New HSer, starting to panic..

[talantine]

I am supposed to start school with my 5th grade son next week. We are beginning our first year of homeschooling. I still have not figured out what we are doing for history. I guess we will start with other subjects but I need a History Curriculum.

I have spent too much time thinking/reading about this.

We want to study ancient history. My son likes to read, fiction and non-, but does not like to write. While I need to work on the wrinting with him, I don't want to kill his interest in history with too much writing at this point.

He likes hands on work, building anything, talking about everything. I would like to have some fun with this.

We are Christians, believe in an "old earth", and have no problems reconciling that. We do not want Bible history to be the focus of our study, but it may be a part of it.

I have looked at TOG and am concerned by the week titles that the focus is mainly Bible history.

Winter Promise looked like fun, but again the emphasis seemed to be Bible History.

I have browsed History Odyssey but don't really understand if there are activities, supplemental readings, litereature, etc.

I also checked out Oak Meadow Year 6 but don't quite understand that one as well.

I would love some guidance.

Thanks so much for any help,

Tammie

 

ETA: I haven't ruled out any of the above, I just don't know which would be a good fit or if something else might work better.

Edited September 7, 2011 by talantine

[bnrmom]

It sounds like Story of the World would be right up your alley. It's a lot of reading, and there are a ton of hands on projects in the activity book.

 

My kids didn't like it, but they were younger (K and 3), and weren't interested in ancient history. However, I always thought it looked great!

[kristinannie]

If this is your first year homeschooling and he has been in PS for a long time, it might be best to just take it easy. Maybe you could use SOTW1? I think that would be a fun way to get into history. Plus, you could probably move through it a little more quickly and get through the whole cycle once before high school if that is what you would want to do. You could also use some of the books from Sonlight Core G to supplement. It is for 6th-8th grade, but I am sure that someone could tell you which books would be appropriate for 5th grade. I know there is a list on here that combines books from TOG, SL and other programs. SOTW also lists books that you can use to supplement or you can just go to the library and see what they have on the coming week. You could also look at CHOW (Child's History of the World). A lot of people complain that there is too much about the Big Bang at the beginning, but that won't be a problem for you (or for me :D). Even really small libraries have plenty about the ancients!!!

[Strawberry Queen]

I would recommend doing SOTW. You can add in lots of books from library or otherwise if you find the chapters are too short. He can then do a narration and that would only be about 4-5 sentences which is not onerous.

 

SWB outlines it all in WTM. You might also want to check out the MP3's that Peace Hills has on writing. They are recordings of workshops that SWB has given at various conferences. I have found them amazingly helpful in fleshing out writing instruction in 5th grade and above.

 

HTH

[MelAR05]

It sounds like Story of the World would be right up your alley. It's a lot of reading, and there are a ton of hands on projects in the activity book.

 

 

:iagree:

 

SOTW1 w/ Activity Guide

 

The Activity Guide makes it come alive!! My girls squeal when it's time for Mapwork. Who knew? :001_smile:

[matilda]

I think that STOW and the activity guide by themselves might be too easy for 5th grade. You could use STOW as a spine and the get library books to supplement each topic, though. Also, have you read the WTM recommendations for 5th grade ancients? There are a lot of fun books and activities listed there.

[talantine]

I think SOTW would be too easy for him. He is a very bright boy and I have removed him from PS because it was too easy for him with no gifted program (among other reasons). I would like his mind to work, just not too much writing.

I would like something somewhat laid out for me because I am new to this and need some direction. I am not the best at planning in advance.

I do have access to a large library system.

Would any of the curricula I have looked at so far work? I don't mind editing out some content that might not fit with our views.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the help so far!

Tammie

Edited September 7, 2011 by talantine

[dcjlkplus3]

I am supposed to start school with my 5th grade son next week. We are beginning our first year of homeschooling. I still have not figured out what we are doing for history. I guess we will start with other subjects but I need a History Curriculum.

