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Between SOTW and "Susan Bauer for Adults"?

Charles Wallace
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Charles Wallace

Charles Wallace

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Any suggestions on a good, solid, basically secular history text focusing on the middle ages (European emphasis) for someone who's too old for SOTW and too young for the adult Bauer history series??

 

Workbooks or support materials that came with it would be helpful -- I'm trying to find something like that, but I'm coming up dry, especially since I'd prefer a secular focus.

 

Ideas?

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elizabeth

elizabeth

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http://www.bookfinder.com/dir/i/Ancient_History-From_the_First_Civilizations_to_the_Renaissance/0195221486/ Excellent and affordable considering how many time periods are covered. I hunted down book by book the Illustrated History of the World by JMRoberts also. link here to one volume http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9780195215212-4 truly amazing quality and the paper is heavy and smooth. History book porn if that is possible.

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Kareni

Kareni

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... the Illustrated History of the World by JMRoberts.

 

History book porn if that is possible.

 

Thanks for the chuckle!

 

My daughter also used several volumes of this in about eighth and ninth grade. It worked well though my recollection is that it wasn't the most entertaining reading that she did that year.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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Rebecca VA

Rebecca VA

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K12's middle school history courses are really good. There are three of them: Ancients through Middle Ages (7th grade), Renaissance through 1914 (8th grade), and 1914 through present (9th grade).

 

The accompanying textbooks were written by K12 authors, and they're very, very good. There is a workbook for each course with thoughtfully written questions and exercises, including many essay questions. There are computer activities and assessments. My history-hating 7th grader is enjoying the Renaissance-1914 course and learning a great deal.

 

The K12 courses are 25% off this month; however, if you don't want to get the full course, you can purchase the textbooks from used booksellers.

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Michelle in GA

Michelle in GA

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http://www.bookfinder.com/dir/i/Ancient_History-From_the_First_Civilizations_to_the_Renaissance/0195221486/ Excellent and affordable considering how many time periods are covered. I hunted down book by book the Illustrated History of the World by JMRoberts also. link here to one volume http://www.powells.com/biblio/2-9780195215212-4 truly amazing quality and the paper is heavy and smooth. History book porn if that is possible.

 

Elizabeth:

 

I searched for the Illustrated History of the World. Is this the 11-volume set?

 

Thanks!

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Michelle in GA

Michelle in GA

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Posted
K12's middle school history courses are really good. There are three of them: Ancients through Middle Ages (7th grade), Renaissance through 1914 (8th grade), and 1914 through present (9th grade).

 

The accompanying textbooks were written by K12 authors, and they're very, very good. There is a workbook for each course with thoughtfully written questions and exercises, including many essay questions. There are computer activities and assessments. My history-hating 7th grader is enjoying the Renaissance-1914 course and learning a great deal.

 

The K12 courses are 25% off this month; however, if you don't want to get the full course, you can purchase the textbooks from used booksellers.

 

Rebecca VA:

Do you know a good place to buy these K12 books?

 

Thanks!

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EKS

EKS

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The K12 courses are 25% off this month; however, if you don't want to get the full course, you can purchase the textbooks from used booksellers.

 

You can also get them directly from K12 without enrolling in the course.

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vmsurbat

vmsurbat

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Take a sneak peek at H. Marshall's The Story of Europe at http://www.yesterdaysclassics.com. I thought it looked excellent as a "tween" book--covers the Middle Ages but with an emphasis on effects...

