Forgive me but...Another SOTW question.

[mystika1]

Hi,

I am still torn.

This is likely a touchy issue but it has been on my mind lately as I have been trying to put together our own history read aloud time. Most of the books I got from the library are just not interesting to my 7 year old. Anyway, we are currently reading about Ancient Greece and my daughter looks like she could care less what is going on when I read. The reason I went through the trouble of putting it together on my own is the doubts brought on by the reviews of SOTW. I want to try SOTW but I am reading so many reviews about inaccuracies that it makes me think twice. I read somewhere that book 2 is very inaccurate. Example: Some father is a history buff and refused to allow his wife to use it because he said it is really off.

 

I never did well in history and have no idea if it is accurate or not. I sometimes question if it really matters that much but...I guess if I am gonna do this I should do it right.:confused:

 

My question is:

Is it really that bad? Can someone reassure me? What would you suggest if you don't like it for a 7 year old?(Guerber?)

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

[ChrissySC]

You would want to use something that has a compilation of resources. I use SOTW, CHTW, DK, Usborne, etc. We use the activity guide for SOTW and Real Odessey History. I have enjoyed both history and science. These act as a guided path through history and science. I do not adhere to the path necessarily. We deviate and get sidetracked, which only adds to our notebook! Try looking at some of the sample pages and reading at the Pandia Press site.

 

Remember, there is no perfect history resource. The retelling of history is altered by perspective and presentation. :) Try not to be too hard on the authors. I know that I would be unable to write history for my dc. How would I pick and choose?

 

Ex. A Christian-based text retells history in a different perspective. ;) We all have read a highly religious history text versus a heavily weighted secular text. See the difference?

[WTMindy]

First of all, EVERY history book has "inaccuracies" because history is subjective and so you will never get everyone to agree exactly on all the facts. The errors that I might find could be different than the errors someone else would find because of the bias I start with. Ultimately, that is a part of becoming a historian is reading different sources and putting it all together for yourself. My personal opinion is that Susan does a great job of presenting the story with as little bias as possible. (You have to figure that if Christians get upset that it isn't Christian enough and non-Christians get upset that it is too Christian you have probably struck a pretty good balance. :001_smile:)

 

However, in my opinion, the goal of history at that age is not to become a historian, but to give the kids a LOVE of the story. I can honestly say in the nine years that I have been homeschooling, Story of the World (all 4 volumes) was the best thing we did. It gave my kids a love of history in the early years that gave them a great foundation and has carried over into the logic stage. We did lots of reading together and lots of projects from the activity guide. So, even if I did find a few errors along the way (which I didn't, by the way) I would just correct them with my kids, explain why different history books say different things and move on to another fun project.

[Laura Corin]

The point about SOTW is to give young children a feel for the sweep of history and some stories to remember. There is plenty of time in middle and high school to pick apart sources and implications. I recommend SOTW.

 

Best wishes

 

Laura

[5LittleMonkeys]

I love SOTW for my dd7. We use other sources in addition to it though. Right now we are doing SOTW 2 Middle Ages with the AG, various selections from the additional history and literature lists, A Child's History of the World, King Fisher History Encyclopedia, a Watt's children's guide about the middle ages, and several other resources.

 

When we run across inconsistencies we discuss them as what they are. I don't get hung up on the minutia. At this age we are just looking at the big picture and trying to instill an interest in the story of our history. There will be time enough when they are older to dig deeper and compare and contrast between this persons take on history or that persons.

 

Just have fun with it right now!:D

[Chris in VA]

I highly recommend SOTW. And, I trust Susan's credentials. If you want to see for yourself, go to her blog and read the about Susan section.

The very few things she is said to be inaccurate about are arguable points and not points of agreement. I don't find her to be inaccurate AT ALL. My husband is a New Testament scholar and Episcopal priest with a Doctorate in NT Studies. His dissertation was on Second Temple Synagogues, and he is a world authority on that subject. He is WELL-versed in Middle Ages history and Ancients, and he is not in agreement that SWB has errors. If that helps any.

[Skadi]

Others have already chimed in about historical accuracy. I have a few problems with SOTW, but it's easy enough for me to skip over a chapter or to supplement it with an alternative viewpoint. As others have said, accuracy isn't the main issue for children so young -- the point is to give them a feel for the ancient world's place in history and a love for different cultures.