I have spent too much time thinking/reading about this.

We want to study ancient history. My son likes to read, fiction and non-, but does not like to write. While I need to work on the wrinting with him, I don't want to kill his interest in history with too much writing at this point.

He likes hands on work, building anything, talking about everything. I would like to have some fun with this.

We are Christians, believe in an "old earth", and have no problems reconciling that. We do not want Bible history to be the focus of our study, but it may be a part of it.

I have looked at TOG and am concerned by the week titles that the focus is mainly Bible history.

Winter Promise looked like fun, but again the emphasis seemed to be Bible History.

I have browsed History Odyssey but don't really understand if there are activities, supplemental readings, litereature, etc.

I also checked out Oak Meadow Year 6 but don't quite understand that one as well.

I would love some guidance.

Thanks so much for any help,

Tammie

 

ETA: I haven't ruled out any of the above, I just don't know which would be a good fit or if something else might work better.

 

We will be iusing History Odyssey Ancients level 2 this year with my 5th grader. There is a quite a bit of writing in it, but there is also no reason, that you couldn't do some of the writing assignmnets as discussions. You do need several different books - I have found most of them to be available at our library. There are a few that I will order for my daughter's kindle. There are something like 87 lesson and each is pretty different. You will do lots of reading - literature as well as history. It looks like the only hands on trhings will be the history pockets and maps.

 

We are also going through SOTW1 again with my 1st and 3rd grader. I think that while it has a lot of activites, it would not work well for a 5th grader without a lot of supplementing. The reading recs are not for this age and you would have to find them on your own.

[KristinaBreece]

I think SOTW would be too easy for him. He is a very bright boy and I have removed him from PS because it was too easy for him with no gifted program (among other reasons). I would like his mind to work, just not too much writing.

I would like something somewhat laid out for me because I am new to this and need some direction. I am not the best at planning in advance.

I do have access to a large library system.

Would any of the curricula I have looked at so far work? I don't mind editing out some content that might not fit with our views.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the help so far!

Tammie

 

I would look at History Odyssey Ancients Level 2.

[boscopup]

I wouldn't use SOTW1 for a bright 5th grader. I agree that that would be too easy. It's designed for 1st graders.

 

HO2 looks like it'd be a good choice, or straight WTM recs (do you have the book?).

[christine in al]

History Odessy is what we used after SOTW.

 

I like it ALOT. rather than writing the asignments, just work on outlining skills from Kingfisher. This will reinforce his understanding of topic sentences and paragraphs and the structure of expository writing.

 

You can also start with the cds of SOTW ( If you like Weiss). while you are getting y'all's routine down. then have them for the car.

 

and welcome

~christine in al.

[matilda]

I have removed him from PS because it was too easy for him with no gifted program (among other reasons). I would like his mind to work, just not too much writing.

I would like something somewhat laid out for me because I am new to this and need some direction. I am not the best at planning in advance.

I do have access to a large library system.

 

We are using TOG in this situation. The D level reading is great. You can very easily adjust the writing to meet your needs. We are using Y2 though, so I don't have experience with Y1.

[Lily_Grace]

We're using HO2 right now and I can tell you that from your description, I wouldn't encourage you to use it with your son. It is a lot more intense than SOTW with less activities (the ones that are there are pasting/cutting paper work).

 

I do think SOTW would work wonderfully for you. You can even choose to do some supplemental reading using Sonlight's book list or the recommended literature selections in the activity guide.

[HappyCamper]

We are a new to homeschooling family this year also in an area where our public schools also do not have a gifted program. We are using HO Middle Ages Level 2 for my 9 year old daughter and it is a good fit. In the first two weeks, we have done all of the reading, but only about 75% of the writing. I like it because, as we are using it, I just open the page and it lists the reading and writing assignments. I have done no planning whatsoever. We bought all the books with the curriculum, so that I can open and go. Good luck!

