SOTW but with more cohesion?

[lisamarie]

I am trying to decide what to do for next year for history. I checked out the SOTW books from the library, and while they are an interesting read, they just don't make sense in my brain. They're just a bunch of stories that don't connect for me. I get lost between chapters on who is doing what where and why. Is there something that connects the stories to help them make sense? Like a flow chart of something? I haven't seen the activity guide so maybe that addresses it.

 

Also, is there a program that uses these books or something similar but gives it more of a Godly purpose? I like the story format of the books, but I also want to include God's purpose for history.

[mrs.m]

Putting together a timeline helps connect the events. If you are talking about Ancient History I never really thought it flowed when I studied it in college.

 

You might enjoy Biblioplan For Families. It ties in the Bible. The Ancient History portion organizes the teaching differently than SOTW but still uses SOTW as the spine. It doesn't go by the SOTW chapters but skips around throughout the book.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Maybe Sonlight would be a good fit? I know that they use SOTW as a reader for older kids. I'm not sure if they are in the earlier core schedules.

[The Governess]

This is why I am using Tapestry of Grace (we did a few weeks worth this year and will officially start it this fall for 1st grade). It schedules Story of the World (and many other books - SOTW is an alternate resource actually) but doesn't skip around from area to area quite as much (although history is generally covered chronologically). It weaves in Jewish history as well, and the entire old testament is scheduled reading during the year. I know most consider TOG to be overkill for first grade, but I really wanted to present a cohesive view of history that ties in church history from the very beginning, and it does exactly that.

[Chris in VA]

I find the activities, narrations, and supplemental reading, as well as the timeline (tho we are loose with this, b/c dd is only grammar stage) give us enough repetition and detail to help us remember. SOTW is truly just a spine.

[Carol in Cal.]

...History until the Early Modern period is not cohesive. There were all these civilizations rising and falling all over the world, and they didn't have as much connection with each other or interchange of information and such as countries do now. So there isn't one big arc of history at all.

 

Once you hit the early modern period, though, the strands all start to interweave. It's kind of like algebra 1. You learn all this somewhat disjointed arithmetic, and then you get the algebra 1 and it uses and builds on all of it. Or quantum mechanics in physics--same thing, you learn mechanics, and electricity and magnetism, and thermodynamics, and motion equations, and then finally it call comes together in quantum mechanics.

 

So, I don't think it's SOTW's fault--it's just the nature of the material. So the best thing to do is choose an age-appropriate spine that is as engaging and informative as possible--and SOTW has filled that job beautifully in my house!

[Ginevra]

I am trying to decide what to do for next year for history. I checked out the SOTW books from the library, and while they are an interesting read, they just don't make sense in my brain. They're just a bunch of stories that don't connect for me. I get lost between chapters on who is doing what where and why. Is there something that connects the stories to help them make sense? Like a flow chart of something? I haven't seen the activity guide so maybe that addresses it.

 

I just bought History Odyssey for this reason. I feel that way about SOTW, too. HO uses SOTW and other materials and IMO, connects it together better that SOTW alone. However, I am only just beginning to use it, so I cannot give you my experienced perspective, just that it *looks* better to me.

 

HO is not Biblio-centric, though.

[LibrarianMom]

I am trying to decide what to do for next year for history. I checked out the SOTW books from the library, and while they are an interesting read, they just don't make sense in my brain. They're just a bunch of stories that don't connect for me. I get lost between chapters on who is doing what where and why. Is there something that connects the stories to help them make sense? Like a flow chart of something? I haven't seen the activity guide so maybe that addresses it.

 

For littles in the grammar stage, I think it is more important to become familiar with the people and stories rather than seeing it as one big story. The connections come together more in the logic stage. I like to think of the grammar stage as laying a foundation for knowledge and learning whereas in the logic stage you start to build on the foundation and create a structure.

[Lovedtodeath]

I find the activities, narrations, and supplemental reading, as well as the timeline (tho we are loose with this, b/c dd is only grammar stage) give us enough repetition and detail to help us remember. SOTW is truly just a spine.

:iagree:Some of the supplemental books for each civilization really tie it all together. The Story of Rome and Usborne Beginners Egyptians, for example cover a longer time period in the same place. A timeline tied in with maps helps too.

 

...History until the Early Modern period is not cohesive. There were all these civilizations rising and falling all over the world, and they didn't have as much connection with each other or interchange of information and such as countries do now. So there isn't one big arc of history at all.

 

So, I don't think it's SOTW's fault--it's just the nature of the material. So the best thing to do is choose an age-appropriate spine that is as engaging and informative as possible--and SOTW has filled that job beautifully in my house!

:iagree:

 

For littles in the grammar stage, I think it is more important to become familiar with the people and stories rather than seeing it as one big story. The connections come together more in the logic stage. I like to think of the grammar stage as laying a foundation for knowledge and learning whereas in the logic stage you start to build on the foundation and create a structure.

:iagree:

[Oak Knoll Mom]

For littles in the grammar stage, I think it is more important to become familiar with the people and stories rather than seeing it as one big story. The connections come together more in the logic stage. I like to think of the grammar stage as laying a foundation for knowledge and learning whereas in the logic stage you start to build on the foundation and create a structure.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Putting it all together and seeing the big picture are logic stage activities and SOTW is an elementary program. SOTW is all about becoming familiar with history.