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Skipping History (gasp!) for one year!


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I am looking forward to the next year while still being ensconced in the current year (homeschooling year round tends to make me be this way). Anyway, I am contemplating a big change for my youngest. 

 

This dear girl has "gone the cycle" ever since she was a baby, since she had two older brothers. This past year she has done Ancient History for the third time and she's only twelve. Yes, I know she didn't retain much from the earlier years, and yes, I'm a big believer in the grammar/logic/rhetoric stage of learning. I was fortunate to have read The Well-Trained Mind many years ago when my now almost 17-year-old was in first grade, and we have by and large followed this classical method ever since.

 

Now, however, my daughter has told me she is tired, and so am I. My oldest is beginning dual enrollment in the fall, and my middle child will be doing Notgrass World History with a Biblioplan infusion so he can tackle that silly SAT Subject test. Up until this point, I have always had at least two of my children doing the same thing at any given time for history. My daughter and I want to change it up. She has requested that in her final middle school year (8th grade) that she do something different and fun. I'm looking at doing geography in place of history.

 

Has anyone else strayed from the beaten path? Did you do geography or something else? If you did, what did you do? I suppose I should mention that my daughter is highly intelligent yet at the same time highly dyslexic, so it would need to be something that I could help her with. She is in level 7 of Barton and progressing well, but her reading fluency speed isn't on grade level. Up until this point, we have done all the reading with me reading aloud or as an audio book (thank heavens for Learning Ally and Audible!). 

 

Thanks for your help. I'm really excited about having a little change-up!

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My daughter is doing Winter Promise Equine Science and learning a lot of horse history alongside it. She'll pick up any history I'm reading to her little brother, but I'm not specifically doing any history with her next year. She'll also be doing a bunch of geography. She'll be 11 and will get back to formal history in another year.

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I do not do the 4 yr cycle over and over again. So much can be missed by not taking those side trips down whatever path we want. Why bother to home school if we are going to militantly follow a prescribed line of topics, with no deviation-ever?

 

Ask her what she would like to do. Maybe do nothing. Let her do whatever she wants for the year. I have done that before and it was amazing how far my children went during that time.

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I appreciate the support. If any of you have recommendations on a geography curriculum, I'm all ears. My daughter specifically asked to study world geography. Right now I'm leaning towards the Trail Guide to World Geography, adding in some extras as time and interest permit. Has anyone done that specific book? If so, what did you think of it?

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I haven't used Trail Guide to World Geography, yet; it's on my shelf for fall. I'll be using it with little ones, but I see no reason an 8th grader couldn't use it. If you do all the research assignments it could fill up quickly. We have the recommended atlas, Geography Through Art, Eat Your Way Around the World, Material World, and several others meant for younger kids. (The titles I listed are for any age, though I wouldn't use the art book with a kid who doesn't like crafts.) There is a lit list in the back of TG, but online lists were more helpful (barefootmeanderings blog has one). We're adding enough stories from around the world to count as literature for the year.

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Why not look at one of Homeschool In the Woods Time Traveler or Project Passport programs.  There is a lot of great history but you combine it with some fun projects and hands on stuff.  It might be just different enough for her.  She could even choose which topic to study.

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I think it's fine!!!!

 

I do some geography every year integrated into our history studies. I do not like to compartmentalize these things. Having said that, my oldest has asked for a geography heavy year (he loves it). If I do that in 6th or wait till 7th I'm not sure, because there are some other things I'd like to get to first. I do however plan to use our Holt World Geography more rigorously than a shelf reference book.

 

Geography is important!!! Civics/government is important!!! Economics is important!!!! 

 

 

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I am looking forward to the next year while still being ensconced in the current year (homeschooling year round tends to make me be this way). Anyway, I am contemplating a big change for my youngest. 

 

This dear girl has "gone the cycle" ever since she was a baby, since she had two older brothers. This past year she has done Ancient History for the third time and she's only twelve. Yes, I know she didn't retain much from the earlier years, and yes, I'm a big believer in the grammar/logic/rhetoric stage of learning. I was fortunate to have read The Well-Trained Mind many years ago when my now almost 17-year-old was in first grade, and we have by and large followed this classical method ever since.

