Secular first grade ancient history

[peacefully]

I don't know why this should be such a difficult choice for me, but I'm having a really hard time here. We will be supplementing with many picture books and encyclopedias, but I was hoping to find a narrative history "spine" (I'm not sure that I know what that word means in this context, but I see it here quite a bit). :001_huh:

 

Anyway, I know that I don't want SOTW or CHOW. I'm looking for something secular. I was thinking about the Pearson Core Knowledge books. Is there anything else that I'm overlooking?

[Laura in VA]

I don't know why this should be such a difficult choice for me, but I'm having a really hard time here. We will be supplementing with many picture books and encyclopedias, but I was hoping to find a narrative history "spine" (I'm not sure that I know what that word means in this context, but I see it here quite a bit). :001_huh:

 

Anyway, I know that I don't want SOTW or CHOW. I'm looking for something secular. I was thinking about the Pearson Core Knowledge books. Is there anything else that I'm overlooking?

 

Lots of families use SOTW secularly. Have you had a chance to see the book? I would not classify SOTW as specifically Christian.

[peacefully]

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[Mrs Mungo]

My biggest problem is finding something age-appropriate (which SOTW seems to be) and engaging (and here's where SOTW is not really my cup of tea - sorry). It's also really important to me that religious stories are not presented as history. I intend to cover world religions, of course, but I don't really want to conflate history and religion.

 

If you decide not to do SOTW, don't like how SOTW reads or don't want to do SOTW for some other reason, that's cool with me, I understand. However, I would like to point out that other religions are discussed as well. Yes, it has Abraham talking to God in the form of a burning bush. However, that's a story people need to know from a cultural literacy perspective, just like they need to know about Romulus and Remus or the story of the Minotaur. I think it's easy to portray it as just another story, if that's what you wanted to do.

 

Ds tends to have excellent comprehension for oral narratives. I was considering something like K12's The Human Odyssey as a read-aloud, but then, ds is a sensitive kid. I really don't want to go into too much detail.

 

Is there anything else out there?

 

My eldest dd read the Odyssey when she was 7. But, I would not have used a high school history text with her at that age. I think the problem you are going to run into is the extremely large number of Christian-based/providential history based homeschooling history programs for this age. Pesonally? If I didn't want to do SOTW? I'd either go with an age-appropriate K12 program or use literature selections to teach history. Hopefully, some other people will have ideas too. :)

[peacefully]

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[Mrs Mungo]

Religious studies was one of my favorite classes in college (Prof. Huston Smith at Cal - amazing!). The kiddos will be getting lots of myth and religious stories from a variety of cultures and viewpoints, I can assure you. ;) However, it's my strong personal preference that these stories are not presented alongside... how can I say this?... documented historical events and given the same weight and credence. It doesn't really matter to me whether the perspective is Christian or Jewish or Zoroastrian — I would really prefer that the stories which reflect the beliefs of a society be presented outside the main text which presents the events that happened in that society.

 

I just don't think you can separate the two, entirely, if you're talking about a narrative history. Maybe it's because I majored in Literature and am a *huge* history buff that I see the two as completely intertwined. I think a culture reflects its beliefs and stories and vice-versa. I definitely understand the other side of that coin though, I'm not arguing, just thinking aloud.

[peacefully]

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Edited November 20, 2012 by yllek
typos

[catz]

I just don't think you can separate the two, entirely, if you're talking about a narrative history. Maybe it's because I majored in Literature and am a *huge* history buff that I see the two as completely intertwined. I think a culture reflects its beliefs and stories and vice-versa. I definitely understand the other side of that coin though, I'm not arguing, just thinking aloud.

 

:iagree:

 

But I also know exactly what the OP means too. I'd love something like SOTW, from a more secular perspective. But I do appreciate that many religions are introduced, and not necessarily from a negative perspective. We use SOTW very secularly and regularly pause to discuss the religious text and about different people's beliefs. So I feel at least I use it without presenting religious beliefs as fact. I actually find it quite engaging. My youngest clamors for it and is fascinated with history across many cultures and time periods (from Cleopatra to the Native Americans). We also use lots of live books too, reading about mythology, historical figures, etc to round it out. A person could certain approach history with a good reading list and not have a spine. If I weren't so lazy and still adjusting to HS 2 very different kids, I might actually take that approach!

 

:bigear:

[Matryoshka]

There are soooo many great picture books out for that age! Why not just work up a timeline, use your library card, and read through it that way? If you don't want to read SOTW, you could still use its TOC to work out a rough sequence of events.