 

Have you tried doing fun activities related to Ancient Greece to get her more excited? We like to have feasts with foods they would have eaten (if you don't want to cook, call a local Greek restaurant and they'll help plan a dinner for you!). Dress up like ancient Greek philosophers or Spartan warriors. Re-enact scenes from myths and legends (Atlanta's footrace with the golden apples is a good one). Listen to music that might have been similar to what was played in Ancient Greece, and have her pluck her own tunes on a lyre of her own. There are all sorts of activities you can do in real life that will make the reading part of SOTW more engaging for her, because she'll have something to relate it back to. :)

[ourjourneys]

I have a few problems with SOTW, but it's easy enough for me to skip over a chapter or to supplement it with an alternative viewpoint.

What do you skip over? We are using book 2 this year (old version) and I don't have time to read it before hand... It would help if we had a heads up of chapters with question. Thanks! :)

[KrissiK]

First of all, EVERY history book has "inaccuracies" because history is subjective and so you will never get everyone to agree exactly on all the facts. The errors that I might find could be different than the errors someone else would find because of the bias I start with. Ultimately, that is a part of becoming a historian is reading different sources and putting it all together for yourself. My personal opinion is that Susan does a great job of presenting the story with as little bias as possible.

:iagree:

And another thing, just because someone on this board says something doesn't necessarily mean it's true. I mean no offense to anyone here, but honestly.... we don't know eachother. I can say all sorts of things... I can say I'm an expert in whatever and this, that and the other of SOTW is historically inaccurate, but that doesn't mean that I'm right. A lot of people like to think they're right or they're an expert, but they have no idea what they're talking about. (I'm talking generally here, not in reference to any one person here on the boards) I love these boards and I basically trust what is written, but I also take it all with a grain of salt because I don't know any of you, and I don't know the credentials of any of you on here.

[mystika1]

Thank you all so much. I guess I just needed to hear all of these great responses. I lightly touched Ancient Egypt last year with her. Should I start book 1 or begin with book 2 for our 2nd grade year?

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

[Aubrey]

I remember reading about the inaccuracies in SOTW when we were starting, & it concerned me, too. I asked dh, who has a hist degree, about it. He shrugged & said basically what the others have said here--that every hist book will have inaccuracies, but more importantly--they'll all have critics.

 

SOTW is so expansive in its coverage that we're constantly bumping into things that dh, who loves history, trivia, & graduated w/ a 4.0 in his degree, hasn't heard of. He *loves* hearing this stuff. The stuff he does know? He'll add or explain here or there, but hasn't objected to anything as highly inaccurate.

 

At the very least, I'm completely comfortable that SOTW is good enough for elem school! :001_smile:

[Laboroflove]

Two points to consider:

One: How many facts will a 7 year old truly remember? If the story is short and interesting, then they will get a good feel for that period which will provide a basis for later learning. My point is that perhaps the inaccuaracies (if there are any - I'm not arguing for or against that) aren't that relevant right now unless it's a huge discrepancy.

 

Two: what kind of learner is your child? We have 4 children. My older 3 are all avid readers who love storytime. My youngest fidgets. She'd rather have something hands on to do. We still read aloud, she still has required independent reading, but I've learned to accept she's not going to be enthusiastic when it's time to sit to read. However, if I give her silly putty to play with while I read, it's more pleasant. It seems as if she's not listening, but later I find she was when it's time for discussion.

 

That said, there are so many opinions with a multitude of curriculum choices out there that I'm sure you'll find something that works for the two of you. I do recommend the AG guide to coordinate with the books if you choose SOTW. If it doesn't work the first year, switch to something the next year. Regardless you'll cover much more history than would be seen at this age in public/private. Best of luck to you.

[Lovedtodeath]

What kind of books are you pulling together yourself? DD liked books on her reading level, picture books, and books with humor interspersed (Good Times Travel Agency, You Wouldn't Want to Be...).

[misidawnrn]

I agree with all the posters. History is written by the winners, meaning if Hitler had to write a history book about WW2 it would read very differently than the ones we read in school.

 

I thought I wanted a curriculum with more of a Christian twist to it but just couldn't find one that I liked that started with ancients. I like the idea of going chronologically in order. So, I am sticking with it.

 

My Dd doesn't always show that she is interested either but I know she is retaining at least some stuff when she will say to me "I wonder if the nomads lived in those caves?" while looking at caves boating, or "look, there is King Narmers 2 hats" when we saw a knicknack that was actually something else but looked like Narmer or more recently "mom, there is the King". It was the Sphynx on the front of a carnival ride at the fair.