 

Now, however, my daughter has told me she is tired, and so am I. My oldest is beginning dual enrollment in the fall, and my middle child will be doing Notgrass World History with a Biblioplan infusion so he can tackle that silly SAT Subject test. Up until this point, I have always had at least two of my children doing the same thing at any given time for history. My daughter and I want to change it up. She has requested that in her final middle school year (8th grade) that she do something different and fun. I'm looking at doing geography in place of history.

 

Has anyone else strayed from the beaten path? Did you do geography or something else? If you did, what did you do? I suppose I should mention that my daughter is highly intelligent yet at the same time highly dyslexic, so it would need to be something that I could help her with. She is in level 7 of Barton and progressing well, but her reading fluency speed isn't on grade level. Up until this point, we have done all the reading with me reading aloud or as an audio book (thank heavens for Learning Ally and Audible!). 

 

Thanks for your help. I'm really excited about having a little change-up!

 

 

I think it's a great idea!

 

We went through all of SOTW, then I had planned to do a year with US History as the focus, but it ended up being a more involved look at modern and contemporary world history, my son is also dyslexic and we use a lot of films to help, which I think is a great way to get a lot of history--and also films can help for geography since you get to "see" places better than from still pictures in a book. We also saw several films on history of particular parts of the world (India, the Islamic world, China), which would add a lot to a geography study.  The films we got wer mainly via Netflix DVD service. The India one I bought before I signed up for Netflix. Google Earth is also an interesting resource.

 

ETA the movie on India is called The Story of India, the one on the Islamic world I cannot recall a title, but it was narrated by Ben Kingsley. Both are excellent.  We also so a film that was about a one year journey around the world, that was fun. And we saw one about an explorer in Antarctica, that had wonderful views of that part of the world; I cannot recall its name either, but it was narrated by Liam Neeson.

 

Great Courses has also started having some courses that are supposed to show parts of the world as if an option to actually going there, but I've not actually seen any, and they might be dull for a 12 year old.

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How about the google earth treasure hunt book? My kids loved that a few years ago.

 

What's helped my daughter's geography tremendously, is watching cnn Student news. It's really helping her connect all these places to her own reality.

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My dd will be skipping Science AND History next year AND Formal Reading/ Literature and we will instead be using and enjoying WHat Your 5th Grader Needs to KNow.  My reasons are that she needs more time to focus on her new subject Latin, and getting her spelling in order with Apples and Pears, and focus on the basics, and have time for piano, and swimming 4 days per week.  I just feel like, there's a formal Science before about 8th grade seems pretty pointless.  I have to offer it by law, where I live though.  And I've looked at the 5th grade What Your 5th Grader Needs to KNow and I'm super thrilled.

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We took this year off and did Big History.  My 8th grader did the classroom version after I signed up an established an educator account.  My younger kids watched the season 1 of The Big History.  I think it worked out well and it's free.  Next year we go back to Ancients.

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Can I piggyback on this?  I am thinking about doing the same thing for my 7th grade boys, BUT they haven't really had a lot of history.  Only "I" have.  They have done some Ancient Egypt, and they have done Early Modern History this year.  My plan was to take a year to do just geography and focus more on science, and then go back to Modern History for 8th grade.  Then they would start the rotation in 9th grade.  We jumped around a lot and really did very little history until they were solid with their basics. 

Any thoughts about this???  REally would appreciate any comments.

thanks

pam

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Go for it! Next year we are dropping formal history and science for sixth grade and doing more of an integrated unit study approach. The plan is that each unit will last six weeks and will include three literature selections, at least one film, a project, a field trip and a writing assignment of some kind. We'll cover some history and science in the units and he can listen in to what his brother is doing if he wants.

 

As an example I think the first unit is going to be Other Worlds. I'm going to have him read one fantasy novel, one science fiction and one dystopian novel. There are tons of movie options and as a project I think I'm going to have him create his own other world. He' also interested in astronomy so we'll do some astronomy and go on a field trip to the planetarium.

 

I was really tied to the 4 yr. cycle idea when we started. But now I feel like are a little burned out. I'm looking at the middle school years as our last chance in a way to be able to be more interest led without having to worry about things like transcripts and the less flexible high school schedules.

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I appreciate the support. If any of you have recommendations on a geography curriculum, I'm all ears. My daughter specifically asked to study world geography. Right now I'm leaning towards the Trail Guide to World Geography, adding in some extras as time and interest permit. Has anyone done that specific book? If so, what did you think of it?

 

I have a dyslexic, gifted daughter, the same age.

