K12's Human Odyssey... I don't like it...

[ErinE]

A few weeks ago I asked about the WTM way of doing Logic stage history and K12's Human Odyssey was recommended. I've read through it to do a quick plan for next year and I've found I don't particularly like the text. It isn't as in depth as I'd hoped and large portions of the readings are stories, often pulled from literature assigned to DS anyways.

 

Before asking about history here, I read through the appropriate sections in the Kingfisher encyclopedia. I think it's a more thorough overview of the time period. Though there's less text, it appears to have more meat on Eastern and American cultures. I had planned on supplementing the history spine with age-appropriate literature (Gilgamesh, Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid) and life-in-ancient-time books. To me, Human Odyssey will be more reading than Kingfisher with less substance.

 

So I'd love to hear from someone who used Human Odyssey, especially if you used all the books. Based on Volume I, I can't see using HO up to eighth grade. From my admittedly brief survey, SOTW4 is written to a higher reading level than Human Odyssey Volume I.

[Julie Smith]

Oh no! At least that is what I thought when I read your review of HO. Are plan is to move onto that after we are done with SOTW, and I am hoping for an increase in reading level and depth.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I own HO 1-3 and American Odyssey and I am not in love with them either. DS10 and I vastly prefer OUP's two history sets for the middle grades, The World in Ancient Times and The Medieval and Early Modern World. I have struggled to find something as good for modern times though and may have no other choice but to use HO3.

[ErinE]

I own HO 1-3 and American Odyssey and I am not in love with them either. DS10 and I vastly prefer OUP's two history sets for the middle grades, The World in Ancient Times and The Medieval and Early Modern World. I have struggled to find something as good for modern times though and may have no other choice but to use HO3.

 

I keep looking at the World in Ancient Times. These like look what I'd prefer for middle-grade history study. But the price! I can't justify the expense.

 

Do you supplement HO heavily? I'm tempted to have DS read a Kingfisher entry for the timeline and map so I know he's covered the basics. I'd then assign additional reading from another book.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I keep looking at the World in Ancient Times. These like look what I'd prefer for middle-grade history study. But the price! I can't justify the expense.

 

Do you supplement HO heavily? I'm tempted to have DS read a Kingfisher entry for the timeline and map so I know he's covered the basics. I'd then assign additional reading from another book.

 

I am basically not even using the HO volumes anymore (and yet, irritatingly, I feel like I can't sell them...yet :lol:). With DS10, I am using OUP, lots of lit, and non-fiction books on topics of particular interest. We are also reading SOTW aloud, which is just right for DD and younger DS, although the OUP volumes hold their attention as well. I have heard people say that they are too detailed for their taste, but the details are what my kids love. The more of an overview perspective a book takes, the less my kids can focus.

 

I got the OUP books on sale (WIAT on crazy sale, the whole set for $35, and M&EMW for half off). Does your library carry them, or is ILL an option?

[Abeille]

We haven't used HO Vol. 1, but we do use Vol. 2 and our experience has been the opposite. DS and I enjoy Human Odyssey more than the Kingfisher encyclopedia, mostly because the Kingfisher is so very condensed. I do like it as a handy reference, but I've moved away from using it as our primary spine. I just asked DS 12 which book he preferred, and why, and he chose Human Odyssey because "Kingfisher covered the Tudors in only two pages. And they missed stuff." He also likes that HO has examples of primary sources. We'll keep using Kingfisher, but also adding in SOTW and HO along with the books assigned in History Odyssey. We probably do too much history, but DS loves reading on the couch time and history is one of his favorite subjects.

 

I really wish it was easier to see books in person before buying, as I think we've all had the experience of buying something many on the forum are raving about - only to find out it's just not a great fit.

[Julie Smith]

Does anyone have a link to a place to look at the OUP books.

 

Any thoughts on the time periods the OUP books don't cover?

[Haiku]

HO has always been something I have hesitated to buy. It gets such fabulously glowing reviews that I was wary ... generally, if something is hyped that much, I tend to be disappointed with it. If I could find it for a good price used, I'd try it, but I am not going to pay $40 for something just to give it a look-see.

 

After a disastrous beginning to logic stage history with History Odyssey (not to be confused with Human Odyssey), we are switching over to Suzanne Strauss Art's books for the next two years. We'll have to see where to go after that.

 

Tara

[arborite]

 

 

I keep looking at the World in Ancient Times. These like look what I'd prefer for middle-grade history study. But the price! I can't justify the expense.

