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I'm looking for recommendations on how to structure a very beginning world history class.  This would be a CO-OP class (10 weeks each semester) for 3rd and 4th graders.

 

My soon to be 3rd grader is really interested in learning about medieval history, but I told her it might be good to start at the very beginning and work up to that.

 

I was thinking of using Child's History of the World for it's very short and easy approach, but then pulling in as much of Story of the World as possible (Ancient Times) and using activities out of that book.  We would do a lapbook as well as activities each week to support the lessons.

 

This would be an early introduction, and then the following year 4th we'd start working through SOTW.  But on our own at home.

 

Thoughts, recommendations?

 

 

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Will this co-op meet once or twice a week?  How long is the class each time you meet? My concern would be in trying to fit in the reading of two books (even alternated) AND activities into class time if you only have a short amount of time you meet.  Wrangling a group of 3rd and 4th graders through a short lecture on the highlights of a topic, doing a quick activity, and then assembling lapbook components takes me all of one hour at my co-op.  I've taught Ancients, Medieval, and Greek History. 

 

If this were me I would use Project Passport for the co-op class and then just read SOTW at home.  There is enough information in the PP material that you wouldn't have to add anything to it for that age, but you could give the other parents a list of suggested chapters to read each week if they wanted to read SOTW or CHOW at home too. 

 

http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/ancientegypt.html

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Aime,

 

The co-op meets just once a week for 10 weeks (fall) and 10 weeks (spring).  Classes are about 45-50 minutes long.

 

The Project Passport units look interesting, thank you!  :)  But are there only 3 of them, I looked and only saw one on Egypt, one on medieval, and one on Renaissance.  My daughter is very interested in medieval and that might work, but I can't seem to interest her in Egyptians, etc.  I think she'd be very interested but needs to get a taste of it first.  That is why I was thinking of starting at beginning so she can be introduced to some of the oldest civilizations, then we could work forward.  To at least hit the major civilizations in order, and have them build some kind of timeline.

 

When you taught ancients for elementary, what resources did you use?  What if I just used Child's History, would that make it easier?  We could certainly recommend go-along chapters of SOTw.

 

Or perhaps someone knows of other units like the Project Passport that do more with the Ancients?
 

 

 

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We focused mostly on Egypt since that's where the interest was for the class. I did pull in a few other projects from the SOTW AG for Egypt but there was more than enough material in the PP program to pick and choose, and the format kept things easy for me to plan and implement for the class.  The second semester we did Greek History with History Pockets.   Most of the families were doing SOTW at home and adding in projects of their own for the other ancient civilizations at that time, and I myself did much, much more with my own children at home while we studied Ancients...far more than I could ever hope to fit into the co-op classes.  I didn't want my dc's exposure to this time period to be limited by what I could get done at co-op. 

 

How about using History Pockets?  There is an Egypt, Greece and Rome for 4th-6th.  There's also an Ancient Civilizations but it's for 1st-3rd so might be too young for your needs, although you might be able to adapt. 

 

http://www.evan-moor.com/search?q=ancient+civilizations+4+-+6

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