Modern History

[Kristie4]

I need to design a modern history course for my daughter.  She is a total math, science, and art (oh, and drama!) person who is headed into engineering or costume design.  She is finishing up highschool next year.

 

So far she has covered her three history credits with an Ambleside Online light list, but she really wants to focus on art, math (dual credit) and science next year.  So I want to design a course that will be interesting but not super reading heavy.  I have my modern lit picked so no problem there, but I want to include historical dvds, lectures, podcasts etc. Some history reading is fine, but I want her to be able to go 'big' on the other courses!

 

Any suggestions out there in the hive for great biographies, documentaries, movies, lectures etc. for the Modern era (but mostly 20th century)?

 

By the way, we are Canadian- so even though I know we will be learning about some American History, it obviously won't be our primary focus!

 

 

[PeterPan]

This is what you want.  It's not mine btw, but the lady does post here on the boards.  :)

 

http://www.guesthollow.com/history_shelf/history_shelf10.html

 

Now return the favor and share your lit list?  :D

[Kristie4]

That is what I want!  Thank you for saving me heaps of time!

 

My lit. list is not that big.  Dd listens to and reads lots of great lit.  These are just the more formal books.I asked my older son who just graduated and he helped me pick a few not to miss modern books:

~Crime and Punishment (a must read before graduating)

~Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (he is family favourite and I love this book)

~Cry Thy Beloved Country by Alan Paton

~One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich  by Alexander Soltzenhitsyn (maybe- we have a similar book on the go now)

~Things Fall Apart  (maybe)

~maybe....  My Antonia (but this might be just a mother to daughter read aloud)

 

We also might be doing a lit co-op with a few other teens so I don't want to add anything until we firm up those plans.

[Kristie4]

I forgot:  we also want to read some biographies.  I think I will go with a student interest driven choice process for that.  

[PeterPan]

 

~Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry (he is family favourite and I love this book)

 

 

Glad you liked it!  She did an awesome job, didn't she?  :)

 

That book is something! Her description of her grandchildren not understanding the love she tried to give them is so touch...  (just looking at the amazon sample, haven't read)  However, do you think your dd will connect with it?  It has that frailty of an older person writing.  I've been investigating SL core 300 for my dd.  You might find options in there, either for the fiction or biographies and non-fiction.  I haven't seen the book on the labor movement yet that they site, but it's definitely an important issue.  TOG yr 4 also has rhetoric level recommendations.  I don't have any favs yet, just piles accumulating.  :)

 

Well thanks for sharing your list.  The Berry book is new to me.  :)

[Kristie4]

I forgot about TOG- I will look there for the book choices (we don't need the other stuff).

 

By the way, I am a Wendell Berry junkie, but just his fiction so far.  I have read, and reread, and reread all of his books and short stories.  The are wonderful!

[Candid]

I'd encourage you to look at the TOG list if you want the lit of the time period and some biographies, their history focus for the the 20th century is partly driven by using biographies (somewhat of a departure for them). 

[Candid]

This is what you want.  It's not mine btw, but the lady does post here on the boards.  :)

 

http://www.guesthollow.com/history_shelf/history_shelf10.html

 

Now return the favor and share your lit list?   :D

 

Gosh there is absolutely no real lit or even any high school level history books on the list. No Hemingway, no Faulkner, no Yeats. I'd guess she had younger children. 

[PeterPan]

Gosh there is absolutely no real lit or even any high school level history books on the list. No Hemingway, no Faulkner, no Yeats. I'd guess she had younger children. 

 

Call me crazy, but didn't she say somewhere on her site that this list was her *personal* reading and viewing that she was just sharing to be useful?  I don't think any list of videos would be exhaustive, because there are always more angles to look at the history from, more documentaries, more biographies.  Just gives people inspiration on where to start searching.

