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Does anyone use SL just for read alouds and not for a curriculum?


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This is how I envision using it (most of the books anyway). I LOVE their selections and think they are great books, but I want to do the lower cores just as read alouds. I was thinking that I could supplement whatever history time period I am doing with SL books from that time period. I have heard that the IG doesn't offer much in the way of a curriculum (mostly just a list of when to read things). I was just wondering if anyone else did SL this way?

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This is how I envision using it (most of the books anyway). I LOVE their selections and think they are great books, but I want to do the lower cores just as read alouds. I was thinking that I could supplement whatever history time period I am doing with SL books from that time period. I have heard that the IG doesn't offer much in the way of a curriculum (mostly just a list of when to read things). I was just wondering if anyone else did SL this way?

 

Well the IG certainly offers a lot in the way of curriculum IMO. I dont find it useful personally but it is a whole lot of information. At least ten lbs worth.

 

Certainly. I think you can use the read a louds to supplement your history studies very successfully.

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That's how we have done 3/4, 4/5, and K. Someone just gave me the IG for 1st, and as much as I appreciate it, after looking through it, I see us doing 1st the same way. I do like the discussion questions in the 1st IG, though.

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So far, I've bought almost all of the books for 3/4 and some for 4/5, separately and almost all used, without buying the IG. We are undecided if our boys will attend a school or not, but if they do I'll probably use many of those books (and recommendations from TOG) as home read alouds to accompany what they're learning in school.

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This is what we are doing. We are using SOTW 1 next year and I bought all the SL books for Ancients for the grammar stage (there is a list online that groups SL books in the 4 yr history schedule) and then we are reading other SL books as read alouds. In addition, I bought all the Sonlight 2 readers for this year. We actually just got home from the library a few minutes ago, and in hand was the Sonlight pk4/5 and K book lists that we are working of off. :)

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This is what we are doing. We are using SOTW 1 next year and I bought all the SL books for Ancients for the grammar stage (there is a list online that groups SL books in the 4 yr history schedule) and then we are reading other SL books as read alouds. In addition, I bought all the Sonlight 2 readers for this year. We actually just got home from the library a few minutes ago, and in hand was the Sonlight pk4/5 and K book lists that we are working of off. :)

 

I would love to have a link to that online list for SL books!

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Here ya go :001_smile:

 

That is fantastic!

 

We have done the full cores so far (through core 3), but we're next year going to just use the books and not the IG. I have used the IG less and less, and this year the cost is just prohibitive for what is offered for our family.

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The first year we did SL, I used the IG for about 2 weeks. After that, it just sat there. So, we basically use SL read-alouds, readers and the history read-alouds on our own. This year, I sat down with every book title and sequenced them chronologically, read reviews on each book and added some project ideas on my own. We're doing Core 3 (or core D or whatever it is) and the book selection is awesome.

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Last year we did core k. I used the ig for a few weeks then I found myself just pulling out the books needed for the week and reading them however we wanted. Next year we are going to use MFW Adventures and add in books from core 3 to beef it up for my 3rd grader:)

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We have done SL that way. I pick books from their picks that go along with the time period we are studying, and I add in SOTW for a spine to keep us on track. I deviated this year to TOG and NO ONE was happy. We are going back to that kind of history this fall.

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I am planning on doing the read alouds for Sonlight K this year with my 5.5dd. I would actually love to find an IG for cheap, because it would be great to have the questions for the read alouds. I have decided Sonlight isn't for us, but I do love their read aloud selections and I have already started to buy them so that we can start in July.

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We have done SL that way. I pick books from their picks that go along with the time period we are studying, and I add in SOTW for a spine to keep us on track.

 

This is what we've done, too.

 

I wanted to like the SL IGs, but they just seemed to suck the joy out of reading, rather than making it more meaningful as I'd hoped.

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This is what we are doing. We are using SOTW 1 next year and I bought all the SL books for Ancients for the grammar stage (there is a list online that groups SL books in the 4 yr history schedule) and then we are reading other SL books as read alouds. In addition, I bought all the Sonlight 2 readers for this year. We actually just got home from the library a few minutes ago, and in hand was the Sonlight pk4/5 and K book lists that we are working of off. :)

 

Sounds Divine! I may do this with my youngest. My oldest will be in Omnibus, so we are going through a bit of a transition into more independent schedules. I love, love the SL reader lists, just never felt called to "do" SL. Thanks for the idea!:001_smile:

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Just to annoy everybody here by recommending you pay for something:

 

I've finally decided to take the plunge and buy Nothing New Press's All Through the Ages, by Christine Miller. She took the booklists from Sonlight, among several other highly reputed homeschooling companies (such as Veritas Press and Beautiful Feet Books), and segregated them out by time period and location covered. (There's a historical timeline and a geography section.) The resultant bibliography is somewhat annotated, and is definitely segregated by preferred age of the reader. And hey, the e-book price is only $20.00 for the .pdf format, and it looks like it should transfer to Kindle fairly well. (There are no tables in the free samples, anyhow.)