[Janie Grace]

Biblioplan. You can use SOTW as *one* of your spines but bulk it up with other spines and readers. It is simple to use and well laid-out. You can really tailor it to your child's ability easily. We love it!

[SkateLeft]

My 8th grader is using the Book of the Ancient World set by Memoria Press, so that's another middle school ancient history option.

[frankcassiesmom]

Have you looked at Sonlight? It doesn't have loads of writing but has loads of reading. It has Bible but isn't the focus like some other curriculum. Core F or Core G

http://www.sonlight.com/portal.html?type=core&core=F

http://www.sonlight.com/portal.html?type=core&core=G

[Hsmomto4]

Why not just do what the book says for 5th grade? If you think something like SOTW is too easy for him and you want something challenging then start with reading, outlining, writing... If you aren't looking for projects this is the way to go. Now for my 5th grader last year, we did read SOTW because I wanted the projects, but she also read the KFHE and outlined and read tons of the books for her age level. It was a great History program that was both easy to grasp, yet challenging.

[talantine]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have SOTW here and the activity book so maybe I will check that out again. I will also review The Well Trained Mind. I guess I feel like I need it laid out for me. I am an engineer and feel confident with math, science, logic, but I am a little less confident with history.

I will also look at Sonlight core G.

Tammie

[NanceXToo]

I wouldn't use SOTW1 for a bright 5th grader. I agree that that would be too easy. It's designed for 1st graders.

 

I don't personally agree with this. I started using SOTW1 with my daughter the summer after 3rd grade (which is when we started homeschooling), and I did it in the summers just for fun, three summers in a row.

 

We are now continuing to use it over this school year in conjunction with Oak Meadow 6 since OM6 focuses on ancients anyway (Oak Meadow has been our main curriculum all along).

 

In MY opinion, SOTW is too advanced for most K-2nd graders. I personally think it's perfect for around 3rd grade on and that my daughter who is nearly 11 continues to get much out of it. Is the mapwork very easy? Yes. Is the coloring page easy? Yes. But the text itself seems to continue to be great for her age, and the supplemental reading books listed in the AG are for a good variety of ages. Some are just picture books, others remain good for my daughter's age. And the hands on activities and projects vary, too. Some are simpler, some are a little more detailed, she enjoys them all. I have pics of many of those activities and a review here, if you are interested:

 

http://nancextoo.livejournal.com/124469.html

 

As for Oak Meadow, we've used OM4, OM5, and as for OM 6, we are using it now. We're only in our first week of it, but if you have any specific questions about it, I'd be happy to try to answer. Mine is an older version of the curriculum, so may be SOME differences in mine and a more current version, but I'm sure the ideas are all the same.

 

OM is very integrated, so if you decide you want to do OM6 History, it is combined with OM6 English.

 

Just as an example for you, I will try to describe Lesson 1 for you.

 

Lesson 1 pertains to "The Stone Age."

 

Vocabulary words pertain to the stone age (mammoth, bola, prehistoric, etc).

 

Spelling suggests you either use your vocabulary words as spelling words, or use words that are misspelled in the child's written work.

 

Grammar tends to be a bit light, but it works fine for us since my daughter is already pretty strong with grammar skills anyway. I do, however, use the Killgallon books as a supplement (we did Sentence Composing last year and are using Story Grammar this year).

 

Then there's the social studies lesson which is divided into day 1, day 2, day 3, and "days 4 and 5."

 

On day 1, they have the kid drawing a large map (which will be added to throughout the year) and labeling certain parts of it.

 

On day 2, they have them reading a short, non-textbookish lesson from the syllabus on the stone age and choosing a topic from a list of three choices and writing a page about it. (Earlier they are instructed in how to apply this lesson's grammar into their writing assignments).

 

The choices are:

 

A. In what ways do you think fire was important to the Stone Age people? What do you think they used it for? What kinds of changes in their lives might have occurred after they learned to use fire?