 

When my kids were in 1st, we followed our noses with history, but we still managed to cover The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (which led us to do lots on Egypt, Greece, & Rome) and then we somehow found ourselves spending a lot of time in Venice, which led us with Marco Polo down the Silk Road and we ended up in Ancient China. Wasn't particularly chronological, but it would be easy to use many of the same books and put them in a more chronological order. :tongue_smilie:

[Chocolate Lover]

Have you looked at History Odyssey by Pandia Press? It is a little more geography ordered than chronologically ordered, but it might be just what you are looking for.

[Just Robyn]

I just don't think you can separate the two, entirely, if you're talking about a narrative history. Maybe it's because I majored in Literature and am a *huge* history buff that I see the two as completely intertwined. I think a culture reflects its beliefs and stories and vice-versa. I definitely understand the other side of that coin though, I'm not arguing, just thinking aloud.

 

SOTW seems to have no trouble making it clear that myths from other religions are just that, so there should be no problem with the Christian myths either.

 

Why not use the Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History as your spine? Some of the websites it directs you to are great!

 

I have read that one person used a bunch of DK books as their spine.

 

This book seems to have gotten a good review. Maybe you can ask your library to get a copy so you can review it, but have a back up plan in case it isn't what you want.

 

Or go spineless. It seems like that would be okay, especially if you had a timeline that you were following or creating.

[catz]

Why not use the Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History as your spine? Some of the websites it directs you to are great!

 

Great point. We use that book in conjunction w/SOTW, which I failed to mention. My younger likes SOTW format. My older prefers the Usborne book format/internet capabilities. It is a secular source and starts from the beginning of time.

[Aoife]

Have you looked at History Odyssey by Pandia Press? It is a little more geography ordered than chronologically ordered, but it might be just what you are looking for.

 

We are about as secular as they come and we will be using history odyssey alongside SOTW for our grammar age studies.

 

I just don't think you can separate the two, entirely, if you're talking about a narrative history. Maybe it's because I majored in Literature and am a *huge* history buff that I see the two as completely intertwined. I think a culture reflects its beliefs and stories and vice-versa. I definitely understand the other side of that coin though, I'm not arguing, just thinking aloud.

:iagree:

 

I have to agree here too. I was an archeology/history major in college and am quite the history fanatic. Now I would not go using something like CHOW that practically throws the religion in your face. However one cannot tell an accurate portrayal of history without one of the largest driving forces which is religion. I mean how do you explain the crusades without bringing up religion? So many wars and cultures and lands were started or founded because of religion. How do you describe a culture without discussing it's religion? A lot of times the one thing that sets a group of people apart from another group of people is religion. Especially when two groups are living together in the same place at the same time. IMHO it is best to immerse your children in the rich stories of history along with all of their attributes, without cutting any part or parts outs. We plan on studying the different religions of the world separately as well, which will begin to shed light on all of the stories they are learning through history. Grab one of the DK or Usborne books on he subject as they help children to understand in an inviting and easily absorbed ways.

 

Another thing to consider is, in the early grammar years you most likely will be doing the bulk of the reading so if something does bother you at all you can simply reword it or glaze over it. By the time your children reach the next cycle they should be old enough to have been exposed to stories of many different religions to the point that they can then begin to process such accounts in history for themselves. That usually stirs up a lot of thought processes and wonderful conversations that I would not want to mis out on.

 

 

There are so many wonderful lessons and beautiful stories that are found in religion throughout history. For instance one does not need to be a Christian to admire the teachings of Christ. Nor do you need to be a polytheist to to be engaged by all of the beautiful stories of the gods and goddesses. Of course there is darkness surrounding many religions because of the actions that the people themselves took in the name of their religion but that should not be a hidden fact. There are many ways one can introduce and discuss these topics with a child on many different levels.

 

History is a story and it's main driving forces were religion and land so how can one tell a complete history omitting one of the most ingrained aspects?

 

just my 2 cents though :tongue_smilie:

[Aoife]

History odyssey uses the usborne book of world history as it's spine. :)

 

This is the book we use for religion for grammar age http://www.amazon.com/Usborne-Encyclopedia-World-Religions-Internet-Linked/dp/0794510590/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277470711&sr=1-1

[johnandtinagilbert]

The following came from SpyCar. It's secular and leans liberal. Perhaps it will interest you.

