zandert33 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 I recently found out about "Story of the World" for history class, and wanted to know if anybody had experience with it. A lot of the reviews I've read online are good, but I've also seen some very negative reviews on Amazon.com. I was considering using Veritas, but am interested in learning about about this one now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Dominion Heather Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Story of the World is great. You should try to get your hands on a copy with the accompanying activity books and look it over for yourself. My boys love it and are actually engaged in history. For example, we are in book three and are studying the American Revolution. Ds 8 has enjoyed it so much, he memorized Patrick Henry's "Liberty or Death" speech (in part) and delivered it in Patrick Henry's law office on our last field trip. One of the main strengths of Story of the World is that it is world history, not just American or European. I have learned more in the last 2.5 years about the history of the world than I learned in school and college. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zandert33 Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Sadly I don't know many people who practice the classical style education. Thanks for the positive word though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 There was actually a thread about this yesterday, here you go: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14036 We used SOTW from first to fourth grade along with the activity guide and loved it! Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Sadly I don't know many people who practice the classical style education. Thanks for the positive word though. That's why we all hang out here! :001_smile: I have used all 4 levels of SOTW and we absolutely love it. We like VP too, but we use VP along with SOTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zandert33 Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 There was actually a thread about this yesterday, here you go:http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14036 We used SOTW from first to fourth grade along with the activity guide and loved it! Hope this helps! Guess I should have looked a little harder :). I check the forums out every once in a while, but haven't looked lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 So do both of my children. We like the detail, the stories interspersed with fact, the ancillary reading suggestions, the activities, EVERYTHING. I have literally not found anything to dislike about this history program. Prior to SOTW we were using Sonlight. While I did (and do) like the books they recommend, we found SOTW to be far more engaging and detailed than Hillyer's Child's History of the World. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrtle Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 I recently found out about "Story of the World" for history class, and wanted to know if anybody had experience with it. A lot of the reviews I've read online are good, but I've also seen some very negative reviews on Amazon.com. I was considering using Veritas, but am interested in learning about about this one now. Could you be more specific about the details of the negative reviews that make you reconsider this book? There are in general three that I am aware of: It's not Christian enough, it's too Christian, and it mixes mythology/fictional accounts with history. I will only address the third criticism. Learning the myths and beliefs of cultures that existed in the past is a part of history. You need only preface the reading of the chapter with, "The Greeks believed the following story..." or "I am going to tell you a made up story but we think the details reflect what might have happened." Without dragging out all four volumes and analyzing them I have the vague impression that the use of "stories" are fewer in the volumes for the later grades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LG Gone Wild Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 So do both of my children. We like the detail, the stories interspersed with fact, the ancillary reading suggestions, the activities, EVERYTHING. I have literally not found anything to dislike about this history program. Prior to SOTW we were using Sonlight. While I did (and do) like the books they recommend, we found SOTW to be far more engaging and detailed than Hillyer's Child's History of the World. that a Child's History of the World was boring and too hard to listen to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue G in PA Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 looking for the high school/college equivalent of a History program. I don't think SWB intended for SOTW to be that! :) SOTW is a great, gentle introduction to World History for the grammar age (elem. aged) child. It's very "readable" for a young child who thinks it more a storybook than a History text. That's why, IMNSHO, that it is soooo popular. Many on Amazon say that there are "many" errors or inconsistencies throughout. Personally, I think History from text to text if FULL of inconsistencies b/c it's largely a "guessing game" esp. when you are talking about Ancient times. SWB has done a phenomenal job of bringing History to a level that children can actually enjoy it rather than just "tolerate" it. Only reason why we didn't use it as a "spine" this year for Ancients is I, personally, wanted a more Christian based spine so we used MOH1. SOTW is written to be secular to appeal to ALL religions, not just Christians. Therefore the wide-appeal/popularity! HTH...We did use SOTW w/ K12 as SWB wrote part of their elem. History curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zandert33 Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Thanks again for all the info, and that other thread is really great. Right now my son is in K, and we're not planning on starting the history of the world until 2nd grade. For K we've been going over the 50 states and US Presidents (he is obsessed with both topics) and next year we're planning on doing a overview of other countries around the world, which will set the stage to begin ancient history in 2nd. So, assuming I were to use "Story of the World" for 2nd-5th, what would everybody recommend to use for the second two phases? I know for a fact I want to use the "Omnibus", is anybody using that at a 6th grade level? Or should I hold that off for the Rhetoric phase? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolyn Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 This is the subject my son BEGS to do. I have no creativity, and really, I burnt myself out early on in h.s'ing searching for creative ways to teach when Susan had done all that work for me, just the way I would have if I was a super genius too. :confused: So as Im not, its my humble opinion that it doesnt get any better than this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli in TN Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Thanks again for all the info, and that other thread is really great. Right now my son is in K, and we're not planning on starting the history of the world until 2nd grade. For K we've been going over the 50 states and US Presidents (he is obsessed with both topics) and next year we're planning on doing a overview of other countries around the world, which will set the stage to begin ancient history in 2nd. So, assuming I were to use "Story of the World" for 2nd-5th, what would everybody recommend to use for the second two phases? I know for a fact I want to use the "Omnibus", is anybody using that at a 6th grade level? Or should I hold that off for the Rhetoric phase? I use SOTW for two phases ENDING in 8th grade. I will say that on a child's second go around you will need to beef it up. A lot! But it sets the pace beautifully and it is well written so it really works. And rumor has it that SOTW supplemental packages are forthcoming for older kids!!! Huzzah!! I am toying with the idea of doing Omnibus with my next high schooler, but he is in 7th now so I have time to consider whether to do that or just repeat what his older sister is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 There was actually a thread about this yesterday, here you go:http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14036 Thank goodness you wrote :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in Central TX Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 I did all 4 volumes of SOTW during the grammar stage with my older boys. It's a great introduction to history, and the best series out there for this age level. No regrets here, and I plan to use them again with my youngest son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 We love SOTW so much, that my son chose to go through the entire series again for 5th-8th grade. We are using it in conjunction with Sonlight Cores 6 and 7 to beef it up. My younger son is on his first go-round, so I just use the activity guide with him. (I conveniently had my children four years apart before I ever heard of classical education) ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 I couldn't stop my daughter from reading it! Not that it would want too it is great stuff. The activity book is a must as it gives you lots of maps, hands on stuff and questions for narration. It is for younger children but I wish sometimes that there would be more of how life was back then rather than the wars. I do like the fact that the whole world is covered. So for example. We are doing the Middle Ages. What do you think of????...castles right. But we are on lesson 16 of 38 and we are just beginning the castle parts. I think that all the previous posts are great. I just wanted to chime in with an "I second that". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetTN Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 This is our first year using SOTW and we love it! Our dc keep bring up things they have learned this year "Did you know?" or "Remember when we learned about?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lighthouseacademy Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Many on Amazon say that there are "many" errors or inconsistencies throughout. Personally, I think History from text to text if FULL of inconsistencies b/c it's largely a "guessing game" esp. when you are talking about Ancient times. Good point. I have found inaccuracies in even the Usborne Book of World History- It had to do with Thomas Jefferson signing something when he was not IN the US but was abroad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tokyomarie Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I use SOTW for two phases ENDING in 8th grade. I will say that on a child's second go around you will need to beef it up. A lot! But it sets the pace beautifully and it is well written so it really works. And rumor has it that SOTW supplemental packages are forthcoming for older kids!!! Huzzah!! Rumor has it? Anything concrete? How soon, according to said rumor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 Someone else just posted about this only a day or so ago. I went to Amazon to look at reviews and only found a couple of dozen or less for the last three books. The good reviews greatly outnumbered the bad and the bad seemed to be based on people looking for a particular perspective in the books that they didn't find. The only book with a lot of reviews (as far as I could see) was SOTW I. It had 100 reviews. Again, most were good. The bad ranged from what seemed to me to be simple sniping, to again, folks looking for a differing perspective. Most seemed to be against SWB using stories within the book to illustrate her points. I think it's helpful to keep in mind that this book was written for first graders. Having used it for the first time with a first grader, who had never done history before, I thought it was spot on. No history book is going to satisfy everyone. We don't read from SOTW exclusively, either. We don't read from ANY history book exclusively. No human can write without an ounce of bias. It's not possible. The best way to look at history from a variety of perspectives is to read from a variety of authors. I'm afraid that those who want every book they read to express solely their own perspective on the world are going to be hard pressed to find happiness if they do any breadth of reading over the years, LOL - especially in the history arena. In my opinion, SOTW is as viable a history book as any others I know of on the market today - and is MUCH more accessible to very young children than most. Regena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strawberry Queen Posted March 20, 2008 Share Posted March 20, 2008 I think sotw is great and so do my kids! They love having the activities and I love having a base to refer to when we discuss things. I can refer back to ancient Egypt and pyramids because we've studied it.(I don't get that blank look-well I don't get it most days.lol) I tried sonlight for the first part of yr.1 and it just didn't engage them as well as sotw. I find that doing an activity every once in a while helps to reinforce things. We made Queen Theodora crowns in the fall, and each time dd wears it she remembers Queen Theodora. IT's terrific, and she's just 5yo. BTW, I'm doing it with her older sister who is 7, and she sits in and does all of the colouring sheets and most of the maps. OH, I also wanted to say that I like the fact that it doesn't take a particular Christian view, because chances are, I would probably not agree with it, and then I'd have a problem.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in NJ Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Our children love history. I owe it to Susan Wise Bauer's clever storytelling style. There is an activity guide that goes along with each level of SOTW. Who would ever guess that map work is a treat in our household? Go figure! Joyfully, Mary 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.