TWTM 4th Edition, Logic Stage History

[aelgraham]

So years ago, when homeschooling my son, logic stage history is where things fell apart. I tried to make it work. I love SWB and I love her curriculum and TWTM, but you simply cannot outline out of the history encyclopedias that she recommends. You can't. We used the red Kingfisher book, and that's okay for a 'list of facts' approach, but as the student gets older you cannot do multi-level outlines from this book. We then shifted to the 'National Geographic Almanac of World History.' This is a great book and you can outline from it, but IMO, it is too advanced for an average middle schooler. It was too hard for my son.

 

Fast forward a few years, and I'm in the same dilemma with my daughter. I bought the new edition of TWTM, hoping for some new suggestions or approaches for logic stage history. Not so much. There is a new spine suggestion, 'History Year by Year' which looks even more condensed and difficult to outline than the Kingfisher book. 

 

I'm sorry, but I think SWB, in these recommendations, while trying to make the best of a bad publishing scenario with recommended books going out of print, has created a real problem for logic stage history. The foundation of the whole approach is outlining from these books-- that's why they're "the spines". Her 'just use the red book, it's just as good' doesn't cut it. 

 

I know the "white book" vs. "red book" debate has been going on for years. Years ago, the white book was really expensive if you could find it used. I just now found the "white book" on Amazon for $25 and I decided to order it after looking at some images online. From what I can tell, there is actual well-written, age-appropriate text in this book. This was her original recommendation and she still uses examples from this particular book to demonstrate outlining in TWTM. 

 

Further, she notes on p. 395-396, "... if the student struggles with outlining a particular resource, it is possible that the book itself is either badly written or written in 'encyclopedic' form (many main points packed into single paragraphs of text). Put it away and try outlining from a different book."

 

I'm somewhat incredulous here. She recommends encyclopedic writing for these outlines, and tells us to find something else when it doesn't work. Well, frankly, that's why we buy guides like TWTM-- so we don't have to hunt these things down. 

 

I know that as homeschool moms we have to be creative, not follow programs, recommendations, and "experts" like lemmings. I heard SWB use the "white book vs. red book" problem in one of her talks as an example of how homeschoolers are afraid to trust their own judgment and think for themselves. I get that, and she's right. I also get that we can just read and list out facts from the red book and do our outlining from our supplemental sources.

 

But again, she is recommending this approach-- it's foundation is outlining from a spine-- and there's no good spine offered. It matters. I'm disappointed. And, obviously, frustrated. I think this is a major weakness of TWTM and is obviously a major frustration to many homeschoolers, both parents and students, judging from some of the forum threads. I like the logic-stage plan as mapped out, it's great and it could work so well.

 

What would be perfect is if SWB would re-write 'Story of the World' for the logic-stage student! Something between the elementary and high school versions. Piece of cake, right? 

[RootAnn]

Many people use the K12 Human Odyssey books that are written like SOTW, but more logic-stage in level for logic stage outlining. It is pretty western-centric, which is my one big complaint right now.

I have one kid using it this year in a WTM-way.

Edited August 31, 2016 by RootAnn

[aelgraham]

Okay, so I am reading TWTM more thoroughly, and see that SWB's emphasis is on using the encyclopedias for the List of Facts and outlining from other sources. So I have to admit I was reading this incorrectly, just going by the end of the chapter recommendations, rather than the 'how to' section for each grade. I still find all this rather confusing, but at least she is not recommending the outlining from these sources.

My mistake!

 

I still find all this rather confusing, and wonder if the List of Facts step is just busywork. I see that reading the encyclopedias are a good overview, but the whole approach still seems clunky to me somehow. It leaves the teacher the extra step of finding supplemental books that are not only the topics the student wants to spend extra time on, but that are also good choices for outlining.

 

 

 

[Runningmom80]

I plan on using the K12 Odyssey books.  My DS is on the young side for Logic stage and he needs more narration, less encyclopedia. We are doing a US history year with American Odyssey this year.  We haven't actually started yet, but I've been reading the text and I'm really happy with it.

 

This is the first year I'm trying to do TWTM science and history, and I am having a hard time just using these reference books as a spine.  I guess it's on me to add the "oomph" but I'm not getting it yet, for logic or grammar stage. (With the exception of Logic history, which I'm not doing according to TWTM resources.)