 

• Clash of Cultures: Prehistory to 1638, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• The Paradox of Jamestown, 1585 to 1700, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• The French and Indian War, 1660 to 1763, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• The American Revolution, 1763 to 1783, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• Pilgrims and Puritans, 1620 to 1676, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• Creating the Constitution, 1787, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• Building a New Nation, 1789 to 1803, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• Andrew Jackson's America, 1821 to 1850, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• Hispanic America, Texas, and the Mexican War, 1835 to 1850, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• The Jeffersonian Republicans, 1800 to 1820, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• The Civil War, 1860 to 1866, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• Slavery and the Coming of the Civil War, 1831 to 1861, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.
  
• The Rise of Industry: 1860 to 1900, Marshall Cavendish (New York, NY), 1999.
  
• A Century of Immigration: 1820 to 1924, Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark Books (Tarrytown, NY), 1999.
  
• Indians, Cowboys, and Farmers, 1865 to 1910, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2000.
  
• The United States Enters the World Stage: From Alaska through World War I, 1867 to 1919, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2000.
  
• Progressivism, the Great Depression, and the New Deal, 1901 to 1941, Benchmark/Cavendish (Tarrytown, NY), 2000.
  
• The Rise of the Cities, Cavendish/Benchmark (Tarrytown, NY), 2000.
  
• United States in World War II, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2001.
  
• The Changing Face of American Society, 1945 to 2000, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2001.
  
• The United States in the Cold War, Benchmark/Cavendish (Tarrytown, NY), 2002.
  
• The Middle Road: American Politics, 1945 to 2000, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2002.
  

[Truscifi]

The following came from SpyCar. It's secular and leans liberal. Perhaps it will interest you.

 

 

• Clash of Cultures: Prehistory to 1638, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• The Paradox of Jamestown, 1585 to 1700, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• The French and Indian War, 1660 to 1763, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• The American Revolution, 1763 to 1783, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• Pilgrims and Puritans, 1620 to 1676, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• Creating the Constitution, 1787, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• Building a New Nation, 1789 to 1803, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• Andrew Jackson's America, 1821 to 1850, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• Hispanic America, Texas, and the Mexican War, 1835 to 1850, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• The Jeffersonian Republicans, 1800 to 1820, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• The Civil War, 1860 to 1866, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• Slavery and the Coming of the Civil War, 1831 to 1861, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• Reconstruction and the Rise of Jim Crow, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 1998.

• The Rise of Industry: 1860 to 1900, Marshall Cavendish (New York, NY), 1999.

• A Century of Immigration: 1820 to 1924, Marshall Cavendish/Benchmark Books (Tarrytown, NY), 1999.

• Indians, Cowboys, and Farmers, 1865 to 1910, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2000.

• The United States Enters the World Stage: From Alaska through World War I, 1867 to 1919, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2000.

• Progressivism, the Great Depression, and the New Deal, 1901 to 1941, Benchmark/Cavendish (Tarrytown, NY), 2000.

• The Rise of the Cities, Cavendish/Benchmark (Tarrytown, NY), 2000.

• United States in World War II, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2001.

• The Changing Face of American Society, 1945 to 2000, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2001.

• The United States in the Cold War, Benchmark/Cavendish (Tarrytown, NY), 2002.

• The Middle Road: American Politics, 1945 to 2000, Benchmark Books (New York, NY), 2002.

 

 

 

Perhaps Bill will chime in here, but I thought this was more for older kids than grammar age. I also have a sensitive ds, and I am trying to be careful about balancing historical accuracy with TMI.

[Country Mouse]

Perhaps Bill will chime in here, but I thought this was more for older kids than grammar age. I also have a sensitive ds, and I am trying to be careful about balancing historical accuracy with TMI.

 

And I thought OP was looking for Ancient History, not US History?

[Matryoshka]

Perhaps Bill will chime in here, but I thought this was more for older kids than grammar age. I also have a sensitive ds, and I am trying to be careful about balancing historical accuracy with TMI.

 

These are quite definitely for middle school and up, not a first-grader.

 

I'm the one who originally brought these to the attention of the boards, and I never used them because my kids were too young for them when we did US history! If you want a non-fiction series for grammar stage, Cornerstones of Freedom is a much better fit.

