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I'm considering skipping SOTW 2 and 3 and doing 4


Shasta Mom
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this coming year for my 4th grade son. He asks a lot of more recent history questions. I know SWB recommends staying in order, but after doing SOTW 1 this year, I'm observing that he rememebers just general principles, and not much detail at this age. In hindsight, what do I remember from elementary school history. Any thoughts?

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I would probably stay in order because I think SOTW is a little more geared towards a 4th grade student in terms of the both the amount and intensity of the new information. However, there is nothing wrong with skipping those years if you feel like it would be best. I really enjoyed SOTW 2 & 3, though! For me, the first time through, it is not so much about retention of all the details, but of getting a big picture overview and to develop a love and interest in history. I feel that SOTW really did that for my kids.

 

Edited to add that I just noticed that you said your son is 4th grade, I just looked and saw that he was 8, so I assumed he was 2nd grade. I still think it would be good to go through them all.

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I haven't actually seen 4, and I don't know how much other history he has, so take this with a grain of salt.

 

I would think that some of 4 needs the background in 3 to understand (but then my kids have very little american history).

 

I would do 2 as a read through this summer, either alone or together. A chapter a day would be about 2 months. Then do similar with 3, but probably slowing a bit more for the U.S. Chapters. You could be ready for 4 by September, and probably even borrow someones copy for the couple months you would need it.

 

On the other hand, if you really want to do 4, go for it!

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I'm not sure they build on each other neccessarily.

 

I'm going to say something different than the other two. SOTW 4 is recommended for 4th grade, so I would go ahead and do 4 next year when he's in the 4th grade. It seemed just right for my dd when she was in 4th. They do summaries and things in 4th that may be good for him.

 

We had already spent 2 years in SOTW 1. There was so much to learn about and delve into that we couldn't help ourselves! :) Then, because dd was going into 4th grade, we went to Vol. 4. It was a good move for us, she had absolutely no problems with it. Then she was on the rotation suggested, and we did a bit more Ancient, just as a review, then went into Vol. 2.

 

Just an experience of someone who HAS done that....

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I can see jumping to SOTW 4, but one other thought for you would be (I've done years 1,2 and 3 and my 4th grader is going on SOTW 4 next year), of all of the SOTW books, I would say we loved year 1 and 2 the best so I would hate to have you miss that continuation from year one. You might already know too that SOTW 4 does not have coloring sheets, and that will be an adjustment for us as my boys loved the coloring sheets (though they would never color any other type of coloring book!).

 

Blessings on your decision.

 

Angie (home4fun)

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Having said that, SOTW4 is written in a slightly less evocative way than the others--by design, I think.

 

It might not pull your DS in to the extent that the other ones do.

 

Also, just FYI, the modern period is one that has a lot of ancillary materials. I found that as I went along through SOTW2 and 3 with DD, we just naturally talked about and read some books that took place during the modern period. This was helpful in that by the time we got to SOTW4, she was already pretty familiar with some aspects of it; but it was then good to be able to refer to these 'pegs' as we went along. Also, it is speeding us through the SOTW4 because otherwise we would have slowed down for more resources.

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