[redsquirrel]

Okay, so I am reading TWTM more thoroughly, and see that SWB's emphasis is on using the encyclopedias for the List of Facts and outlining from other sources. So I have to admit I was reading this incorrectly, just going by the end of the chapter recommendations, rather than the 'how to' section for each grade. I still find all this rather confusing, but at least she is not recommending the outlining from these sources.

My mistake!

 

I still find all this rather confusing, and wonder if the List of Facts step is just busywork. I see that reading the encyclopedias are a good overview, but the whole approach still seems clunky to me somehow. It leaves the teacher the extra step of finding supplemental books that are not only the topics the student wants to spend extra time on, but that are also good choices for outlining.

 

I don't have the most recent edition, but the changes SWB made in the third edition were pretty big and took using any one resource off the table. That was to make it possible to do history no matter what (within reason) resource you have.  I am curious if there are major changes made to the actual history process for the middle grades.  I also know that WTMA does use SOTW for their logic stage history.

 

 

 

Day 1 of history is steps 1-3 in the 3rd edition book

1. read a section from an encyclopedia.  She does give some suggestions for encyclopedias, but they are general. History year by Year is new to me.  It's more that Usborne is too simplistic for grades 7-8 and possibly by grade 6. Plus we used Usborne and Kingfisher alongside SOTW in grades 1-4, so it is less appealing to them. They want different books as they get older.

 

2. In years 5-6 write a list of the three (?) most interesting facts.  This is up to the student. SWB is not asking the student to differentiate between what is interesting vs what is most important.  In years 7&8 they are asked to determine what was the most important.  SWB also says to give a lot of latitude to the student in making this determination. If they can support their opinion then  accept it.

 

3. find the place you are reading about on a globe and put any significant dates on your timeline.

 

Then library trip! go to the library and find a book, preferably about one of the things the student found interesting or important. Have student read said book. 

 

Have student make a one or two or three (depending on age of student) point outline of a 250 word section of their reading. Not of the whole thing or a whole chapter...just a section.

 

have student do a written narration of a section of their reading..but not the same section as was outlined.

 

Then you put the outlines and narrations in the history notebook.

 

Note: this is all off the top o'me head, lol.  My 3td ed book is currently at the bottom of a huge pile of books and i can't get to it.

 

How it worked for me in real life:

 

day 1:

Read in the encyclopedia and have my student tell me three things orally. Find it on the map. We haven't ever done a timeline, but I own this huge foldout timeline book that we look at regularly. It's called "The Junior Wall Chart of History" and I got it at a library sale for 2$ years and years ago. I'm not sure what makes it "junior" and any history chart would work.

 

day 2: Have my kid read from a section in Human Odyssey (the K12 book) and we talk about it.

 

Day 3: read another section and either write an outline or write a very brief narration

 

Often there is more reading in the textbook to be done before we can read another section in the encyclopedia. If so, we just keep reading and talking or reading and outline or written narration until it is time to another reading in the encyclopedia.  At any time I might also supplement with other books and maybe some videos from Youtube (crash course history is a favorite). 

 

But it's actually really easy and I haven't had to invest very much in resources at all. I've just needed an encyclopedia, the three K12 books and the wall chart. Everything else I've got from the library or youtube. 

 

I should add that I DO own the K12 teacher's books that go with my history books, but NOT the student books.  It has reading assignments and it has some discussion questions.  It also has information about lots of what think looks like busywork or things my kids would find boring.  I have done just fine without the student books.  The teacher's books cost me less than 10$ each, used on Amazon.  But...there is NOT a teacher's book for the third K12 book, the modern history book. That makes modern history a real pain in the patooty.  I am seriously considering signing up my kid for the WTMA modern history in 8th grade.

[stlily]

In understand your frustration.  My daughter, now in the 7th grade, has been using the method recommended in TWTM for her history study since the 5th grade.  You're right, many if not most of the passages in the Kingfisher encyclopedia are " written in 'encyclopedic' form (many main points packed into single paragraphs of text)". My daughter has learned to identify good passages from bad ones so this has helped her when choosing which passages to outline.  I do bring home several books from the library for her to choose from and she'll often outline a section out of one of those.  I have grammar stage students as well so I have to go to the library anyway.  It isn't too much extra work for me to bring books home for her to choose from. Also, I think the expectation for a logic stage student is for them to start doing more of the research themselves.  If you make a trip to the library, a logic stage student should be looking up books in the library's catalog themselves. I think one of the goals for the logic stage is for the student to learn how to study history. SWB says, a student should "make use of a core text that lays out the events in world history and allows them to investigate further." (emphasis mine).

