20th Century narrative

[Liza Q]

Although I am worried that what I am looking for does not exist, I want to put this out there!

 

My 4th grader is finishing up Year Three, using SOTW 3, Story of the USA 1&2 workbooks, Guerber's Thirteen Colonies and Great Republic and a reading list. It has been a good year!

 

So now I am planning for next year. I have taught Moderns at around this level only once before and I used Veritas. I don't want to use it again as my son really likes a narrative spine, like SOTW and Guerber, and finds the Veritas approach very disjointed. We used it along with SOTW for Year 2 and it drove him a little crazy. But Guerber's last book finishes with the assassination of McKinley so we'll need something for the rest of American History to use along with SOTW 4.

 

Hakim's History of US would be too challenging for him. I had one of my daughters read them for 7th/8th grade with Biblioplan 3&4 so I am pretty familiar with them. We have the Usborne Twentieth Century book and he finds it very busy and distracting. The Smithsonian Children's Encyclopedia of American History is a bit better - still distracting but he said he would use it - but I can tell that he is not crazy about it.

 

I have looked at All American History and it would be too much to use along with SOTW, even if he could read it independently, which I doubt.

 

I was hopeful about the BJU 5th Grade book (and I may end up making him use it) but he thought that the sample was boring. The Christian Liberty 4th and 5th grade books do not have much for the 20th C. so we would be looking for more.

 

I have though about trying a program like MFW, Sonlight or Winter Promise but it would be too much for both of us! Plus, I think that MFW has too little American History and SL/WP are only American History. I have a balance in mind for World/American and I doubt that any program is going to do it for me. Then I will have spent all that money and still have to be tweaking, tweaking. Not to mention the fact that I have not seen the type of narrative I am looking for in any of their packages!

 

So - any recommendations or ideas??? Christian or secular are both fine. We are Christians but I can tone down most slants (in either direction!) when I need to. Well, except for the Light and the Glory books - I found then too slanted to use - jmo.

[~blessedmom~]

I'm looking for the same thing.....the only help I've found so far is from Ambleside Online Year 5:

 

The Story of the World Volume 4 The Modern Age by Susan Wise Bauer - The historical books that were recommend for Years 1-6 such as An Island Story, A Child's History of the World, Abraham Lincoln's World, The Story of Mankind were carefully selected based on literary quality and availability for those historical periods and we believe that Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World Volume 4 is the best book for the twentieth century that meets that same criteria.

 

I don't have that particular volume yet, but from what I heard it's mostly World History, and I, too, am looking a little more toward American History. ....I guess my search is still on! :D

 

If you find a good one come back and share!!;)

Edited April 8, 2010 by ~blessedmom~

[atozmom]

I will be looking into TruthQuest to use along with SOTW 3 & 4. American History for Young Students III would be the time period you are looking for. In fact, someone on this board has it for sale.

[Liza Q]

bump :)