This is what I did: I used the first semester of the Notgrass Ancient History as a full year of Ancient History - with all the assigned reading in the primary source book but skipping all the literature selections. I chose to do this because we were using the Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Literature and my dd was also taking an advanced composition course at our local cooperative. I gave her 3 credits for these courses. We never had a problem with the state nor did we have a problem with the college admissions process. That being said, I think your plan is a good one. Go ahead and throw in some literature (I would recommend both the Iliad and the Odyssey with your other selections) to round out the Notgrass. You could spend a whole semester on these - there is so much to discuss culturally and historically!

We've used the Old Testament, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Middle Ages and Renaissance and Reformation guides with the Famous Men books when available. I think they are good for late elementary/middle school because many questions are open ended (especially with the latter guides). There are no answer keys - just so you know. I much preferred the Story of the World series, though, for ease of use. We also used the Mystery of History. These were good as well. IMO, there are lots of good options for elementary/middle school ages. I only wish there were more options for high school.

It has been years since we've used the Famous Men books, but I believe that Rob at Greenleaf wrote the chapters not found in the originals. IF I remember correctly, he claimed in his blog that the Memoria Press publishers edited some his chapters and placed them in their reprint of the series without an acknowledgement. Just an FYI: The Greenleaf guides are open ended - meaning that there is not an answer key. Some people may not like this. We have used and are still using the Greenleaf high school literature guides. Same thing - no answer keys.

We have The Real ACT Prep Guide, but my daughter never cracked it open. She also didn't bother with the online practice tests either. She used Barron's ACT 36: Aiming for the Perfect Score and Barron's ACT Math and Science Workbook - though I am not sure exactly how much of each she did. When I asked her opinion, she said she "hates that kind of thing (practice books)", but she does admit that they helped a little. She did take the test three times and was able to raise her score 3 points. Denise in NE

I did this with my girls over the last two years. We ditched both the literature and Bible portions of Notgrass, and used the Famous Men series (Greece, Rome, Middle Ages, and Renaissance) to flesh the history out. We also used the Greenleaf literature programs (Ancients for year one and Medieval for year two) to replace the literature portion of the Notgrass books. WARNING: There are not answer keys" for the Greenleaf books. They are designed so that mom and children work through them together. I did contemplate using MFW, but chose this route instead. I am pleased with the results and would do it again.

You could just stick with their literature list, but I would recommend doing a deeper study of a few of the selections. Progeny Press guides would work nicely for this though they are seriously lacking guides for Ancient lit :( We are working through Notgrass World History over 2 years (similar to the way MFW is doing it). I decided to throw out the lit selections completely because we had already read a few and I picked up the Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Literature and really liked it. We'll finish the second half of the Notgrass course this coming year using the Greenleaf Guide to Medieval Literature. CAVEAT: There are no answer keys for this series. I either read the selections myself or read Sparks Notes so we could get the most out of our discussions.

Get it in audio format if you can. I absolutely loved listening to the narrator speak middle english!

I don't think so. The selections are few - and all of them short stories or poems. I would recommend completing the course first semester then doing some full length selections (at least 4 -with essays) for second semester. (If you are planning to send your child to university, I would research what THEY are looking for in an English course. Our state university focuses on the list of the full length novels completed.) BTW: The above WAS my plan for my then 10th grade dd last year. However, due to her heavy course load at coop, we stretched the course out to cover the whole year along with selections from our study of the Ancients: Genesis, Daniel, Epic of Gilgamesh. the Odyssey, The Death of Socrates, Oedipus Rex, Antigone (along a modern rendition of the play), and Julius Caesar. She felt a little pressured and she is STILL plugging through Julius Caesar right now. This was perhaps a little ambitious :) Her sister will work through the course this coming year. She only has one class at coop so we will follow the original plan but I plan to cut back on the full length novels for her anyway.

I did the Ancients this year with my 15 year old daughter. Since she worked through Windows to the World (and had a heavy load at the cooperative), I cut her literature list down a bit. Hits: *Genesis and Daniel. *Antigone and Jean Anouilh's version of Antigone. Interesting discussions about worldview and the concept of a tragic hero. *The Trial and Death of Socrates. She HATED this while she was reading it, but has referred to it often in conversation - in a positive way. *The Odyssey Misses: *Oedipus Rex ("yuck!") *Gilgamesh ("double-yuck!") She is still reading Julius Caesar (Shakespeare) and has yet to start Till We Have Faces (Lewis) She (and her middle school sister) also had some fun reading that didn't have to be analyzed to death: Mara, Daughter of the Nile (two-thumbs up) Shadow Hawk (two-thumbs down) The Ides of April (two-thumbs down) The Eagle of the Ninth and The Lantern Bearers (one-thumb up and one thumb down for this series - the latter vote coming from my dd aged 13. I really liked these myself!) Yet to read: The White Isle (another one for the summer reading list) Denise in NE

Our state university requires at least 2 years of the same language - and Latin doesn't count. Foreign language in elementary school doesn't count. Bob Jones or Abeka DVD courses don't count. Rosetta Stone DEFINITELY doesn't count. The courses must be taken in a "classroom setting" and no earlier than 8th grade - otherwise prospective students must take a proficiency test for admission. Historically, the vast majority of home school students applying to our state university do not score well enough to "opt out" of the foreign language requirements. (I suspect many public school students wouldn't score well on the test either, but they don't have to take it...) This is generally the case with all the "Big 10" state colleges -or so the Admissions Officer told us. We have a local coop which offers classes in a variety of areas, but the most popular are the Spanish and science lab classes (which also fall under the "in a classroom setting" requirement). The Spanish instructor is a former Spanish department head of our very same state university and she still had to jump through the hoops to get her classes accepted. (I have been sending my own children to the Spanish classes there - even though I am a former, but still certified, secondary level Spanish instructor myself! I don't count either!:)) Before you begin language instruction, I would definitely check with any prospective colleges. Ask very specific questions! Denise in NE

We do Latin and Spanish concurrently. I am the one who gets confused - the girls handle it fine! Denise in NE

My daughter takes Spanish at a cooperative with the former head of our state university Spanish department. Her instructor recommends the University of Chicago Dictionary 4th edition (which is the previous edition). My daughter also uses an Oxford Spanish/English dictionary. As a former Spanish instructor myself, I would recommend you get more than one dictionary if your teen is serious about his/her language study. Denise in NE

We are using Windows on the World, and it certainly does teach literary analysis using the methods you described. I don't have the book in front of me, but there are 13 units which cover 13 different elements (setting, character development, irony, tone, point of view, etc...). All the reading material is provided. You could easily stretch it out over the year if you do the supplementary activities with their resources or your literature from TOG. A final exam (timed essay) is also included. IEW has a very generous return policy, so I would at least give it a try if you feel you need something more.

I honesty didn't care too much for Sonlight at the high school level so I can't say I would recommend it. We are currently using Notgrass World History over 2 years - supplementing with biographical material and the Great Books. It is more work than buying a completed package (like Omnibus or MFW), but I used to teach history so I'd rather put it together myself anyway. I also would second the recommendation for the Teaching Company materials - if you can afford them. I am thankful we have many in our library system. They are awesome! Denise in NE

As a former history teacher, I wouldn't recommend them for anything but a supplement at this level. Denise in NE