 

I don't expect my 6yo to become an expert in ancient world history by the end of the year or even to remember 3/4 of it but it puts it in the back of her memory for when we study it again in the 5th and 9th grades.

 

Oh, and to answer you question, I would start with either SOTW 1 or 2 depending on what you want. I want to do the WTM sequence of history, repeating every 4 years. If you touched on ancient Egypt last year you might just start with 2 and catch ancients again in the 5th grade so that you will finish with modern history in the 12th grade. You kind of have to plan ahead in that reguard.

Edited August 11, 2010 by misidawnrn

[Laura Corin]

Thank you all so much. I guess I just needed to hear all of these great responses. I lightly touched Ancient Egypt last year with her. Should I start book 1 or begin with book 2 for our 2nd grade year?

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

 

It's a great story - much more than just Greece and Egypt.

 

Laura

[Harriet Vane]

First of all, EVERY history book has "inaccuracies" because history is subjective and so you will never get everyone to agree exactly on all the facts. The errors that I might find could be different than the errors someone else would find because of the bias I start with. Ultimately, that is a part of becoming a historian is reading different sources and putting it all together for yourself. My personal opinion is that Susan does a great job of presenting the story with as little bias as possible. (You have to figure that if Christians get upset that it isn't Christian enough and non-Christians get upset that it is too Christian you have probably struck a pretty good balance. :001_smile:)

 

However, in my opinion, the goal of history at that age is not to become a historian, but to give the kids a LOVE of the story. I can honestly say in the nine years that I have been homeschooling, Story of the World (all 4 volumes) was the best thing we did. It gave my kids a love of history in the early years that gave them a great foundation and has carried over into the logic stage. We did lots of reading together and lots of projects from the activity guide. So, even if I did find a few errors along the way (which I didn't, by the way) I would just correct them with my kids, explain why different history books say different things and move on to another fun project.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

I LOVE SOTW. I think it's one of the finest resources out there for young kids.

[kokotg]

I spent some time a couple of years ago reading through the Amazon reviews and researching some of the "inaccuracies" on my own. In most or all cases that I looked into, what the reviewer pointed to as an inaccuracy was either a case of simplifying to fit the intended audience or something that's a point of dissension among historians. So I did find some places where SOTW presented one view as fact and didn't say, "but some historians believe..." This is fine with me, since I think it's part of my job to make sure my kids understand that historians disagree about things and to use a wide enough variety of sources that they're exposed to a lot of those disagreements. Aside from that, most of the criticisms of SOTW seem to center around religion. Too religious, not religious enough, Protestant bias, etc. Since we're Protestants who generally like secular materials but don't really mind too much if things get a bit religious from time to time, it works for us ;)

[Lovedtodeath]

Click the tag for more on the subject of accuracy. :)

[WistfulRidge]

I'm a history buff, big time. I got my degree in History with an Ancient Near East emphasis and I've read through Volume 1 of SOTW with my younger siblings. I don't remember there being any huge inaccuracies. I remember there being lots of little things here and there, but that's pretty much guaranteed to happen when you are simplifying something down to a younger level of understanding. It's nothing that will screw up their historical knowledge overall, it just leaves things for later. As a pp said, there is no "set in stone" history, everyone will have a different opinion on what is accurate vs inaccurate based upon the biases that they have.

[mystika1]

Thank you all again. Can someone tell me how many days a week do you read from the books? Also, I like to do narration. Could I purchase just the book and activity pages and have my daughter narrate to me and then do some map work?

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

[Chris in VA]

We used it about 3 days a week, and usually read a section of a chapter at a time (most chapters have 2-3 sections). You absolutely could do narration with it--in fact, it's recommended! The AG has sample narrations and also questions for comprehension. You don't need the tests at all. Don't just buy the student page packet--that's just an extra set of pages if you have more than one child. Get the AG--it CONTAINS the student pages and all the helps. Maps, narrations, questions, lit and non-fiction lists, craft/cooking/experiential stuff/games and even readings in various history encyclopedias are all included in the AG.

[Lovedtodeath]

Thank you all again. Can someone tell me how many days a week do you read from the books? Also, I like to do narration. Could I purchase just the book and activity pages and have my daughter narrate to me and then do some map work?

 

Thanks,

 

Penny

It really depends on what kind of learner you have. You can certainly try it. It works for many! :) I recommend that you have the Usborne Encyclopedia for pictures and maps that are in color.