 

I always try to keep in mind what our goals are for history study in the logic stage.  The goal isn't to do an "exhaustive study of history" (SWB) but to learn how to study history, learn how to think critically about history, make connections, and synthesize all that is learned.  The purpose of making a list of facts, from my understanding, is to help the student identify the most important facts. This is suppose to prepare them for research in the late middle school and high school years.

 

I think you should follow your gut.  If outlining from an encyclopedia isn't working then have your student outline from SOTW or a library book.  It's the outlining that's important not the source. If the listing of facts seems like busy work to you  then skip it.  Think about what your goals are for your student and focus on that.:)

[redsquirrel]

In understand your frustration.  My daughter, now in the 7th grade, has been using the method recommended in TWTM for her history study since the 5th grade.  You're right, many if not most of the passages in the Kingfisher encyclopedia are " written in 'encyclopedic' form (many main points packed into single paragraphs of text)". My daughter has learned to identify good passages from bad ones so this has helped her when choosing which passages to outline.  I do bring home several books from the library for her to choose from and she'll often outline a section out of one of those.  I have grammar stage students as well so I have to go to the library anyway.  It isn't too much extra work for me to bring books home for her to choose from. Also, I think the expectation for a logic stage student is for them to start doing more of the research themselves.  If you make a trip to the library, a logic stage student should be looking up books in the library's catalog themselves. I think one of the goals for the logic stage is for the student to learn how to study history. SWB says, a student should "make use of a core text that lays out the events in world history and allows them to investigate further." (emphasis mine).

 

I always try to keep in mind what our goals are for history study in the logic stage.  The goal isn't to do an "exhaustive study of history" (SWB) but to learn how to study history, learn how to think critically about history, make connections, and synthesize all that is learned.  The purpose of making a list of facts, from my understanding, is to help the student identify the most important facts. This is suppose to prepare them for research in the late middle school and high school years.

 

I think you should follow your gut.  If outlining from an encyclopedia isn't working then have your student outline from SOTW or a library book.  It's the outlining that's important not the source. If the listing of facts seems like busy work to you  then skip it.  Think about what your goals are for your student and focus on that. :)

 

Have you considered looking at the 3rd (or 4th) edition of TWTM?  SWB hasn't recommended outlining from an encyclopedia since the second edition.  I find the third edition to be much more user friendly when it comes to logic stage.

 

I haven't seen the fourth ed of the book, I am on the list at the library and won't get it for a while. But I own the first. I made notes in my first edition regarding the changes from the first to the second and I own the third.  There were big changes made in the logic section stage from the second to the third. 

 

[aelgraham]

She is not recommending outlining in the new edition. I misread it because I went straight to the section on outlining without reading the whole chapter. Jumping in at that point, there's an example of outlining from the Kingfisher book, as well as the caveat I quoted. I was frustrated to see this and am regretful that I ranted before I read the whole chapter. 

 

I appreciate being reminded that the goal is to have students think, make connections, and do their own research, as well as identifying most important facts from a core text. 

 

I think I just flashed back to some very challenging middle school years of the past when I saw that old outlining section. My daughter loves history and I want it to be excellent. Those years weren't that. 

 

Sigh. Homeschooling is very hard.

 

[Runningmom80]

She is not recommending outlining in the new edition. I misread it because I went straight to the section on outlining without reading the whole chapter. Jumping in at that point, there's an example of outlining from the Kingfisher book, as well as the caveat I quoted. I was frustrated to see this and am regretful that I ranted before I read the whole chapter.

 

I appreciate being reminded that the goal is to have students think, make connections, and do their own research, as well as identifying most important facts from a core text.

 

I think I just flashed back to some very challenging middle school years of the past when I saw that old outlining section. My daughter loves history and I want it to be excellent. Those years weren't that.

 

Sigh. Homeschooling is very hard.

I have to go back and re-read too because I got the same impression you did.