 

We bought ours used on Amazon, one volume at a time. Prices ranged from $1 to $8, plus $4 shipping. Probably spent $40 for five of the volumes (Rome, Greece, Egypt, Asia, Early). We skipped or borrowed from the library the volumes we were not interested in owning. The five, supplemented generously with living books, were plenty for a year of Ancient History.

[Mom in High Heels]

Oh, we love Human Odyssey! It's very readable. KF is packed with facts, but it's kind of dry and to just use that would be boring, IMO. We do use it supplementally, but neither of us get excited over KF. I like that HO has snippets of stories in it (Gilgamesh, Prometheus, The Odyssey, etc), because sometimes we don't have the time to add the full length version, but we're still getting a feel for the story. KWIM?

 

PP, I paid around $12-15 for my used (IIRC) and it is in good shape. I also have some of the World in Ancient Times books that I bought used on Amazon. They are not new and show signs of use, but as long as they're not falling apart, I don't care.

[melmichigan]

I have Human Odyssey, it is more a reference book for us. Oldest DD actually used Spielvogel's Journey Across Time when she did her D rotation for ancients, she read OUP Medieval and Early Modern Times on her own.

[Karen in CO]

HO has always been something I have hesitated to buy. It gets such fabulously glowing reviews that I was wary ... generally, if something is hyped that much, I tend to be disappointed with it. If I could find it for a good price used, I'd try it, but I am not going to pay $40 for something just to give it a look-see.

 

After a disastrous beginning to logic stage history with History Odyssey (not to be confused with Human Odyssey), we are switching over to Suzanne Strauss Art's books for the next two years. We'll have to see where to go after that.

 

Tara

 

I have to warn about the Suzanne Strauss Art's history books. They drove my dd crazy this year. They need supplementation to give a more in depth view of history. For example, the summary of Ramses the Great was that he was arrogant. It frequently trivialized the impact of people and events by putting in statements like this. In the Roman book, it took Gibbon's view that Rome's moral depravity was the primary cause for it's fall instead of giving a more thorough analysis. Although the books seem secular, it is very obvious that they are written from a Christian pov.

 

Her history class this year used OUP for Mesopotamia then the Strauss Art books for Egypt, Greece and Rome. The teacher spent a lot of time bringing in other sources to give the kids a chance to critically review the material. He lamented the fact that there are not a many choices that are neither too shallow or too deep for the middle grades.

[Haiku]

Thanks for the head's up. We have other resources planned as well.

 

Tara

[FairProspects]

What is OUP?

[TarynB]

What is OUP?

 

OUP is Oxford University Press, which publishes these mentioned above:

 

The World in Ancient Times series

 

The Medieval and Early Modern World series

[ErinE]

Thanks for all the replies. I'd still love to hear from any others who used Human Odyssey. I'll read aloud SOTW1 for DD, so I may end up having DS use HO and Kingfisher, while using the library for OUP (Oxford University Press). My library also has People in Ancient Times. Has anyone used those? I just finished reading the Kushites book, which was interesting and informative.

[ErinE]

I have Human Odyssey, it is more a reference book for us. Oldest DD actually used Spielvogel's Journey Across Time when she did her D rotation for ancients, she read OUP Medieval and Early Modern Times on her own.

 

How did you like Spielvogel? I hadn't heard of this book before. If we opt to HS high school, I plan on using his college text.

[TarynB]

Thanks for all the replies. I'd still love to hear from any others who used Human Odyssey. I'll read aloud SOTW1 for DD, so I may end up having DS use HO and Kingfisher, while using the library for OUP (Oxford University Press). My library also has People in Ancient Times. Has anyone used those? I just finished reading the Kushites book, which was interesting and informative.

 

 

We used the white Kingfisher and K12's Human Odyssey 1 in 5th grade, in a coordinated WTM-ish style, where DS read first from Kingfisher and took notes (he also learned to take notes in 5th grade), then read later the same week from Human Odyssey and either narrated his reading or verbally answered discussion and connection questions that I found worthwhile in the K12 TM. This saved me from having to find coordinated library books every week (as prescribed in WTM) on each Kingfisher topic; we just used Human Odyssey as a single outside source instead.

