Level of rigor - MFW vs TOG

[Roxy Roller]

I am currently using TOG Year 1 with my DC(see ages in my signature). We love it. My only problem is that I am not sure that I can see myself using the program as it is intended for high school. I am feeling like we are learning lots this year, but I find that I am really only using TOG as a book list and I tend to do maps and notebook pages with the kids, with a few projects thrown in here and there. It feels like a really expensive book list. I can see the benefits paying off if I was to do the cycle again in high school(and I am being educated now), but I don't think that I am leaning towards that level of rigor in my history/lit studies. My children all seem to be a little more math/science inclined. I still want the basic components of TOG, but maybe in a little lighter program. Is this MFW? I would be moving into RtoR with them next year and would continue the cycle and finish it when my oldest is in 9th Grade. My oldest would go to the 2 year high school world history program with MFW and then I would cover Canadian history in 12th Grade.

 

I would really like to find a program and stick with it, if that is even possible. :tongue_smilie:

[speedmom4]

This year is our first year doing MFW. My daughter is using the Ancients program. I have been very happy with it. I haven't used TOG at the high school level so I can't compare based on personal experience. But, my opinion is that it would be less intense than TOG.

 

Up until this year we have mostly used Sonlight. I did love Sonlight but there is just lots of reading without a lot of scheduled output. MFW is great about scheduling quizzes, map activities, papers, and timeline. My daughter sometimes feels the map activities and the timeline are babyish but I insist she do them anyway.

 

My daughter is not math or science inclined but she is heavily focused on music, specifically piano. This is the field she really wants to study in college. I'm happy that MFW is not so intense that it makes that difficult. I also am very happy with the seamless incorporation of Bible into history. I always felt before with Sonlight that it was a bit disjointed in places.

 

HTH!

 

God Bless,

[LatinTea]

One thing you might want to consider is in regards to the 4 year plan of MFW for high school. Because you are going to do Canadian history for 12th, some of the world history in depth may be missed. This is done during MFW's American history 4th year. I was told that MFW focuses more on Modern World history along with American history in 12th grade.

 

I had inquired about this because I am a bit concerned about the depth of WHL in matters of world history (and their British lit offerings). I am using AHL right now and am undecided about continuing with their next year. I am also a longtime Sonlight user and my son has done Core 300. Doing one whole year of 20th century made me realize that it is a BIG topic. It is completed in only 10 weeks time in WHL. And they only take ONE week to do both World War I and II, something that really requires more time, in my humble opinion. :001_smile:

Edited November 5, 2010 by LatinTea

[Julie in MN]

One thing you might want to consider is in regards to the 4 year plan of MFW for high school. Because you are going to do Canadian history for 12th, some of the world history in depth may be missed. This is done during MFW's American history 4th year. I was told that MFW focuses more on Modern World history along with American history in 12th grade.

 

I had inquired about this because I am a bit concerned about the depth of WHL in matters of world history (and their British lit offerings). I am using AHL right now and am undecided about continuing with their next year. I am also a longtime Sonlight user and my son has done Core 300. Doing one whole year of 20th century made me realize that it is a BIG topic. It is completed in only 10 weeks time in WHL. And they only take ONE week to do both World War I and II, something that really requires more time, in my humble opinion. :001_smile:

 

We're also doing AHL, but based on having done the previous MFW cycle, I had just sort-of assumed that WHL will focus on middle history (Rome and the time of the New Testament, early Christian history, up through the Renaissance & Reformation) plus international history, with literature from several places in the world. Since most of two years' study will be on American history, economics, & gov, I assumed that that time period would include most of modern history (America being a fairly recent piece of world history).

 

Interesting question, though. I've never thought to ask. I just trust that the Hazells are very international type folks who don't hyperfocus on the USA :) I know in their previous history cycle, we focused way less on the USA than Sonlight does, so separate years on church history, on the Eastern Hemisphere, or 20th century were simply not needed...

 

I'll be interested to find out "the end of the story," though.

Julie

[Roxy Roller]

One thing you might want to consider is in regards to the 4 year plan of MFW for high school. Because you are going to do Canadian history for 12th, some of the world history in depth may be missed. This is done during MFW's American history 4th year. I was told that MFW focuses more on Modern World history along with American history in 12th grade.

 

I had inquired about this because I am a bit concerned about the depth of WHL in matters of world history (and their British lit offerings). I am using AHL right now and am undecided about continuing with their next year. I am also a longtime Sonlight user and my son has done Core 300. Doing one whole year of 20th century made me realize that it is a BIG topic. It is completed in only 10 weeks time in WHL. And they only take ONE week to do both World War I and II, something that really requires more time, in my humble opinion. :001_smile:

 

I guess I was thinking in terms of just doing AHL and WHL(which I thought went up to current times), then I would take 12th Grade to do Canadian History, which would cover back from the 1800's up to current times, including World War I and II again.

 

Or, in high school I might switch to Diana Warings three year cycle, adding Canadian history along the way, although that would take a lot of planning. I don't know. At least I have a few years to plan that.

[LatinTea]

Yes, WHL does go up through modern times, just not in depth like some would want. They use the Notgrass book and that, of course, has a lot to cover in a book with a large font. Don't get me wrong, my eyes love the font, but their American history book has a smaller font and there is just way more in there due to that fact alone. But then again, MFW doesn't use that part of Notgrass.

 

In addition, what the second part of MFW American history covers was discussed in this thread: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219040&highlight=whl+modern

 

One thing I keep forgetting is that those 'years' are actually ONE year total for the history portion with ONE year for government and economics. Not sure how that plays into this conversation, but I just needed to remind myself on that point! :D

 

Interesting, Julie, since I did not do MFW all these years (and really do wish I had!), I had never thought about the separate years that SL does for those parts of history you mentioned. History is great and all, but like I have said on the SL forums, there is only so much time in the day and history just shouldn't gobble it all up. :)