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Why can't I decide??! I would appreciate some advice...


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Hello,

 

My oldest is heading into 11th next year (whew! only 2 more years w/her :crying: ). My son will be in 6th.

 

Here's my struggle...(and I'm losing sleep over this, searching the boards etc..! :willy_nilly:) My daughter did American history in 9th and world history to 1750A.D. this year with Streams of Civilization I & lots of literature. That went OK.

 

However, I'm not sure I want to do it that way next year, but I can not figure out what to do for history/writing/literature for her last 2 years. I do know I want her to cover 20th century history before she graduates.

So many choices and I'm starting to become confused. :confused:

 

I could have her do Streams II for 11th, but that just seems too dry (Streams doesn't offer disussion questions etc...in their TM). I could liven things up by adding in Lighting Literature & discussing her books.

 

Also, I'm not sure how to tie my son in. He did SOTW I & II this year, sooo he could read SOTW III & IV next year so they are both on the same page in history/readers.

 

 

Here's where I begin to get confused...

Tapestry of Grace Year 3 really caught my eye these last 2 weeks. I've begun to consider doing that with the both of them next year & then TOG year 4 for my daughter's senior year.

That would sort of pick up where Streams & SOTW II leave off and then she'd get current history in 12th.

I've read the TOG boards and peeked at it during my homeschool convention last weekend & it just looks so great! :001_smile:

 

However, I do have a few concerns -

 

1. Will I get frustrated trying to plan it out?

2. Can I afford all of those books? Is their a better way?

3. I'm nervous about ordering 1 unit at a time with an 11th grader...we need to keep the pace.

4. Should I supplement civics/government in 12th?

:confused1:

 

 

 

Now, to complicate matters even further...my son locked on to Core 5 in Sonlight's catalog this week and said - "Can I do this next year?" - after looking at all the books. :tongue_smilie: Well, then I got to wondering (LOL)...maybe I don't have to have them on the "same page" in history. Maybe my oldest could do Sonlight Core 300 (20th century) and my son could do Core 5 and then my daughter could read many of his books on missionaries and such. She could then do Core 400 in 12th which is government/civics.

I'm just not sure how many notes & discussion questions Sonlight's IG offer. I used Core 3, but that was 8 years ago and they weren't at our convention so I didn't get a chance to really peruse their materials.

:blink:

Help!!

 

Is any of this clear? LOL Now that I typed it all out...I feel as though I'm rambling. arghh!

 

Advice, PLEASE!

 

thank you!

~Gail

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I can only share a little of our journey, and it's all ymmv, but here goes.

 

Ds did Omnibus I and II in 9th and 10th grade, respectively. He wanted a change this year, so we did Sonlight 300 (20th century). While he was motivated by the change (loves this time period and the lit), I kinda wish we had waited and just did the 3rd year of the 4 year rotation instead, saving 20th Cent for his senior year. This next year, we are picking up the section we missed, doing a mishmash of American and English lit, tied together with readings from history. He will take American Gov't at the CC, but we will do some history readings at home, too.

 

I don't think you need an actual American Gov't course. I would follow the rec's from WTM (do you have it?) and read the founding documents and a few chapters from the spines she recommends, adding in Spielvogel's history of the period, and the literature of the times. That way, you can give credit for both, and free up the Sr. year to immerse yourself in 20th cent history.

 

So, I'd recommend using a spine like Spielvogel, going chapter by chapter in the time period you are doing (17-- to maybe Civil War or slightly beyond), then coordinating the lit (lots of American Lit falls in that time frame), and using something like SparkNotes or Abeka's Am. Lit to guide you [although they don't cover whole books effectively--lots of poetry, speeches, etc--the book I have only covers one whole book (Scarlet Letter)].

 

I'd go ahead and use SOTW as a supplement for your sixth grader, just reading it (maybe even get the cd and have him listen as a "bedtime" story or at a quiet time of the day) and use Sonlight 5 for him, if that's where his interest lies. He will cover quite a bit of medieval history, which he's already covered in SOTW 2, and quite a bit of the 1600-1900 period, also. Keep SOTW 4 until next year, and he will be on the same page as your daughter (if she does 300next year). Does that make sense? For me, TOG is overwhelming to plan, but that's just me--tons of folks think it's perfect. I just think it condenses the middle period too much for my taste.

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I don't know that I'll be much help, but we are in a very similar situation. My dd is going into 11th and also have a 7th grade son. Dd did American History in 9th with SL 100 which was OK, with younger doing SL 3+4. Then did Ancient History last year with Omnibus with dd, SL 5 with younger which was also very good. It was a little weird doing two completely different topics, but OK since my older was independent other than discussions and they would discuss back and forth what they were learning. This year the plan was to do SL 300 with the older, SL 6 with the younger.

 

However, after looking at 300, I really didn't like it. Especially with the lit, I didn't feel like the questions helped enough in interpreting the books, several of which have difficult content. There are LOTS of notes and LOTS of questions every day, but felt like some were not in depth enough or left too much up to me to analyze difficult passages. So...... we too are looking at TOG (year 2 to follow the ancients). What I liked about what I saw is that there is one list of questions for the whole week, not a list for each day, but are more in depth. Weekly discussions are much more likely to actually happen. I really liked the philosophy and worldview integration, plus the fine arts. If we go that route, now the question is whether to leave my ds in SL 6, or bring him into TOG which is sort of the point of the curriculum.

