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Anyone use just the history part of Sonlight?


Jean in La
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I'm looking at using Sonlight Core 6 next fall for my DS. He would have just turned 11(in June) when we start.

The history part looks great, but I'm concerned about the readers because of posts that I have read. (content issues & the hard to pronouce ancient names.)

Has anyone here ever done just the history parts of Sonlight and let the children choose other readers that interest them? (Not from the same time period as the history readings?)

I'd appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

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The history part would just be SOTW and the Usborne World History Encyclopedia. Why bother with the SL schedule then? I don't think you'd get the full benefit of the program without the readers and read alouds, they really flesh the history out, and you feel like you are there. It seems like it would be a shallow look at history without the depth that the readers and read alouds add. I personally like SL's selections, (we're using core 6 this year), and haven't had any content issues. My son throughly enjoys history thanks to SL's selections.

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We are basically using just the history for Core 300 this year with my 11th grader. I went through the catty and picked and chose what I wanted to add to that from the Biographies and Historical Fiction selections. We are not doing any of the Literature due to my son using a lightning lit package this year for British Lit. But like already mentioned...the IG is pretty much useless except for the scheduling of the history readings. It's a pretty expensive scheduling tool, but I have found it worth the price. ;)

 

As for SL's Core 6, you could definitely do just the history portion if you want. I would highly suggest you get the read-alouds though as they add a great deal to the history.

 

As for the Core 6 reading books....gosh, I don't recall anything highly objectionable. My boys were in 7th and 9th grades when we did a beefed up version of Core 6 though. Some of the readers did have some difficult language for their very average reading/comprehension levels so I can completely understand the concern for your 11 yo. My son is an 11yo too, and I will not be using Core 6 with him this next year. I decided on TOG, but right up there was Winter Promise's Quest for the Ancient World. Winter Promise uses the best of the best Core 6 books in their history package but instead of SOTW they use Mystery of History. Winter Promise also has a 6th grade readers package that may be more appropriate for your 11 yo. Their 7th grade readers are more in line with Cores 6's. You could use SL's core 6 history and read-alouds with WP's readers....but you'll have to do all your own scheduling. Of course if you're going to do all your own scheduling anyhow, you might as well look at TOG as well! LOL

 

Or just go with Winter Promise and have everything all scheduled out nice and neat for ya. ;)

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The whole beauty of SL is the readers and read alouds. The History spines are something you could do without the IG, heck even the readers/read-alouds you can do w/o the IG. The IG just makes it more simple, all planned out for you. I will in some way or fashion use SL even if oldest goes to HS. I will after school her with SL readers and such! laughing025.gif

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when you say that the IG for Core 300 is pretty much useless except for the scheduling, does that mean it doesn't have the teacher notes/literature guides in the back like the IGs in the lower grades? I'm considering Core 100 next year for 3 or 4 of my kids, because I'm tired, tired, tired of doing the literature analysis, Q & A (and having to think of the answers) myself.

 

thanks-

jodi

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when you say that the IG for Core 300 is pretty much useless except for the scheduling, does that mean it doesn't have the teacher notes/literature guides in the back like the IGs in the lower grades? I'm considering Core 100 next year for 3 or 4 of my kids, because I'm tired, tired, tired of doing the literature analysis, Q & A (and having to think of the answers) myself.

 

thanks-

jodi

 

I say the Core 300 is useless for me because I am not using any of the teacher's notes/lit guides. I am merely using it as a schedule. After using Core 100 and also Core 400 I have found that Johns teacher notes are not my cuppa tea. They are usually dry and very rarely do even I understand what he is saying! LOL The SL IG is cumbersome to say the least, and I find it very difficult to weed through.

 

With Core 400 I was VERY disappointed!! I thought that I would be getting American Lit analysis questions, and teacher helps for the Lit...but there was no help for the teacher at all. To discuss the Lit books with my boys I would have had to read them myself. Yes, there were some lit questions for them to answer, but not at all what I was looking for. Bleck. I ended up using BJU HomeSat's American Lit with our Core 400 Lit books which was absolutely excellent.

 

Core 100 was our very favorite, but I did the history with them. They each had a questions packet (not sure if you can still get these) and as I read the history they would take notes and/or answer the questions. We would then go over their answers and discuss. It was an enjoyable year. Again though, most of the IG was not used by me. Cumbersome, cumbersome, cumbersome. :D I like simple and to the point. TOG is written much more to my style with the weeks teacher's notes all nice and neat. The students questions all nice and neat. Mapping assignments nice and neat with blank maps included. Everything, well, nice and neat. ;) I will not miss the SL IG. Did I mention how cumbersome it is? :lol:

 

I don't recall Core 100 having lit analysis either. Yes, they have lit questions, but they are basic. We dropped them pretty early on in our year as I did not see the real point in them. I instead just let them read for the sheer fun of reading and they would tell me about their books. Perhaps things have changed...I don't know. We used Core 400 last year though and there were NO lit analysis helps. Nothing to help me, the teacher, teach the Literature in any way, shape, nor form. I can't imagine them adding such a thing to Core 100 without first adding them to their American Lit in Core 400.

 

Just my 2 cents.

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