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overview of 'background' history/lit topics


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I feel like DD almost needs a spiral review of history and lit themes the same way she needs review of math.   For example, we were reading a speech of Pres. Kennedy together and I felt like I had to go over the whole idea of the space race to give her a 'background'.       I guess I was picturing doing a one month review every year or doing an era a month or something. I was wondering if there was any kind of program like that  --- where you could do a quick review of an era or even of all of history.  Perhaps we could just read STOW over -- but I know DD will rebel at that idea!  Plus I was thinking of something a little faster -- more like a quick reminder. 

 

  I feel the same way about lit -- like DD doesn't remember the 'classic' stories that underlie various references -- I suppose for those I could just do a movie version or something?  Or maybe I could find  very short versions of the some of them (I'm thinking like the Greek myths, King Arthur, Robin Hood etc)

 

Do you all have any thoughts along those lines?

 

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Sounds like the VP cards.  That's the only way I have a clue about history anyway.  Well that and connecting it to something I actually find interesting (music).  

 

Have you read DA recently to see if that would give you any insight into how she thinks and what aspect of or approach to history would click for her?  I remember it seeming to explain why dd is so drawn to narrative, but I haven't reread it recently to interpret for anyone else.

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I've been thinking my oldest could use something similar too. 

 

For literature I'm considering using the Classic Starts for her, they are written on a lower level and while sometimes painfully abridged a kid can get the gist of the story and they're still pleasant reads. I've even seen several of the Classic Starts on audiobook AND the Confessions of a Homeschooler blogger has 3 sets of literature lapbooks for most of the Classic Starts, which could be a good supplement to reinforce what's being read without requiring a ton of writing or comprehension questions. 

 

For history I have no idea. SOTW was a major bust, she doesn't have near the vocabulary to understand it and was left clueless about everything even right after we'd read a chapter three times. I wish there was like a little kid picture book version of SOTW :) Like just a condensed version with 1 page full of text and 1 page that has a corresponding picture and map? Maybe SWB can get on that sometime soon, since she's probably got gobs of time on her hands and all, lol! But anyway, it remains that I wish we had something like that as a resource for younger kids or for struggling students to give a healthy broad overview of life and history in the world. If anyone knows of something similar do tell!

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Sounds like the VP cards. That's the only way I have a clue about history anyway. Well that and connecting it to something I actually find interesting (music).

 

Have you read DA recently to see if that would give you any insight into how she thinks and what aspect of or approach to history would click for her? I remember it seeming to explain why dd is so drawn to narrative, but I haven't reread it recently to interpret for anyone else.

What is DA?

 

I am all ears on this subject!

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For a quick history review, would A Short History of Just About Everything do the trick? We just received it as a Christmas gift, but it seems to be a hit so far. 

 

For literature, I think finding shorter versions (Classic Starts, Great Illustrated Classics, picture books, etc.) does sound like your best bet. My oldest son read children's versions of the classics over, and over, and over when he was 10-12, so maybe having some easy versions around would encourage your daughter to do the same? 

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See the thing is, DD has read some easy classics, I have read other classics to her, we have watched various movies  -- but none of them have been popular enough to be read/watched over and over -- and DD just doesn't retain access to those memories without repetition.  I think I need 1-2 page versions of the classics - that are still interesting enough to be read more than once :lol:  Hmm, maybe picture books or short graphic novels- I'll have to think about that.   

 

I was also thinking about What Your X Grader Needs to Know books -- but I think I'd have to tear them apart (and I haven't seen the later ones to see if they'd be appropriate anyway).    I do have a couple shorter 'eyewitness' style (not actual eyewitness books but that style) history books that seem almost the right thing - but almost too 'light' or something.

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Regarding the classics--let me clarify I am not looking at ways to get her to read/listen/watch the classics -- we are already doing that.  The issue is more about remembering --  what I want something is more like a condensed reminder of the parts that are important to know in order to 'get' references to childrens classics (and adult ones as we move into those). 

 

Perhaps I am thinking about this the wrong way -- perhaps I need to work on her ability to pull out her memory of the stories when seeing references to them.  In which case maybe I need something more like 'classic's' flash cards :lol: 

 

Looking at these history timeline card games to see if they might be useful.  The VP cards look interesting -- but kinda expensive to get all of history.  Are they really worth it?

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Regarding the classics--let me clarify I am not looking at ways to get her to read/listen/watch the classics -- we are already doing that.  The issue is more about remembering --  what I want something is more like a condensed reminder of the parts that are important to know in order to 'get' references to childrens classics (and adult ones as we move into those). 

 

Perhaps I am thinking about this the wrong way -- perhaps I need to work on her ability to pull out her memory of the stories when seeing references to them.  In which case maybe I need something more like 'classic's' flash cards :lol:

 

Looking at these history timeline card games to see if they might be useful.  The VP cards look interesting -- but kinda expensive to get all of history.  Are they really worth it?

 

What is VP, please?

