Who does NOT like SOTW?

[Mercy_Me]

....and why? I'm torn. I already have a history spine, but I have been eyeballing SOTW for a while now. I just can't seem to get past some of the (very) negative reviews on accuracy. Will you tell me why you don't like it?

 

(I want to like it. It seems too good to be true. If I could past the accuracy issues, it would be perfect for what I need. *sighs*)

 

Thanks in advance!

[TKDmom]

I didn't like it, but I have a hard time saying why. I was put off by the tone in general. But I was pregnant the whole time we used it, so that may have just been a reflection of my general state--grumpy, nauseated, and tired.

 

I also used the AG, along with narration questions. I had just pulled my dd out of school, and narration was difficult for her. We clashed a lot over it, and I think that also colored my experience.

 

Having said that, I am considering trying it again with my youngers. My dc have fond memories of it, and it really is a nice overview for younger children. We'll see. :001_smile:

[mytwomonkeys]

well, i don't dislike it... but we don't use it. we tried it when my daughter was in kindergarten (she was newly 6) & it was boring for her. she wasn't enjoying the book... so we switched to the CD's, but she still had little interest. i've held onto it though, with the assumption we will incorporate it next year (when my kids will be in 4th & 2nd). i love the idea of SOTW & i'm hoping we'll have a lot of fun with it next year! i think the curriculum is wonderful, but for whatever reason, it just doesn't mesh well with some kids. i think sometimes putting it down and waiting for the child to mature is helpful. other times, it's just the curriculum itself though, and it's a poor fit for the family or child. some people feel it is too religious. other families feel it isn't religious enough, etc. neither was an issue for us though, so we'll give it another go next year.

[Mercy_Me]

Thank you for the responses! I have heard it both ways as well: some say it is too religious, some say not enough. I use secular materials, but I don't mind using something that I can modify. I have heard that MANY MANY people have issues with how SWB doesn't distinguish fact from fiction very well. Did either of you find this to be true?

[boscopup]

I don't have it yet, but I do plan to try it next year. It's $11.53 on Amazon, so I'm not out a lot of money if I don't like it.

 

I read the reviews about inaccuracies, and even saw one in one of the samples, but I'll just adjust that section as I read it (it was a Biblical story). Doing some research on inaccuracies, I learned that ALL history books have inaccuracies. So I'll give it a try. If the inaccuracy doesn't affect our life or belief system, it probably isn't a big deal. For example, one review mentions something about the early writing section being inaccurate. Ok, but does it really matter? If the child will go into a field where that knowledge does matter, I'm sure they'll get the corrected information as they are being educated for that field. SOTW is such a high level overview meant for grades 1-4, right? Sometimes inaccuracies come in when the information is being summarized so much.

[Jenny in GA]

I started a thread with the exact same title, and got a lot of responses here.

 

You can also read reviews on Amazon, although maybe you already did.

 

We decided to go ahead and start using it. Mostly I like it. We use the AG maps and coloring pages, and a FEW (very few) of the activities. Most of the activities strike me as "busy work" and a waste of materials. I also like the AG for the list of library books on-topic.

 

I recently overheard my 9 yo telling her grandma how much she loves history, so that was neat.

 

The downside to me is that I'm not sure how much they're remembering. There are a lot of names and countries and rivers and things to remember, and sometimes I wonder if it's all flying over their heads. But generally speaking, I think they are getting the gist they should get at this age.

 

Jenny

Edited October 25, 2010 by Jenny in GA
adding the link to another thread

[dm379]

We didn't like it the first time we tried it 2 yrs. ago. I'm really not sure why. She thought the book was boring and she didn't understand it at all. We brought it out again this year and both like it well enough.

[calandalsmom]

Just not my cup of tea.

[Farrar]

Thank you for the responses! I have heard it both ways as well: some say it is too religious, some say not enough. I use secular materials, but I don't mind using something that I can modify. I have heard that MANY MANY people have issues with how SWB doesn't distinguish fact from fiction very well. Did either of you find this to be true?