[Runningmom80]

She is not recommending outlining in the new edition. I misread it because I went straight to the section on outlining without reading the whole chapter. Jumping in at that point, there's an example of outlining from the Kingfisher book, as well as the caveat I quoted. I was frustrated to see this and am regretful that I ranted before I read the whole chapter.

 

I appreciate being reminded that the goal is to have students think, make connections, and do their own research, as well as identifying most important facts from a core text.

 

I think I just flashed back to some very challenging middle school years of the past when I saw that old outlining section. My daughter loves history and I want it to be excellent. Those years weren't that.

 

Sigh. Homeschooling is very hard.

I have to go back and re-read too because I got the same impression you did.

[redsquirrel]

Well, it is fine with me because my kid is taking Expository Writing with WTMA and there is MORE than enough outlining there to go around.  With my older boy, when we did WWS, outlining and written narrations in history died a natural death. It happened sometime at the end of WWS 2, and that was 7th grade for him. I had carried on during WWS1 but it just got to be too much with WWS2.

 

My younger son is doing WWS 2 as a 6th grader and I was wondering if I should try to continue with outlining and writing in history or just let his writing class be his writing.  Sounds to me like I shouldn't have any late night guilt attacks about it.

[raganfamily]

Thank you for bringing up this topic. I have tried the outlining of the encyclopedia before and it just didn't work with my older kids.  I have two in the logic stage now and we are trying TOG, but they do not seem to enjoying 'history' 

 

However, after reading the 4th edition, I am thinking of going to this format. What I took away from the 4th ed.:

 

• to list the facts from the reading, not exhaustive, just simple.  (Maybe try various encyclopedias?)
• Add dates to timeline and look and mark geography
• Look at non-fiction books on the topic from library or personal library. 
• Choose one resource to outline and rewrite a summary from that outline.  We are studying ancients.  So they could read about the way the Egyptians lived (homes, agriculture, jewelry, etc) The composition from the outline might just be a simple paragraph (depending on age) about how the Nile provided for their crops.
• Then for literature you can use the sources listed in the WTM or find other good literature.
• If time permits or there is an interest add documentaries, You Tube Videos, etc.  We have used Google Earth in the past to explore various ruins, for example.

 

Does this sound about right?  This sounds more flexible to me and might get their interest more.

 

Thoughts?

[2_girls_mommy]

I actually prefer the second edition (haven't read the new edition, but I have the 2nd and the 3rd,) to the 3rd edition's list of facts. We do outline from the red KHE. She talks about putting two paragraphs together when necessary or splitting one up into multiple main topics if needed. We have done that before. We have also outlined from library books and from our science books to practice it from other places. SOTW4 comes with outlines partially filled out, so in both trips through moderns, we have done some of those.  Last year I didn't have anyone in grammar stage, but occasionally I would start or end a major unit of history study with a section or two from SOTW4 and do the outlines from there. My dd12 has a hs journal with all kinds of writing prompts and different activities that she spends 30-45 min on a day. On the pages that are blank and say to use for whatever you want, I sometimes assign her to outline a section of her science book. That works for me to get some more in this year.

 

My odd is now in the rhetoric stage history using all WTM recommendations from the 3rd edition. Before she begins a new book she creates a list of facts from the Timetables of History book and creates a thread of related events for a summary of history from the time the book was written, so she is getting that practice now with the notetaking. I like that approach. But I did really like the outlining for practice in seeing the organization in the logic stage.

 

I've never seen the white KHE that is supposed to be better, but I am glad you have a copy to work from if you want to do outlines. Maybe I would hate the red if I saw that one, LOL.

 

 

[redsquirrel]

Thank you for bringing up this topic. I have tried the outlining of the encyclopedia before and it just didn't work with my older kids.  I have two in the logic stage now and we are trying TOG, but they do not seem to enjoying 'history' 

 

However, after reading the 4th edition, I am thinking of going to this format. What I took away from the 4th ed.:

 

• to list the facts from the reading, not exhaustive, just simple.  (Maybe try various encyclopedias?)
• Add dates to timeline and look and mark geography
• Look at non-fiction books on the topic from library or personal library. 
• Choose one resource to outline and rewrite a summary from that outline.  We are studying ancients.  So they could read about the way the Egyptians lived (homes, agriculture, jewelry, etc) The composition from the outline might just be a simple paragraph (depending on age) about how the Nile provided for their crops.
• Then for literature you can use the sources listed in the WTM or find other good literature.
• If time permits or there is an interest add documentaries, You Tube Videos, etc.  We have used Google Earth in the past to explore various ruins, for example.

