cara Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 We've been doing SOTW in connection with History Odyssey. DS can't stand it. He complains it's boring and not challenging. So now I don't know what to do, but I'm not up for the fight for the rest of the year. So what do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Which SOTW book are you in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cara Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 We are in book 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I don't have a good answer for you. My standard recommendation for middle grades history is K12's Human Odyssey series. I recently moved away from SOTW3 and into K12's History 4 (1600s-present) which so far has been a huge hit. I wouldn't say it's overly challenging, but we're enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I don't have a good answer for you. My standard recommendation for middle grades history is K12's Human Odyssey series. I recently moved away from SOTW3 and into K12's History 4 (1600s-present) which so far has been a huge hit. I wouldn't say it's overly challenging, but we're enjoying it. I'm starting next year & can't decide between K12 and Oxford World in Ancient Times. Are you just using the K12 text or are you using their teaching? I'm trying to wait until the Oxford books drop in price or until the convention to look at K12, but my amazon cart is tempting me.... I think both may be overkill... but I may try it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2smartones Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 We're using Mystery of History. We like the flexibility of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thowell Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 We will be using Diana Waring's Ancient Civilizations and the Bible.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvenice Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 American History...Trailguide to Learning World History...SOTW with some Veritas Press Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm starting next year & can't decide between K12 and Oxford World in Ancient Times. Are you just using the K12 text or are you using their teaching? I'm trying to wait until the Oxford books drop in price or until the convention to look at K12, but my amazon cart is tempting me.... I think both may be overkill... but I may try it anyway. When I used it with my older son, we just used the text. I might use the course with the younger one, when we get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I don't have a good answer for you. My standard recommendation for middle grades history is K12's Human Odyssey series. I recently moved away from SOTW3 and into K12's History 4 (1600s-present) which so far has been a huge hit. I wouldn't say it's overly challenging, but we're enjoying it. Eek! Are there different editions of the K12? I just bought Volume 2: 1400-1914 and then Volume 3: Our Modern World...did I buy the wrong ones? They haven't arrived yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chai Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Does he like reading? We just add in LOTS of books for each subject using SOTW as a guide. SOTW has good projects, but you could find other project books if you want them. Lapbooks are another idea--Hands of a Child has some that fit with history topics. There are also lots of great history websites. The BBC website is fantastic. I don't think that history needs to have a lot of busywork; we've never done tests or worksheets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cara Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 He hates reading. I'm going to ditch SOTW, and do something else. Right now we are going to focus on geography until I figure it all out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 There are three volumes of the Human Odyssey series. The one you're missing is Volume 1: Prehistory Through the Middle Ages. K12's History 4 is equivalent to SOTW 3-4. It's their 4th grade history course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 My first step would be to have him clarify "boring and not challenging". What *exactly* does he mean by that, and how could we make it more "challenging"? And, of course, give him the opportunity to correct himself if he didn't really mean "boring and not challenging" but instead meant, "I don't like reading and would rather do something that's mostly hands-on". Depending on the answers, I would try to find some compromise. It could mean some totally different approach, or it could mean switching to listening to SOTW on CD and adding in more hands-on projects an field trips to help the era come alive. ... If what he really means is "not challenging enough", I'd be adding in more reading, more writing, and more thoughtful questions, perhaps pulling in ideas from the logic-stage WTM chapters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I use lots of living books and add in DVDs and activities. I use a book as a spine to organize how we proceed chronologically through history. My boys love it. For instance, today they watched a DVD on the Sphinx and finished a paper mache mummy case. I read lots of books on the historical period to them from our local library too. Here is an example of what we did for ancient Mesopotamia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 MFW ECC and then on to CtG. We are loving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 He hates reading. I'm going to ditch SOTW, and do something else. Right now we are going to focus on geography until I figure it all out. I still read SOTW out loud to my now nine-year old and he likes that. If he had to read it himself he would be very fatigued from it after a while and I'm sure would balk. I use the SOTW tests also but use them as worksheets and have him use the book to find answers he can't remember. This way he does reinforce some of it by reading it when looking for answers. On rare occasion I print out some extra sheets from enchanted learning to work on. My ds is a bit of a history-nerd in the making though, and he gets it honest. The computer games Civilization and Age of Empires both have scenarios of famous battles and ds LOVES it when we hit those in history and he talks about them and likes to show them to me after schoolwork is done. Today we will visit several American Revolution battles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaMa2005 Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 We use SOTW with the CDs so DS can just follow along. He doesn't hate it, but doesn't love it either. The compromise we have come to is that SOTW gets done by Christmas (usually 2 chapters a week). Then, in January, we do something else that DS thinks is fun for the rest of the school year. Right now we are doing geography and he is having a blast. And to top it all off, he said just the other day that SOTW wasn't TOOOOO bad because he knew geography was always on the horizon!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cara Posted January 20, 2011 Author Share Posted January 20, 2011 I tried the CD's with him following along, I was reading it to him up until that point. He doesn't like it and is shutting down, he does this, he did this with math and grammar until we found programs that work for him. It's take us 2 years to get through half of SOTW 2, because we take breaks and go back to it. I've tried adding more projects, coloring pages, and the CD's. He hates it. So it's unfair, to keep pushing this for history if it isn't working. I'm going to ditch SOTW, for now. Maybe revisit when he's a bit older and can handle the reading. We're going to focus on geography for the rest of the year. I'm working on a plan for American History that will contain some reading (living books, the History of Us) and hands on projects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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