[Kareni]

In 9th grade, we used a hodgepodge when my daughter covered that time period while studying 1700 to 2000. Here are some resources (non-fiction, literature, videos and music) that we used that cover the 20th century:

World History the Easy Way, Volume 2 by Charles Frazee

American History the Easy Way by William Kellogg

World History Map Activities by Marvin Scott

The Century for Young People by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster
Critical Thinking in United States History, Book Four, Spanish-American War to Vietnam War by Kevin O’Reilly
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Nutcracker, Berliner Philharmoniker, Mstislav Rostropovich conducting
Winsor McCay: The Master Edition (The Sinking of the Lusitania)
Claude Debussy: La Mer, Nocturnes, Jeux, The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez conducting
The Battleship Potemkin (video)
“Broadway, Blues, and Truth†from RESPECT: A Century of Women in Music
Botchan by Soseki Natsume (translated by Umeji Sasaki)
Many Lives, Many Stories by Kathryn Abbott and Patricia Minter
Witness by Karen Hesse
Influenza 1918 (video from PBS)
New Orleans Rhythm Kings and Jelly Roll Morton
Antarctica by Walter Dean Myers
War Game by Michael Foreman
Mao Tse-Tung and His China by Albert Marrin
“The Butcher Boyâ€, “The Garage†and “Rough House†from The Best Arbuckle Keaton Collection (video)
Fluffy Ruffle Girls: Women in Ragtime
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Charles A. Lindbergh: A Human Hero by James Cross Giblin
Inherit the Wind (video)
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
All Quiet on the Western Front (video)
The Depression and New Deal by Robert McElvaine
Cabaret (video)
Radio Comedy Classics: Jack Benny Program and Fred Allen Show
Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren
Maus I and Maus II by Art Spiegelman
Rabbit-Proof Fence (video)
The Verse by the Side of the Road by Frank Ransome, Jr.
Elvis Presley title album
Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid, Fanfare for the Common Man (New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein)
1940s House (video)
Diary of Anne Frank
North to Freedom by Anne Holm
Shane (video)
Frank Sinatra, Come Swing with Me
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi
Ed Sullivan’s Rock and Roll Classics, Volume 8: Legends of Rock (video)
Beatles, Beatles for Sale
Atomic Café (video)
Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited
“I Have a Dream†by Martin Luther King, Jr.
All the President's Men (video)
Forrest Gump (video)
Judy Collins, Whales and Nightingales
Hair (video)
The Vietnam War by Marilyn B. Young, John J. Fitzgerald and A. Tom Grunfeld
Singers and Songwriters, 1974-1975
Good Morning, Vietnam (video)
Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis
The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley
The Mouse that Roared (video)
Abba, The Definitive Collection
W;t by Margaret Edson
W;t (video)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Fax from Sarajevo by Joe Kubert
U2, Achtung Baby
A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich

Regards,
Kareni

[jenn&charles]

Gosh there is absolutely no real lit or even any high school level history books on the list. No Hemingway, no Faulkner, no Yeats. I'd guess she had younger children. 

 

It's a personal, unfinished list that reflects my own preferences as well as my son's. My son may never care for "real lit" as you call it (as my daughter does), but he reads. A lot. My taking the time to make lists like the one linked above  is part of the reason why he does.

 

Also, quite frankly, Hemingway, Faulkner and Yeats bore me. Ok, well maybe not all of Yeats, but still...

There. I said it. :-)

Just not my thing.

 

As to the comment that there are no high school level history books on the list...perhaps your definition and mine differ. I don't know, maybe your children read Grapes of Wrath and To Kill a Mockingbird in jr. high?

 

I don't mean to come across as snarky, but I kind of felt defensive after reading your comment that was kind of judgemental concerning something I'm simply sharing that works for me and my family. It may not meet your measure, but then we're all different with different taste in books. Good thing or the world would be boring. 

 

P.S. Most of the students who use my "lists" really love what they read and retain a great deal of what they learn and that's what counts most, to me anyway. I really don't give a crumb if my son never reads Hemingway. What I care is that he loves learning and that he understands and retains what I'm trying to teach him. If he gets all that without "real lit" (and whose definition are we using?), then so be it.

[Candid]

 

 

As to the comment that there are no high school level history books on the list...perhaps your definition and mine differ. I don't know, maybe your children read Grapes of Wrath and To Kill a Mockingbird in jr. high?

