SOTW in 5th-8th...

[Marsha]

If you do this..what do you add?

How many extra books?

[ELaurie]

My dc are younger than yours, so I can't comment, except to say that WTM has many suggestions about how to do this, if you haven't already seen them.

[mcconnellboys]

I use Kingfisher and other enclopedia style books alongside. I also add in as many living books as we can possibly get read between us.

[Rhondabee]

We're still in our 1st time through (SOTW3 w/4th and 7th this year).

My 7th grader's basic schedule:

 

Mon - outlines the corresponding KHIW, fills in maps using KHIW and his timeline

Tues - read a story from SOTW and take notes (independent)

Wed - We all discuss (I use the AG questions). Then, he writes a summary from his notes (about a page)

Thurs - read SOTW; take notes

Fri - discuss; write a summary from notes (about a page)

 

Sometimes I subbed in library books (not usually) for the SOTW. If we had to do two SOTW chapters, then I modified as seemed best for that week, and would usually narrow the narrations to one small part of the story. Sometimes we took the test instead; or, we would just discuss it and call it good.

 

Next year, I'm changing this because I want them to start looking for resources in the library for themselves. (And, they'll both be in logic stage AND my dd actually likes the library now instead of screaming whenever we go! :))

 

So next year, our "week" will actually start on Friday:

 

Friday: Mom reads SOTW orally while ds's take notes (sometimes we do this now - I help by writing down on a white board what they should be writing down) These notes should be a bare-bones outline, basically a list of names, places and events to do further research on.

 

We'll discuss - not for mastery/narrations; but to pin down, "what do you want to know more about?"

 

Then, we're off to the library to look up whatever, and find primary sources (and surely that deserves lunch afterward, right? ;))

 

Monday: Outline/Read KIHW (this will be at different levels per WTM), Maps & Atlas, Timeline

 

Tues, Wed, Thurs: 30 minutes each day will be reading or writing or doing a history-related project. (Boy, I am trying to not be a control-freak about this. I'm afraid this is where my plan is going to really break down!)

 

*******

 

On weeks with two SOTW Chapters (and there are more of those than I'd like!):

 

Friday: Outline/Read KIHW; Maps & Atlas; Timeline; Still go to the library - if they find a book they'd rather use other than SOTW, great!

 

Mon-Thurs: One SOTW Story/Day; Review map; Write summaries - my note to self says: See list in WTM p.274 for Writing subjects: aim for well constructed paragraphs of men/women, wars, places, etc. rather than a retelling of the whole story (there are more "notebook" categories listed - I just haven't gotten that far in my own planning, yet)

 

*****

 

There are so many possibilities. Mine are more geared toward doing cross-curricular writing. But, you could honestly use the Activity Guide and all their suggestions and have it be a much more traditional history class. (I usually only use the maps and the Kingfisher cross-references in the AG - there is *so much* more in there. It's probably more fun than what I do!!!!)

 

probably *so much* more than what you wanted!

Rhonda

 

ETA: I also picked history-related Read Alouds. We usually finished a book about every two weeks.

[Love2Learn]

but plan on using SOTW (Ancients) and MOH (Vol 1) together next year. I will incorporate mapping & timelines and have each child read grade level historical fiction. My students will be in 5th and 8th grades.