 

If you're coming from a secular perspective, then yes, this can be true. It's especially problematic in the earlier editions. Now, the things that are explicitly stories (from the Bible or any other religious tradition) are set part from the text very clearly.

 

But there are other places that it comes in somewhat subtly. For example, we're on SOTW2 and I was recently in a discussion on a secular board about the fact that in the chapter on Clovis, SOTW gives more time to the somewhat far-fetched story about how Clovis converted to Christianity, without really questioning it (though it does point out that it's a story from the time with a specific source) than to many other aspects of his rule or his battles.

 

Also, you should know that, SOTW gives weight to written historical sources and does not give much weight to archaeological evidence. For some things, this can be an issue. Again, it can be subtle.

 

For me, while those are issues, my biggest complaint is that the book shifts between three types of storytelling pretty rapidly, often without enough clarity. In some places, it tells the story of history as historians understand it, just in terms kids can understand. In other places, it presents imagined history - as in, imagine that you're a kid at this time or imagine this gladiator that we'll make up and follow through his journey. Finally, there are also the places where it tells the myths and folktales of various peoples. These are all valid, great ways to present history to young children. However, they're all very different and can be easily conflated if not made clear.

 

How much this sort of thing bothers you depends on you. No resource is perfect and as homeschoolers, I think most of us are constantly editing and tweaking things by leaving out a chapter here, adding more resources there, etc. There are things I don't love about it, but we use it and get a lot out of it.

[HollyDay]

my biggest complaint is that the book shifts between three types of storytelling pretty rapidly, often without enough clarity. In some places, it tells the story of history as historians understand it, just in terms kids can understand. In other places, it presents imagined history - as in, imagine that you're a kid at this time or imagine this gladiator that we'll make up and follow through his journey. Finally, there are also the places where it tells the myths and folktales of various peoples. These are all valid, great ways to present history to young children. However, they're all very different and can be easily conflated if not made clear..

 

:iagree: This quote stated very clearly my biggest problem with SOTW vol 1.

 

HOWEVER, we really liked SOTW vol 2 and we are enjoying vol 4 quite a bit! I did not use vol 3, we did more of a literature approach for that time period. I combined SOTW vol 2 with MOH and tons or readers/read alouds. So far, we are using SOTW vol 4 as a spine with tons of readers.

[Mercy_Me]

Thank you guys so much for the detailed responses! Can I use the activity guide for both girls, or do I need to purchase two? I know that seems like a silly question, but I really don't know! LOL

 

Both girls are using WWE and FLL (different levels). Would SOTW compliment those? (Narration and such)

[Mallory]

I didn't enjoy 4, and we made it through 1-3 okay. We are doing 1 again this year and it is great!

 

I think it would be perfect for 3-6th grades.

 

I think the first volume is too religious, but there are so many chapters, skipping a few is no big deal. This also ties in with it not being clear what is stories and what is history, although it isn't too hard to tell the difference. I also believe that some of this has been fixed by changing fonts in the revised editions.

 

I also found the projects way too much the first time around, but for 4th and 5th, I just let them read the activites and do them as they like. They often do several things, but they can do it on thier own.

[Mercy_Me]

I started a thread with the exact same title, and got a lot of responses here.

 

You can also read reviews on Amazon, although maybe you already did.

 

We decided to go ahead and start using it. Mostly I like it. We use the AG maps and coloring pages, and a FEW (very few) of the activities. Most of the activities strike me as "busy work" and a waste of materials. I also like the AG for the list of library books on-topic.

 

I recently overheard my 9 yo telling her grandma how much she loves history, so that was neat.

 

The downside to me is that I'm not sure how much they're remembering. There are a lot of names and countries and rivers and things to remember, and sometimes I wonder if it's all flying over their heads. But generally speaking, I think they are getting the gist they should get at this age.