 

 

 

 

Umm, by history I don't mean fiction like Grapes of Wrath or To Kill a Mockinbird. 

 

 

I don't mean to come across as snarky, but I kind of felt defensive after reading your comment that was kind of judgemental concerning something I'm simply sharing that works for me and my family. It may not meet your measure, but then we're all different with different taste in books. Good thing or the world would be boring. 

 

P.S. Most of the students who use my "lists" really love what they read and retain a great deal of what they learn and that's what counts most, to me anyway. I really don't give a crumb if my son never reads Hemingway. What I care is that he loves learning and that he understands and retains what I'm trying to teach him. If he gets all that without "real lit" (and whose definition are we using?), then so be it.

Well, you've forced me to say what I had tried to avoid saying up thread so as not to offend the person who posted your list. What I now must say is:

 

There is nothing wrong with this list as an unfinished, haven't got to high school list which is what it looked like to me and which you say it is. 

 

But the OP is asking for help in the high school forum. She needs real help finding appropriate materials. So posting your list wasn't in my view very helpful to her, and I felt it important to point out the defects so the OP is not misled by the list and where it was posted. 

 

So to the OP I say again: no real lit, no high school level history. If you put this list in your list of books read for courses, its possible college admins won't be tactful, instead they'll score your student's academic schedule as less rigorous if their school does that (and my readings say most do). Since she is a STEM major you may wish to use some of these books, but include some others as well. 

[jenn&charles]

Umm, by history I don't mean fiction like Grapes of Wrath or To Kill a Mockinbird. 

 

You are the one who originally said I didn't have any "real lit" on there.  Apparently, I guess you don't consider To Kill a Mockingbird and Grapes of Wrath as "real lit".  Besides the fact that the list isn't a LIT list, it does have literature based during specific time periods. That's why I referred to it as history.

 

This is what the list is, as posted on my website:

 

"I absolutely love history. I'm a huge historical fiction fan and love historical movies, etc. The History Shelf is a project I've started that lists a variety of historical fiction novels, some non-fiction history books and history movies in the context of a VISUAL timeline. Now you can look up a time in history and see some great books & movies listed according to when they happened. Browse the timeline and browse the books! Click on a book to read more about it and/or purchase it from Amazon. Some history videos, movies and documentaries are linked to Amazon, YouTube and other online sources. Happy reading and watching!"

 

 

Well, you've forced me to say what I had tried to avoid saying up thread so as not to offend the person who posted your list. What I now must say is:

 

Nothing like having someone stand over you with a gun making you type those words... ;)

 

There is nothing wrong with this list as an unfinished, haven't got to high school list which is what it looked like to me and which you say it is. 

 

But the OP is asking for help in the high school forum. She needs real help finding appropriate materials. So posting your list wasn't in my view very helpful to her, and I felt it important to point out the defects so the OP is not misled by the list and where it was posted. 

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with my list as a resource for a high schooler. There are plenty of appropriate materials on there for ALL ages, including adults, and especially considering what the OP asked for:

 

"Any suggestions out there in the hive for great biographies, documentaries, movies...."

 

Considering that my list has all 3 of those types of items listed, I would say that's probably what she was looking for. Oh, and the fact that she said, "That is what I want! Thank you for saving me heaps of time!" is probably an indicator that she wasn't misled, but rather is pleased with what she was shown.

 

So to the OP I say again: no real lit,

 

The OP said, "I have my modern lit picked so no problem there..."

 

Not sure why you are pointing out there is no "real lit" on a list that isn't a lit list in the first place and that's not what the OP was looking for anyway.

 

 

no high school level history.

 

I guess that depends on what you consider high school level history. History is history. Facts are facts. I list books resources for children AND adults. You pointed the OP to the Tapestry of Grace list. Maybe you didn't notice that I have quite a few of the same books or related movies listed that they list for the dialectic (which I'll mention since that usually spans 9th grade) and rhetoric levels such as:

 

All Quiet on the Western Front

God's Smuggler

The Hiding Place

Hitler by Albert Marrin

Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel

To Kill a Mockingbird

10,000 Days of Thunder

A Dream of Freedom

Mao Zedong's China

Red Scarf Girl

and others...