 

B. Find out three animals that were alive at the same time as the Stone Age people. Think about the ways in which people may have used the different parts of each animal. Give specific examples and add illustrations if you'd like to.

 

C. Explore your neighborhood and look for food that you think a Stone Age person might eat in your area today. Remember, only foods that would be naturally found in the environment! Write a report describing the foods and why they might be edible or appealing to eat. if you like, make a colorful illustration of the nuts, berries, leaves, fruits and roots you find.

 

On day 3, they continue reading a short, non-textbookish lesson about cave paintings. They are instructed to go to the library and look at pics of early cave paintings and carvings (which I'm sure you could just do online, too), and to choose one of the following projects:

 

A. do your own cave painting (using a large, flat piece of rock or a piece of plywood). They give you simple instructions on how to do so.

 

B. Make a stone tool or weapon (using thick heavy stick or bone and leather strings to make it functional. They don't really provide instruction on this so you need to improvise or look it up).

 

C. Make a clay figure of an animal or person such as the cave men made.

 

On days 4 and 5, you continue to read the short, non-textbookish lesson about agricultural revolution etc. Again, they give you a choice of three activities to do.

 

A. Write in a diary about one week in the life of a cave man, woman, or child, writing in first person with yourself as central character.

 

B. Pretend you are going on an archeological assignment. You are about to excavate one of these early caves used by primitive humans. Write a newspaper article describing your findings. Be sure to include info about the tools you find, the floor plan of the cave, paintings on the walls, various other artifacts you might find.

 

They then list "Extra Book Ideas" and they tend toward "living books," and they offer "extra project choices" so there are other books and activities you can add in throughout the week.

 

So reading and writing assignments for English center around material being learned for Social Studies, and "art" is included by way of projects they have you do throughout the curriculum, which are to include sculpture, calligraphy, drawing, mosaic work, plaster relief art, marbling, costume making, cooking, mask making, games, poetry, designing, play writing, and more.

 

I personally love OM but it's not for everyone.

 

I've got lots about OM in my blog if you're interested in further info or seeing how our day to day lives with OM go, both in the sidebar to the left of my blog or by browsing my main entries.

 

Hope this helps!

[NotSoObvious]

I might be missing something, but I thought from TWTM that SOTW was meant to be repeated in 5th grade, along with additional reading/writing at the logic level. So, with the proper supplements, it most certainly could be used. We love SOTW.

 

 

If this is just a one year thing, though, and you are putting him back in school, I'd just suggest focusing on American History. That's what 5th grade (in most states) focuses on. There is SO much to do!!

[talantine]

If this is just a one year thing, though, and you are putting him back in school, I'd just suggest focusing on American History. That's what 5th grade (in most states) focuses on. There is SO much to do!!

 

Although I don't know how long we will homeschool, I have no plan to end after this year (unless I am bald from pulling my hair out!)

 

Thanks for the help. I continue to research and read. I just got home from the wake of my boy's baseball/football coach and our friend who died suddenly a few days ago. It makes me think I am putting way too much thought and concern into this.

That said, I am still lost!

tammie

[foxbridgeacademy]

I would suggest K12's Human Odyssey Vol. 1. It covers some religious history, very non-denominational, but you could easily add in Religion or not. Perfect for my 5th grader who says he hates history but given the choice will choose this book over most other assignments. I make up my own writing activities, we have discussions, and crafty projects. I purchased the book from Amazon for around $20. You do not have to sign up for the online portion of the class (can pay monthly very $$$$).

 

I wouldn't suggest SOTW 1, I like it but even my 3rd grader finds it "kinda boring". My nephew who also homeschools (5th grade) tells me that book 2 is much better. I would also look into some of the many video's on Netflix and Discovery Streaming (go through Homeschool Buyers Co-op for a lower $$). A 5th grade boy would also love, love "Horrible Histories", and the "You Wouldn't Want to be a____________" series.

[ktgrok]

I wouldn't use SOTW1 for a bright 5th grader. I agree that that would be too easy. It's designed for 1st graders.

