What do you do when you just hate all history curriculums?

[Cheri Warren]

I simply cannot find one we like. We have tried Abeka, hated it, Sonlight...not thrilled by the lack of lit analysis and it's basically a reading schedule, Beautiful Feet? Is it "thorough" enough?

Bob Jones...looks too boring, Notgrass? eh!

 

What history have you used and actually like?

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

My favorite for High School is TRISMS. It's research based and unlike anything I've ever seen before. We've completed year 1 of 4 and so far are LOVING it!

[Cheri Warren]

never heard of that one, i'll start researching!

[Cheri Warren]

Well I am not understanding Trisms at all!

Looks like WAY too much work to me! No samples online? :confused:

[jewellsmommy]

I simply cannot find one we like. We have tried Abeka, hated it, Sonlight...not thrilled by the lack of lit analysis and it's basically a reading schedule, Beautiful Feet? Is it "thorough" enough?

Bob Jones...looks too boring, Notgrass? eh!

 

What history have you used and actually like?

 

I switched from SL to Tapestry of Grace a year ago. We are in the grammar stage, but from looking at the upper levels it appears to be strong in lit analysis plus it is definitely more than a reading list. Don't let the website scare you. It can seem overwhelming. In fact I turned away from TOG twice before finally going for it. Look at the free 3 wk sample. Look at the tutorials.

[Faithr]

Use a teaching co lecture series and then pick out various books on select topics of interest to dig deeper. The TC outlines have book suggestions as well as discussion questions. You can get the transcripts as well, if you want to have a 'text' to go along with the lectures.

[Carol in Cal.]

Use the suggestions in TWTM! They are really, really good! You don't necessarily need a curriculum!

[Shelly in IL]

I wanted to do history ala WTM, but felt I lacked the skills to facilitate good discussion. IT is pricey, but they have a 2 hour weekly discussion period with 22 classmates - I think that will be awesome! The instructor was very interesting sounding (I had a 20 min. talk with him on the phone), he certainly wasn't dry or unanimated! Of course, the materials are available for sale without joining the class - so then that would be pretty cheap!

[JennW in SoCal]

I'm with both Faithr and Carol in Cal.

 

You don't need curricula.

 

I base my approach to history and literature on the WTM adding in Teaching Company courses. My favorite has been Western Literary Canon in Context, because so much of the WTM approach is looking at literature in a historical context, this is a natural fit.

 

The Well Educated Mind is excellent for learning how to discuss and analyze all genres of literature.

[JustGin]

I simply cannot find one we like. We have tried Abeka, hated it, Sonlight...not thrilled by the lack of lit analysis and it's basically a reading schedule, Beautiful Feet? Is it "thorough" enough?

Bob Jones...looks too boring, Notgrass? eh!

 

What history have you used and actually like?

 

The book, "America: The Last Best Hope" and the companion website (small subscription fee) Roadmap to America.

 

http://roadmaptolastbesthope.com/

 

Hands down this has been our favorite and I plan on using it again when my ds reaches high school in 2 years. :)

[DebbS]

I like TRISMS too. The nice thing about it is that you can use it to various degrees. My daughter used DAW for everything except math and science last year while this year, both my son and daughter will be using EOC for history and some of the literature components.

[Guest]

I agree with those who like the freedom of breaking away from a curriculum and/or textbooks. My daughter and I together make up a tentative reading list based on a time period or cultural issue. She does part of the research, looks around at bookstores and on the internet and at the library. There is so much wonderful stuff out there!

[shea]

The book, "America: The Last Best Hope" and the companion website (small subscription fee) Roadmap to America.

 

http://roadmaptolastbesthope.com/

 

Hands down this has been our favorite and I plan on using it again when my ds reaches high school in 2 years. :)

 

 

Did you just sign up your student for this, or did you also sign up for the teacher access? Which would you recommend?

Thanks.

Sue

[Emma]

The book, "America: The Last Best Hope" and the companion website (small subscription fee) Roadmap to America.

 

http://roadmaptolastbesthope.com/

 

Hands down this has been our favorite and I plan on using it again when my ds reaches high school in 2 years. :)

 

 

Can you explain to me what the Roadmap to America website is all about? I'm so confused. Is it workbooks, online lectures, study guides, tests, what??? I have the books and I'm trying to figure out a way to use them.

[Chris in VA]

Omnibus with Spielvolgel.

[JustGin]

Did you just sign up your student for this, or did you also sign up for the teacher access? Which would you recommend?

Thanks.

Sue

 

I signed up for the teacher access only, but that included the student as well. She has a sign in and so do I.

 

ETA: I looked at the Premium subscription, but didn't really feel it gave enough extra goodies to be worth the extra dough. $20.00 for the year for the teacher edition was perfect.

Edited July 3, 2010 by JustGin

[JustGin]

Can you explain to me what the Roadmap to America website is all about? I'm so confused. Is it workbooks, online lectures, study guides, tests, what??? I have the books and I'm trying to figure out a way to use them.

