What is TOG?

[Aubrey]

I know it stands for Tapestry of Grace, & I've read all the threads I can find here, & I've been to the website, but, other than the plan regarding what books to read when...I can't tell *what* it is.

 

Physically speaking, I assume you get a TM. But I"ve heard that TOG is expensive, so...do you get anything else? Or is it just keeping up w/ the books that go w/ it. (Because I bet we've got that covered already, lol.)

 

I'm not thinking about now, but after SOTW, when ds starts the middle cycle in the trivium...well...I guess it's better to think about "What then????" sooner than later, lol.

 

I think I like the looks of TOG, & I know they've got the free 6 or 10 week trial, but I don't want to get too bogged down in trying something right now, if that makes sense. I guess I plan to start 5th g w/ the TOG trial if it's still looking good & then decide. But maybe that's a little late? Hmmm...

[kdeno]

I am sure moms who have used it will chime in with more info but I thought I would answer quickly while I am on here. TOG schedules great books, has awesome teacher's notes and ties in a lot of fun looking projects. There are mapping activities, writing instruction and lapbooks available. Everything is integrated. It is pricey but you can use it each time through the cycle at different levels and you can combine your children. The resale is good too.

I hope you get some helpful answers from the experts. :)

[Aubrey]

I am sure moms who have used it will chime in with more info but I thought I would answer quickly while I am on here. TOG schedules great books, has awesome teacher's notes and ties in a lot of fun looking projects. There are mapping activities, writing instruction and lapbooks available. Everything is integrated. It is pricey but you can use it each time through the cycle at different levels and you can combine your children. The resale is good too.

I hope you get some helpful answers from the experts. :)

 

So are all the activities in the tm, or is that the part that gets pricey?

[bluemongoose]

I am not an expert either as I am just starting out, but maybe I can help some!

 

The part that gets pricey is the books if you cannot find them at the library. Our library has some of them, but not a lot. If you plan ahead you can get many of them at used bookstores, at paperbackswap.com, or at Amazon with their buy 3 books get one free.

 

It is a TM that is stuffed with ideas and info for the teacher. It gives you discussion notes and also background info for the topic you are studying. You can also buy their map-aids which gives you corresponding maps for geography tie in.

 

It covers lit, history, geography, writing, vocab, worldview, art/music history/appreciation, philosophy(rhetoric), government(rhetoric) and bible.

 

And of course it is for K-12! I think that if you have more than one kid...it is worth the cost; both in time and the amount you save buy having it to use for more than one level.

 

Hope that helps!

[Janasjots]

I would agree that the pricey part is the resource books. They TM/year plan is also a hefty chunk of pocket change too. I think one of the greatest advantages with this is that you can give your kids a classical style education while at the same time instilling a biblical worldview. If you've not done the study of Plato or the Greek mythology, you may not have the background to be able to step your kids through this study from a biblical perspective. The TM has step by step questions to ask your older students to lead them in a logical approach to seeing Plato through a godly view. That is well worth the money!

 

This is a more teacher intensive curriculum though. It's not an "open it Monday morning and see what we're going to work on" type deal. The teacher's notes provided fill you in on the basic background of everything your student will be reading about during the week but if you don't read the notes yourself before the school week starts, you'll feel very lost and frustrated. Some prep work is a must here.

 

Also, one thing you should know is that ideally, this is designed so you can sit with your student Monday, look at the books they are to read, help them plot out what they'll read and when, what projects they are going to tackle and when, then set them free for the week. You have another meeting Friday to dialog about their reading and check their assignments.

 

As to the additional extras you can buy, I'd put top priority on the Map Aids cd. The others you can live without but the Map Aids would be a real hassle to do without.

[johnandtinagilbert]

Well, besides the lifesaver to a large family :) TOG is many things.

 

TOG is a multi-aged/level humanites program, from lower grammar all the way through a RICH, super rich, very solid high school design, that includes books from Classical and Charlotte Mason reading lists. The structure of the program follows the Classical Chronological timeline and includes all aspects of the humanities (history, literature, church history geography, hands on activities, and a writing program).

 

In addition to suggested readings, TOG includes Student Assignment pages with follow up assignments to work through for comprehension, as well as introductions to literary analysis in lower grades that gradually increase to in-depth and rigorous literary analysis in high school.

 

Complete geography study, as related to the historical studies per week.

 

Project ideas that incorporate small parts into whole understanding of periods of history, or simply a weekly activity that is related to study.

 

A ROCKIN' teacher's notes section that will fully prepare the teacher for a Socratic discussion in the Logic and Rhetoric stages. The teacher's notes also include complete answer guides to all questions, worksheets, anything the teacher will need to not only grade, lecture, understand, and add to the assignments of her students.