 

Jenny

 

That link was VERY Helpful. Thank you!! :001_smile:

[TKDmom]

Thank you guys so much for the detailed responses! Can I use the activity guide for both girls, or do I need to purchase two? I know that seems like a silly question, but I really don't know! LOL

 

No. But you might want to buy the PDF version of the student pages, so that you can print out as many maps and coloring pages as you want. My ds's were always asking me to make more copies of the battle scenes for them to color. :tongue_smilie:

[jewel7123]

My kids are young right now, and so I won't even consider using it until they get older (4th or 5th). I have the Ancients SOTW 1 because it was given to me, and it's just too secular for my taste......and too full of myths and gore. Again, I wouldn't use it with a K-3rd grader......I'll have to re-evaluate it for the middle grades.

[Mercy_Me]

I just took the jump and ordered the text, the activity guide, the test book and the audio from Amazon. If I never post again, my husband has sold me to gypsies to pay for everything I buy from Amazon. :D 70 for all of that wasn't bad? Right? LOL

[Farrar]

Definitely don't get two copies of the AG. In fact, some of us don't use the AG at all.

[boscopup]

My kids are young right now, and so I won't even consider using it until they get older (4th or 5th). I have the Ancients SOTW 1 because it was given to me, and it's just too secular for my taste......and too full of myths and gore. Again, I wouldn't use it with a K-3rd grader......I'll have to re-evaluate it for the middle grades.

 

I read the first 3 chapters of Ancients on Amazon (the free Kindle "first chapter" is really 3 of them), and it looked fine for my first grader. My 4 year old wouldn't understand it, but I wouldn't expect him to. There's a big difference between 4, 5, and 6 in terms of understanding things like history. I think my first grader probably wouldn't have gotten any of it if I'd done it last year, but right now, I think he'd understand a lot more of it.

 

That said, I will be prereading it before I read any of it to him. And I will be adding Biblical history into it, so he can see where that fits in (he has a good grasp on Biblical history for his age). I would also be sure to point out which stories are myths and which stories are not. Thanks to the reviews that talk about the confusion about those issues, I will not be getting the audio version. I'd rather read it to him and edit as needed if I need to, or add extra comments like "Now this story I'm about to read is just a myth... It's NOT real, but it's what the people at that time believed." and "Now this story is from the Bible and is real.", etc.

 

I'm not too worried about the gore... He's learned about Bible stories where people were killed, etc. The Bible is pretty gory in some places! I can see where some kids would be more sensitive to that stuff though.

[laundrycrisis]

I just didn't like the style of it. I don't want a "story". I like history to be very cut and dried.

[mama27]

We tried it 4 times, with 7 kids. The kids couldn't recall anything and felt it jumped around too much.

[kalphs]

Dd didn't care for the book once we got to the part about ancient Rome.

She was 6 yo at the time.

We read from V.M. Hillyer's "A Child's History of the World" which she LOVED!

Dd is showing interest in SOTW so we will probably read it with her over the next year.

I appreciate SWB's efforts to make the story non sectarian, in a format which engages the reader.

Edited October 26, 2010 by kalphs

[DesertRambler]

We have it and did use it for a while as part of History Odyssey Level 1. I think it was OK in general and didn't really have a problem with any inaccuracies since we are not a religious family to start with and most of the problems people complain about are focused on those topics.

 

For me, the "jury is still out" on whether I like how it goes purely chronological causing it to jump around the world so much, or whether I would prefer to group the topics together for consistancy or read them chronogically. I am leaning towards liking to stay in one area for a while and use the timeline to pull it all together, comparing what, for instance, China was doing when Greece was at its height. We also had the audio book version which one boy said was OK and the other boy didn't like at all (the Jim Weiss recording.)