 

I think one of my DDs needs exactly what you are looking for, so I am all ears here.   :bigear:

 

These Timeline games had caught my eye in the past, too, though I have no experience with them.  Has anyone here used them at all?  Any thoughts on them?

 

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That timeline game looks great, though I would need a closer look to examine any bias.  DS used a history book once that totally ignored the murder of the Russian family, which I suppose is fine depending upon your audience.  The problem was that the book made the communist party sound benign...but I digress...

 

Does your DD have any active interests?  Supposing she likes clothing or music or food or some sort of invention.  Maybe narrow down the focus to the one interest and examine it across different time periods.  Use the interest to provide a mental peg so that she can internalize the information and recall it later. 

 

 

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Regarding the classics--let me clarify I am not looking at ways to get her to read/listen/watch the classics -- we are already doing that.  The issue is more about remembering --  what I want something is more like a condensed reminder of the parts that are important to know in order to 'get' references to childrens classics (and adult ones as we move into those). 

 

Perhaps I am thinking about this the wrong way -- perhaps I need to work on her ability to pull out her memory of the stories when seeing references to them.  In which case maybe I need something more like 'classic's' flash cards :lol:

 

Looking at these history timeline card games to see if they might be useful.  The VP cards look interesting -- but kinda expensive to get all of history.  Are they really worth it?

 

 

Can you be more specific about the sort of things you come to that she cannot remember?

 

The one specific example I saw in a post above, namely the space race, is the sort of thing that I think takes time in coming to it more than once in different contexts and then that is what causes the memory to happen.  That is, you came to it in history, I guess. And now you have revisited it due to coming to a JFK speech. And maybe it will come up again in a science context, and to me it is those repeated times of coming to something that starts to tell the brain, oh, this repeats, this is important.

 

What in literature do you think she should remember that she is not remembering?

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Can you be more specific about the sort of things you come to that she cannot remember?

 

The one specific example I saw in a post above, namely the space race, is the sort of thing that I think takes time in coming to it more than once in different contexts and then that is what causes the memory to happen.  That is, you came to it in history, I guess. And now you have revisited it due to coming to a JFK speech. And maybe it will come up again in a science context, and to me it is those repeated times of coming to something that starts to tell the brain, oh, this repeats, this is important.

 

What in literature do you think she should remember that she is not remembering?

 

I think perhaps there are multiple things -- one is that it doesn't feel like to me that we are revisiting things naturally - -  yes some things get revisited by chance through other things we are doing, but it is very haphazard-- and definitely not as much as DD needs, which is more often than most people.    I think for normal people, what Pen describes is true -- but for DD I feel like we need to revisit it more -- just like we need to revisit math more, or she needed more practice to get phonics.   That is what I was thinking about when I started this thread. 

 

But that is not all there is to it -- DD not only does not make the connection to the new thing but she doesn't always recall the old information even when I am explicitly reminding her.   Often she does not seem to be adding the two things together like Pen is describing -- it seems more like she is making a new memory unlinked to the first.    Like the recent space example -- it is not only that the speech to space race connection was not there - but even when I pointed out the connection, there was no light bulb, no recall of any even marginally relevant facts.    It's very possible I am misreading this - because DD struggles with putting things into words usually anyway -- but usually then she says she knows but just can't verbalize it.  And of course, space race is not something she was all that interested in-- so the memory is probably relatively weak anyway.     But in either case this is the part that makes it seems like work on explicit recall and/or putting it into words would be helpful (i.e. 'flash cards') 

 

Anyway, it seems like the two are interrelated -- and maybe if we were doing 'spiral' history, like spiral math, both the memory and the recall pathway would be strengthened.     I would give more examples, but I am not coming up with them right now. 

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What is VP, please?

 

I think one of my DDs needs exactly what you are looking for, so I am all ears here.   :bigear:

 

These Timeline games had caught my eye in the past, too, though I have no experience with them.  Has anyone here used them at all?  Any thoughts on them?

 

 

We have 3 sets of the Timeline card game (Historical Events, Inventions, and Music and Cinema).  My family loves this game-- It is easiest to just use one set at a time, but you can combine all the sets to make it more challenging.

 

Each player gets a certain number of cards to start out with and there is one card placed in the middle to start you off.  In turn, players choose a card from their hand with an event (on the back is a date that you don't look at) and try to correctly place it in the middle where a time line is being created by all. 

 

If you get it wrong, you return that card and take a new one and play continues with the next player.    It is a great way to get everyone thinking about when in history something occurred.

 

Great game IMO!

 

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So, it's not that she needs more repetitions to remember the material, but you need a way to get her to sort through her mental filing cabinets to pull the right file? Does she need mental pictures to link the material to? Something like these, but covering a broader range of topics?

http://arty4ever.com/right/brain.htm

 

My daughter with special needs (Intellectual Disability) is using these to learn the states and capitals this year.  It has been amazing how quickly she learns using pictures.  And these cards have been amazing.

 

Highly recommend for visual learners or right brain learners.

 

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