 

It is organized on every level, including a 2-page spread of suggested reading, an overview that includes famous people and vocabulary pertinent to the week of study, as well as, a timeline to tie the Tapestry of History together.

 

Honestly, I have found that TOG took the best of all the available history curricula and put it into a very systematic organization that is easy to use and rich. It is everything I would want to include in our classical/charlotte mason education, only it's all in one place for me. What I used to spend 6-7 hours every Sunday (honestly, no exaggeration) preparing for the next weeks history, TOG has already done for me, so I now spend 2-3 hours per week preparing to teach 3 levels of history (8 kids in our school).

 

It is the Mecca of humanities :) It takes care of everything for me, so I can focus on preparing as a teacher, and spend my time learning, instead of planning.

[Shelly in the Country]

Well, besides the lifesaver to a large family :) TOG is many things.

 

 

:iagree:Yup, what she said.

 

I used to use Sonlight. I wish I had started with TOG from the beginning. I would have saved some money actually. TOG has made it amazingly easy to combine my two oldest kids in history.

[Aubrey]

So...what if you're not so into lapbooking? I realize that's not all there is, & the dc will be considerably older than they were when we started out (ie more independent), but...I wasn't a glue stick kind of girl when *I* was in K, so I don't think it's going to change much, lol.

 

Y'all have really helped me see how to look at the site better, & wow! does the price add up. W/ just the DE (etc! lol), my order total for one yr (playing around, not really ordering) was $300! :blink: W/out ordering books.

 

I'm really glad they have the free sample, though. I think that will be really helpful for deciding later.

 

Thanks for the info!

[johnandtinagilbert]

So...what if you're not so into lapbooking? I realize that's not all there is, & the dc will be considerably older than they were when we started out (ie more independent), but...I wasn't a glue stick kind of girl when *I* was in K, so I don't think it's going to change much, lol.

 

Y'all have really helped me see how to look at the site better, & wow! does the price add up. W/ just the DE (etc! lol), my order total for one yr (playing around, not really ordering) was $300! :blink: W/out ordering books.

 

I'm really glad they have the free sample, though. I think that will be really helpful for deciding later.

 

Thanks for the info!

So don't lapbook. We only lapbook as a review tool and sometimes not at all. If we did it weekly, there would be rebellion for sure...by me and all but 2 of my dc! The lapbooks are one tiny piece of TOG...really, not even included in my description above b/c they matter so little to our family.

 

Keep in mind, the cost is spread out. I bought year 2 a long time ago, and I will have used it for 8 children, more than once..i.e. in lower grammar, upper grammar, dialectic and rhetoric. Only one of my children will only use each grade level once. The youngest in the house will use the same year 4 times b/c we'll complete the cycle. That's just one child. Break it down for my large family and you could say since I used it for 6 dc this year, I'll use your $300 and that means $50 per child for a seriously rich year of history....that's not even valid b/c we'll come back around and 5 of those 6, as well as 2 more children will use the same year plan....when you consider the Big Picture, TOG is dirt cheap.

[proverbs356lady]

I've used TOG on and off over the years. You've already gotten great feedback! I loved using it when I had two students studying the same time period! It allowed them to discuss what they were learning even at different levels. Starting next year I'll only have one child to teach so probably won't use TOG.

 

If you don't mind using the library for books, then it can be very inexpensive. I don't do well getting to the library regularly so I often just bought the books. This can get very expensive very fast. I hope to start selling some of the books soon and recoup some of that money.

 

The other expense would be in the activities. Keep in mind that they are all optional. With TOG you can do as little or as much as you want. I'm sure you've already heard that it's like a smorgesbord. Pick and choose what you want from the many options available.

 

If you have several children that you plan to homeschool for many years, TOG will probably save you money in the long run.

[Tracy]

I would really recommend reading their introductory pamphlet and the 3-weeks of samples, both of which you can download at the web site. It is very long and a bit wordy, but it does a good job of explaining the program. As for the free samples, you don't have to actually teach those weeks to use them for an overview of the program. I took just one week and went to the library to see how many books I could get from ILL. When I got the books, I looked through them, along with the lesson plans to get a feel for what we would be doing. That was really helpful. Then you can download a list of books needed for your children for the year to see how many of those you can get from your library versus how many you would need to purchase or substitute. That will give you an idea of your cost, as well as give you a feel for the program.

