Which history rotation should I begin with?

[Erika in TX]

Next year I'll have an 8th, 4th, 1st, and terror..er...toddler. We have used FIAR, BYFIAR, and unit studies thus far. After many attempts to figure out everyones rotations through 2028 (the year the youngest graduates:D) I'm still trying to come up with the best choice. If I start with modern history then the 2 oldest will be right on target, yet the youngers will be off. Conversely, if I start in Ancients, then the older 2 will be off...:confused:

[Tohru]

I'd start with Modern because then you can continue the WTM track as it's laid out, however on the other hand, Ancients because then the flow and building upon previous events makes more sense.

 

That probably wasn't any help.

[mom31257]

If you really want to keep them together, then I think I would do Modern, because that would put the 8th grader and 4th grader ready for the 4 year cycle the next year.

 

It's hard to know what you will want to do when those younger ones get on up in age. You don't know what their learning styles will be, what your life will be like then, etc. Now you know more about the older ones and what they need.

 

My decisions have been based on my older one. I found out about TWTM when dd was finishing 5th grade. We did a 2 year overview of world history and 1 year of American in middle school in order for her to be ready for a 4 year cycle in high school. I've done the same topics with my younger, so he's starting the 4 year cycle in 3rd grade. I will either stretch the 4 year into 5 by studying more American history and add a year of geography in middle school, or just do the 4 and add a year of American and a year of geography before high school. He can start a 4 year rotation then.

 

There are ways to make it work, but you might not figure out the best way with those younger ones until you get up there, KWIM?

Edited April 29, 2011 by mom31257

[joysworld]

I would say to do modern, so that your oldest are on track. Your younger ones are still young, and they are not going to get as much out of the cycles, just yet. I'm going to have the same issue in a few years. Next year I will have a 1st, and a K. I'm starting them in ancients. When my third starts K, we will be in the third year of history. I figured that I'm just going to start the youngest in where the older two are at.

[Aurelia]

Which time period are your kids interested in? They'll retain more if you find something that piques their interest.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Just to throw a monkey wrench in things...

 

Why not do one year of US history, that way the olders start fresh with the cycle the following year, and you can find a lot of age appropriate resources for the youngest?

[Mallory]

I wouldn't start with modern. Starting at the civil war is a strange spot to jump into chronolgical history. ;)

 

This would be my four picks- in no particular order (although the last is probably my favorite:D)

 

Do a whole year of U.S history.

 

Do a year of geography.

 

Start a 4 year cycle and have time at the end for a focus on government or economics.

 

Just plan on taking 5 years for the whole cycle. So start with ancients and just keep working. You'll have plenty of give for the parts that really interest you. :)

[Gailmegan]

How are your older two with reading skills? I am off-cycle with my oldest and on-cycle with my middle. The oldest struggles the most with reading, so he will hit Great Books with Ancient and Medieval when he's in 11th and 12th, when he shouldn't struggle with them as much. Middle is a stronger reader, so he can probably handle those tough books when he's in 9th and 10th. When I was trying to figure out where to start in our rotation, I seriously took that into consideration.

 

I like the PP suggestion of starting in ancients and then doing a year of government or econ in 12th.

[Erika in TX]

Thank you ladies!

 

I'm not proficient in multi-quoting so I'll try to address the comments as best as I can.

 

My 8th dd is a string reader. She's had very little grammar yet writes fairly well. I plan to make this a focus this year.

 

My 4th dd is just now getting the hang of reading. She started her first chapter book this week! I would have no problem just letting her "float" with whatever this year as she continues to develop her reading and writing. I plan on using WWE2 and FLL2 with her.

 

My 1st ds is doing very well with reading! He is a sponge and soaks up anything placed before him.

 

Right now the younger 2 are interested in Egypt/Mummies. We've read a few books on them and watched some NatGeo shows as well.

 

I suppose that I could continue the 4th and 1st in FIAR and do geography with the oldest...

or do FIAR with the 4th and 1st and do Modern with just the oldest...

 

Any more suggestions?

[MyLittleBears]

If you like unit studies, perhaps you may like MFW. They do thier rotation in five years but I know the modern years have extention packages for the youngers. Just a thought. I would keep the cycle your olders are on since the younger ones will cover the same periods the next time around. I see you've been homeschooling a long time. I feel like a novice giving you advice! lol

[Amie]

If your oldest hasn't had a chance to do a chronological study of history yet, then I would begin that right away instead of spending time on random "chunks" of history. Now if we were just talking about your younger ones, then I'd say, sure go ahead and spend a year on American history intro., or biographies, or geography, etc. However, with your oldest I would go ahead and get a chronological cycle under her belt and then use any remaining time she has before graduating to study a particular "chunk" of history if she wants. I think she will get way more out of that "chunk" on the back end of a cycle than on the front end, if that makes sense. You are at a more crucial time in her education; the younger ones still have plenty of time.

 

So my two suggestions would be these:

 

1-Begin a four-year cycle now and give your oldest the 12th-grade year to do one of the following: go back and revisit ancients on an advanced level (lots of advanced books to read from this time period!), go more in depth with modern history (so much to read!), spend time on government/economics, read original sources from her favorite period in history (which she will have discovered in doing a complete cycle), or whatever. This option will also keep your younger ones on the WTM schedule, if you hope to follow that.

 

2-Begin your study of chronological history at the beginning and plan to spend five years on one cycle. There is plenty to spread out over five years. You could spend more time on American history, geography, or whatever they get interested in enough to park on for a while.

[Erika in TX]

:iagree:

 

Just what I needed to hear. Logical and simple. :001_smile:

 

"I see you've been homeschooling a long time. I feel like a novice giving you advice!"

 

Believe me, you never stop needing advice. :D I just told a friend this morning that I'll probably figure out this homeschooling thing just in time to tell my dc how they should be doing it! :lol:

 

Thank you all sooo much!