 

Besides, I think the OP was looking for Ancient History? :)

[peacefully]

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[lionfamily1999]

I don't know why this should be such a difficult choice for me, but I'm having a really hard time here. We will be supplementing with many picture books and encyclopedias, but I was hoping to find a narrative history "spine" (I'm not sure that I know what that word means in this context, but I see it here quite a bit). :001_huh:

 

Anyway, I know that I don't want SOTW or CHOW. I'm looking for something secular. I was thinking about the Pearson Core Knowledge books. Is there anything else that I'm overlooking?

You might try this for your spine. And here are some picture books you might like :D

 

hth

[peacefully]

Thanks for the link to Ancient Explorations, Julie. I guess I don't use the word "spine" correctly. Isn't AE a history schedule, and Usborne and SOTW are used as the main texts? I'm looking for books other than those to use as main texts (because I am a difficult, difficult woman who just wants what I want - so there!). :D

 

Also, your second link to the picture books isn't working for me. I also love recommendations for more books. Would you mind fixing the link? Pretty please?

[Just Robyn]

I was under the impression that the Pandia Press folks used SOTW as the main text for their history schedule.

.

 

HO allows you to use up to 3 spines: Usborne, SOTW, and CHOW. I use it with Usborne and SOTW, but using just Usborne with your other resources (and/or some of the resources they suggest) would work just as well, maybe better. The more I think about it, I think it would probably work better that way for my kids; I think they would get more out of it. If you don't use HO I would encourage you to take a look at the activity books used in that program because they are excellent. We have had a lot of fun doing crafts and activities from these books.

 

Ancient Egyptians...

Ancient Israelites...

[johnandtinagilbert]

Sorry...too much forum...not enough sleep.

[lionfamily1999]

Thanks for the link to Ancient Explorations, Julie. I guess I don't use the word "spine" correctly. Isn't AE a history schedule, and Usborne and SOTW are used as the main texts? I'm looking for books other than those to use as main texts (because I am a difficult, difficult woman who just wants what I want - so there!). :D

 

Also, your second link to the picture books isn't working for me. I also love recommendations for more books. Would you mind fixing the link? Pretty please?

Hmmmm, the link's working for me, but here it is again :D

 

http://astore.amazon.com/classicexplor-20

 

You can use AE and use an encyclopedia for your spine instead. I used the word spine wrong, not you :p You're right.

[Allearia]

Just to clarify...

 

I was looking for ancient history, not American.

 

We will be covering myths and world religions. Lots. I've just got different sources in mind, so I'd rather not use the history text for that. Culture, religion, and history are, of course, intertwined topics. Each tend to inform the others. I will be taking a "unit" approach to history. We'll read myths, folk tales, religious stories, etc.; we'll listen to music from the period (where I can find that); we'll look at examples of the art; we'll try out some of the foods; we'll make costumes; and we'll study the events in history. I was just hoping that there was an age-appropriate book that would just deal with the history.

 

I'm glad that SOTW is working out for so many. I appreciate the input from everyone who is using it secularly. I was hoping to hear about an alternative to SOTW, but from the responses here, it looks like there aren't many. Bummer.

 

I'll take a closer look at Usborne. I was afraid it might be too choppy to use as a main text, but since I'm getting it anyway, perhaps that's my best option. Or I guess I'll skip the myth/religious stories in SOTW since ds will be getting those from other sources.

 

I was under the impression that the Pandia Press folks used SOTW as the main text for their history schedule.

 

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, everyone. It's been very helpful, and I'll continue to look at Usborne and SOTW more closely. But if anyone wants to chime in with a suggestion for something else, I'm :bigear:.

 

You could use SOTW and skip the religions stories/myths I guess. They are usually separated out. Or you could just use the Usborne book as a spine and fill it out with picture books to get more of a story approach. The problem is, what you want hasn't been written. We are extremely secular and found SOTW great for our purposes. But if you just don't like SOTW at all you will have to piece together your own program. We also tended to read the myths in SOTW but often read other versions or other myths from other sources, especially Egyptian and Greek mythology. I would recommend seeing if you can get SOTW through interlibrary loan and look it over yourself to see if it is so offensive you can't make it work. We tried the Pandia Press History Odyssey approach and I thought it was so much easier to just do SOTW and the Activity Guide.

 

Realize you may also be overthinking this for first grade, just wanted to throw that out there, don't complicate it too much. :) We are very academic and did a lot of history in first grade, but the story approach really worked for us.

[Carol in Cal.]

Just to clarify...

 

I was looking for ancient history, not American.

 

We will be covering myths and world religions. Lots. I've just got different sources in mind, so I'd rather not use the history text for that. :.