 

Personally, I liked having the art and literature selections that are offered in the pages of Human Odyssey, although I can see why they bothered you if that's not your thing. DS is not a history or art lover, so he got exposure to those things alongside his history lesson that he might not receive otherwise, and the exposure was in the context of history instead of random. We spend more time on science and math, so if we can streamline history and add in a little art appreciation, all the better for us. Sometimes we simply skipped the longer lit selections if I felt he wouldn't enjoy them, no big deal.

 

At this point, because DS does not love history as a subject, I'm using the content of history to help him learn and apply his writing and studying skills, as recommended in WTM. Any appreciation for history or art that is gained at this stage is gravy.

 

We tried one volume from the World in Ancient Times series (Egypt) and he didn't care for it, but that's mostly because it was too long and detailed for his taste. I also thought it seemed a little disconnected in some chapters, as if different authors had written different sections. However, lots of people here seem to really like the World in Ancient Times series, so get a volume from the library and give it a go. You won't know unless you try it.

 

Anyway, I see Kingfisher at one end of the spectrum (summarized, efficient), World in Ancient Times at the other end (detailed, flowing) and K12 Human Odyssey somewhere in the middle. We'll be using Kingfisher again and Human Odyssey 2 for 6th grade. I agree with a PP that Human Odyssey's reading level increases as you go along.

[FairProspects]

OUP is Oxford University Press, which publishes these mentioned above:

 

The World in Ancient Times series

 

The Medieval and Early Modern World series

 

 

Thanks!!

[melmichigan]

How did you like Spielvogel? I hadn't heard of this book before. If we opt to HS high school, I plan on using his college text.

 

 

It is his middle school textbook. There are two versions. I have the full edition. It is divided by civilization with lots of timeline references to pull things together. My DD really liked that it is colorful, where many history texts are dull looking. There is also a companion website with interactive maps, self quizzes in which the results can be emailed to the parent/teacher, games and puzzles. The study central section has unit summaries, vocabulary builders, sections on learning how to take notes from a textbook, and practice quizzes.

 

At the time I needed the reassurance of a textbook for middle school. It worked out very well as a spine and I plan to use it again next year for my twins, with Western Civilization for my DD who is now transitioning to Rhetoric level. It was very easy to align SOTW with it for my younger kids.

[HeatherH720]

A few weeks ago I asked about the WTM way of doing Logic stage history and K12's Human Odyssey was recommended. I've read through it to do a quick plan for next year and I've found I don't particularly like the text.

 

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! I bought HO too b/c of the glowing reviews. I've sat down and tried to read through different sections and it puts me to sleep every time. And I love history! I've definitely read more textbookish history, so this one isn't the worst, but it's still too boring for my taste. I'm glad I bought HO used and didn't spend a lot of money on it, though I still don't like it was $25 used.

 

I read the excerpt of OUP's Near East book on Amazon and decided to buy it to see if it's better. I purchased a used copy for $11 (including shipping). If I like it, I'm going to get the Greek and Roman one also, but use books from the library for the other time periods. I've read on this forum that the Egypt book isn't as good.

 

We have the Kingfisher encyclopedia of history already, but I don't feel like it gives enough detail to use as a spine. But I'm planning this for a 7th grader who is ALL about the details. I've wondered, though, if the Usborne ancient world encyclopedia would be better.

[HeatherH720]

Oh, and my library has the People of the Ancient World series (but not OUP's series, darn it). I checked out the one on Rome to see how it would work. I don't think I'll end up using it for Rome or Greek history. Right off the bat, I didn't think it gave enough detail on the myths of the founding of Rome. OUP's goes into the two different legends and then discusses archeological evidence that possibly backs one up. People of the Ancient World just had a very short blurb about the story of Remus and Romulus. That alone made me decide not to go with it as the main spine.

[ErinE]

Oh, and my library has the People of the Ancient World series (but not OUP's series, darn it). I checked out the one on Rome to see how it would work. I don't think I'll end up using it for Rome or Greek history. Right off the bat, I didn't think it gave enough detail on the myths of the founding of Rome. OUP's goes into the two different legends and then discusses archeological evidence that possibly backs one up. People of the Ancient World just had a very short blurb about the story of Remus and Romulus. That alone made me decide not to go with it as the main spine.

 

 

Thanks. It may not be enough for Greece, Rome or Egypt, but it was one of the series with a book on the Kushites.

[K&Rs Mom]

We have the Kingfisher encyclopedia of history already, but I don't feel like it gives enough detail to use as a spine. But I'm planning this for a 7th grader who is ALL about the details. I've wondered, though, if the Usborne ancient world encyclopedia would be better.

 

 

We're using both Kingfisher (the red one) and Usborne's Internet-linked Ancient World as supplements to this round of SOTW1, and I don't think Usborne would be enough for most 7th graders. Usborne has less info per page, and is written at a lower reading-level (smaller words, shorter sentences) and larger font. The links, however, are such a variety - some are from museum or university sites, above the heads of my 3rd & 5th graders, others are kind of shallow elementary-level sites. I'm glad we're using both this year, even though there is some overlap, but I only own Usborne's Ancient & Medieval worlds in this series, and I think by the end of next year even my younger will be past what Usborne offers, while KF will last us through the rest of this cycle.

[Heathermomster]

I like K12 HO Vol 1 and recommend it. We use it in conjunction with OUP, the red KFH, Usbourne, The Story of Mankind, The World Book Encyclopedias, documentaries, music, the Internet, and numerous books on ancient warfare. I've yet to find an interesting, one-stop history book.

 

For 8th grade, Vol 1 will be used but not as our exclusive history text. I've already selected several books that coincide with the Middle Ages.

[creekster519]

What's the difference between red and white Kingfisher encyclopedias?

[Haiku]

The "white" Kingfisher is the one from the 1990s. The "red" is the newer one. I believe both are OOP now. The white one is supposed to be better to outline from: more narrative, less bullet-point style. People like to gauge you on the price for it. I've seen it selling for $90-$110. I got mine for $8 (including shipping). It's a good resource but dreadfully dry as a spine.

 

I have really grown to disagree with SWB's logic-stage history strategy. Following her format made my history-loving kids hate history. We ditched after (a very long) 8 months and started doing our own thing with library books and narrative history. The kids love history again.

 

Tara

[lauracolumbus]

I, too, am underwhelmed by K12 HO. We have the 1st vol. and the reading level is light. Ok for my 3d grader, but not my 7 th grader. Next year the 8th grader will use OUP Middle Ages, esp the documents book. We are also going to try MCT's Black Death book for a problem-based learning project.

Laura

[Luckymama]

I, too, am underwhelmed by K12 HO. We have the 1st vol. and the reading level is light. Ok for my 3d grader, but not my 7 th grader. Next year the 8th grader will use OUP Middle Ages, esp the documents book. We are also going to try MCT's Black Death book for a problem-based learning project.

Laura

 

The reading level is light for the first volume, perfect for my then-fifth grader. I cannot imagine a seventh grader using vol 1! The reading level does increase in difficulty in subsequent volumes.

[TarynB]

The "white" Kingfisher is the one from the 1990s. The "red" is the newer one. I believe both are OOP now. The white one is supposed to be better to outline from: more narrative, less bullet-point style. People like to gauge you on the price for it. I've seen it selling for $90-$110. I got mine for $8 (including shipping). It's a good resource but dreadfully dry as a spine.

 

I have really grown to disagree with SWB's logic-stage history strategy. Following her format made my history-loving kids hate history. We ditched after (a very long) 8 months and started doing our own thing with library books and narrative history. The kids love history again.

 

Tara

 

We didn't do 5th grade history exactly WTM-prescribed, either, but DS does like the white Kingfisher as his spine and timeline source, and we added K12 HO1 as outside reading and Great Courses DVDs as extras. Our library isn't wonderful and this keeps it simple for us. You're right, the white KF is better for outlining (not as blurby/choppy as other encyclopedias), so I'm glad we had the white KF for him to learn that skill. KF is not what I would have chosen for myself, but he likes it and is learning more history than I did in school so I can't argue with that. We tried OUP's WIAT and it was overkill for us on the level of detail but many like it. Anyway, one person's narrative is another's rambling; one person's dry is another's concise. So, to other readers, you won't know unless you try it!

[Mom0012]

Thanks for all the replies. I'd still love to hear from any others who used Human Odyssey. I'll read aloud SOTW1 for DD, so I may end up having DS use HO and Kingfisher, while using the library for OUP (Oxford University Press). My library also has People in Ancient Times. Has anyone used those? I just finished reading the Kushites book, which was interesting and informative.

 

I bought all he HO volumes last year, and apparently they were a hit here because my son read them on his own over the summer for free reading. He also loved Kingfisher when he was younger though. His copy is well worn and has about 100 tabs in it marking his favorite pages.