 

I have also read that some families prefer to wait with the books - that their kids not only enjoyed them more, but got a lot more out of them, if they waited until the kids were just about Logic stage before reading them. Like 10 years old. I think I agree. I think they would understand it a lot more. Of course, I tend to be more relaxed about schooling in the grammar stage than pure TWTM. I don't know how much of the AG would be applicable at this age, but certainly the narration and book lists would still be excellent.

[Alicia64]

My seven year olds really like SOTW and so do I. Yes, it's sometimes not made clear that a myth is being discussed vs. reality. I make a point of saying, "this is just a great story -- it's not real" when we hit a myth.

 

We're in book 2. It was strange the way the discussion of the Muslim religion was somewhat sugar coated. But the kids are 7. I'm not sure they need to know that the Koran (which she does discuss) actually advocates killing infidels. Still it's bothersome that the issue wasn't even addressed. . .

 

I think anytime you can make history more interesting to kids -- more power to you. The text books I grew up reading were major league snoozers.

 

SWB keeps us interested. I try to do a chapter a week and the boys beg me to continue and not stop.

 

Alley

[Tracy]

For me, while those are issues, my biggest complaint is that the book shifts between three types of storytelling pretty rapidly, often without enough clarity. In some places, it tells the story of history as historians understand it, just in terms kids can understand. In other places, it presents imagined history - as in, imagine that you're a kid at this time or imagine this gladiator that we'll make up and follow through his journey. Finally, there are also the places where it tells the myths and folktales of various peoples. These are all valid, great ways to present history to young children. However, they're all very different and can be easily conflated if not made clear.

:iagree: We use SOTW as a supplement to TOG. I don't think that I could use it by itself for this reason. It is sometimes hard for me to determine if she is telling a true story or a folk tale or historical fiction, so I am sure that it would be confusing to my kids.

[mohop]

double post

Edited October 26, 2010 by mohop

[mohop]

We're in book 2. It was strange the way the discussion of the Muslim religion was somewhat sugar coated. But the kids are 7. I'm not sure they need to know that the Koran (which she does discuss) actually advocates killing infidels. Still it's bothersome that the issue wasn't even addressed. . .

 

 

Sorry, I just can't let this one slide. As a Muslim who has studied the Quran (or Koran), tries to live by it, and understands its verses in their context, I can tell you that it does not "advocate killing infidels." And it makes no sense to bring up scripture verses related to violence in one religion and not others. Perhaps you've been misinformed about Islam, but I'm at least glad that SWB doesn't blatantly spread this misinformation. I'm sorry you are unhappy that the book doesn't present an overtly anti-Islam point of view for elementary grade kids. :001_rolleyes:

[Bayt ul-Hikmah]

It was strange the way the discussion of the Muslim religion was somewhat sugar coated. But the kids are 7. I'm not sure they need to know that the Koran (which she does discuss) actually advocates killing infidels. Still it's bothersome that the issue wasn't even addressed. . .

 

Umm, anyone? I am way too tired to respond to this properly, but it really needs to be responded to.

[TracyP]

 

We're in book 2. It was strange the way the discussion of the Muslim religion was somewhat sugar coated. But the kids are 7. I'm not sure they need to know that the Koran (which she does discuss) actually advocates killing infidels. Still it's bothersome that the issue wasn't even addressed. . .

 

 

 

Er, What????

[moki4]

We love it. I always order (or reserve from the library) about 5 extra books to tie in with each chapter. I use the AG for all the questions, and brief synopsis (which I used for dictation)...although this part is missing in SOTW 4.

I think SWB did a marvelous job in this history book. In fact, I bought her ancients and Medieval books to use for our oldest next yr. I have supplemented with Speilvogel (for extra reading) which worked out great.

We also have all the CD's...which we listen to on our way to music lessons.

We love it:001_smile:

Highly recommended

[stripe]

Er, What????

Yes, anything that doesn't say Islam is awful, is biased and a part of a conspiracy to brainwash our vulnerable youth into embracing genital mutilation, eating less ham, and other scandalous activities.