 

Roadmap is a companion website that gives the teacher and student a whole raft of resources for each chapter: Here is the student list for each chapter:

 

1. Chapter Images & Maps

2. Chapter Media

3. Summary

4. Key Historical Points

5. Timelines

6. Key People You Should Know

7. Critical Events

8. Historic Terms & Places

9. Primary Sources

10. Laws & Legislation

11. Vocabulary

 

Here is the teacher list:Chapter Images & Maps

 

1. Chapter Media

2. Summary

3. Timelines

4. Assessment

5. Other Resources

6. Lessons

7. Skill/Project

8. Mnemonic

9. Debates

10. Plays

 

On the main page there are also these resources links listed:

 

1. Teacher Toolkit

2. AP Center

3. Teacher Web Links

4. Read Volume I Online

5. Student Web Links

6. Geography Resources

7. Quiz Center

8. Image Copyright Information

9. Web Tutorials for Teachers

 

 

What I did was to set out a schedule for dd which included some extra non-fiction and primary source reading, but I allowed her to choose which, if any of the "tools" to use. I gave her chapter tests and she used the online resources to deepen her reading and to study for the tests. She loved the independence of this program. She listened to the text on audio, but we also have the book and you can read it online.

I hope that helps. :)

[shea]

I signed up for the teacher access only, but that included the student as well. She has a sign in and so do I.

 

ETA: I looked at the Premium subscription, but didn't really feel it gave enough extra goodies to be worth the extra dough. $20.00 for the year for the teacher edition was perfect.

 

 

Thanks!!

Sue

[Mad Jenny Flint]

WTM, Susan's histories, and Teaching Co. are my friends for ancient/medieval history. After that, we'll see... but I anticipate we'll do something similar, because it is just fun doing it this way.

[Love2Smile]

WTM, Susan's histories, and Teaching Co. are my friends for ancient/medieval history. After that, we'll see... but I anticipate we'll do something similar, because it is just fun doing it this way.

I don't have the WTM book. Does she give specific books to read?

 

Can you be more specific?

[mom22greatkids]

:bigear:

[lllll]

..

[Hoggirl]

WTM, Susan's histories, and Teaching Co. are my friends for ancient/medieval history. After that, we'll see... but I anticipate we'll do something similar, because it is just fun doing it this way.

 

Can you please elaborate a bit on how you do this? It is really intimidating to me!

[JennW in SoCal]

Can you please elaborate a bit on how you do this? It is really intimidating to me!

 

I love planning courses, pulling together literature and TTC lectures, and other sources. I don't find it that difficult and will try to describe the process succinctly.

 

I try to start with a theme, or an interest of my teen's. For instance, my oldest was a non-academic theater-geek, so I centered half of his American history and literature course around theater. He watched the PBS Broadway documentary series, read plays and memoirs of playwrights.

 

For my youngest, I centered a one year World History course around the book A History of the World in Six Glasses. (He is meeting the University of California entrance requirements, so you have to have one world history course -- heaven forbid you spread it out over 4 years:D.) For each period of history, he read a major work and some minor works. We watched Teaching Company lectures on the Iliad, and on literature in historical context. He did sometimes did background research for a period on the internet.

 

I have kept lists of book titles since I started homeschooling. I also refer to the lists in the WTM, and I search my library and Amazon. And I google extensively. I assign Great Books, but not exclusively because there are so many wonderful titles out there that will pique my teen's interest and bring a period of history to life. My youngest read The Lost City of Z this year along one of Arthur Conan Doyle's lesser known books, The Lost World. We also covered Shakespeare and the Iliad and Candide.

 

I sometimes use a Teaching Company course as the basis for a semester or year-long course but I also just use them as reference tools, picking lectures that fit what we are reading.

 

Assignments can be the tricky part. I rely on short research topics, or creating a context page for instance, in lieu of reading from a history text. They do their research on the internet (and know not to rely on Wikipedia!!) I also expect at least one good essay each month, sometimes two -- one each for history and literature. Essay topics come from our discussions and are often topics of their own choosing. Sometimes topics come from prompts I find in Spark Notes. I also find other projects on the internet, such as a lesson that included several translations of a section of Beowulf. The student had to pick the best and write a brief explanation of why it was the best. I found a very silly "where's Waldo" find it cartoon for the Iliad, and a parody of Beowulf.

 

I'd say for 10th grade this last year about 15 books were read and studied, we watched several excellent documentaries and watched a TTC lecture on average once or twice a week. He must have written 30 essays as he writes not only for history and literature but for other courses, too.

 

That's the method to my madness, in a nutshell. Does it seem less intimidating now?!

[Hunter's Moon]

I will be using http://www.courserepository.org/ (I am not sure if the course you need is up there though) along with a History text.

 

Oh, and also lectures by The Teaching Company which I found quite abundant at my library :)

Edited July 3, 2010 by BeatleMania

[Hoggirl]

Actually, maybe MORE intimidating! Organizing and scheduling are doable for me, but coming up with writing assignments (essay topics, research topics) is not.