 

Tracy

[Quiver0f10]

So...what if you're not so into lapbooking? I realize that's not all there is, & the dc will be considerably older than they were when we started out (ie more independent), but...I wasn't a glue stick kind of girl when *I* was in K, so I don't think it's going to change much, lol.

 

We don't do lap books or many crafts. You can pick and choose what you want to do.

[frankcassiesmom]

I actually don't even know anyone who lapbooks with their TOG. I don't.

[Tracy]

We don't do lap books or many crafts. You can pick and choose what you want to do.

:iagree:

 

I got MapAids only for my LG dd5. She is not into lapbooking, and even if she were, I don't think I could be. We will read the books, do the maps and many of the activities, since she is my only one in school right now.

 

Tracy

[WTMindy]

What I do to save a little money is buy the year plan (which is expensive, but you only have to do it once and then you can use it for the other rotations) before I actually need it. Then I go through all the books and see which ones my library has or which ones I can substitute other books for. Then I make a list of all the books I need and regularly check the TOG forum for people selling their books. I can usually find most of the books for 50-75% of their price new, but I can also turn around and sell them for the same amount when I'm done. The TOG books have great resale value, so even though it costs a lot up front, a lot of that can be recouped when you sell the books.

[HSMom2One]

Yes, TOG is more than just reading lists. It is a classical method of teaching children of multiple age levels (or even to one student) in a unit study format. The "spine" of the curriculum is history that is taught in chronological order and repeated every four years. The recommendation is that you begin TOG when the oldest child is in 5th grade, but many families have worked around that, doing what fits best in each given situation. So the rule is not hard and fast.

 

TOG is not just about history, literature and geography. It is also about worldview, Bible, the arts, composition and writing and philosophy and government. It is a tapestry of subjects that are wonderfully woven together into a rich liberal arts preparatory education.

 

As to costs, I hear a lot about this from others and sadly many people hear that and turn away without really checking it out. Compared to a private school education, TOG is quite reasonable. And when you consider the re-use of the books (especially for large families), the big-picture cost is beyond reasonable. It is, as one poster said, "dirt cheap".

 

What I do to save a little money is buy the year plan (which is expensive, but you only have to do it once and then you can use it for the other rotations) before I actually need it. Then I go through all the books and see which ones my library has or which ones I can substitute other books for. Then I make a list of all the books I need and regularly check the TOG forum for people selling their books. I can usually find most of the books for 50-75% of their price new, but I can also turn around and sell them for the same amount when I'm done. The TOG books have great resale value, so even though it costs a lot up front, a lot of that can be recouped when you sell the books.

 

Mindy has some great suggestions, and here are a few more from me as you consider looking further into TOG.

 

To begin with, I am also a fan of SOTW, and we use it along side TOG. I started my daughter on TOG last fall at the beginning of 5th grade. There are options on what type of TM you would prefer (i.e. digital, hard copy print or both...) We bought a used Redesigned Yr 1 plan, a hard copy version because that is my preference. I want to be able to continue school no matter what -- no matter the weather or even in a crisis, so my hard copy books are always available. I also plan to put these texts away and use the same ones again up ahead when my daughter is in high school. My thought is that technology may advance so much by then that the DE version will be out of date anyway. Hard copies are a good thing in my opinion for both reasons I've listed. By purchasing used I paid almost half for all four units than I would have paid brand new. And I did the same thing just recently by buying a gently used Redesigned Yr 2 hard copy edition. I already have it on the shelf to be used for 6th grade next year.

 

For resource books, we do a couple of things. First, I belong to Bookmooch.com and Paperbackswap.com where I post books that I am willing to give to others in exchange for points that I can spend on books that I want. (All I pay for is postage to mail my books to people that request them. So I post all sorts of hs books that we are done with as well as personal books on both sites.) By doing this, I have already obtained at least 15 resource books for next year's reading assignments! Sometime this summer I will take inventory of what I've accumulated and determine what is needed for the rest of the year. From there I will purchase books from Amazon.com or from local bookstores unit by unit until we have all the resource books that we need for the nine weeks. In other words, I don't pay for the entire year's resource books at one time. I would like to do that, of course, but we don't have the ability to lay down a big chunk of money all at once, so this is my way of breaking it down to reasonable amounts during the school year.

 

Like others have said, some people use their local library for resource books, but it does not work for us because we live in a rural area and the use of our libraries is not free and they most often don't have the books I need anyway. If you live near a good library system, this would be a wonderful way to save money too.

 

This is my way of using an incredible, faith - centered curriculum that is dearly loved and appreciated by my family in a way that is very realistic to our budget. As you can see, I am always looking ahead and obtaining books before we need them. We do plan and budget in for a large curriculum purchase in late summer each year, at which time we buy math, Latin and our other subjects, but this is how I am able to obtain our TOG materials.