 

There seems to be a big movement that learning about Islam (or any other part of the world) is offensive. This took shape in Texas with talk about pro-Islam, anti-Christian books.

 

Which begs the question, why read a book called The Story of the World if you only want to read a story about one portion of humanity?

(And why post on a board hosted by the author of a book you dislike? It's fair to explain one's view, but I don't think harshness is wise.)

[nova mama]

... as a Christian, I appreciate that SWB doesn't take sides on the discussion of the Crusades. She does not present one side as the other as justified--it's pretty matter-of-fact, IMO.

[HeidiKC]

I read the first 3 chapters of Ancients on Amazon (the free Kindle "first chapter" is really 3 of them), and it looked fine for my first grader. My 4 year old wouldn't understand it, but I wouldn't expect him to. There's a big difference between 4, 5, and 6 in terms of understanding things like history. I think my first grader probably wouldn't have gotten any of it if I'd done it last year, but right now, I think he'd understand a lot more of it.

 

That said, I will be prereading it before I read any of it to him. And I will be adding Biblical history into it, so he can see where that fits in (he has a good grasp on Biblical history for his age). I would also be sure to point out which stories are myths and which stories are not. Thanks to the reviews that talk about the confusion about those issues, I will not be getting the audio version. I'd rather read it to him and edit as needed if I need to, or add extra comments like "Now this story I'm about to read is just a myth... It's NOT real, but it's what the people at that time believed." and "Now this story is from the Bible and is real.", etc.

 

I'm not too worried about the gore... He's learned about Bible stories where people were killed, etc. The Bible is pretty gory in some places! I can see where some kids would be more sensitive to that stuff though.

 

Interesting that Jennifer in Texas finds it to gory and better for older kids. I noticed she has 3 daughters, and you have 3 sons (so do I). I think there is a big difference in how boys and girls are affected by gore/violence. My boys love it (not that I think that is good!) and are not at all scared or bothered by it. But it makes them like the story a lot more. I do not mean at all to promote violence and gore - just saying that what might be too much for a 5-year-old girl might be no big deal for a 5-year-old boy.

 

My mom bought the Jim Weiss STOW 1 CDs for my son for Christmas when he was in K (almost a year ago). He has listened to that darned thing OVER and OVER and OVER!!! It is STILL his favorite CD set and the one he requests most often. I'd say he listened to it 5 of 7 nights for the first 6 months! He learned so much and it's amazing what he knows about Ancient History.

 

We have Vol. 2 in the book format. We like it, but I think K-4 is right about where it is. Yes, my 5th grader enjoys it, but he also enjoys Curious George. I just think it's better suited to the younger grades as a history book.

[Steven]

We are using SOTW 1 this year and like it, so I have not yet seen SOTW 2 and its treatment of Islam. But Alicia64 is not the only person who has concluded that the Koran calls for the killing of infidels. Perhaps the reason so many of us non-Muslims get this understanding is because so many Muslims, including well-educated Islamic clerics, also believe this. Here, for example, are two quotes from the Saudi cleric Muhammad Al-Arifi from an address broadcast on Egypt-based Al-Rahma TV on July 19, 2010:

 

"Devotion to Jihad for the sake of Allah, and the desire to shed blood, to smash skulls and to sever limbs for the sake of Allah and in defense of His religion, is, undoubtedly, an honor for the believer."

 

"The Koranic verses that deal with fighting the infidels and conquering their countries say that they should convert to Islam, pay the jizya poll tax, or be killed. If the Muslims had implemented this, we would not have reached the humiliation in which we find ourselves today...."

 

The video of this address is available here: http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/2577.htm

 

Since even Islamic clerics teach that the Koran says that the infidels who do not covert or pay the poll tax should be killed, then complaints about this interpretation of the Koran should be directed to the Islamic experts like Muhammad Al-Arifi and Islamic broadcasters like Al-Rahma TV that broadcast such experts, and not to those of us who take note of what such Islamic clerics are teaching.