 

They are QUITE easy to skip and substitute, both because they are few and because they are so self-contained. I did the 'skip and sub' thing with all of them, I believe, except maybe the Cretan minotaur story. If you already have other resources in mind for those stories, you are that much farther ahead than I was.

 

SOTW is better written than any other age-appropriate Ancients spine that I know of. It made my DD want to be an archeologist when she grows up, and also made history into her favorite subject. I think that the engaging writing and thorough yet age-appropriate content are what is making so many here try to steer you back toward at least considering SOTW. The lack of an obvious alternative for that age is also a factor.

 

However, if you don't want to use it, maybe you would be happier without a spine. At the first grade level, literature-based history works pretty well. You could take all those other resources and read them, doing mapwork and maybe some craft projects along the way. The "Ancient whatever culture and Their Neighbors" books are pretty good for this. Your child might not get all the material presented chronologically that way, but you can relate your cultural studies verbally--"Meanwhile, back in Mesopotamia..." If you want to revert to pre-SOTW days, you could use the older, easier Usborne World History text as a spine and fill the story-line end of things with those Ancient's, Classical Kids, and biographies and historical fiction that you already may have in mind. Great books of myths would flesh that out nicely.

 

Still, I have to say, I do really think that you should have an actual look at SOTW. It would be extremely easy to use as you want to, and in all other respects I think that it serves your goals perfectly.

[Aoife]

if you go over to pandia press you can do the try before you buy option which has lessons you can begin with. Usborne is listed as the spine SOTW is listed in "other resources". IMHO it is a fantastic program and is mentioned in many secular homeschooling websites.

[Punchie]

What about 1st Step Starter History? I'm considering using this w/ODD when she's a bit older.

http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=32457&it=1

[EKS]

I insist on using exclusively secular materials (excluding Hebrew) and SOTW has worked well for us. Just keep in mind that any history is going to discuss religion, as religion is a huge part of history.

[Snowfall]

I'm looking for books other than those to use as main texts (because I am a difficult, difficult woman who just wants what I want - so there!). :D

 

Count me in as difficult, too. :001_smile: I ended up buying SOTW because I couldn't find anything else that had it all laid out, and I also was under the impression that HO used SOTW as its spine. Had I realized it was just an alternative resource, I would've gone with HO. I don't want to have to leave parts out and reword things just to make it clear that we've hit a little patch of myth in our facts. It's a matter of principle that I'd prefer not to spend money on something I know I will have to do that with. However...there aren't many alternatives. So anyway, I agree with you and I understand what you're after. I'd have gone with HO had I known SOTW wasn't its spine.

[sagira]

Gombrich Little History of the World perhaps? This one is used in the free, secular program Mosaic by Bringing Up Learners.

[peacefully]

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[Momling]

I have been in the same boat and went with Galore Park Jr. history which I mostly like. However, my third grade daughter loves Greece and Rome so much and wants another year, so I figured now might be a good time to combine with my rising first grader and have another trip through the ancients. This time we will be using SOTW. I'm curious how that is going to work for us. The only other suggestion I have is the OUP World in Ancient Times series, which is probably going to be better for an older child (certainly my first grader is not up for it...).

[peacefully]

Yup. The World in Ancient Times is in my Amazon cart, and ds will probably enjoy flipping through all the books. But I'm getting those mostly to have as a reference set (for me as I don't remember much history - ahem). I think I've made my peace with SOTW for this go around. Dh will be so pleased, because if you think I've bugged you guys enough about this, you should see the pained expression he has when I say, "So what do you think about using this for history next year?"

[easygoer]

Gombrich Little History of the World perhaps? This one is used in the free, secular program Mosaic by Bringing Up Learners.

 

:iagree:

 

I think the Mosaic program is worth a look.

 

http://bringinguplearners.com/myths-maps-and-marvels-download-lhotw-version-selection-page-2/

[Geek]

Whatever you use for books, you'll likely want a timeline. Since every commercially available timeline out there starts at 5000 BC, I made my own. Here's mine: it starts with the Precambrian and goes to the present and then some.

 

Directions for printing it out and getting it bound inexpensively are included in this .pdf file.

 

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/1330617/geek-s-old-earth-history-timeline-adobe-acroba?tr=77

[peacefully]

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[nmoira]

 

Gombrich Little History of the World perhaps?

I find this to be less secular than SOTW.