 

HO2 looks like it'd be a good choice, or straight WTM recs (do you have the book?).

 

I used it with a bright 5th grader, but we added to it. We used SOTW monday and tuesday, then the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia on Wednesday, Timeline and Map on Thursday, and extra reading on the topic or a documentary on Fridays. It worked well.

[Tracy]

I agree with the others that SOTW might be your best bet right now. I wouldn't suggest TOG for a first-time homeschooler. It is a huge investment for someone that hasn't yet figured out what works in their homeschool. However, I wouldn't discount it for the future. It looks like a lot of Bible history in Year 1, but I felt like it was very well-rounded. And the Bible isn't used for history at all in the other years.

[Haiku]

I would use SOTW as a spine and work with your son so that he can find supplemental reading material. Gradually transition him to being responsible for finding it on his own. Add in logic-stage outlining through one of the WTM-recommended history encyclopedias, throw in the Jackdaws primary source material, and I think you'd have a a nicely challenging course for a 5th grader.

 

I completely disagree that SOTW is a first-grade-level curriculum. It can be used with first graders (I used Ancients with my k and 1st graders), but it's extremely flexible.

 

Tara

[Veritaserum]

You can use SOTW as *one* of your spines but bulk it up with other spines and readers.

 

:iagree: That's what we did last year for 5th grade Ancients. Dd did SOTW + outlining from an encyclopedia + reading library books + reading the books in my free literature program (link in my siggy).

 

We tried HO2 for Middle Ages, but she hated it. I liked it and I think it will be a good fit for my second dd when she is older. Dd11 started History at Our House, which is a mostly audio format (her preferred modality since she is an auditory learner).

[MyLittleBears]

I might be missing something, but I thought from TWTM that SOTW was meant to be repeated in 5th grade, along with additional reading/writing at the logic level. So, with the proper supplements, it most certainly could be used.

 

:iagree: The Activity guide has some coloring pages your 5th grader might not be interested in, but it also has the "older" child reading recommendations such as TWTM's use of Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, living books, as well as maps and activities. It's really a good resource in itself.

 

Something else to think about-- SOTW only needs to be done about 3x per week. Some of the packaged curriculum does history daily.

Edited September 8, 2011 by MyLittleBears

[pahansen]

This year we're using Gombrich's A Little History of the World, and I really like it. I think that the level would be good for your son, and, like other recommendations, it is written in a conversational style. I particularly enjoy that it is written from a European (Germanic) perspective. I've learned new and different things from the author, and I am a high school Social Studies teacher. Religiously, we are in the same boat as you. Gombrich does assume a Christian background and general worldview, but also an old Earth and a fairly impartial view of other world religions.

 

This book is an overview of history to present day, however, so you would be doing more than just Ancients. But for our first year, I figured it would give a good overview and a springboard for deeper study later. I'm using it as a spine and adding activities to draw out the more important/interesting chapters.

 

I also can't recommend Evan-Moore's history pockets highly enough for this type of child.

 

Good luck!

--Pamela

[pahansen]

x

Edited September 8, 2011 by pahansen
Double post

[eewaggie99]

I'll chime in on SOTW. The book is a great starting point for a bright fifth grader to read independently. I use the activity guide to find supplemental books and documentaries at the library. Our local library has reading levels for most juvenile and YA books which helps in selecting the age-appropriate books. I also used SOTW suggestions for guided independent reading plus any other books I liked from the same time period. I wouldn't try to find a IR book for every chapter though.

 

Don't plan too much for history. I use HST+ to list the suggested books by chapter, along with additional supplements I found on my own. I then place the books on hold and check them out a week or so before. You might plan Monday for chapter reading and time line placement. Wednesday for map work and supplemental reading, then Friday dictation or narration for building up his writing skills plus documentaries or activities of intererst. Consider history a fun activity. No need to get panicked. He will revisit all these subjects in high school.