 

So, I agree with Alicia: if SOTW does not deal with what even Saudi clerics openly preach as a correct interpretation of the Koran, there is a sugarcoating of Islamic teaching in SOTW. This would certainly be a legitimate complaint about the book. I would expect a book discussing significant teachings of a religion to honestly present what the experts in that religion teach to adherents of that religion.

[mohop]

Oh, if we want our elementary history books to represent extremist perspectives, why stop with Islam? Maybe we should also insist that SWB include the viewpoint of Christian extremists like the Westboro crew.

 

Seriously, get a grip. You are welcome and free to teach your own children whatever extremist and bigoted rubbish you want to about other religions, but to insist that a text meant for the general public should do the same is ridiculous.

 

Ugh. I'm out.

[rootsnwings]

Thanks for clearing that up about Islam, that comment was completely unnecessary and obviously from a very misinformed person. I was raised Southern Baptist (and never knew of any other religion besides Christian until I went to college. All that to say, when we started getting to the pars about the Islamic nation in SOTW I was a bit stunned! I didn't know what to think! But, once I realized that the 5 pillars of Islam are something I feel should be important to my child, regardless of our religion, It was a bit easier for me to accept him learning about this other "scary" religion. I can tell you that the only thing "scary" about Islam now is that there is SO much misinformation and pure ignorance out there (in the US). It is another one of those issues where I feel like I was completely failed by my education, but I'm so thankful I'm able to share in learning the TRUTH with my children. :)

 

I had to laugh at the first response because I was pg the 1st year we used sotw 1 and felt the same way! I reaaaaaaally wasn't a huge fan but my son LOVED IT, from day 1. At first I felt like it was a little too dumbed down for my tastes but my ds is really able to grasp the images swb tries to portray in her writings. He has NEVER had an issue discerning the Illiad from another historical story, for instance--Ive actually asked him before (honestly not knowing myself because if my stellar public school education!) whether a story was for real and he's like, MOTHER! LOL

 

For us, he reads the book independently, each section in a chapter per day. I write out the discussion questions for him to answer as he's reading and he writes a shirt narration when he's done. He usually has 2-3 days of guided reading w/ disussion questions, depending on the # of sections per chapter, then I create a study guide for him from the test. We do mapwork, study guide & possibly an activity or extra reading, then he takes the chapter test on Fridays. :) He has been doing GREAT with Sotw so even though it's not MY cup of tea I can tell he is learning & those "pegs" are being set in place. :)

[Annabel Lee]

.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Annabel Lee

[Kate in Arabia]

My question is about Islamic agrigation (I may have the word wrong, and I apologize if I do), in which when a new revelation was given to Mohammed but conflicted w/ an earlier one, the newer one overrides the older one.

I believe you mean here abrogation, which can also used to refer to the overriding of Old Testament laws by the New Testament.

 

Do the verses that were recorded by Mohammed later in Medina override the verses he recorded earlier in Mecca?

It's not that all verses revealed during one period override others, each instance needs to be taken individually to know and understand the circumstances and implications.

 

I've heard that the Quran isn't arranged chronologically, but rather from longest chapter to shortest

It is not arranged chronologically, nor is it arranged from longest to shortest. Overall, it appears that they are arranged by size, but this is not accurate if you actually go through and count the number of verses in each. Muslims believe that the order of the chapters was also revealed to Muhammad, not that he (or someone else) collected the chapters later and put them together in an order of his (or her) choosing, kwim?

 

Is it hard to distinguish passages for which a newer, overriding passage from Allah has been given?

If one is reading the Qur'an to understand it and apply it in one's life, most will use a Qur'an with commentary, which will be clear in stating how verses are related to one another and give important historical context. There are many, many commentaries, and commentaries on commentaries, lol. There are editions of the Qur'an with comments included, or separate volumes of commentary to be used alongside.

 

Also, if all this is true, (and I'm not assuming it is but asking if so), what does this mean for the Verse of the Sword?