[Farrar]

I found both Gombrich's Little History and SOTW easily made secular. They have very different styles. A Little History of the World is not, however, very multicultural. I don't know if I'd say SOTW has completely succeeded in covering the world equally, but the effort was there and you can supplement. A Little History of the World doesn't even try. However, the OP might want to look at it. It's sold in most Barnes and Nobles and Borders, if you're near one.

 

A couple of the PP's said they thought you could use SOTW with taking out the myths. I actually *completely* disagree. My biggest complaint about SOTW is how quickly it changes between straight history, imagined examples (like the story of the gladiator, which is essentially historical fiction) and myths. I think all of these have value, but I found it to be hard to clarify for my kids which was which in the text.

[stripe]

If you don't mind something old, the Giant Golden book called the Golden History of the World (by Jane Werner) isn't bad either. I found it thanks to Poke Salad Annie. It has a bit about other cultures, not completely western.

 

I haven't seem SOTW, but Gombrich's Little History is, in my opinion, a bit odd in its religious approach -- it makes some assumptions about the reader.

[peacefully]

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[peacefully]

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[Alessandra]

I am answering one of my own questions and adding it here in case this information may help someone else.

 

On a yahoo group to which I belong, several people mentioned that the Pearson Core Knowledge Learning History and Geography texts are not at all good until grade 3, at which point they are apparently quite engaging.

 

We use Core knowledge -- the teacher handbook is marvelous, but expensive. However, investing in the CK Books to Build On (about $10) will giet you a wonderful, annotated book list, and there seems to have been an effort to put on it widely distributed books that are likely to be found in libraries. The CK web site has useful lessons plans -- you just have to edit to make them hs friendly. CK is completely secular and also multi-cultural.

[peacefully]

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[JennyD]

I have nothing useful to add, but I wanted to say that this has been an incredibly helpful thread for me, too. Thanks for starting it!

[Alessandra]

From what I gather of the Pearson CK LHG for first grade, the text is actually a series of readers, not particularly interesting and rather expensive for what you get. The third grade textbook has received some good reviews.

 

 

I got one set of CK Pearson history readers for Grade 1 and was very disappointed. By one set I mean a teacher book and a student reader for one topic only. They just weren't worth the money. And they were bland.

 

Personally, one reason I like CK is so that we can choose books/materials that work for our family. So having a homogenized feeling textbook sort of defeats that purpose, IMO.

 

The Teacher Handbook is wonderful -- if you search on this forum, you can find some more detailed comments, if you need them.

[funschooler5]

Whatever you use for books, you'll likely want a timeline. Since every commercially available timeline out there starts at 5000 BC, I made my own. Here's mine: it starts with the Precambrian and goes to the present and then some.

 

Directions for printing it out and getting it bound inexpensively are included in this .pdf file.

 

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/1330617/geek-s-old-earth-history-timeline-adobe-acroba?tr=77

 

 

Oh wow, thanks for this!! I've been looking all over for a timeline like this and I couldn't find one. I ended up getting one that starts out at 5000 BC.

 

This is perfect, just what we need! :hurray:

[funschooler5]

Not to be repetitive, but here's another vote for SOTW. I searched all over for secular history when my oldest was in first grade, but I found that at that age, the story format worked best. The few religious stories in SOTW were easy for me to lump in with other myths and legends. When my daughter was in fourth grade we tried History Odyssey--she absolutely hated it. Way to much writing for both of our tastes...it really took the fun out of history for us. I ended up doing SOTW over again (her younger brother was doing it) and supplementing with Kingfisher, Usborne Internet-Linked History Encyclopedia, other supplemental reading, and a few history projects (not too many...I'm not very project-oriented). That worked really well for us; we're just finishing up SOTW 2, and moving on to SOTW 3 in August.

 

Compared to what else is out there, I find SOTW to be the most interesting to read aloud. We've tried Hillyer, VanLoon, and Gombrich...I just can't get into the style of the writing with any of these. There's too much: "And then, dear children, let's fly through the sky to the wonderful world of the Aztecs, and as I said before, but it bears repeating even though I need not remind you...." AAHHHH! Get to the point already! I want a brief overview of a time in history, written clearly, and I will get the extra stuff from outside reading. Just get us curious about the events, and we'll take it from there. :tongue_smilie:

[Laura Corin]

It might work for you - the first book is ancient history. If it's like other GP products, religions will be mentioned but not preached. I haven't used it though - I'm another happy secular user of SOTW.

 

Laura

[peacefully]

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