 

 

Blessings,

Lucinda

Edited March 27, 2010 by HSMom2One

[plain jane]

One thing I recently learned about TOG after looking into it for a long time is that my understanding of it is (and please, TOG users, correct me if I'm wrong) that it is more of a unit study approach to history vs. a more chronological approach like SOTW tries to be. (ETA: my understanding of this was inaccurate, sorry all) I was not aware of this and it was a bit of a shock to me. I believe another poster (was it Siloam?) stated that she didn't really like that aspect of it but liked the program so much that she worked around that.

 

I just thought I'd mention this as I only came upon the information by accident and it's taken me a while to get accustomed to the idea unit studies vs everything being chronological although it does follow the 4 year cycle..:tongue_smilie: I am a WTM sort of girl and once I decided that's the way I want to follow, it's been difficult at times to change my thinking. :o

 

ETA: It's my understanding that it does follow the 4 year cycle, just in a different way. I've gone searching for the post that led me to think this, but I can't find it. Hmmm. From what I can see now, it's very much like WTM, but set up as a WEEKLY unit study. Sorry... don't mean to lead anybody astray with misinformation!! I wish I could find that original post. Siloam is a wealth of information when it comes to TOG.

Edited March 26, 2010 by plain jane

[Tracy]

One thing I recently learned about TOG after looking into it for a long time is that my understanding of it is (and please, TOG users, correct me if I'm wrong) that it is more of a unit study approach to history vs. a more chronological approach like SOTW tries to be. I was not aware of this and it was a bit of a shock to me. I believe another poster (was it Siloam?) stated that she didn't really like that aspect of it but liked the program so much that she worked around that.

:bigear:

 

Just bought TOG for next year, and I never heard this before. I will be interested to hear the responses on this one.

 

Tracy

[plain jane]

:bigear:

 

Just bought TOG for next year, and I never heard this before. I will be interested to hear the responses on this one.

 

Tracy

 

I may well be completely wrong, and perhaps even confusing it with WP. :blushing: I must have misread Siloam's post in the past. It's set up as WEEKLY unit studies, but done chronologically as WTM is. I can't find the original post/thread that made me think it was all set up like a unit study. At any rate, I was a bit surprised when I read how it was set up, and it was a thread where people were posting that they didn't really like the unit study set-up. I can't find it now.

 

Sorry all, I don't want to give out misinformation. I just wanted to mention this because it wasn't something that I realized about TOG initially. I'd like to hear more too because I'm seriously looking at the program.

Edited March 26, 2010 by plain jane

[Janis in DE]

TOG is chronological. It takes a little leadway in this some weeks. It will sometimes group a topic together. I'm at the end of year 2 and we will spend 3 weeks on the Revolutionary War then move on and maybe pick up on a couple of things that happened at the same time as the War. This is more common with the younger children. The older students usually read about it at the same time so that they can connect the world events at the time of the war. I hope this helps.

 

Janis in DE TOG user for 5 years and counting.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

One thing I recently learned about TOG after looking into it for a long time is that my understanding of it is (and please, TOG users, correct me if I'm wrong) that it is more of a unit study approach to history vs. a more chronological approach like SOTW tries to be. I was not aware of this and it was a bit of a shock to me. I believe another poster (was it Siloam?) stated that she didn't really like that aspect of it but liked the program so much that she worked around that.

 

 

I don't completely agree with this statement. TOG is, IMHO, completely chronological for Rhetoric students. There are times that we study both Europe and America in the same week because important things were happening in both places at the same time. Then, a week may focus exclusively on America, but the European thread will resume the next week BECAUSE the study is chronological.

 

For the lower levels, there may be some weeks that appear as a "unit study" which is out of order, but it makes sense in the big picture. For instance, in Yr1 all levels move through unit 1 exploring Ancient history and early Bible times. In Yr1 unit 2 there are three separate weeks where the Rhetoric students study chronologically what is happening during this time period in China, India, and Ancient America. During these units the Grammar kids may study these cultures in general and the geography of these areas. Some may consider this a "unit study", but, when looking at the year as a whole, they are still travelling chronologically through history. There are also opportunities throughout the curriculum to explore an area of interest if desired. (ie - scientific discoveries happening at that time, or a hands-on project with historical reference, like making candles)

 

In summation, I would say TOG is a chronological study of history with the opportunity to develop "unit studies" if interest and time allows.

