Is it possible...

[AimeeM]

My daughter is entering fifth grade this fall. We are beginning Middle Ages/Renaissance in history this year. I am creating my own curriculum as we have been unhappy with the other options. With that said, we are giving her the option to (after this upcoming school year) enter a private Catholic prep school for sixth grade or to continue home schooling. I am somewhat concerned when looking at their curriculum. It appears they assume the child studied American History in fifth grade (as is standard locally in most public/private schools for fifth grade). My daughter only has a very general/basic (okay, "pithy") knowledge of American History as she was pulled out of brick and mortar in the middle of fourth grade (they were doing state history in fourth).

Would it be too ambitious to try and do a month of our chronological studies and then, say, a week of American History? Or maybe do our chronological studies Monday-Thursday and then American History every Friday?

Is it possible to do this without confusing her or overwhelming her?

[RachelFlores]

I don't have any experience with fifth graders yet, but have you thought of doing Middle Ages durring the school year and then American History during the summer IF she decides to go to the PS? That way you don't have to stress about it during the school year and she will probably remember more American History if she starts classes in fall than her peers remember.

[Samiam]

But what does having studied American History in 5th have to do with 6th? Meaning, are they testing her on her American Hist knowledge or something? Or is it that you are worried that she hasn't covered it at home and then has missed out since they already covered it there?

 

I mean, most schools have new students come in each year, so those students have a different background in some subjects. I am sure it is fine in the long run, considering elementary history is usually very basic facts anyway. They will study it again in the high school level, more in depth.

 

If it is just that you want her to have some AM History knowledge, if it were me, I would do a 2-3 month study of it, alone, at the end of the year, into summer. That way we could REALLY focus on it, because those early years are very interesting to children, and can be really fun too! I would focus on up to the Civil War, and then see how much time we have to go further than that.

[AimeeM]

I'm concerned because it appears that they do world history in sixth and some of seventh grade (looks like a general over-view, not as in depth as a classical curriculum provides) assuming (I think) that the child studied AH in fifth grade; then they rotate again into American History in the later MS grades. I am concerned that their AH program will be more advanced (kind of like doing Level One in an ancient history program in the lower grammar grades and then rotating back to it, more in depth, in the Logic grades). KWIM?

Also, she will be required to take an entrance exam to gain admittance into the school.

I have talked with the school briefly and asked them to send me a basic outline of their sixth grade curriculum, to help us through this next year. I will admit that I hesitate on it because, since it is not a classical school, we would have to deviate from our classical model to meet the standards of this PS.

Perhaps I'm just worrying too much. I know that this school often takes home school children provided they do well on the entrance exam.

Edited July 13, 2011 by AimeeM

[AimeeM]

I like the idea of doing AH over the summer. Thanks! We might have to give that a go! I'm not sure why I didn't think of it before.

My only excuse is that my brain is fried trying to create a history program, research resources for our other subjects and just, in general, spreading myself far too thin over the summer trying to prepare for our first full year of home schooling.

I'm kind of hoping that she will love it so much (we also joined a wonderful co-op in the area), she will decide to stick with HS instead of the other school.

[abbeyej]

I would probably go with the M-Th/F plan, and just have the American history section be a reading (and discussion)-only program. For instance, reading a few 2-page spreads in this book each week: The Smithsonian Children's Encyclopedia of American History...

[Mallory]

I wouldn't worry about it. I think covering Middle Ages well (finding connections in history, finding and using resources to write mini essays, doing fun projects) will help her get into this school and be prepared for it better then doing two histories half way.

 

I am concerned that their AH program will be more advanced (kind of like doing Level One in an ancient history program in the lower grammar grades and then rotating back to it, more in depth, in the Logic grades). KWIM?

 

 

Yeah, but most middle school or high school aged kids are able to step into a "level 2" class in something like history, without having taken an earlier level class. These classes don't assume previous learning, even if it might make it a tiny bit easier.

 

Also, she will be required to take an entrance exam to gain admittance into the school.

 

 

I would bet this test mostly covers skill subjects (math, reading, maybe editing), or like most standardized tests, if it covers subjects like history or science, it has a reading that you answer questions about, not just a bunch of random questions. In fact sometimes these are harder to answer if you are using info you've gained other places instead of just the info in the reading.

[HeidiKC]

I agree that the entrance exam probably won't test her over specific knowledge of history. They don't care what history she knows - they want to make sure she's at the level she needs to be to be successful in the school and will be able to keep up. Which means mainly math, English and writing.

 

It sounds like you just want to make sure she is pretty familiar with American History - as the other kids in the school will be. And you're concerned about work overload? I think if it were me I'd make it fun and no writing assignments or anything (assuming you think she'll retain info this way). I think a great way to do this would be a DVD series - Schlessinger, of course, has several of these on American History for grades 5-8. Begins at the beginning and continues up to the present. Last summer the History Channel put out "America: The History of US" and it was free to educators. I'm sure there are a ton more PBS shows, etc. I would do American History on Friday. I'd have her watch a DVD and read a book. Then maybe throughout the year watch fun movies (and if she has time, read books) based on different time periods or historical events: Sign of the Beaver, Johnny Tremain, Liberty's Kids series, Little House on the Prairie, the Waltons (depression-era and such a feel-good show!), gold-rush movies, etc. She'll love those and if you do that throughout the year she'll have a good feeling for American History. Maybe she won't know all the dates, but it won't matter if she's going to study it in middle school later.

[mcconnellboys]

I agree with doing AH next summer, if you need to, in order to get her ready to go back into school....

[anotherbrother]

I spent the first couple of years that we homeschooled worrying about what we were covering and what we weren't. Would we keep up with the public school, wouldn't we? I agree with the PP who mentioned that if it's really important to you, that a study over the summer would be a good option.

 

On another note, I might suggest that you don't give your daughter the choice about where she goes to school. I would be concerned that if she always has it in the back of her head that she can go back to school, that one or both of you may not be motivated to make it work if that's what you really want. Of course at the end of the year if you feel that is the best choice for you, you'll know that you made the best choice for both of you.

[AimeeM]

Her toddler brother has high medical needs (a lung disorder) and this sometimes dictates that she cannot have playdates, friends over etc. School was (at it's best, in a private school setting) at least someplace she could have a normal childhood. We want her to have the option, especially since this was the private school we had every intention of sending her to once she hit sixth grade, before we decided to home school. I was home schooling (initially) out of necessity because of Autumn's learning differences and the bullying she endured in her partial year of public school last year; but now I have come to love it and all of the chaos that comes with it. Lol. However, I do not feel it would be fair to Autumn to yank away a dream she had been told she could do in previous years (attend the middle/high prep school with her friends from church and the private school she attended in previous years), simply because *I* love home schooling. This school has a wonderful reputation and there is no real reason why she shouldn't go - if that is, indeed, what she wants to do. If it were the choice between our crappy local public schools and home schooling, it would be a no-brainer and she would have no say; but this isn't that type of situation. She will receive a wonderful education regardless of her decision... and, I will admit, we are fans of taking our children's opinions and desires into consideration if they are well reasoned and rational (not saying you do not do the same, just explaining our family dynamics).