SOTW4 or HO with 4th - Who has done this and how? Experience?

[ChrissySC]

What were your experiences, tips, extra activities, ect. ? We will be doing Modern studies. I would like to know what you did or what you thought. Please let me know what you found of special like or interest with your dc. Did you supplement or find a supplement you loved? Anything you hated?

 

TIA

[Chez J]

Well, HO uses SOTW as a text, which is what I did.

 

After reading through SOTW, I felt that it was too disjointed. HO seems to pull different regions of the world together at one time. For us, it worked well. I have a gifted learner and felt it was too easy. But, I just had her write some papers and read more books. We also took the ease of history to allow us more time to focus on science this year.

 

YMMV.

 

Lesley

[ChrissySC]

Did you look at another program? Have you been? Do you think moving up one level would be more challenging? I cringe at easy. :)

[patchfire]

We heavily supplemented SOTW 4 with biographies and other non-fiction. I'd be happy to send you a copy of my file w/ a page for each week of the year, if you can wait a few days until I have access to it (it's on a different hard drive). In addition to the weekly supplements, we used several books as supplemental spines: young reader's version of Zinn's People's History of the United States (YMMV!), The American Story, UBWH, Usborne The Twentieth Century, The Century for Young People, and Our Century in Pictures for Young People. You also can't go wrong with Russell Freedman's books - photobiographies of Lincoln & FDR, a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Children of the Great Depression.. I think that's all we used. :)

[raganfamily]

I would be interested in your supplement list that you used for STOW 4.

 

:D

[RhondaJK]

Me too!!:) This is our first year and I've ordered all of the books on the list, it doesn't seem like very many.

[mcconnellboys]

I used SOTW IV, along with loads of living books. I'm happy to provide my list if you are interested (but it's too large to post here or to pm to you, so just email me).

[ChrissySC]

I emailed you mcconnellboys!

 

Yes any list is appreciated. I would love to see them, especially from those whose dc are history lovers. I have an aspiring archeaologist in the family.

 

History must be challenging and real. She truly has a hard time with 39 Clues. The entire series sits atop of real history, but with some creative flare. How many times must she point this out to me? LOL

 

Thank you patchfire for the awesome list.

[Chez J]

HO has a list of recommended reading for each lesson or section. I pulled reading from that.

 

As for writing assignments, I picked topics that I wanted to encourge in-depth study and assigned those. I had her compare communism, socialism, fascism and capitalism. I had her compare totalitarianism, democracy and constitutional republics. I had her write about peaceful activists and how they accomplished their goals through peaceful protest. I had her write a biography of one famous female, with a choice of Lizzy Stanton, Clara Barton, or someone else (can't remember the other). I had her compare the leadership styles of the two Civil War generals.

 

Some of these assignments were stretched over many weeks of lessons. We'd tackle one part as we encountered it. And, "I" spent much time consolidating her reading materials into a one page "synopsis" from which she would outline and make her paper. I did not make her use an entire book or chapter. ;) I used a sort of knock-off style from IEW.

 

 

HTH,

 

Lesley

[crimsonkelley]

What is HO?????

 

We used SOTW #4 in 4th grade. However, I didn't have much enthusiasm in reading it as I had with 1-3. I had a 1st grader who was also listening, and it wasn't my favorite history text. My daughter ended up taking the book and reading it all herself.

 

I would love to know if there is another resource out there. Thanks!