 

 

 

If you put this list in your list of books read for courses, its possible college admins won't be tactful, instead they'll score your student's academic schedule as less rigorous if their school does that (and my readings say most do). Since she is a STEM major you may wish to use some of these books, but include some others as well. 

 

I guess it sounds like you and I have different goals. It seems that yours is to woo college admissions. Mine is to foster a love for history and help my son not only retain the info but care about it and learn from it. I don't give one fig what a college admissions board would think about the list of books he read for history and if they are tactful about it or not. My son's accomplishments and passions that have been nurtured will stand out enough and make the difference, not a list of books he read and movies he watched for history. 

 

Oh, and I have a daughter in college. She's quite successful (student of the year, etc.). She's applying for a transfer to Stanford. And you know what? It doesn't matter that she read a variety of books (maybe, *gasp* some that weren't even "high school level" seeing how she read many from the list on my website!) for history. Not. at. all. P.S. She also got an A in her history courses in college. 

 

Anyway, I just felt like you came across in a harsh way, especially considering what the OP was asking for and what my list is (and isn't). Using words like "misled", picking apart a list of history resources because it doesn't have what you consider real lit and implying that it wasn't appropriate for the link to be shared....well I guess I got my knickers in a twist. The OP isn't stupid. She knows what she is looking for and seemed quite happy with the link. Why you had to come along and help set the poor uninformed thing straight (being sarcastic here, no offense towards the OP at all) just didn't come across as either right, or helpful (except for your first post in the thread recommending TOG).

 

Oh, and you insulted the poster of the link as well. I mean, since you didn't want to offend her and all and now I "forced" you to possibly do so. 

 

She's an intelligent mom whose posts I've been reading forever. She shared a useful link. I feel like you are implying she didn't know better or something to post something so...below...the high school board.

 

OK, I'll shut up now. I just felt the need to post because there are a lot of other parents of high schoolers who may actually benefit from the list I made and I wouldn't want you to come along and quash what might be quite beneficial for some who want to do history a bit different than you apparently do.

 

 

[PeterPan]

Umm, by history I don't mean fiction like Grapes of Wrath or To Kill a Mockinbird.

 

Well, you've forced me to say what I had tried to avoid saying up thread so as not to offend the person who posted your list. What I now must say is:

 

There is nothing wrong with this list as an unfinished, haven't got to high school list which is what it looked like to me and which you say it is.

 

But the OP is asking for help in the high school forum. She needs real help finding appropriate materials. So posting your list wasn't in my view very helpful to her, and I felt it important to point out the defects so the OP is not misled by the list and where it was posted.

 

So to the OP I say again: no real lit, no high school level history. If you put this list in your list of books read for courses, its possible college admins won't be tactful, instead they'll score your student's academic schedule as less rigorous if their school does that (and my readings say most do). Since she is a STEM major you may wish to use some of these books, but include some others as well.

Candid, Your posts in this thread make me so sad, I'm speechless. You have offended people here who are very well-educated and make informed choices with their bright learners. The sad thing is, the extent of your offense does not stop here. You've repeatedly slammed as unfit for use Sonlight high school cores in other threads. And while I KNOW you've looked at book lists and feel quite enlightened, I also know you're not seeing the ENTIRETY of how someone uses materials.

 

I personally give a lot of deference to the mothers to know their goals, their children, and how the sum total of what they're doing fits together. Sure would be grand if you could do the same.

 

And btw, I run my plans by a friend who has a phd in lit and history, and she LOVES 'em. And they look NOTHING like TOG. There are so many ways to study things, not just ONE way. My kid is going to be very different and stand out in a crowd where the majority of the homeschoolers just did textbooks or TOG. And I know they'll like my dd and not quibble over her reading list, because she already has one asking her to come to his school. You're only looking at what they read. What they want to know is what you DID with it. My kid makes charts comparing Wier and Starkey biographies for pleasure. When they see that, the college won't care a plug nickel that she used SL for high. They might even think SL was what caused it! :lol: Her annotated bib for NHD was grad level. But I forgot, what we do isn't good enough and no one will want her.