 

Here's the website blurb:

 

The Story of Europe

by H. E. Marshall

Presents the broader movements of European history, emphasizing the main factors which have gone into the formation and development of the various European states from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Reformation. The history of England is included only when that country plays a prominent part in the politics of Europe. A full treatment of the period immediately following the fall of the Roman Empire is given, since that period provides the necessary key to future developments. For smoother reading, dates are relegated to the margin for the most part. Maps, timelines, and genealogy charts of the various royal houses of Europe contribute to making this book an excellent resource for the study of the Middle Ages in Europe. Ages 14-18

336 pages

 

HTH,

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Capt_Uhura

Capt_Uhura

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Eliana - I'm afraid you have the WTM Curriculum board to blame for the current prices of K12 Human odyssey. We had many threads running about it in 1 week and the books were all bought and sold in a single day. The ones that are left are in the $50-65 range. FOr vol1 the retail price from K12 is $65+$5 shipping. VOls 2 and 3 are $75+$5 shipping each. After having a seller cancel b/c she sold the book twice mistakingly, and then having another never shipped w/ no communication from the seller (Half.com did give me a refund) I finally just bought them from K12.

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Charles Wallace

Charles Wallace

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I've used different resources with different children, so far.

 

My eldest used Spielvogel's Human Odyssey (a high school level text).

 

dd#2 used K12's series - heavily supplemented with primary source readings, popular history titles, biographies, and, from the Enlightenment on, with literature from the period.

 

ds#1 has been using living books - and a much more self-directed approach than either of his sisters - with a range of texts as reference materials. (He started out w/ the K12 books, but wasn't satisfied.)

 

dd#3 is tentatively planning to use the K12 series with the OUP texts as a supplement.

 

The first two volumes of the K12 texts can usually be found on Amazon marketplace for a very reasonable price (I got ours for under $10 each including shipping), but the 3rd volume is (or at least was) harder to find. The American history text which just recently came out is, so far, impossible to find used even at unreasonable prices.

 

Ah, I see I was wrong about the current proces - I hope this isn't a long-term trend.

 

On Amazon:

 

volume one (ISBN: 1931728534)

volume two (ISBN: 1931728569)

volume three (ISBN: 1601530188)

 

You can buy directly from K12 for $75 each, as I recall (the only K12 product that can be bought from them w/out signing up for the accompanying course).

 

 

I was initially disappointed by these - they lacked the complexity of the Spielvogel I'd used with dd#1, and they felt very incomplete. But they worked so wonderfully as spines; they inspired dd#2 to do research, to read Montesquieu and Voltaire and primary source accounts of various explorations, and she was reading, thinking, talking, arguing passionately, and writing with enthusiasm... I've been a convert every since! For the right students these are ideal middle school level spines.

 

The support is purchasing the K12 course, or, I suppose, the workbooks from someone.

 

Aha! This explains it. Can someone link me to a place where you can actually see/read a K12 history textbook?? Does such a thing exist?

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Capt_Uhura

Capt_Uhura

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There is a K12 Human oDyssey thread at the curriculum forum right now. In there, I linked to an older thread where someone typed up some text from it to show how a concept is developed. I'm still searching for another thread where someone scanned in two pages. Those pages convinced me to buy it.

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unsinkable

unsinkable

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Posted (edited)
There is a K12 Human oDyssey thread at the curriculum forum right now. In there, I linked to an older thread where someone typed up some text from it to show how a concept is developed. I'm still searching for another thread where someone scanned in two pages. Those pages convinced me to buy it.

 

I snapped some pics.

 

Are you thinking of this thread?

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158963

Edited by unsinkable
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SS in MD

SS in MD

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Rebecca,

I went to the K12 website b/c I'm interested in the 8th grade history (World hist B), but didn't see the 25% off discount. Can you tell me where I can find this so I can see what the "total" cost will be paying privately (looks like there is a monthly online fee..)

 

Thanks!

Sangita

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Rebecca VA

Rebecca VA

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Oh, Sangrita, I'm so sorry, but I spoke too hastily and without carefully reading the e-mail about the sale. It's only for current K12 users.

 

I looked on the K12 website, and the cost seems to be $238.00 if you pay in advance (that's 10% off the month-to-month price). They charge (gulp) $99 for the textbook. You can probably find the text somewhere else for a cheaper price.