 

Does this sound about right?  This sounds more flexible to me and might get their interest more.

 

Thoughts?

 

FWIW, that is pretty much exactly what is in the 3rd edition. We did history that way and it worked very well.  About halfway through we stopped with the writing because he was using WWS2 and it got to be a bit much.  But we did keep up with the other stuff

 

 

[2_girls_mommy]

Forgot to say how we are doing it this year. 7th grader has two "history" time periods for specific tasks. She is to read 4 pages of the KHE a week. She is to record all dates from those pages into her timeline book, color coded. She is to complete at least one map in the Geography Coloring Book from the area and read the section on the area which includes a lot of current social studies information. And she is to outline one section of her choice to add to her notebook.

 

We aren't doing any of the summaries yet to put in her ongoing WTM history notebook, though we usually do. We are doing Classical House of Learning Literature's blog for Ancients logic stage. She has some activities related to history for each book that ties to history. So we will sometimes do those, sometimes do writing. And we are reading aloud from related books. This month she created a travel poster about Egypt and wrote about 3 things to visit there on the poster. So that was her summary exercise for August.

 

Being WTMers, history is the thread that binds all of our curriculum together wherever possible, so she is getting history in other time periods in her day, namely the reading and exercises from CHOLL materials. We are using the old lesson plans I had downloaded 4 years ago. I noticed the blog and instructions have changed since then. But I loved it our first time through logics with odd, and I had bought all of the books. :) Ties in perfectly.

 

 

[Kareni]

Confession:  I skipped outlining entirely. 

 

We started homeschooling when my daughter was in seventh grade.  This is what I did.

 

I had my daughter keep a Book of the Centuries when she began homeschooling in 7th grade.  We did a three year sweep through world history, and she added information to her book for three years.  Here are the instructions I gave her in 7th grade.

 

"History and Reading

 

The plan:

 

To study history chronologically from prehistory to about AD500.

 

The means:

 

We’ll use Hillyer and Huey’s two books Young People’s Story of the Ancient World as well as numerous other books and resources.

 

Typically each week there will be a list of required reading.  There will generally be a novel to be read pertaining to the time period.  There may also be some myths and legends to be read.  There will also be non-fiction books or selections to be read and perhaps a website to visit or a video to view.

 

You will need to locate any places mentioned on the map, in a historical atlas and on the globe (if we obtain one).  Each week you will make two pages for your Book of the Centuries.  These pages should be work you can be proud of!  They should be well planned, edited and neat.  They can be in your best cursive or done on the computer.  All art work should be done with care.  The pages should pertain to the time period being studied.  Each page should be titled.  Pages might cover such topics as:

 

A people

A great man or woman (a ruler, artist, explorer, scientist)

An artifact (tools, buildings, type of writing)

A religion

An event

A discovery or invention

A war or battle

The daily life of a people

A map (route of an explorer, location of a people) 

An imaginary encounter between two historical personae

???

 

You might find information on these topics at home or you may need to do additional research at the library or online. 

 

Maps should include a legend (which may be printed) in addition to the title.

 

In addition to your two pages, you should also note five to ten important dates in your Book of the Centuries."

 

 

If you'd like to see the materials we used in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade, let me know and I'll post them.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

Confession: I skipped outlining entirely.

 

We started homeschooling when my daughter was in seventh grade. This is what I did.

 

I had my daughter keep a Book of the Centuries when she began homeschooling in 7th grade. We did a three year sweep through world history, and she added information to her book for three years. Here are the instructions I gave her in 7th grade.

 

"History and Reading

 

The plan:

 

To study history chronologically from prehistory to about AD500.

 

The means:

 

We’ll use Hillyer and Huey’s two books Young People’s Story of the Ancient World as well as numerous other books and resources.

 

Typically each week there will be a list of required reading. There will generally be a novel to be read pertaining to the time period. There may also be some myths and legends to be read. There will also be non-fiction books or selections to be read and perhaps a website to visit or a video to view.

