Upcoming 1st grader history help

[lilbean05]

We have spent this past year practicing homeschooling with off and on math, spelling, handwriting, and arts and crafts. But now my daughter is starting first grade this next year and I am really struggling with how to proceed, especially with history/social studies. I have looked into, mostly internet browsing, at TOG and SOW. TOG seems to get quite overwhelming and has a bit of a teacher learning curve to get into a groove. Anyone care to explain the major differences between the two curricula? Also, what about basic social studies? Is that something that should be covered in addition?

 

Thanks for helping out a rookie!

Edited June 10, 2010 by lilbean05

[Chris in VA]

Just my opinion, but you can save TOG for later--start with SOTW and the Activity Guide, and you will have a GREAT plan for history. You can do what is commonly known as social studies by covering the American holidays. SOTW with the Activity Guide (AG) has map work, activities, wonderful lit rec's, comprehension questions, narration helps, coloring pages, games, and coordinates encyclopedia readings for you. You use SOTW as a spine and read wonderful historical fiction and other books that you get at your library--or, you don't--it stands alone if you want. It also comes in a recorded version, so you can plug it in while on a drive or let your kiddos listen to it instead of or along with your reading it aloud.

 

TOG is great for families with older kids whose parents want to stay in the same time period with all their kids. It's rather complicated, imo, but many LOVE it. It requires more planning and lends itself to larger families with kids in different stages. I can't describe it as well as someone who uses it, rather than just looked at it carefully, like me, but I will say I think it's overkill for your situation.

[KrissiK]

SOTW1 is great. I'm using it with my first grade boys this year and it's worked out really well. The stories are very interesting (she always has some little odd tidbit or fact that the kid will be sure to remember in each of the stories) and the AG is great. My kids have a pretty good grasp on the geography of the Mediterranean (sp?) world - can pick out Egypt, the Nile, the Tigris & Euphrates Rivers, Crete, etc. I would recommend it to everyone. We don't always expand with library books, but my one boy got hooked on Egypt, so we did quite a bit of expansion on that, but other things, we just read the stories, color the picture and do the map and move on. Its great that way! As far as "Social Studies" goes... I got hold of some A Beka first grade history books which are very "America" and we'll be reading those through out the summer. They're pretty light, but they cover the basics of what you need to know regarding our American cultural heritage - national symbols, basic freedoms, famous Americans, etc.

[Tracy]

I chose TOG for my 1st grader, largely because I wanted to also educate myself (though I also really like the easy, easy activities). I wanted something that would help me learn at my level while I was teaching her at her level. I am actually using SOTW as a spine so that if a book isn't available from the library, many weeks, I can just pull out SOTW. If you don't have older kids and you don't need the self-education, then I would more strongly consider using just SOTW.

[nitascool]

Can't really comment on TOG but...

 

We are doing SOTW I next year with my 1st grader. I'm looking forward to the third time around.

 

With my oldest I found that there were too many activities and too few book choices (because he's an avid reader). With my second son I found that the coloring was just too much for ds but he loved the activities.

 

SWB gives lots of choices in how to cement the material into your little ones mind... but don't assume that you have to do it all. Start out with what appeals to you and your dd and add more books and activities as the year progresses. Just don't want you to think you have to do it all.

 

best of luck with your choice.

[melissel]

I agree that SOTW is a great choice for that age. I always intended to do the activities, but really, only a few ended up appealing to us, so we read the chapters, do lots of readalouds, watch related United Streaming videos and library DVDs, and do the occasional activity. It's been fun!

[jenL]

We just completed 1st grade, and we thoroughly enjoyed SOTW volume 1 with the AG. There are so many options in the AG for this age, and the extra reading selections were fantastic. I bought the audio version for car rides, and even my 3yo would beg for history. I'm really looking forward to starting Vol. 2 in the fall. I don't think you can go wrong with SOTW for that age.