If you are doing a GB study, what spine are you using for US History?

[Quiver0f10]

I have the new WTM but I don't think I want to use the US History recommendation. What are you or have you used? I have both Spielvogel's HO and WC for world.

 

Thanks!

[Lori D.]

Doing Great Books here for lit., and for history we've used:

 

8th/9th gr. DSs = ancients world history spine = Spielvogel's Human Odyssey (first 200 pages)

9th/10th gr. DSs = 20th century world spine = Spielvogel's Human Odyssey (last 400 to 450 pages)

10th/11th gr. DSs = U.S. History spine = Notgrass American History

 

Both have worked great for us. We used parts of a number of other books and resources along with the Spielvogel. BJUP has history textbooks, too, if you prefer a Christian perspective to Spielvogel's secular viewpoint. I have to say, after 2 years of secular Spielvogel, it has been delightful reading the Christian perspective of Notgrass; also Notgrass is written in a more of an informal, slightly "story-like" style, which is also a refreshing break from the very textbook-like style of Spielvogel. We're also really enjoying Notgrass' volume of source documents; we've skipped some, but have probably read about 75%, and so have not really used much else in the way of supplemental resources. (We made our own American Lit course, rather than use the list from Notgrass, although several books on the Notgrass list made it into our Amer. Lit. course.)

 

The plan for next year (11th/12th gr. DSs) is medieval history, using SWB's high school medieval history book, and the Teaching Company Western Civ. series, so DSs start practicing notetaking during lectures, and learning how to read/review/notetake from a textbook for a test.

 

BEST of luck in finding what works best for your family! And enjoy your history AND Great Books journey together! We have LOVED all the Great Books we have cover so far! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited March 11, 2010 by Lori D.
added info

[Quiver0f10]

Thank you! I do like the Notgrass Materials so that's a defnitely possibility.

[kate in seattle]

 

The plan for next year (11th/12th gr. DSs) is medieval history, using SWB's high school medieval history book, and the Teaching Company Western Civ. series, so DSs start practicing notetaking during lectures, and learning how to read/review/notetake from a textbook for a test.

 

.

 

I understand her Medieval book only goes to about 1100 - will you cover the rest of the medieval time frame with something else?

[Nan in Mass]

I picked A People's History of the United States to represent a more scholarly version of things he had heard firsthand. If you remember, he is the one who peacewalks. Among other things, he visited Hiroshima and heard survivors speak), visited the Chavez Center, and did a Native American sacred run. Zinn's book suited him better than a more standard US history text. He also read the cartoon guide. That was a fast read with a more standard outlook (but still well within his tolerance) and that he would remember it better with multiple run-throughs. I suspect you are also trying to pick something that fits your child, though, and probably need something different than these two. : )

-Nan

[Lori D.]

I understand her Medieval book only goes to about 1100 - will you cover the rest of the medieval time frame with something else?

 

 

 

Well, drat! You're right! I just looked it up on Amazon and it covers approx. 500AD to 1100AD -- AND at 750 pages! Too many pages covering too short of a time frame to be a fit for us. :(

 

Guess it's back to the Spielvogel Human Odyssey that's still on the shelf, unless I can come up with something better... Not that HO isn't fine; just would have liked to try SWB's book. Sigh...

[Quiver0f10]

Doing Great Books here for lit., and for history we've used:

 

8th/9th gr. DSs = ancients world history spine = Spielvogel's Human Odyssey (first 200 pages)

9th/10th gr. DSs = 20th century world spine = Spielvogel's Human Odyssey (last 400 to 450 pages)

10th/11th gr. DSs = U.S. History spine = Notgrass American History

 

Both have worked great for us. We used parts of a number of other books and resources along with the Spielvogel. BJUP has history textbooks, too, if you prefer a Christian perspective to Spielvogel's secular viewpoint. I have to say, after 2 years of secular Spielvogel, it has been delightful reading the Christian perspective of Notgrass; also Notgrass is written in a more of an informal, slightly "story-like" style, which is also a refreshing break from the very textbook-like style of Spielvogel. We're also really enjoying Notgrass' volume of source documents; we've skipped some, but have probably read about 75%, and so have not really used much else in the way of supplemental resources. (We made our own American Lit course, rather than use the list from Notgrass, although several books on the Notgrass list made it into our Amer. Lit. course.)

 

The plan for next year (11th/12th gr. DSs) is medieval history, using SWB's high school medieval history book, and the Teaching Company Western Civ. series, so DSs start practicing notetaking during lectures, and learning how to read/review/notetake from a textbook for a test.

 

BEST of luck in finding what works best for your family! And enjoy your history AND Great Books journey together! We have LOVED all the Great Books we have cover so far! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

Lori,

 

Do you think there would be enough info in the Notgrass World History and US History to use them as spines for just the time period of year 3? I think it looks like there would be about 4 or 5 units in the World History and 4 or 5 in the American.

 

We would use other books to flesh out more info as needed, but I think I;d like a christian book as our spine.

[Lori D.]

Lori,

 

Do you think there would be enough info in the Notgrass World History and US History to use them as spines for just the time period of year 3? I think it looks like there would be about 4 or 5 units in the World History and 4 or 5 in the American.

 

We would use other books to flesh out more info as needed, but I think I;d like a christian book as our spine.

 

 

Each of the Notgrass American and the World History have 30 units, which, when you add in the readings from the source document volume, using a few supplemental books, and time for writing some history papers, definitely equals one year/1.0 credit. So my opinion is that if you use enough units out of each to equal about 30 units you'd equal 1.0 credit. If you use 5 units out of each program, that would be 10 units, which would roughly equal 0.33 credit. Just my opinion, but that's a pretty expensive third of a credit... and you'd still have to use something -- perhaps one of your Spielvogels?? -- for 0.66 of your year.

 

Also just my opinion, but the Notgrass American History has been so enjoyable, I don't think I would want to break it up for a few units one year, and then other parts another year -- it flows together from unit to unit better than textbooks which you can pick up and put down at the end of chapters without loss of continuity.

 

Just a thought: Could you consider reordering your history, and make one year a world history emphasis, from medieval to modern and use units 12 through 30 of the Notgrass World History (just shy of 0.66 credit), and in a different year focus on American History and use all of that Notgrass program, and just reorder your readings and supplements to fit??

 

BEST of luck as you plot your history course! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited March 12, 2010 by Lori D.
clarification

[Quiver0f10]

Each of the Notgrass American and the World History have 30 units, which, when you add in the readings from the source document volume, using a few supplemental books, and time for writing some history papers, definitely equals one year/1.0 credit. So my opinion is that if you use enough units out of each to equal about 30 units you'd equal 1.0 credit. If you use 5 units out of each program, that would be 10 units, which would roughly equal 0.33 credit. Just my opinion, but that's a pretty expensive third of a credit... and you'd still have to use something -- perhaps one of your Spielvogels?? -- for 0.66 of your year.

 

Also just my opinion, but the Notgrass American History has been so enjoyable, I don't think I would want to break it up for a few units one year, and then other parts another year -- it flows together from unit to unit better than textbooks which you can pick up and put down at the end of chapters without loss of continuity.

 

Just a thought: Could you consider reordering your history, and make one year a world history emphasis, from medieval to modern and use units 12 through 30 of the Notgrass World History (just shy of 0.66 credit), and in a different year focus on American History and use all of that Notgrass program, and just reorder your readings and supplements to fit??

 

BEST of luck as you plot your history course! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

I could possibly do that. I need to think on it. Thank you for your help!