 

I will keep pondering. Part of me feels like I just need to "do it."

 

Thanks for your very helpful suggestions and encouragement. I'm just not sure I am smart enough.

[Storm Bay]

Dd likes History of the Ancient World by SWB. For high school American history, I bought 3 different ones used, & each dc gets to choose which one they do. I do plan to buy the reast of SBS's world history books as we need them.

[tvaleri]

I simply cannot find one we like. We have tried Abeka, hated it, Sonlight...not thrilled by the lack of lit analysis and it's basically a reading schedule, Beautiful Feet? Is it "thorough" enough?

Bob Jones...looks too boring, Notgrass? eh!

 

What history have you used and actually like?

 

I can feel your pain, Cheri. Homeschooling over the last 15 years, I've gone through quite a few history curricula. Mystery of History was great until we had to wait for the next volume. Sonlight-not enough teacher info or requirements/questions for students. Abeka/BJU-snorefest =)

 

Then this past year while looking for outside classes, I stumbled across a co-op that used Tapestry of Grace. I must say I hated it for about two months, then slowly, it began to grow on all of us. Lots of thought provoking discussion, thinking requirement for my students, thorough teacher's notes (so that I don't have to read every book from three different levels), these are all pluses. Icing on the cake is the organization I see developing in my students.

 

At the rhetoric level, there is lots, and I mean lots, of literary analysis. The co-op also taught IEW's Windows to the World for further lit analysis (overkill, imo).

 

Nonetheless, I think we'll stick with Tapestry. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me offlist.

 

Smiles,

Teresa in NC

[Mad Jenny Flint]

Jenn W does it similarly to how we do- I pm'd you but I will copy parts of it in another message because it may interest someone else. We did use a history book- Susan's HAW, and my son did context pages based on that and the DK/Grunn books. He also did a lot of writing, but not an overwhelming amount- just a steady stream.

 

Texts used: The Well-Educated Mind; Bible- Book of Genesis, Job, Exodus, Book of Daniel, Corinthians; Epic of Gilgamesh; The Iliad & The Odyssey, Homer; Oedipus, Sophocles; The Histories, Herodotus (selections); Metamorphosis, Ovid; Fall of the Roman Republic, Plutarch (selections). DVD: The Iliad of Homer and The Odyssey of Homer, The Teaching Company; The Western Literary Canon in Context, The Teaching Company; Foundations of Western Civilization, The Teaching Company.

 

More forthcoming...

[Mad Jenny Flint]

We get up (early- you don't have to do that part) and read (I read aloud to him- it is the best way I have found to keep up with his reading- he reads just fine on his own and has proved that) literature and history. We read for about an hour to an hour and a half. Usually we read about 20 pgs. of lit and about 10 pages of history. Sometimes instead of reading history, we listen to the Foundations of Western Civ. (Teaching Co.) and sometimes, instead of reading lit, we listen to Western Literary Canon in Context. I play it by ear, where the lecture will best fit, and whether I feel we haven't done enough of that lately.

 

Over the course of the year, I have had Ben doing essays, outlines, short paragraph summaries (context pages a la Susan), more essays, and a history term paper in the spring. He did over 20 papers between lit and history during the year, and the term paper took about two months, during which he did a few 25 minute essays for SAT practice but little else. I tried to make sure he wrote something every week. Some weeks it would be one paper, some weeks we would be busy with other stuff, and some weeks, three papers would converge into one deadline.

 

We discuss what we read, but for some reason I don't think we discuss things as deeply or profoundly as I imagine that others do. The reality is, we probably do just fine. Most of our time is spent reading and listening. And most of the time he is pretty quiet and it is at other, unexpected times that he will make a connection in completely unrelated conversation.

 

All I can say is that this style of learning is what I am most proud of in our homeschooling. It is the part that I want the kids to remember when they are grown, because it is homey, and uniquely a product of a home-schooling environment. It is the part that is helping to make them into really interesting people because they catch references in conversation. They will be great at small talk one day, and honestly I think that is one part of stunning success in the workplace, and in relationships in general.

 

I should also mention that we read whole texts, mostly. HOWEVER, if something became extra tedious, we pared it down. We read only 4 books of the Histories (Herodotus) and we read only two of the lives in Plutarch's Fall of the Roman Republic, as the end of the year was approaching, and for summer we will be reading Pride and Prejudice with a chaser of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

 

So, I would say: Just do it. Do it until you are hoarse and your eyeballs become bleary. Don't try to plan it all out in advance, just put a list of books you want to read together and the history chapters (we used HAW- Susan's ancients book) you want to get to mixed in with it down. Don't be afraid to edit. Then have a general idea of what kind of writing you want your child doing, and have them do some. When you think "oh, we should hit that kind of writing, too" well, do that. When it's enough, you can switch gears- just put a sketch on your lesson plans and that will keep you on track. There are always gaps in any education. I am aiming for skills over content and that is what is keeping me going.