 

Sorry again to get your hopes up! K12 often has sales that apply to everyone, so if you get on their e-mail list you can find out about those when they come out.

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Rebecca VA

Rebecca VA

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You could press "Contact Us" and then press "E-Mail Support." There are several options; probably your best one would be "I am interested in homeschooling with K12."

 

Alternatively, you could press "Request a Catalog." You have to fill out some information, including your address, phone number, etc. Doing that will get you on their e-mail list *and* get you a catalog.

 

K12 Customer Service is convoluted and frustrating; it's the worst part of this otherwise wonderful curriculum. I have quit K12 several times over the years because of my hatred of dealing with them. (They try to be nice, but their whole system is complicated.) However, it's possible that using their new direct purchase option will make it easier.

 

Oh! I just saw where you are going to a convention! YES -- ask for a discount and see what they can do for you. I don't know how much you might get off, but it's worth a try.

Edited by Rebecca VA
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SS in MD

SS in MD

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Rebecca,

I decided to call customer support.... I asked about the 25% discount. We used K12 years ago. (6 yrs ago!).. then stopped b/c we didn't have DSL and cost. Anyway, we were still in their database. So, the guy was able to give me the cost of History B (price is 25% off, 1 yr pre-paid) - $212 (includes teacher & student materials) (I already own human odyssey bk) or $178.50 (minus t & S materials). Do you think the teacher & Stud.materials are worth the extra $30?

 

I also asked about their 8th grade art program (my girls love the K12 art...) He said he would send me an email cost for that... Have your kids taken the 8th grade art?

 

Then I inquired about the 9th grade history (like you wrote earlier it uses Vol 3 Human Odyssey and if dd likes this year, I wanted info on it... The guy on the phone said, since it is a high school course I HAVE to get teacher support!!! He said it was something like $400/semester! I asked him again, he was very sure... so I don't know if we could take the 9th grade course. (Dd will be in 7th next year - we used Human Odyssey vol 1 this year with TOG), so K12 8th grade History is what she would use next even though she's in 7th) So, do you know if it's true that for HS you have to use their "academy" and teacher support? You can't do independent??

 

Another thing he said was if we finish before 12 months we can sign up for another class... what extra costs are there for this? Just the cost of the materials?

 

Yes, we live outside of Frederick, and the MACHE fair is the one I was talking about.. The K12 guy said I have till the end of the month and I got his direct number... it took him a while to get me the info, but he seemed knowledgable... Thanks for offering to show me the materials. I think I'm OK since we used it years ago.

 

Take care,

Sangita

dd(14),dd(12),dd(10),dd(6)

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Rebecca VA

Rebecca VA

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Yes, absolutely, the student worktext contains the daily assignments. You'll want the teacher worktext so that you can grade the assignments easily.

 

We are signed up for History B Art. It looks really good, and I would love to be using it, but we never have time to get to it.

 

Wow, I didn't realize you couldn't do the high school courses independently. I was hoping to use 20th century history next year. We still can -- I have the textbook -- but I guess we won't be able to get the worktext, etc.

 

Hope things work out well for you.

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Capt_Uhura

Capt_Uhura

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Unsinkable - YES! that's the thread I was searching for! I'll post a link to it at the curriculum forum.

 

The $99 is for the K12 HO textbook PLUS the teacher's manual and student books. You can buy just the K12 HO text for $65 for vol1. and $75 for volumes 2 and 3. I bought the teacher's manual and student manuals for very cheap at Amazon marketplace.

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SS in MD

SS in MD

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Posted

Capt Uhura,

I were you able to find teacher and student manuals to go with K12 Human Odyssey Volume 3? I called K12 earlier and they said 9th grade uses Vol 3 bk and you have to have teacher support with that (thru' their international academy) so it's very costly. I don't know why homeschoolers can't purchase indepently (like for K-8)... anyway, sorry to ramble. But, just wondering if you found materials for Vol 3...

Thanks!!

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