 

You will need to locate any places mentioned on the map, in a historical atlas and on the globe (if we obtain one). Each week you will make two pages for your Book of the Centuries. These pages should be work you can be proud of! They should be well planned, edited and neat. They can be in your best cursive or done on the computer. All art work should be done with care. The pages should pertain to the time period being studied. Each page should be titled. Pages might cover such topics as:

 

A people

A great man or woman (a ruler, artist, explorer, scientist)

An artifact (tools, buildings, type of writing)

A religion

An event

A discovery or invention

A war or battle

The daily life of a people

A map (route of an explorer, location of a people)

An imaginary encounter between two historical personae

???

 

You might find information on these topics at home or you may need to do additional research at the library or online.

 

Maps should include a legend (which may be printed) in addition to the title.

 

In addition to your two pages, you should also note five to ten important dates in your Book of the Centuries."

 

 

If you'd like to see the materials we used in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade, let me know and I'll post them.

 

Regards,

Kareni

This sounds awesome! I would love to see a sample if it is not too much work. We are doing a state history notebook in fifth grade this year, and I wanted to start a timeline book next year, and thus sounds like a great alternative. I love the organization, and we could naturally transition to this. Did you follow a specific reading list or just get good library resources?

[Kareni]

This sounds awesome! I would love to see a sample if it is not too much work. We are doing a state history notebook in fifth grade this year, and I wanted to start a timeline book next year, and thus sounds like a great alternative. I love the organization, and we could naturally transition to this.

 

Thanks for the kind words.  I don't have a sample of the Book of the Centuries to share, but it was actually quite simple to make.

 

My daughter's Book of the Centuries was a timeline but it was kept in a binder along with her writings and artwork.  She kept it in 7th through 9th grades when she did a three year sweep through history (we came to homeschooling late). I had her add ten entries each week. I was not so much concerned that she memorize dates as that she had a general idea of world happenings and when they had occurred relative to each other.

 

So, there were pages that had a vertical line down the center with hash marks indicating a span of years.  She would make her entries to the left and right of that line.  Between such pages would be her additional writings and maps.

 

  Did you follow a specific reading list or just get good library resources?

 

We were on a strict budget, so I used primarily library resources plus some books that I collected at thrift stores.  I'm fortunate to live near our state's flagship university which has a juvenile collection (presumably for teacher education purposes); all state residents are permitted to borrow two books at a time from the library's collection and I used it heavily.  The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber was one of the resources we used; it was originally published in the late 1890s and that was the copy the library lent us -- so my daughter studied history with some rather historical resources.

 

My daughter used the following materials in 7th grade which covered the time period up to 500AD. Yes, she did read all of these books; however, she was and is a voracious reader.  We are also quite liberal, so some of these materials might not work for others.

 

 

Selections from The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World by Charlotte Evans et al.

 

The Young People's Story of Our Heritage: The Ancient World, Pre-history to 500BC by V. M. Hillyer and E. G. Huey

 

The Young People's Story of Our Heritage: The Ancient World, 500BC to 500AD by V. M. Hillyer and E. G. Huey

 

A Bone from a Dry Sea by Peter Dickinson

 

Cave of the Moving Shadows by Thomas Milstead

 

Spirit on the Wall by Ann O'Neal Garcia

 

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

 

Pharaoh's Daughter by Julius Lester

 

Video:  David Macaulay's World of Ancient Engineering:   Pyramid

 

Black Ships before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

Dateline: Troy by Paul Fleischman

 

Inside the Walls of Troy by Clemence McClaren 

 

The Curse of King Tut by Patricia Netzley

 

The Golden Fleece by Padraic Colum

 

Escape from Egypt by Sonia Levitin

 

Troy by Adele Geras   

 

The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

The Cat of Bubastes by G. A. Henty

 

City of Gold and Other Stories from the Old Testament by Peter Dickinson

 

Gods and Goddesses by John Malam

 

The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone by James Cross Giblin

 

Selections from  Cultural Atlas for Young People:  Ancient Greece by Anton Powell

 

Selections from Then and Now by Stefania and Dominic Perring

 

Selections from Usborne Book of Famous Lives

 

Selections from  Heroines by Rebecca Hazell

 

Selections from A Picturesque Tale of Progress, Volume 2 by Olive Beaupre Miller

 

The Story of the World, History for the Classical Child: Ancient Times by Susan W. Bauer