I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "what does this mean", lol. The vast majority of Muslims understand this verse in its historical and Qur'anic context. However, there is a minority who do understand it as an abrogation of the "no compulsion in religion" verses in the Qur'an, you can probably number the Taliban among that minority.

[Rosie_0801]

I have heard that MANY MANY people have issues with how SWB doesn't distinguish fact from fiction very well. Did either of you find this to be true?

 

History will get to the point where that becomes the reader's responsibility rather than the author's. Some people are fine with that, some people want that point to be further away :)

 

 

Rosie

[Annabel Lee]

.

Edited October 28, 2010 by Annabel Lee

[Testimony]

Thank you for the responses! I have heard it both ways as well: some say it is too religious, some say not enough. I use secular materials, but I don't mind using something that I can modify. I have heard that MANY MANY people have issues with how SWB doesn't distinguish fact from fiction very well. Did either of you find this to be true?

 

I wanted to address the question of SWB's distinguishing from fact and fiction. I have done Story of the World (SOTW) volumes 1-4 twice now. I would say that it accurate to a degree in volume 1. However volume 4 is all facts. In fact, volume 4 is probably the best in the series. Ambleside Online even recommends it. It is among the best retelling of modern world history for young children. So, if you are in volume 1, I would not put it down as yet. Wait, volume 4 is coming.

 

I have the older versions of SOTW. So, some of the complaints some Ambleside users have said is that it seems to talk down to the child. There are some valid points to that like imagine you are on a magic carpet. This is where distinguishing from fact and fiction can confuse a child.

 

On the other hand, a lot of ancient history is based upon myths and legends. You cannot ignore it. The Odyssey and the Iliad are stories that you cannot distinguish between fact and fiction.

 

Personally, I do not see a problem with any of it. Let's face, children are human beings and it is human beings that wrote history and myths. In the end, the child will figure it out. We did.

 

Blessings,

Karen

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Mom in High Heels]

What an....interesting discussion? It went way off what I thought it was going to be. We've been using SOTW and for lower grades, I think it's fine. It's very elementary, but for 1-4, I think it's fine. Indy really enjoys the way it's written. I have found a few minor inaccuracies , but I can correct those as I read. I don't think there SHOULD be inaccuracies in a text book, but there you have it. I can't think of any off the top of my head, but I know I've run across them. I think it oversimplifies a lot of things (the story or Justinian and Theodora is one I can think of off the top of my head), but for the lower grades, I can forgive that. I'd not use it above 4th grade.

[nono]

It's very elementary

 

:iagree:

Only in SOTW 1, but I have found it to be perfectly suited for my pre-Ker (who insists on doing school) and my 1st grader. We've just moved up to 2 chapters per week, but are dumpiing most of the activities at this point, because my kids just like listening to the stories and doing the coloring pages. And I end up doing the activities... :001_rolleyes:

 

I've decided to save the majority of the activities for the second go-round. Honestly, though, I can't imagine using SOTW 1 a second time through. It's extremely young, imho, which is why we're doing so much more of it right now. Fits great now -- can't see it as a spine the second time through. But that's OK, I'll have the activity guide to use then with something more cut-and-dried. But my kids love non-fiction already as much as fiction, so that colors my thinking.

Edited October 26, 2010 by nono

[sagira]

I love SOTW so far (we're on 2 now, having completed 1 last year). The magic carpet ride aspect is wonderful IMO. It makes children visualize, imagine.. My ds, like me, is a very imaginative person. It helps transport the child back in time. We're following the CM method, and I think Charlotte Mason would have loved SOTW too. I read her books.

 

I find it interesting that some have thought the language was dumbed down. Last year my ds couldn't read it on his own and this year he's following along, at 7, but I explain some of the vocabulary to him. It has to be accessible to young children. It speaks of higher concepts and interesting happenings in history, and making something accessible to children without dumbing it down is an art that I believe SWB had mastered.