[HeatherH720]

 

We're using both Kingfisher (the red one) and Usborne's Internet-linked Ancient World as supplements to this round of SOTW1, and I don't think Usborne would be enough for most 7th graders.

 

Thanks for the input. I'd decided to not get the Usborne encyclopedia after all...glad to know I made the right decision.

 

I got in my copy of OUP's Near East book yesterday. I've only read the first 4 chapters but so far I like it much better than K12's HO.

[SunnyDays]

 

 

It is his middle school textbook. There are two versions. I have the full edition. It is divided by civilization with lots of timeline references to pull things together. My DD really liked that it is colorful, where many history texts are dull looking. There is also a companion website with interactive maps, self quizzes in which the results can be emailed to the parent/teacher, games and puzzles. The study central section has unit summaries, vocabulary builders, sections on learning how to take notes from a textbook, and practice quizzes.

 

At the time I needed the reassurance of a textbook for middle school. It worked out very well as a spine and I plan to use it again next year for my twins, with Western Civilization for my DD who is now transitioning to Rhetoric level. It was very easy to align SOTW with it for my younger kids.

 

 

Resurrecting this thread from last month!

 

ErinE, just curious what you decided?

 

I have Human Odyssey, but I'm thinking I might like more of a one volume overview of world history. Journey Through time looks interesting! Melissa, a couple of questions.... First, did you find you need any sort of teachers edition? And, is there anywhere online I can find samples of the book? Amazon has nothing, and I couldn't find anything on Glencoes website either. Thanks!

 

[melmichigan]

Resurrecting this thread from last month!

 

ErinE, just curious what you decided?

 

I have Human Odyssey, but I'm thinking I might like more of a one volume overview of world history. Journey Through time looks interesting! Melissa, a couple of questions.... First, did you find you need any sort of teachers edition? And, is there anywhere online I can find samples of the book? Amazon has nothing, and I couldn't find anything on Glencoes website either. Thanks!

 

No, I didn't need a teacher edition. I did have my DD take the online quizzes, and we discussed the material to gauge her understanding. I haven't seen any samples anywhere.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Resurrecting this thread from last month!

 

ErinE, just curious what you decided?

 

I have Human Odyssey, but I'm thinking I might like more of a one volume overview of world history. Journey Through time looks interesting! Melissa, a couple of questions.... First, did you find you need any sort of teachers edition? And, is there anywhere online I can find samples of the book? Amazon has nothing, and I couldn't find anything on Glencoes website either. Thanks!

 

 

Cris, I just got a copy of From then to Now by Christopher Moore. It looks like a very quick (only 10 chapters!) overview of world history. I like it very much, though. I like Gombrich ok, but this is a much more up-to-date version, so I like how it handles things like hunter-gatherer societies, the peopling of the Americas, and other topics (I've only read the first chapter so far!) about which we have learned a lot over the past few decades, and that I haven't liked the handling of in older history texts.

 

Anyway, FWIW! I'm also moving away from text-based history, so this thread has been interesting.

[SunnyDays]

Great, thanks Melissa!

 

Rose, that sounds interesting. Thanks, I'll take a peek at it!

[Penguin]

I guess that I am the odd one out on this one, but I don't notice any difference in reading level between Volumes 1 and 2. Volume 3 seems quite different. My 7th grader will start next year finishing up Volume 1 - we were parked in Greece for a really long time.

 

While we do/will supplement, I would not automatically dismiss Volume 1 for 7th graders. K12 Academy uses Volume 1 for 7th grade, and the student pages have some solid writing assignments. Granted, this is kind of a moot point since this is a thread for folks who dislike K12. :lol:

[Julie Smith]

Cris, I just got a copy of From then to Now by Christopher Moore. It looks like a very quick (only 10 chapters!) overview of world history. I like it very much, though. I like Gombrich ok, but this is a much more up-to-date version, so I like how it handles things like hunter-gatherer societies, the peopling of the Americas, and other topics (I've only read the first chapter so far!) about which we have learned a lot over the past few decades, and that I haven't liked the handling of in older history texts.

 

Anyway, FWIW! I'm also moving away from text-based history, so this thread has been interesting.

 

From Then to Now is written by a Canadian. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Moore_(Canadian_historian)

 

:)

[ondreeuh]

No, I didn't need a teacher edition. I did have my DD take the online quizzes, and we discussed the material to gauge her understanding. I haven't seen any samples anywhere.