 

Niko: Sculptor's Apprentice by Isabelle Lawrence

 

How Would You Survive as an Ancient Greek? by Fiona Macdonald

 

Calliope Magazine: Taharqo

 

Calliope Magazine: Ancient Celts

 

Alexander the Great by Peter Chrisp

 

Video: Alexander the Great (The History Makers)

 

Men of Athens by Olivia Coolidge

 

Selections from Mathematicians are People, Too by Luetta and Wilbert Reimer

 

Science in Ancient Greece by Kathlyn Gay

 

Selections from A Day in Old Athens by William S. Davis

 

Your Travel Guide to Ancient Greece by Nancy Day

 

The Librarian who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky

 

The Emperor's Silent Army by Jane O'Connor

 

Selections from Ancient Japan by J. E. Kidder

 

Hannibal's Elephants by Alfred Powers

 

The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber

 

Galen: My Life in Imperial Rome by Marissa Moss

 

Caesar's Gallic War by Olivia Coolidge

 

Selections from Ancient Inventions by Peter James and Nick Thorpe

 

Video:  Anthony and Cleopatra (Royal Shakespeare Company, 1974)

 

Videos:  I, Claudius (Volumes 1-7)

 

Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster

 

City by David Macaulay

 

The Wadjet Eye by Jill Rubalcaba

 

Video:  David Macaulay's World of Ancient Engineering:   Roman City

 

Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfield

 

Video:  Ancient Mysteries:  Pompeii, Buried Alive

 

The Capricorn Bracelet by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

Selections from Wonders of Ancient Chinese Science by Robert Silverberg

 

The White Stag by Kate Seredy

 

Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges

 

Selections from The Dark Ages by Tony Gregory

 

Lady Ch'iao Kuo:  Warrior of the South by Laurence Yep

 

The Dancing Bear by Peter Dickinson

 

Video:  Africa (Ancient Civilizations for Children)

 

The Cartoon History of the Universe II, From the Springtime of China to the Fall of Rome by Larry Gonick

 

Regards,

Kareni

[AdventuresinHomeschooling]

Thanks for the kind words. I don't have a sample of the Book of the Centuries to share, but it was actually quite simple to make.

 

My daughter's Book of the Centuries was a timeline but it was kept in a binder along with her writings and artwork. She kept it in 7th through 9th grades when she did a three year sweep through history (we came to homeschooling late). I had her add ten entries each week. I was not so much concerned that she memorize dates as that she had a general idea of world happenings and when they had occurred relative to each other.

 

So, there were pages that had a vertical line down the center with hash marks indicating a span of years. She would make her entries to the left and right of that line. Between such pages would be her additional writings and maps.

 

 

We were on a strict budget, so I used primarily library resources plus some books that I collected at thrift stores. I'm fortunate to live near our state's flagship university which has a juvenile collection (presumably for teacher education purposes); all state residents are permitted to borrow two books at a time from the library's collection and I used it heavily. The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber was one of the resources we used; it was originally published in the late 1890s and that was the copy the library lent us -- so my daughter studied history with some rather historical resources.

 

My daughter used the following materials in 7th grade which covered the time period up to 500AD. Yes, she did read all of these books; however, she was and is a voracious reader. We are also quite liberal, so some of these materials might not work for others.

 

 

Selections from The Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World by Charlotte Evans et al.

 

The Young People's Story of Our Heritage: The Ancient World, Pre-history to 500BC by V. M. Hillyer and E. G. Huey

 

The Young People's Story of Our Heritage: The Ancient World, 500BC to 500AD by V. M. Hillyer and E. G. Huey

 

A Bone from a Dry Sea by Peter Dickinson

 

Cave of the Moving Shadows by Thomas Milstead

 

Spirit on the Wall by Ann O'Neal Garcia

 

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

 

Pharaoh's Daughter by Julius Lester

 

Video: David Macaulay's World of Ancient Engineering: Pyramid

 

Black Ships before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

Dateline: Troy by Paul Fleischman

 

Inside the Walls of Troy by Clemence McClaren

 

The Curse of King Tut by Patricia Netzley

 

The Golden Fleece by Padraic Colum

 

Escape from Egypt by Sonia Levitin

 

Troy by Adele Geras

 

The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

The Cat of Bubastes by G. A. Henty

 

City of Gold and Other Stories from the Old Testament by Peter Dickinson

 

Gods and Goddesses by John Malam

 

The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone by James Cross Giblin

 

Selections from Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Greece by Anton Powell

 

Selections from Then and Now by Stefania and Dominic Perring

 

Selections from Usborne Book of Famous Lives

 

Selections from Heroines by Rebecca Hazell

 

Selections from A Picturesque Tale of Progress, Volume 2 by Olive Beaupre Miller

 

The Story of the World, History for the Classical Child: Ancient Times by Susan W. Bauer

 

Niko: Sculptor's Apprentice by Isabelle Lawrence

 

How Would You Survive as an Ancient Greek? by Fiona Macdonald

 

Calliope Magazine: Taharqo

 

Calliope Magazine: Ancient Celts

 

Alexander the Great by Peter Chrisp

 

Video: Alexander the Great (The History Makers)

 

Men of Athens by Olivia Coolidge

 

Selections from Mathematicians are People, Too by Luetta and Wilbert Reimer

 

Science in Ancient Greece by Kathlyn Gay

 

Selections from A Day in Old Athens by William S. Davis

 

Your Travel Guide to Ancient Greece by Nancy Day

 

The Librarian who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky

 

The Emperor's Silent Army by Jane O'Connor

 

Selections from Ancient Japan by J. E. Kidder

 

Hannibal's Elephants by Alfred Powers

 

The Story of the Romans by H. A. Guerber

 

Galen: My Life in Imperial Rome by Marissa Moss

 

Caesar's Gallic War by Olivia Coolidge

 

Selections from Ancient Inventions by Peter James and Nick Thorpe

 

Video: Anthony and Cleopatra (Royal Shakespeare Company, 1974)

 

Videos: I, Claudius (Volumes 1-7)

 

Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster

 

City by David Macaulay

 

The Wadjet Eye by Jill Rubalcaba

 

Video: David Macaulay's World of Ancient Engineering: Roman City

 

Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfield

 

Video: Ancient Mysteries: Pompeii, Buried Alive

 

The Capricorn Bracelet by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

Selections from Wonders of Ancient Chinese Science by Robert Silverberg

 

The White Stag by Kate Seredy

 

Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges

 

Selections from The Dark Ages by Tony Gregory

 

Lady Ch'iao Kuo: Warrior of the South by Laurence Yep

 

The Dancing Bear by Peter Dickinson

 

Video: Africa (Ancient Civilizations for Children)

 

The Cartoon History of the Universe II, From the Springtime of China to the Fall of Rome by Larry Gonick

 

Regards,

Kareni

Thank you so much for typing all of this! This is very helpful as I plan for ancients next year in sixth grade. I am going to save this for sure.

[Classically Minded]

From my reading over the years, I always thought you were only to outline from the additional source book that you chose that goes along with what the child read in the encyclopedia.  I never saw anything that says to outline from the encyclopedia.  The child reads the encyclopedia, then lists facts and dates on a timeline and then chooses a book on a topic they choose from their reading and then write an outline once a week from THAT book - not the encyclopedia.  I've used the 3rd edition, so not sure about earlier editions but I'm pretty sure the 3rd edition never tells you to outline from the encyclopedia - I could be wrong but that is how I've always understood it.

Edited September 10, 2016 by Classically Minded

[redsquirrel]

From my reading over the years, I always thought you were only to outline from the additional source book that you chose that goes along with what the child read in the encyclopedia.  I never saw anything that says to outline from the encyclopedia.  The child reads the encyclopedia, then lists facts and dates on a timeline and then chooses a book on a topic they choose from their reading and then write an outline once a week from THAT book - not the encyclopedia.  I've used the 3rd edition, so not sure about earlier editions but I'm pretty sure the 3rd edition never tells you to outline from the encyclopedia - I could be wrong but that is how I've always understood it.

 

You are correct.  3rd ed does not say to outline from the encyclopedia.  It says to outline a 250 word section from the reading.  We used a text book, in part because they are so easy to outline.

[stlily]

I think you're right but she does recommend outlining from the encyclopedia in the 2nd edition and in her talk on middle school writing (if I remember correctly:). On p. 279 of TWTM, second edition, she says, " Read and outline a section from the Kingfisher Illustrated History of the World."