 

HTH,

Leanna

[ncmomo3]

TOG is, IMHO, completely chronological for Rhetoric students. There are times that we study both Europe and America in the same week because important things were happening in both places at the same time. Then, a week may focus exclusively on America, but the European thread will resume the next week BECAUSE the study is chronological.

 

HTH,

Leanna

 

:iagree: I've used it for 2 yrs for D and R levels and this is how I see it as well.

[plain jane]

TOG is chronological. It takes a little leadway in this some weeks. It will sometimes group a topic together. I'm at the end of year 2 and we will spend 3 weeks on the Revolutionary War then move on and maybe pick up on a couple of things that happened at the same time as the War. This is more common with the younger children. The older students usually read about it at the same time so that they can connect the world events at the time of the war. I hope this helps.

 

Janis in DE TOG user for 5 years and counting.

 

I don't completely agree with this statement. TOG is, IMHO, completely chronological for Rhetoric students. There are times that we study both Europe and America in the same week because important things were happening in both places at the same time. Then, a week may focus exclusively on America, but the European thread will resume the next week BECAUSE the study is chronological.

 

For the lower levels, there may be some weeks that appear as a "unit study" which is out of order, but it makes sense in the big picture. For instance, in Yr1 all levels move through unit 1 exploring Ancient history and early Bible times. In Yr1 unit 2 there are three separate weeks where the Rhetoric students study chronologically what is happening during this time period in China, India, and Ancient America. During these units the Grammar kids may study these cultures in general and the geography of these areas. Some may consider this a "unit study", but, when looking at the year as a whole, they are still travelling chronologically through history. There are also opportunities throughout the curriculum to explore an area of interest if desired. (ie - scientific discoveries happening at that time, or a hands-on project with historical reference, like making candles)

 

In summation, I would say TOG is a chronological study of history with the opportunity to develop "unit studies" if interest and time allows.

 

HTH,

Leanna

 

:iagree: I've used it for 2 yrs for D and R levels and this is how I see it as well.

 

 

Thanks for clarifying ladies. I wasn't sure if I misunderstood it or not. I guess I did and I'm glad to be learning more. :)

[johnandtinagilbert]

I can see how someone might interpret the lower grammar as a unit study as you may spend 3 weeks on a specific topic, say South America after you've already studied the French Revolution. The things you'll learn about South America were actually happening at the same time as the French Revolution, however for a young child it may get very confusing to study both South American and French Revolutions at the same time. In that regard, yes, they are unit studyish. :)

 

Even so, it is completely chronological and classical in approach, yet combines humanities as a Whole so you have so many resources, from so many topic areas in humanities, that a person could see FIAR or other unity study approaches here too.

 

Honestly, I find the humanities, classical, hands on, unit study description to be the most complete and it's why I love TOG. It's also very, very easy to make it Charlotte Mason if you decided to approach it from a notebook standpoint...something we do for the lower grammar years.

 

TOG is Everything! (laughing at how that could sound so flighty!) Really, though...comprehensive, with the option to be less or more is true.

[Jayne J]

First, thank you Aubrey for asking what I was too chicken to ask. After a long time spent on the TOG site, I still had very little idea what I'd be buying!

 

You all have answered most of my questions. Like Aubrey, I am looking at TOG for our 2nd go-round through history in a few years. I wonder if anyone would be willing to give me an estimate of the numbers of additional books I'd need to buy? Or direct me to the appropriate place on the TOG site, since I can't seem to figure out if they sell or even list the additional books needed.:blushing:

[Tracy]

I wonder if anyone would be willing to give me an estimate of the numbers of additional books I'd need to buy? Or direct me to the appropriate place on the TOG site, since I can't seem to figure out if they sell or even list the additional books needed.:blushing:

 

I think from the home page, you need to click on Store and then Resource List. But I am having trouble getting to it right now. You have to log in, but you can register without buying anything. If you haven't yet made a purchase, it doesn't give you all the details. But it gives you enough to see what you will need. After you make the purchase, it gives you details such as how easily you can substitute alternate titles.

 

I noticed in another thread that people were having trouble getting to the TOG site, so hopefully this will be resolved soon.

 

Tracy

[Janasjots]

One thing you should keep in mind about the free 3 week sample is that it is taken from the "most exciting" sections of the year plan. In year 1, they give you the Egypt mini-unit to sample. It is packed full of projects and resources! PACKED!!! But the rest of the unit and the next unit are not quite so busy until you hit the Greeks. I only mention it because I've heard some people say that it is way to overwhelming and they'd die trying to do it all. In looking at TOG, you have to remember that you don't "do it all." You pick and choose. And you also have to remember that not every week is so full of reading assignments. Just something to bear in mind when you try that sample.