elinnea Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 I'm hoping that you can help me to decide what to use for my older ds next year. He's 11 and will be in 6th grade. He's advanced in LA and history is his favorite subject. For history we used History Odyssey Ancients 2. Ds really likes HO and would gladly continue with it next year. He likes writing, he likes mapwork, he likes the timeline entries. I like the fact that it is thorough and it looks (from what I can tell online) that the Middle Ages 2 touches on history in Asia and Africa and not just Europe. What doesn't appeal to me about HO is that it seems a bit dry. I will be using Oak Meadow with my 4th grader and now I'm wondering whether I should go with OM for older son too. OM appeals to me because it seems like the writing and projects require more creative thinking whereas the writing in HO is more just straight reporting of facts. However the first semester of OM6 is Ancients which we've already done this year and it doesn't seem quite so in-depth as HO as far as amount of material covered. Ideas? Suggestions? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Why not just stick with History Odyssey (which you say your son likes, and which is a more appropriate level for him than the OM materials), but add additional reading and perhaps change out a few of the writing assignments for something more creative? Here's a link to where I posted ds' schedule from this past year (6th). It includes his reading list (based on HO2MA, Lightning Lit 7, the WTM 6th grade reading list, and a few extras -- mostly historical fiction -- thrown in)... http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1635177#poststop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemykids Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Great schedule and booklist, Abby! Have you thought about using OM 7 along with additions? You could add in various books, do a timeline, etc. I don’t think it would be too hard for your son since he is coming from HO. OM does have fabulous writing assignments and it’s definitely not dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Ds really likes HO and would gladly continue with it next year. What doesn't appeal to me about HO is that it seems a bit dry. Does it matter if you think it's dry if he really enjoys it? I think you should stick with it and if for some reason, something particular in HO doesn't work for your son, ask the board how to modify/replace it. But goodness, if you've found a curriculum that your son likes, why would you want to change it? :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elinnea Posted May 23, 2010 Author Share Posted May 23, 2010 Thanks for the replies so far :001_smile: Does it matter if you think it's dry if he really enjoys it? I think you should stick with it and if for some reason, something particular in HO doesn't work for your son, ask the board how to modify/replace it. But goodness, if you've found a curriculum that your son likes, why would you want to change it? :) Yes, I realize that it sounds silly to change if he likes it, but the thing is he would probably like ANY history curriculum as long as it wasn't truly awful. He has only done HO so he doesn't have any comparison. I don't have a problem with him sticking with HO because he likes it and it works but I guess I was just wondering if he would get more out of OM. The activities and writing assignments seem more creative and I was hoping it would be more challenging/ interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 23, 2010 Share Posted May 23, 2010 Yes, I realize that it sounds silly to change if he likes it, but the thing is he would probably like ANY history curriculum as long as it wasn't truly awful. He has only done HO so he doesn't have any comparison. I don't have a problem with him sticking with HO because he likes it and it works but I guess I was just wondering if he would get more out of OM. The activities and writing assignments seem more creative and I was hoping it would be more challenging/ interesting. Well, I wouldn't call it silly. I haven't found a history program that my 6th grader would do start to finish, let alone want to continue for another level. So I wrote with that perspective in mind. :tongue_smilie: I had her in a social studies course with Keystone Middle School but we only managed to get halfway through. The creative writing assignments were the focus, not the history. I expect those types of assignments from her creative writing course, not her history course. So we're starting a lighter program to add back in appropriate writing. This week we're starting Story of the World book 2. I'm going to pull map work and projects from the Activity Guide. They have history and literature suggestions that will be light reading for her, but I'm also adding in the 6th grade reading list from WTM. We'll be using the WTM writing plan (outlining and narratives) instead of creative writing assignments. I'm not sure if we'll attempt another time line. We didn't have success with History Odyssey. It didn't suit my dd12 at all. She tried HO Ancients level 2 earlier this year and we only lasted about a month. Then we moved into that social studies program and that was a bust. I wish we could find something interesting that she would enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elinnea Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 Here's a link to where I posted ds' schedule from this past year (6th). It includes his reading list (based on HO2MA, Lightning Lit 7, the WTM 6th grade reading list, and a few extras -- mostly historical fiction -- thrown in)... http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1635177#poststop Thanks abbeyej! This looks great, very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisabees Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 I kinda put my own program together this year for my 7th grader. It was our first year hs, so there was a lot of trial and error. The main goal of the year was to get him reading, so I didn't stress - too much - over history and science. In the end, he really enjoyed history and science. And they were subjects he never cared about in ps. So - I originally tried Oak Meadow. Looking back, I should have stuck with this as our spine and not second guessed it. We used 6th grade ancient civilizations and really enjoyed it. There were tons of writing assignments that we skipped, because ds could barely construct a sentence then. Now, I wish I could go back, since his writing and thinking skills are so much stronger. I added outlining from Usborne Encyclopedia of World History, audiobooks, literature and tons of documentaries. We did an artist/composer study on those from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. We went in depth with the scientists of that time. So, really, you can take any program and make it fun and inspirational. When you do, the connections really begin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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