 

Well whatever. I just wish the slamming would stop. Sharing what worked for you is great.

 

Positive = these are the videos we watched and loved

Negative = your child will never get into college if you don't do xyz

 

PS. Went to college AND grad school and never read Hemmingway or Yeats. Every night I cry to sleep over that one. ;)

[swellmomma]

I need to design a modern history course for my daughter.  She is a total math, science, and art (oh, and drama!) person who is headed into engineering or costume design.  She is finishing up highschool next year.

 

So far she has covered her three history credits with an Ambleside Online light list, but she really wants to focus on art, math (dual credit) and science next year.  So I want to design a course that will be interesting but not super reading heavy.  I have my modern lit picked so no problem there, but I want to include historical dvds, lectures, podcasts etc. Some history reading is fine, but I want her to be able to go 'big' on the other courses!

 

Any suggestions out there in the hive for great biographies, documentaries, movies, lectures etc. for the Modern era (but mostly 20th century)?

 

By the way, we are Canadian- so even though I know we will be learning about some American History, it obviously won't be our primary focus!

Get Donna Ward's new 20th century Canadian history.  It is textbook fashion to allow for focus on other subjects without a ton of reading.  It is a bit expensive but would cover what you need for the year of history

[Candid]

 

Umm, by history I don't mean fiction like Grapes of Wrath or To Kill a Mockinbird. 

 

You are the one who originally said I didn't have any "real lit" on there.  Apparently, I guess you don't consider To Kill a Mockingbird and Grapes of Wrath as "real lit".  Besides the fact that the list isn't a LIT list, it does have literature based during specific time periods. That's why I referred to it as history.

 

This is what the list is, as posted on my website:

 

"I absolutely love history. I'm a huge historical fiction fan and love historical movies, etc. The History Shelf is a project I've started that lists a variety of historical fiction novels, some non-fiction history books and history movies in the context of a VISUAL timeline. Now you can look up a time in history and see some great books & movies listed according to when they happened. Browse the timeline and browse the books! Click on a book to read more about it and/or purchase it from Amazon. Some history videos, movies and documentaries are linked to Amazon, YouTube and other online sources. Happy reading and watching!"

 

 

Well, you've forced me to say what I had tried to avoid saying up thread so as not to offend the person who posted your list. What I now must say is:

 

Nothing like having someone stand over you with a gun making you type those words...  ;)

 

There is nothing wrong with this list as an unfinished, haven't got to high school list which is what it looked like to me and which you say it is. 

 

But the OP is asking for help in the high school forum. She needs real help finding appropriate materials. So posting your list wasn't in my view very helpful to her, and I felt it important to point out the defects so the OP is not misled by the list and where it was posted. 

 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with my list as a resource for a high schooler. There are plenty of appropriate materials on there for ALL ages, including adults, and especially considering what the OP asked for:

 

"Any suggestions out there in the hive for great biographies, documentaries, movies...."

 

Considering that my list has all 3 of those types of items listed, I would say that's probably what she was looking for. Oh, and the fact that she said, "That is what I want! Thank you for saving me heaps of time!" is probably an indicator that she wasn't misled, but rather is pleased with what she was shown.

 

So to the OP I say again: no real lit,

 

The OP said, "I have my modern lit picked so no problem there..."

 

Not sure why you are pointing out there is no "real lit" on a list that isn't a lit list in the first place and that's not what the OP was looking for anyway.

 

 

no high school level history.

 

I guess that depends on what you consider high school level history. History is history. Facts are facts. I list books resources for children AND adults. You pointed the OP to the Tapestry of Grace list. Maybe you didn't notice that I have quite a few of the same books or related movies listed that they list for the dialectic (which I'll mention since that usually spans 9th grade) and rhetoric levels such as:

 

All Quiet on the Western Front

God's Smuggler

The Hiding Place

Hitler by Albert Marrin

Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel

To Kill a Mockingbird

10,000 Days of Thunder

A Dream of Freedom

Mao Zedong's China

Red Scarf Girl

and others...

