Guest lahmeh Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I have been trying to figure out a way to ask this without feeling completely dumb but just can't figure it out so here goes....:001_huh: This will be our first "official" year homeschooling and my dc will be in 1st and 2nd grades. How in the world do you all know WHAT to teach for history? Ancient history, american history, world history....how do I figure it out? I have NO idea what to teach them! How many years do I spend on each? I know I am clueless about what to teach for history and I'm terribly embarrassed about it and have lost a lot of sleep over it. Can someone pleeease help me? Thank you, thank you, thank you! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Not a dumb question but this may be a dumb answer.:lol: You can teach whatever you want! If you are following TWTM you would start with Ancients and work your way to the present over the next 4 years. Then repeat the sequence at a higher level over the next 4 years and then once again at the highschool level. OR you could start with American because it is a subject that is easily accessible for 1st/2nd graders with an abundance of resources. There isn't a right or wrong answer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 What the PP said :) I'll share so maybe you get some inspiration ;) Year 1: SOTW 1 -- The Ancients Year 2: SOTW 2 -- The Middle Ages Year 3: American History (with Mara Pratt's American History Stories) Year 4: SOTW 3 -- The Renaissance Year 5: SOTW 4 -- The Modern Times Year 6: Ancient Times Year 7: Medieval Times and Renaissance Year 8: Modern Era Year 9: The Ancients Year 10: The Middle Ages Year 11: The Renaissance Year 12: Our Times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy in Va Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 (edited) First off, breathe. Now, breathe again. Like the others said, there is no "right" way. What is more important than doing it the "right" way, is (a) not stressing over this at their ages (there's plenty of time for that when they get older, and (b) just make sure you do something. By something, I mean even if it's just reading to them at night. Worry about those subjects that are important at this age, math, spelling, and reading. History and science, as wonderful and fun as they can be, should come second to the other subjects. KWIM Just relax and breath. It will all work out. ETA: Because of them being 1 yr apart, it would probably be easier to teach them together, regardless of which era you choose. When doing this, you would expect more from the older one. Make sense? Edited July 2, 2009 by Peggy in Va Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 You simply buy a good history book, such as Story of the World, or a history encyclopedia, such as Kingfisher, to get you started, and then you read. And you add in books from the library, etc. on topics of interest as you go! Easy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I stressed over history so much. I still do. I totally agree with what the previous posters just said. I've got two 1st graders and we're doing 1st-3rd grade American History (BJU Heritage Studies) and then a 4 year history cycle and then Am History and Gov. in 8th grade. Probably. Here's my rationale: I want my kids to be grounded in US History. So, that's why we're not doing 2 world history cycles. But, I also want them to get more than just 2 years of world history that most boxed curriculums give them. However, I struggle because I know that our founding fathers didn't just sit down and come up with our system of gov. one day over a cup of coffee. And giving kids a strong grounding in world history will help them understand where our country came from, really. So, after much agonizing, I came up with this and am determined to stick with it, even though I change my mind daily. (I think I need something else to think about:glare:) I think my plan is reasonable, and it's a heck of a lot better than what they're getting in ps, at least in our district. So, I guess what I'm saying is, maybe you and dh should sit down and discuss what you feel is important for your kids to know, esp, in this day and age. And then go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alte Veste Academy Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 However, I struggle because I know that our founding fathers didn't just sit down and come up with our system of gov. one day over a cup of coffee. :lol: That's hilarious! So true. you and dh should sit down and discuss what you feel is important for your kids to know, esp, in this day and age. And then go from there. You might be surprised that your husband has an opinion about the order of history. I was. DH definitely preferred to begin with American history and that works out really well for me since I didn't want to be studying modern times when I fold my youngest into our studies. Your DH may not adore hours-long philosophical discussions about curriculum choices and your long-term goals for education, including a few Excel spreadsheets full of possible scenarios...(sigh!), but he might prefer one way over another if you mention it in passing. :001_smile: The Well-Trained Mind is a great resource that lays out a plan. You can be comforted by the plan and follow it to the letter or you can deviate from it and tweak it to work out what's right for your own family. Since I want to keep all three of my kids on the same history rotation and because I believe that people should know the history of their own country best, I'm doing two years of American history followed by 4 years of world history and then repeating that once more to equal 12 years of history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 All the PP are pretty right on. Whatever you want. It is awesome you are homeschooling. Since your kiddos are 1st and 2nd, I'd highly suggest The Story of the World: Ancients and the activity guide. The books would be a lot of fun for all three of you. The activity guide not only has fun things to do, but also has a great resources list if you find you want to read more about a specific thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 We had a lot of fun studying geography and cultures. I like to start out with that and then follow up with history. Try to find out what interests your kids the most. Maybe by what kinds of documentaries or library books they gravitate to when you let them choose between US History, Cultures, Ancient History. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I agree with what everyone else has said. We tried several times to study ancients, however we would get stuck at Mesopotamia and Ancient egypt, there is just so much to learn we never got further. I decided for next year to mix things up and bit and change direction. Next year(the the following one too), we will be focusing on US and Canadian history and how they are connected. Then we will do ancient, medieval etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 The Well-Trained Mind[/i] is a great resource that lays out a plan. You can be comforted by the plan and follow it to the letter or you can deviate from it and tweak it to work out what's right for your own family. :iagree: If you don't own a copy of TWTM, check your library for a copy. This forum is based on that book and the methods and techniques the author recommends. Of course people change things for their own personal use to fit their family, but I think many of us would urge you to look at TWTM to get a good picture of how to homeschool classically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springmama Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Another vote for following or at least reading TWTM. I've seen how my friend's kids are turning out, and I've been reading these forums and talking to lots of homeschoolers. I'm convinced that if you follow TWTM you will give your child a comprehensive high quality education. I'm not smart enough to come up with this on my own, so I thank God for TWTM! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Closeacademy Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Some kids are ready for history early and others are not. Some periods you want to spend a lot of time on and others you don't really care about. So far it looks like this for my dds: dd1 K 2nd semester--old testament world and egypt 1st--Greece and Rome 2nd--Middle ages and a break from history for a few months 3rd--Renaissance through the American Revolution 4th--Modern dd2 k-1st--nothing, she wasn't interested 2nd--geography plans 3rd/5th--old testament and Egypt and Greece 4th/6th--Rome and Middle ages 5th/7th--Renaissance through 1776 6th/8th--Modern then we will cycle again. For the first round we used Story of the World. For the second round I am looking at using the Guerber/Miller books. For the last round they will be using the library and writing papers about history. We follow TWTM loosly but there is also Veritas Press who thinks that you should wait until 2nd or 3rd grade to jump into the meat of history or My Father's World who does geography for 2nd/3rd and starts history afterwards. So take a look at your children, do you think they would enjoy a year of exploring various countries and cultures or are they ready to jump into ancient history. And then there is also the option of not doing chronological history but of doing unit studies where you pick a period that eveyone wants to learn about like--the Greeks, Elizabethean England, the French revolution and Napoleon, or whatever and just learn about that for a while. Plus you can do what most large curriculums and schools do and just do American history. Good luck in whatever you decide is right for your family. But have fun and enjoy the great stories of history.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 (edited) You might be surprised that your husband has an opinion about the order of history. I was. DH definitely preferred to begin with American history and that works out really well for me since I didn't want to be studying modern times when I fold my youngest into our studies. Your DH may not adore hours-long philosophical discussions about curriculum choices and your long-term goals for education, including a few Excel spreadsheets full of possible scenarios...(sigh!), but he might prefer one way over another if you mention it in passing. :001_smile: Do we have the same dh? :D My dh has definite opinions about things, but comes to his intuitive, but very logical decisions quickly while I hash and rehash, come up with complicated plans.. :lol: In passing is the operative word. He'll say something pivotal, and walk away. I do agree with him 95% of the time, because he makes a lot of sense. That's why we married them, right? :) To the OP, another option is to study American History concurrently with World History, two separate lesson periods or days, and both chronologically. This is what the CM method espouses. Edited July 2, 2009 by sagira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nlmullen Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Teaching World (including US) history chronologically over 4 or 5 years seems like a good way to go. They actually get a good overview of what happens in all time periods all over the world. Don't try to do it over a shorter period of time because it won't leave room for additional reading on subjects that are of interest. Veritas, My Father's World, and Mystery of History are good places to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 We've decided to do American History / World Cultures concurrently this year. DD1 is a young rising K'er, DD2 will be 1st grade. For American history, we're doing A Beka's My America, which is a very simple gr. 1 program that familiarizes kids with the high points of early American history and political culture (the flag, the pledge, George Washington, Bill of Rights and so on). This is information that will help them make sense of the culture they live in. We're also doing Sonlight core K (World Cultures) at the same time (might save the read-alouds for summer to keep things from getting overwhelming). In a year or two we'll start a chronological study of world history. I think it's important. But, I think my girls will get more out of it if we wait just a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Sagira, I think your schedule makes the most sense of any I've seen. Especially, if you're folding in a younger child in the 3d grade. I've found SOTW III and IV a bit too much for my younger kids. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Sagira,I think your schedule makes the most sense of any I've seen. Especially, if you're folding in a younger child in the 3d grade. I've found SOTW III and IV a bit too much for my younger kids. Laura Thanks :) That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm folding in my youngest when she's in K into the American History studies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lahmeh Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Thank you all for the replies! I'm taking it all in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skaterbabs Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 My middle schoolers will be using SOTW I and various other materials this year. Dot HATES it, so will be doing US history instead and we'll try SOTW in a year or so. She's currently fascinated with Revolutionary War history, and is at that stage where she wants to do up all the holidays "big". We're using "I Love America" vol. 1 with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rainbows Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 What the PP said :) I'll share so maybe you get some inspiration ;) Year 1: SOTW 1 -- The Ancients Year 2: SOTW 2 -- The Middle Ages Year 3: American History (with Mara Pratt's American History Stories) Year 4: SOTW 3 -- The Renaissance Year 5: SOTW 4 -- The Modern Times Year 6: Ancient Times Year 7: Medieval Times and Renaissance Year 8: Modern Era Year 9: The Ancients Year 10: The Middle Ages Year 11: The Renaissance Year 12: Our Times Thanks for this....I like this since I'll have a kindergartener and a third grader in 2 yrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.