 

[To talk about myself, so you know that I'm not just an advertisement shill: I have been using the Sonlight IGs--I did Core 1 (B) last year and am doing 2 © this coming year. However, as my .sig indicates, I'm currently planning to switch to Biblioplan after that to provide my weekly dose of accountability. Since the main weakness of Biblioplan seems to be its limited (if good) selection of literature, some of which can be hard to find, I figured I'd supplement it with recommendations from All Through the Ages.]

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The first year we did SL, I used the IG for about 2 weeks. After that, it just sat there. So, we basically use SL read-alouds, readers and the history read-alouds on our own. This year, I sat down with every book title and sequenced them chronologically, read reviews on each book and added some project ideas on my own. We're doing Core 3 (or core D or whatever it is) and the book selection is awesome.

 

How in the world did you figure out how to sequence them chronologically? I think that is a great idea but wouldn't have a clue HOW to go about it. :001_smile:

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I've been using SL books to supplement our study of American history. We use another main curriculum (Heart of Dakota Bigger), but when it has reading time scheduled, I bring in some SL books like Squanto, Matchlock Gun, Johnny Tremain, Courage of SN, etc. Most of the books I bought here on the Sale board, used but still in good condition!

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How in the world did you figure out how to sequence them chronologically? I think that is a great idea but wouldn't have a clue HOW to go about it. :001_smile:

 

I do this to go with TOG. It's actually quite easy, many books list a date on the back or in the first few pages of the story, otherwise if you do a quick google search you can get a good idea for most.

 

I have paid all my dues to SL already.

Edited by melmichigan
spelling
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I'm kinda confused? The books Sonlight uses do not belong to them in any way, they are just quality childrens books. Of course you can look at their website for read aloud ideas, and then just buy them or get them from you library. I always find it funny if I hear someone say they are doing Sonlight without the IG.;) Really they are just reading good childrens books then right?

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How in the world did you figure out how to sequence them chronologically? I think that is a great idea but wouldn't have a clue HOW to go about it. :001_smile:

 

http://homescool-ed.blogspot.com/2007/04/sonlight-books-arranged-by-well-trained.html

 

This is a list of SL books organized chronologically (and by WTM levels).

 

ETA: Oops! Just saw that someone else posted this link earlier in the thread. But since the question above came after that, I guess it's fine. ;)

Edited by Maverick_Mom
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I always find it funny if I hear someone say they are doing Sonlight without the IG.;) Really they are just reading good childrens books then right?

 

Well, yeah. ;) But I think the point is that there's something about *SL* selecting the books and endorsing them that makes us think of them as "SL books."

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Well, in the cores you are looking at, that is essentially what SL is :). Great read alouds, shared together and discussed. The kidlings love it!

 

You know, I think that was our problem. We did Core 3 and loved it. But when we got to Core 6 (or whatever it's called now), it was quite different. I think it was the difference in expectations according to the ages using it.

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I'm currently planning to switch to Biblioplan after that to provide my weekly dose of accountability. Since the main weakness of Biblioplan seems to be its limited (if good) selection of literature, some of which can be hard to find, I figured I'd supplement it with recommendations from All Through the Ages.]

 

This is what we did with Biblioplan (ancients), and it was one of our best school years ever. :)

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I'm kinda confused? The books Sonlight uses do not belong to them in any way, they are just quality childrens books. Of course you can look at their website for read aloud ideas, and then just buy them or get them from you library. I always find it funny if I hear someone say they are doing Sonlight without the IG.;) Really they are just reading good childrens books then right?

 

I buy a lot from their website, I think that's why I inadvertently call them sonlight books. :tongue_smilie:

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How in the world did you figure out how to sequence them chronologically? I think that is a great idea but wouldn't have a clue HOW to go about it. :001_smile:

 

 

I REALLY had to sit down with the titles, my laptop and the descriptions of each book. It took a long time. Also, if a book gets iffy reviews, I'll consider skipping it. :D

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