 

History is ds' favorite subject, and he still does have to make an effort to understand, to remember, and to organize the information.

 

Growing up, I'm thankful to have received a broad education, including Religion class in elementary as well as middle school, a little about each of the major world religions. In high school we reviewed these in history.

[vonfirmath]

We tried it 4 times, with 7 kids. The kids couldn't recall anything and felt it jumped around too much.

 

This is what my sister has discovered. After 4 years of using SOTW with the oldest, and the others were "around" -- the kids just were not retaining.

[kalphs]

My seven year olds really like SOTW and so do I. Yes, it's sometimes not made clear that a myth is being discussed vs. reality. I make a point of saying, "this is just a great story -- it's not real" when we hit a myth.

 

 

I think anytime you can make history more interesting to kids -- more power to you. The text books I grew up reading were major league snoozers.

 

SWB keeps us interested. I try to do a chapter a week and the boys beg me to continue and not stop.

 

Alley

:iagree:

[Mercy_Me]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I purchased all that is needed to do volume one. Thanks so much to the person that posted the link to the notebooking pages today, too! :001_smile:

[Omma]

My dc are in 5th and 3rd and we are into SOTW 2 this year. We are all really enjoying it, especially since I kind of skipped this era of history my first time through. The dc dressed up as Celtic warriors today and made shields and axes and swords out of cardboard. Then they wore blue bathrobes in honor of the Celts wearing blue body paint to look fierce against their enemies! :lol: Then they told me how much they are enjoying history this year! :D We are also using TOG, BTW, but last year I resorted to using the BJU 4th grade Heritage Studies and it was just not as much fun (we also a lot of TOG Y1 last year, too, with SOTW 1... ).

 

The first go-around with history we did SL Core K and Core 1 and MOH 1, and then skipped over the Middle Ages to study American History with MFW Adventures and WP AS 1 and II. And yes, I have been all over the place with history, but we have all learned SO MUCH and had so much fun in the process!

 

Personally, I would agree that SOTW seems perfect for about 2nd - 6th grade or so! I am glad that we did not tackle Nero any earlier than we did, for the sake of my dd (who is the youngest... and I do agree that my ds can handle all the war and persecution topics much easier than my dd could at the same age). I debated whether to use MOH 2 instead of SOTW 2, but my dc really like the maps and coloring pages that are included in the activity book for SOTW.

 

Brenda

[Mercy_Me]

My dc are in 5th and 3rd and we are into SOTW 2 this year. We are all really enjoying it, especially since I kind of skipped this era of history my first time through. The dc dressed up as Celtic warriors today and made shields and axes and swords out of cardboard. Then they wore blue bathrobes in honor of the Celts wearing blue body paint to look fierce against their enemies! :lol: Then they told me how much they are enjoying history this year! :D We are also using TOG, BTW, but last year I resorted to using the BJU 4th grade Heritage Studies and it was just not as much fun (we also a lot of TOG Y1 last year, too, with SOTW 1... ).

 

The first go-around with history we did SL Core K and Core 1 and MOH 1, and then skipped over the Middle Ages to study American History with MFW Adventures and WP AS 1 and II. And yes, I have been all over the place with history, but we have all learned SO MUCH and had so much fun in the process!

 

Personally, I would agree that SOTW seems perfect for about 2nd - 6th grade or so! I am glad that we did not tackle Nero any earlier than we did, for the sake of my dd (who is the youngest... and I do agree that my ds can handle all the war and persecution topics much easier than my dd could at the same age). I debated whether to use MOH 2 instead of SOTW 2, but my dc really like the maps and coloring pages that are included in the activity book for SOTW.

 

Brenda

 

I LOVE this reply. It makes my heart happy to see children getting such enjoyment from history! We're doing a cursory look at The Big Bang, Evolution, first life on earth, etc. before we dig deeper into human history. I hope we have as much fun as you guys do!! :001_smile: