Question for SOTW users

[Guest]

For those of you that use The Story of the World for history, what do you plan to do when you are done with SOTW?

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

I will probably use SOTW again as our spine in grades 5-9, supplementing heavily, requiring more reading and written work, as well as creating a time-line (which we aren't doing in the grammar stage). I'm hoping and praying that Susan's new history series is finished by the time my oldest hits high school. :)

[dangermom]

I'm hoping and praying that Susan's new history series is finished by the time my oldest hits high school.

 

Hee hee, me too! We will be done with SOTW at the end of this year and I have not yet found anything better for next year than the Kingfisher/SOTW/lots of supplementation combo. I'm thinking about looking into History Odyssey, so if anyone has any opinions about that I'd be interested to hear them.

[Nestof3]

I was just thinking about this last night. We are off-schedule already for four-year rotations, and I really don't want to rush through in order to get on-schedule.

 

I also loved using History of US with our eldest, so I'm not sure what I'll do, though I know I want to incorporate those. I may just use a textbook for world history and supplement with reading. Or, perhaps I'll use the Kingfisher and add reading and outlines.

[patchfire]

I'm still searching for a spine to use - I cannot decide on one. Luckily I still have approximately 48 weeks to do so. ;) I strongly feel that dd will need a much greater challenge than another cycle through SOTW will provide, and I also do not want to burn myself out - I'll start the ancients again w/ ds in the 2011-2012 school year, and w/ dd2 in 2015-2016. (geez, I feel tired thinking about it! :P)

 

So, ideally, we'll do something like logic stage history as laid out in WTM. As soon as decide on a spine to 'anchor' it. :)

[BarbaraL in OK]

History Odyssey is just right for us. My older son is in his second year using HO, and my younger son in his first year.

 

After SOTW, for 6th grade my older son did a cobbled-together-by-me year of Van Loon's The Story of Mankind plus additional reading, projects, etc. -- the reality was okay but not great. We moved to History Odyssey 2 - Middle Ages for 7th grade (and now, in 8th grade, he is in HO2 Early Modern). I REALLY like it. We tweak it a bit for our needs & priorities, but nothing drastic.

 

This year for 4th grade my younger son seemed ready for more than SOTW + activity guide. I started him on History Odyssey 1 - Early Modern (it uses SOTW3), and he really likes it.

 

We are not absolutely tied to the four-year cycle being done three times, so for my older son I'm starting to look at options for high school studies. For us, it'll probably look a lot like what is suggested in The Latin-Centered Curriculum.

 

Good luck!

[newlifemom]

We are on our 2nd rotation of SOTW with dd. Since she is in 6th grade, we supplement it with a lot! I use SOTW as my jumping off point and add Kingfisher, CHOW and Most Important Events in Christian History. Like the OPs have stated, we will also be doing a timeline, and more written work, including outlines. Plus we are doing the reading list in WTM for her SSR this year. It's going to be a busy one and quite frankly I have no idea if I am going to challenge her or overwhelm her. [sigh] Only time will tell.

[Chris in VA]

Maybe MOH, at least for two years. I will supplement with the new DK recommendation or Kingfisher (or both), and I also like Boorstin's Landmark for American history--and Hakim's.

Sigh. too much out there!

[Lovedtodeath]

Well, we are dong everything but reading SOTW now, and will use that for logic stage.

[dangermom]

Can I ask a question about History Odyssey? I was just looking at their website and it says:

* History Odyssey study guides are written based on three principles: History is fun when it is presented as a story.

* History is best studied through the reading of great books.

* History is best taught through a world view with an opportunity to learn about different cultures.

 

Now, AFAIK no one uses the term "world view" except for conservative Christians. So this makes me think that the material leans that way, but they say they're secular. Can I get some opinions on this point from both secular and religious POVs?

[Harriet Vane]

We have taken six years to do SOTW.

 

We are planning to do Sonlight 100 and government/civics next.

 

In high school we hope to combine Susan's adult history series with Church History in Plain Language (Shelley).

[freerange]

We are off-schedule already for four-year rotations, and I really don't want to rush through in order to get on-schedule.

By contrast, we're aiming to do first pass of the cycle in 2 years, and 2nd time around in probably 3(though the long term plan is just a hazy idea), but unless they ask to stop without breaks in between. 1st time round we're aiming for fun & inspiring a passion for history. 2nd time will be more in depth. Beyond that we're possibly into exam territory, so it might in part be dictated by an external syllabus. Blergh!

[EKS]

K12's Human Odyssey with Hakim's A History of US. I would absolutely *not* use SOTW for the middle grades.

[MIch elle]

I chose to do history stories gr 1-3 and A Child's History of the World in grades 4-5. SO we are using SOTW series for grades 6-8, 3 yr cycle.

 

In the middle school years, history is STILL not our focus it's grammar, writing, reading, foreign language and math. History & science get done everyday but not as intensely as the other subjects.