 

So, as far as your situation: I would say it isn't too hard to have them in different time periods, especially since they are older and only 2 of them. Core 5 is so unique it doesn't really fit with anything, but is a really good core. SL IG's do have lots of notes and questions - maybe go on their site and look at some sample pages - I think they have some from each Core level. As far as your TOG concerns re: planning/gov't, I can't comment because we haven't done it. The lady I talked to at TOG implied Year 3, Unit 1 was almost ready and Unit 2 was coming along well, so that should not be a problem. They said to focus on purchasing books that you'll use over time and are more unique to TOG such as church history. Otherwise they suggested using books with similar content for history - ones you have or use the library. The lit selections would obviously need to be more specific.

 

Hope some of this helps!

Jane

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Hello Gail,

We use TOG and will be using year 3 redesigned next year - we will finish year 2 over the summer. TOG is a very thorough program and includes a government component. Year 2 gov't is outstanding - my 10th grader is getting a great background in the development of western gov't. I'm sure year 3 gov't will be just as good.

 

SL core 5 is also outstanding! Here is a thought - perhaps your son could do SL core 5 along with reading SOTW or some other history narrative that would cover the same time period as TOG 3. Your daughter could do TOG 3 at the R stage, while adding in some nifty things for geography from core 5. Everybody wins! the nice thing about TOG 3 is that many books (history and maybe some lit) will be availiable at the library. You can also add in library videos for both TOG 3 and SL core 5. I think that could be a great year! :)

Blessings as you plan,

April

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1. Will I get frustrated trying to plan it out?

2. Can I afford all of those books? Is their a better way?

3. I'm nervous about ordering 1 unit at a time with an 11th grader...we need to keep the pace.

4. Should I supplement civics/government in 12th?

:confused1:

 

 

 

Now, to complicate matters even further...my son locked on to Core 5 in Sonlight's catalog this week and said - "Can I do this next year?" - after looking at all the books. :tongue_smilie: Well, then I got to wondering (LOL)...maybe I don't have to have them on the "same page" in history. Maybe my oldest could do Sonlight Core 300 (20th century) and my son could do Core 5 and then my daughter could read many of his books on missionaries and such. She could then do Core 400 in 12th which is government/civics.

I'm just not sure how many notes & discussion questions Sonlight's IG offer. I used Core 3, but that was 8 years ago and they weren't at our convention so I didn't get a chance to really peruse their materials.

:blink:

Help!!

 

Is any of this clear? LOL Now that I typed it all out...I feel as though I'm rambling. arghh!

 

Advice, PLEASE!

 

thank you!

~Gail

 

I've done TOG years 1 and 4 and own year 3 (all Classic, not Redesign). I've also done Sonlight 5. Both TOG and Sonlight are fantastic programs. It depends on what you're looking for in the curricula.

 

If you want a schedule completely planned out for you, down to the number of pages to read per day, Sonlight is the way to go. They don't have the Teacher Notes that TOG offers. TOG's notes are based on World Book, so you could add those to Sonlight (which Sonlight does also use), but Marcia has already done that work for us in TOG.

 

Sonlight is literature based (both history and literature) and you have to use their listed books because the schedule is based on those. The literature questions are more comprehensive (in SL 5), not literary analysis. TOG is subject based so you could use any books that cover the subject for history. You will have to use their literature choices because the literature questions are based on their book for the week, but there is lit. analysis. You don't have to read as many literature books in TOG as Sonlight, but you delve deeper into the ones you do read.

 

My suggest would be to try to purchase TOG year 3 Classic (to save money) and add Sonlight books as needed or desired. This keeps both kids on the same period, saving your sanity, and both will get what they want/need. If you want to go with Redesign (better questions, easier to manage, but more expensive) you do not have to buy all their books. I use what I already have or what I find at the library. As I stated above, TOG is subject based, so I only buy the literature choices I don't have. My dd is a slow reader so I don't try to do all the reading TOG suggests either.

 

As far as wondering if you will get frustrated planning it out, you could go to the TOG boards and the wonderful people there will be happy to help out in any way they can. Hope this helps.

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TOG has been a tremendous blessing for my family. Every family's home school needs are so unique. Researching choices to lead your children's educations is smart, but oh, how the possibilities can be mind-numbing (at least this was my experience). Two years ago we dived into TOG starting with year 3. :) Not sure what to expect I prayed for God's direction and discovered Tapestry of Grace was a wonderful fit for my dialectic and rhetoric students (incidently, my teen son does not like reading as a whole but loves to study history reading real books). The suggested books for history, church history, and literature were fantastic and interested all my children's tastes. TOG encourages the student to think, to analyze how an historical facet fits into God's picture. My teens have also learned how to manage time more effectively! Concerning government, we studied many of the major Constitutional amendments throughout Year 3 and 4. Towards the end of year 2 students are thoroughly exposed to the formation of our U.S. Constitution. This busy mom also appreciates the wealth of teacher notes and organized layout. All the questions and suggested books are there for me each week, not to mention great maps and writing suggestions.

Hope my tale helps.

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