest in the form of a scavenger hunt for evidence; present this either as a board game you design or as a "Web Quest" with links to historical sites and directions for "tourists" to look for clues to the truth about Arthur.

 

Other projects include researching medieval dishes and cooking/staging a medieval feast; researching the primary illnesses of the Middle Ages and theories of health & disease (e.g. the Four Humors) as well as comparing European medicine of the time to medicine in other areas (such as Asia and the Arab world); creating an illuminated manuscript; researching heraldry and designing a coat of arms for a shield; creating a fashion magazine with at least 5 outfits worn by wealthy women and 5 that would be worn by poor women; creating a "family portrait" of your own family in medieval style (either drawing or photoshop) and describing your lives as a medieval family... and 20 other projects! So many of them are appealing to DS, that it will be hard to limit him to "just" 16-18 of the 30 (I can see him spending weeks on designing a school for knights). Some can be done by younger kids, just with less research (e.g., learning about dragons, making a sword & shield), and some of them the kids could do together (building a model of a castle, performing a play) so I'm sure I can find things appropriate for DD as well as DS.

 

Since all of the discussion questions relate to the themes, history and literature are automatically linked (that alone saves me untold hours), and I can easily tie in additional literature/plays/films, such as Robin Hood (many discussion questions on RH relating to The Sword in the Stone), Henry V (project on monarchy relating to Ill-Made Knight), Good Masters & Sweet Ladies, etc.

 

I really like that it includes writing instruction on the TCQC format short answer and the 3-5 page essay, and I love the final project: to create a chivalric hero with a quest and tell his story in any of several forms (short story, play, video, comic book/graphic novel, epic poem, etc). DS12 has already decided he will be using Comic Life software and assorted medieval lego kits to create his final project. :D

 

Jackie

[lisabees]

Hmmm...I bought this per Jackie's recommendation and, like usual, she didn't let me down. :D Unfortunately we just can't fit it in this year.

 

I definitely felt the love, Lisa, when I first looked through it. It is rich with questions and projects. I understood, though, that it was basically a history-based study. I also knew I didn't need to follow it exactly as written. I am a tweaker by nature.

 

FYI, Further up and Further In is Christian-based. I would love a secular unit study on Narnia. Let me know if you find a good one!

[skissugar]

being sucked back in..lol oh my..

[Capt_Uhura]

What age kids are you all using this with?

 

Capt_Uhura

[Corraleno]

Next year I'll be using it with a 7th grader (DS) and 3rd grader (DD). DD won't be doing the writing, but she can listen to the discussions and participate to the extent she's able. Having the eight themes makes it much easier to fold in younger kids, vs going chronologically. However, DS and I will also watch the three medieval Teaching Co courses (Early, High, Late Middle Ages) in chronological order, so he will also get that perspective. We'll all watch the Medieval World course, which is more about culture and daily life. For older kids, you could add additional research, have them do a 3-5 page essay each week using one of the discussion questions, make the final project more elaborate, etc.

 

There are plenty of projects youngers can do as well ~ many of the craftier projects would be great group/family activities (stained glass window, tapestry, castle, making a sword & shield and designing a coat of arms, writing a song or performing a play, etc). I love the idea of doing the "Medieval Family Portrait" project as a family, where each of the four of us would research and write about our lives as a medieval mom/dad/boy/girl. There's a Renn Faire near us this fall as well, so we could even dress up as the characters we research, do a photographic family portrait, and have each of the kids paint or draw a version of it in a medieval style (we can tie in some art history lessons here).

 

Jackie

[swimmermom3]

Jackie, as always, I am completely re-inspired after reading your latest post. Are you using the Duke study as your base to build from for history? What I mean is will you start with the Duke program and then build the rest of your history around it? I am shamelessly using Regena's (mcconnollboys) middle ages list as my base and will work out from there. Regena's lists are the only ones I don't feel compelled to rearrange chronologically or by subject. At the beginning of ancients this year I spent too much time looking at my various components of TOG, WP, HO, and Trisms and thinking, "That doesn't flow right."

 

Anyway, I like your idea of grouping themes and will have to look at that more. I probably won't be able to proceed with the planning for Duke until I have read the White books.

 

Capt. Uhura, my son will be in 7th grade when he uses this, 12-13 yo.

 

Gratia, how old are your children and how many are you planning for? Will they all be doing history together?

 

ETA: This would all be easier and more fun if we went to Jackie's house for school. GRIN

Edited May 16, 2010 by swimmermom3

[Corraleno]

Jackie, as always, I am completely re-inspired after reading your latest post. Are you using the Duke study as your base to build from for history? What I mean is will you start with the Duke program and then build the rest of your history around it?

Yep, my current plan is to use the Duke syllabus as the base and build around it. I'm also planning to use TTC's Medieval World, since the last 2/3rds of the course (lectures 13-36) line up so perfectly with the Duke themes. Lecture 13 is actually on the historical context of the King Arthur legend (it fits perfectly with the project on historical Arthur), and some of the other lectures also mention Arthur (as well as Chaucer and other literary references). Lectures 14-36 cover topics such as feudalism, monarchy, knighthood & heraldry, disease & medicine, science & technology, music & entertainment, childhood, marriage & family, daily life in a noble household/medieval village/medieval city (3 separate lectures), etc. I've only watched a few so far (just to see if the course would work the way I wanted to use it), and it looks really good to me. The professor (Dorsey Armstrong) isn't as casual & dynamic as Bob Brier (our favorite), but the information is really good.

 

An alternative way to organize the semester would be to use the TC course as the base, and then choose discussion questions and projects from the Duke syllabus that correlate with the lectures that week. This summer, I plan to listen to the audiobooks of The Once and Future King, skim through the Dorsey Armstrong lectures, and look at the other resources I have, and figure out the most sensible way to line everything up. I can post whatever I come up with ~ maybe all of us who are using it can post plans & suggestions, and bounce ideas off each other.

 

ETA: This would all be easier and more fun if we went to Jackie's house for school. GRIN

:lol: ~ but then I'd have to really clean the house, and wouldn't have any time left for planning!

 

Jackie

[Capt_Uhura]

Thanks Jackie for planning out our 6th grade year! WOOHOO! I'm a year ahead of schedule.:lol:

[JudyJudyJudy]

Thanks for the thread. I put this on my wish list for 7th grade. (DS will be in 6th grade this fall.)