We'll be using Mapping the World With Art (Ellen McHenry - this is NOT the "by HEART" program!) and using Runkle's World Physical Geography to supplement (just the text for reading; not the workbook, etc).

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My DD, rising 6th grader, will be doing TOG Y3 next fall then Y4 for 7th.  At that point she'll have a gap year, and I plan to let her choose whatever history/social studies topics she wishes for that year (I know she really wants to learn about the Celts).  Then we'll move back to TOG for another 4 year rotation for high school.

 

I say take the break and enjoy it!

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It's fine to do geography.

 

I would also suggest unschooling history.

 

Just let her check out history-related books from the library and enjoy the stories. One suggestion is to read some biographies. Richard Peck writes wonderful historical fiction, though I would say that most of what your daughter reads should be non-fiction. DK offers many books that cast light on one particular era or people group.

 

The idea is to let her find nifty resources at the library and soak it in. Coupled with a geography program, this could be a great year.

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You all have been so kind and supportive with your suggestions. Thank you! I wish we could have "mulligans" with kids. My oldest will be starting his Junior year in High School next year, and my middle guy is starting his Freshman year next year. They will need to focus on college requirements to be ready for college. The boys did the cycle the entire time. I integrated a lot of geography study with history, but we never really hit much on cultures. Finally I'm figuring out (my daughter is going into 7th grade) that I can still be classically focused yet do different things.

 

I love the idea of unschooling history. We will try to do some delight driven videos, and in the meantime I'm looking forward to spending some time learning about cultures and geography. Additionally, we're going to do some work with learning about architecture, which is my daughter's professional goal.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Wanted to put a plug in for North Star Geography by Tyler Hogan (Bright Ideas Press). Alison linked it above. I know Tyler and his family personally and I can't wait to get my hands on this book! It will def. be awesome. As for breaking from history, we are doing this with my 8th grader. His older brother will be using HODs World Geography Guide and I'm going to have him tag along using the Mapping the World with Art program by Ellen McHenry and also focusing more on Bible (specifically OT). He needs to catch up in some skill areas (ok, all skill areas :/ ) and so history would be pointless for him. I'm hoping to get a glimpse of the North Star Geography Book when I see Tyler and his family at the end of June. If I do, I will certainly post a review. :)  If the reading level is on target for my 8th grader, I might use it to supplement the Mapping the World With Art. Not sure. 

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I'm skipping history for a year, too!  It will be my first year to only have ONE homeschool student, and I know she's going to miss having her siblings around a lot, so I want to make it fun for her.  I told her about Geography through Art, and she got really excited about it.  I already have Trail Guide to World, so I think we will use those two together.

 

I also plan to have her read literature that takes place on each continent, although I do not have any pre-conceived ideas that the literature and geography studies will "match up" exactly.

 

BUT now I've seen a couple of you mention Mapping the World through Art, and now I just have to go check that out...

 

Anyway, since there is a possibility she will follow her sister and brother into marching band and public high school, I hope to then do history years 1 and 2 in 7th, then years 3 and 4 in 8th.  If she stays home for high school, we'll figure out what to do for 9th when the time comes.

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My dd will be skipping Science AND History next year AND Formal Reading/ Literature and we will instead be using and enjoying WHat Your 5th Grader Needs to KNow. My reasons are that she needs more time to focus on her new subject Latin, and getting her spelling in order with Apples and Pears, and focus on the basics, and have time for piano, and swimming 4 days per week. I just feel like, there's a formal Science before about 8th grade seems pretty pointless. I have to offer it by law, where I live though. And I've looked at the 5th grade What Your 5th Grader Needs to KNow and I'm super thrilled.

 

Do you plan to use the whole book or just portions of it? Will you add anything? I'd been thinking of taking a year off from history as well and using the NTK books for a year (our history rotations suck anyway).

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  • 2 weeks later...

We do not use the four year history rotation.  I took the idea of history as a story and ran with it...  We have done entire years off and this year we are doing intensive world history (sequentially).  Next year, we will do American history and civics.  The following year will be either world geography or Eastern studies.  I think the most important point to take away from SWB's recommendation is that history is best understood in order and that going through it at different ages will aid in retention and allow the studet to go deeper in their knowledge.  Don't be chained to your history studies!  My eldest never remembers anything she didn't want to do.  So, definitely consider having some fun and letting your daughter learn something new and exciting. :)

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