 

You can download the whole book here, plus the activity workbook and Reading Essentials & Study Guide workbook: http://members.wabash.net/~northclay/ncjhs/journeyacrosstime.htm (Active Reading and Note Taking workbook is a dead link)

 

Arkansas version of the AR & NT workbook: http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/workbooks/social_studies/arkansas/jateaarntg.pdf

 

Daily Lecture and Discussion Notes: http://mrmurphree.wikispaces.com/file/view/8th+grade+World+History+Notes.pdf

 

Unit 1 (Ch. 1-3) Planning Guide: http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/jlugo/files/ch01.pdf

 

Unit 2 Resources: http://guildoo.wikispaces.com/file/view/vacbact4-1.pdf

 

Unit 3 Resources: http://schoolsites.leeschools.net/lxm/christinalm/Additional%20Documents%20and%20Forms/Ancient%20Rome/GRA%208-3.pdf

 

Unit 4 Resources: http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/AL/BaldwinCounty/SpanishFortMiddle/Uploads/DocumentsCategories/Documents/Ch.%2015%20sect.%204%20gr.pdf

 

Foldables: http://images.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/AL/MadisonCity/DiscoveryMid/Uploads/Forms/reading%20and%20study%20skills%20foldables.pdf

 

if you do a google search for: "journey across time" filetype:pdf

[Julie Smith]

 

You can download the whole book here, plus the activity workbook and Reading Essentials & Study Guide workbook: http://members.wabas...yacrosstime.htm (Active Reading and Note Taking workbook is a dead link)

 

Arkansas version of the AR & NT workbook: http://www.glencoe.c.../jateaarntg.pdf

 

Daily Lecture and Discussion Notes: http://mrmurphree.wi...story Notes.pdf

 

Unit 1 (Ch. 1-3) Planning Guide: http://www.myteacher.../files/ch01.pdf

 

Unit 2 Resources: http://guildoo.wikis.../vacbact4-1.pdf

 

Unit 3 Resources: http://schoolsites.l...ome/GRA 8-3.pdf

 

Unit 4 Resources: http://images.pcmac.... sect. 4 gr.pdf

 

Foldables: http://images.pcmac....s foldables.pdf

 

if you do a google search for: "journey across time" filetype:pdf

 

 

Thanks. I'm not sure what I'm looking at. I suppose I haven't bee paying attention to the thread. But it looks like quite a book, not the type of thing someone puts of for free.

[ondreeuh]

Thanks. I'm not sure what I'm looking at. I suppose I haven't bee paying attention to the thread. But it looks like quite a book, not the type of thing someone puts of for free.

 

 

It is Glencoe's middle school ancient history text. It's written by Jackson Spielvogel, who has written successful high school level texts. Everything I linked is available for sale through the publisher (and Amazon, eBay, etc.) but some schools have made them available for download.

[Julie Smith]

 

It is Glencoe's middle school ancient history text. It's written by Jackson Spielvogel, who has written successful high school level texts. Everything I linked is available for sale through the publisher (and Amazon, eBay, etc.) but some schools have made them available for download.

 

 

The book you linked goes up to the reniassance. Does he have another one to bring it to modern times?

[melmichigan]

 

 

The book you linked goes up to the reniassance. Does he have another one to bring it to modern times?

 

There are two versions Journey Across Time and Journey Across Time, The Early Ages. The first continues to more modern time.

[SunnyDays]

Andrea, thanks for those links! I started looking at them and will sit down for a closer look today. That will be a big help to us.... We'd still probably get a hard copy of the full edition but at least I'll know what we're getting!

[EKS]

Volume 1 is very different from volume 3. The books change as you go up. The first volume (which I generally recommend for 5th grade) has the stories (though I'm a bit puzzled about why you say that they are a significant part of the reading). When we were going to read one of the stories separately, I just skipped that part of HO. The second volume has somewhat fictionalized biographical sketches of important figures (we just read one about Gutenberg) as well as some primary source material. The third volume has more story-like narratives pulled out in the same way along with primary source material. The reading level definitely increases as you move along.

 

I use these books as a spine, which means that I don't expect them to provide everything that I would consider important in a solid history course. What they *do* provide is a sense of cohesion as they focus on themes in history. I find them much more readable than the Kingfisher.

 

My preference is to use the HO books for three years (grades 5, 6, and 7) and then do either a study of geography (using something like Geography Alive as a spine) or American History (using The American Odyssey as a spine).