bugs Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 This year my 9th grade dd tried using the Notgrass Government. It was very difficult for her to comprehend; I am guessing more from her maturity level than anything else because she had difficutly staying focused. Anyway, I am considering having her work through Notgrass American History next year. How do the two texts compare on "excitement" level (for lack of a better phrase)? If she had difficulty with Gov't this year might she have difficulty with American History next year? Should I have her take World History (probably WH the Human Odyssey) for 10th & 11 grade then American in 12th? Any thoughts would be apprciciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) We've only used the Notgrass American History, so I can't do a direct comparison -- however you can read sample chapters from all of the Notgrass programs to help you get a feel for how engaging/exciting each is. I would like to make a general observation (and in no way trying to fault you for doing Government early!): most high school students do Government in 12th grade for a reason -- it is covering somewhat abstract concepts that are more easily tackled/undersood by an older student who has had: - both the history background to see/apply historical events to how the different forms of government actually played out - time for the logic/abstract thinking portions of the brain to mature to better grasp the "blueprint" of how our government is structured - time for the logic/abstract thinking portions of the brain to mature to better grasp the different philosophies and worldview implications of different forms of government I note that the Notgrass Government program has a primary source document volume, and all of the selections are governmental documents, speeches, or essays about government, and there are no companion literature works -- not the most exciting reading, especially for a young high school student! ;) The usual progression for Social Studies in high school is: grade 9 or 10 = World History (general exposure = broad view of big/visual/exciting events and people around the world, and over time) grade 10 or 11 = American History (detailed exposure = going deeper into one specific nation over a short period of time to see motivations, connections, consequences, movements, etc.) grade 11 or 12 = Government ("blueprint" or engineering = the philosophy and worldview behind various forms of government; and the specific structure, laws, and checks & balances of the U.S. form of government) My understanding of the 3 Notgrass Social Studies programs is that they are geared to fit the above progression; so: - World History = for grades 9+ - American History = for grades 10+ - Government = for grades 11 or 12 Specifically re: doing Notgrass American History before the World History -- you may find the World History too simple and not in-depth enough after doing the Notgrass American History. We opted not to do the Notgrass World History, as it was covering too much history (6000 years of history) in too general of a fashion (30 weeks doesn't allow for much detail) than what we wanted to do. Below are more details about the Notgrass American History program. BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Warmest regards, Lori D. Notgrass Amer. Hist. unit 4 sample pages Notgrass Amer. Hist. unit 19 sample pages Literature reading includes: - 3 autobiographies (David Crockett; Frederick Douglass; Up From Slavery) - 5 high school classic works of literature (Scarlet Letter; Uncle Tom's Cabin; Little Women; Humorous Stories & Sketches; To Kill a Mockingbird) - 1 junior high school classic work of literature (The Giver) - 1 inspirational work (In His Steps) - 3 historical fiction works (Co. Aytch; Mama's Bank Account; Christy) About half are written with either accent or vocabulary/sentence structure that will require a bit of work while reading. While all are worthwhile works, to be honest, I would personally call only 4 of the works "exciting" or engaging. As a result, we used and really enjoyed the Notgrass American History, but made our own American Lit. to go with it, using very different books than the lit. selections in the Notgrass. Notgrass Amer. Hist. Primary Source Document volume readings include: - various governmental documents (Mayflower Compact; several early state constitutions plans, declarations, Federalist papers, Supreme Court case decisions, etc.) - famous declarations, speeches, proclamations, farewell addresses, etc. by famous people - poems written at the time - hymns written at the time - a few short stories We read about 70% of the material included in the primary source document volume; about half is governmental type documents and speeches, similar to the Notgrass Government primary source document selections. Edited January 24, 2011 by Lori D. added info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 I would like to make a general observation (and in no way trying to fault you for doing Government early!): most high school students do Government in 12th grade for a reason -- it is covering somewhat abstract concepts that are more easily tackled/undersood by an older student who has had: - both the history background to see/apply historical events to how the different forms of government actually played out - time for the logic/abstract thinking portions of the brain to mature to better grasp the "blueprint" of how our government is structured - time for the logic/abstract thinking portions of the brain to mature to better grasp the different philosophies and worldview implications of different forms of government . Yes, I should have understood the rationale to this sequence before. Alas, my poor 1st child and all the "experiments" I've subjected her to. I note that the Notgrass Government program has a primary source document volume, and all of the selections are governmental documents, speeches, or essays about government, and there are no companion literature works -- not the most exciting reading, especially for a young high school student! ;) . ( Sometimes tough even for a mom who finds politics interesting!) Specifically re: doing Notgrass American History before the World History -- you may find the World History too simple and not in-depth enough after doing the Notgrass American History. We opted not to do the Notgrass World History, as it was covering too much history (6000 years of history) in too general of a fashion (30 weeks doesn't allow for much detail) than what we wanted to do. Below are more details about the Notgrass American History program. BEST of luck, whatever you decide! Warmest regards, Lori D.. Because of this I am swaying toward Spievogel's Human Odyssey for 10th and 11th grades. About half are written with either accent or vocabulary/sentence structure that will require a bit of work while reading. While all are worthwhile works, to be honest, I would personally call only 4 of the works "exciting" or engaging. As a result, we used and really enjoyed the Notgrass American History, but made our own American Lit. to go with it, using very different books than the lit. selections in the Notgrass. I appreciate the thread where you listed these. I made a copy for later :D. Notgrass Amer. Hist. Primary Source Document volume readings include: - various governmental documents (Mayflower Compact; several early state constitutions plans, declarations, Federalist papers, Supreme Court case decisions, etc.) - famous declarations, speeches, proclamations, farewell addresses, etc. by famous people We read about 70% of the material included in the primary source document volume; about half is governmental type documents and speeches, similar to the Notgrass Government primary source document selections. Maybe this then would be too early on the heels of the American Govt class. Thank you Lori D. for your time and insights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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