 

 

 

If you put this list in your list of books read for courses, its possible college admins won't be tactful, instead they'll score your student's academic schedule as less rigorous if their school does that (and my readings say most do). Since she is a STEM major you may wish to use some of these books, but include some others as well. 

 

I guess it sounds like you and I have different goals. It seems that yours is to woo college admissions. Mine is to foster a love for history and help my son not only retain the info but care about it and learn from it. I don't give one fig what a college admissions board would think about the list of books he read for history and if they are tactful about it or not. My son's accomplishments and passions that have been nurtured will stand out enough and make the difference, not a list of books he read and movies he watched for history. 

 

Oh, and I have a daughter in college. She's quite successful (student of the year, etc.). She's applying for a transfer to Stanford. And you know what? It doesn't matter that she read a variety of books (maybe, *gasp* some that weren't even "high school level" seeing how she read many from the list on my website!) for history. Not. at. all. P.S. She also got an A in her history courses in college. 

 

Anyway, I just felt like you came across in a harsh way, especially considering what the OP was asking for and what my list is (and isn't). Using words like "misled", picking apart a list of history resources because it doesn't have what you consider real lit and implying that it wasn't appropriate for the link to be shared....well I guess I got my knickers in a twist. The OP isn't stupid. She knows what she is looking for and seemed quite happy with the link. Why you had to come along and help set the poor uninformed thing straight (being sarcastic here, no offense towards the OP at all) just didn't come across as either right, or helpful (except for your first post in the thread recommending TOG).

 

Oh, and you insulted the poster of the link as well. I mean, since you didn't want to offend her and all and now I "forced" you to possibly do so. 

 

She's an intelligent mom whose posts I've been reading forever. She shared a useful link. I feel like you are implying she didn't know better or something to post something so...below...the high school board.

 

OK, I'll shut up now. I just felt the need to post because there are a lot of other parents of high schoolers who may actually benefit from the list I made and I wouldn't want you to come along and quash what might be quite beneficial for some who want to do history a bit different than you apparently do.

 

 

Candid, Your posts in this thread make me so sad, I'm speechless. You have offended people here who are very well-educated and make informed choices with their bright learners. The sad thing is, the extent of your offense does not stop here. You've repeatedly slammed as unfit for use Sonlight high school cores in other threads. And while I KNOW you've looked at book lists and feel quite enlightened, I also know you're not seeing the ENTIRETY of how someone uses materials.

 

I personally give a lot of deference to the mothers to know their goals, their children, and how the sum total of what they're doing fits together. Sure would be grand if you could do the same.

 

And btw, I run my plans by a friend who has a phd in lit and history, and she LOVES 'em. And they look NOTHING like TOG. There are so many ways to study things, not just ONE way. My kid is going to be very different and stand out in a crowd where the majority of the homeschoolers just did textbooks or TOG. And I know they'll like my dd and not quibble over her reading list, because she already has one asking her to come to his school. You're only looking at what they read. What they want to know is what you DID with it. My kid makes charts comparing Wier and Starkey biographies for pleasure. When they see that, the college won't care a plug nickel that she used SL for high. They might even think SL was what caused it! :lol: Her annotated bib for NHD was grad level. But I forgot, what we do isn't good enough and no one will want her.

 

Well whatever. I just wish the slamming would stop. Sharing what worked for you is great.

 

Positive = these are the videos we watched and loved

Negative = your child will never get into college if you don't do xyz

 

PS. Went to college AND grad school and never read Hemmingway or Yeats. Every night I cry to sleep over that one. ;)

 

 

Obviously feelings run high about this. To be honest I'm not sure why. People disagree on this board all the time over exactly these sorts of issues. 

 

However, it is obvious that I shouldn't have posted a second time. 

 

Here's what my first post said:

 

 

 

Gosh there is absolutely no real lit or even any high school level history books on the list. No Hemingway, no Faulkner, no Yeats. I'd guess she had younger children. 

 

 

I'll stand by those remarks.

 

I understand why my second set of remarks caused folks to be upset, but my first set, no quite honestly I don't understand the level of emotion in these posts. 

 

Just this week I and another poster had a sharp disagreement over a particular work of literature's value. I sure hope she isn't harbor these sorts of feelings about me and my posts. I certainly don't have them about her. 

[Donna T.]

Blah.  What a distressing thread!  I got four hours of sleep last night.  Woke up extra early after literally dreaming of a modern world history course for my upcoming 9th grader.  I have looked at everything and nothing feels right.  The books are too much.  He is a strong reader.  He loves history.  However, I am not comfortable with some of the topics covered in these years. Not ready to read books with sexual innuendos and references to rape, prostitution, adultery.  Yuck.  My husband has forbidden us to read Hemingway in 9th grade.  I think we are prudish here.  I don't know.  Oh, never mind...  I think we will go with a beefed up 8th grade list instead.  Seriously.  Hopefully he won't be ruined. 

[Candid]

Blah.  What a distressing thread!  I got four hours of sleep last night.  Woke up extra early after literally dreaming of a modern world history course for my upcoming 9th grader.  I have looked at everything and nothing feels right.  The books are too much.  He is a strong reader.  He loves history.  However, I am not comfortable with some of the topics covered in these years. Not ready to read books with sexual innuendos and references to rape, prostitution, adultery.  Yuck.  My husband has forbidden us to read Hemingway in 9th grade.  I think we are prudish here.  I don't know.  Oh, never mind...  I think we will go with a beefed up 8th grade list instead.  Seriously.  Hopefully he won't be ruined. 

 

 

I mostly agree with your husband on Hemingway, some of his stuff reads like he's the charter member of the "he man woman hater's club." But the old man and the sea is okay as far as I recall. Just a guy and a fish, but it has been a long time since I read it.  

 

Oddly, I like a lot of 20th Century lit, especially plays, but in another thread someone pointed out the Americans were all dark. I liked that. I'm selling my kid's too young books and one perspective buyer had to point out the Lemony Snicket books were dark. I bit my tongue not to say, "you should see what they are reading next year for 20th Century."

[Julie in MN]

My oldest son was public schooled.  Our closest school is by no means stellar.  They read approximately two or three books per year, sometimes one was a classic but mostly they were along the lines of Tuesdays With Morrie. 

 

This son was admitted to all colleges he applied for (and was accepted to graduate school), he sometimes wrote for his school newspaper, he writes and presents studies now, is a working engineer, and has no idea who most (or all) of the authors mentioned in this thread are.  Sure I wish I could discuss some of these things with him, and sure he sees some gaps in his education.  But he's okay :)

 

I just share that to help any moms who feel worried and pressured to add more-more-more.  I do think it's important to work kids up to being able to comprehend some advanced level writing, because that skill will be needed in the ACT tests and in reading texts and articles in college and the work field.  And it's great if they can fully participate in what I call "the conversation that is educated adults."  But we each bring different things to the table.

 

Julie

[Julie in MN]

Blah.  What a distressing thread!  I got four hours of sleep last night.  Woke up extra early after literally dreaming of a modern world history course for my upcoming 9th grader.  I have looked at everything and nothing feels right.  The books are too much.  He is a strong reader.  He loves history.  However, I am not comfortable with some of the topics covered in these years. Not ready to read books with sexual innuendos and references to rape, prostitution, adultery.  Yuck.  My husband has forbidden us to read Hemingway in 9th grade.  I think we are prudish here.  I don't know.  Oh, never mind...  I think we will go with a beefed up 8th grade list instead.  Seriously.  Hopefully he won't be ruined. 

 

Does he have to do all the modern history topics in 9th grade?  I think a lot of it is applicable to 11th or 12th, and really gears them up at that age for their imminent participation in the adult world of voting and making choices and such.

[Mom22ns]

Jenn and Elizabeth, Thank you for creating the list and for posting it!! We are planning to do the second half of American History this year and while I have a spine, I have not created a book and movie list to supplement it yet. We have read many of the books on the list, but there were 13 that still interested me. I think there were even more movies that I added to my list of possible resources. 

 

Thanks for all the great ideas!

[Kristie4]

Wowsers!  I hadn't come back to this for a while.

 

Thanks to all who gave their great ideas- it looks like a list is forming!! (About time as this is day 1!!)