Crimson Wife Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I've been working on updating my logic stage sequence and I can't decide which route I want to take for history. During the grammar stage, DD did 2 years of ancients (I wanted to add in a bunch of topics), 1 year of medieval, and then 2 years of American history. I switched away from world history because it was just getting so dark and DS was going to be joining in. I also felt like U.S. history gets a bit shortchanged under TWTM model. DD will probably attend private H.S., either online or a traditional prep school (that's still TBD). The schools we are targeting do not have their students take a world geography course like the one I had in H.S. We've incorporated a bit of geography into our history studies, but I'm wondering if that's going to be enough. In this situation, would you do a full 4 year world history rotation or a 3 year one plus world geography? Poll should show up shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I say a 3 year history rotation plus 1 year of geography. I'm assuming that you are going to include a solid study of US History in that history rotation. A prep school is going to assume that all students have had plenty of geography and US History prior to high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 We are really enjoying ECC this year, even more than I thought we would. It is fun and interesting to study geography integrated with a study of ecology and how habitats and climate zones are related to geographical features and longitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 However you decide on your history cycle, I can definitely say from our own experience that a year of world culture/geography and comparative religions/worldview in 7th/8th grade was INVALUABLE prep for high school! - If you go to a brick-and-mortar school, they virtually never cover Eastern Hemisphere peoples/cultures/beliefs (4/5 of the world's population!) -- the focus is always Western Civ. - To understand worldview and religion really helps you understand the political and economic decisions of leaders and nation -- and in this ever-shrinking world, our children will most likely really NEED to understand other nations! - To understand worldview and religion really helps you understand History -- why people and nations did what they did. - It was a great break from the repetitious grind of History. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynful Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 However you decide on your history cycle, I can definitely say from our own experience that a year of world culture/geography and comparative religions/worldview in 7th/8th grade was INVALUABLE prep for high school! - If you go to a brick-and-mortar school, they virtually never cover Eastern Hemisphere peoples/cultures/beliefs (4/5 of the world's population!) -- the focus is always Western Civ. - To understand worldview and religion really helps you understand the political and economic decisions of leaders and nation -- and in this ever-shrinking world, our children will most likely really NEED to understand other nations! - To understand worldview and religion really helps you understand History -- why people and nations did what they did. - It was a great break from the repetitious grind of History. Lori, Would you mind sharing what you used for both world geography/culture and comparitive religions/worldview? Thanks, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Obligatory other- explained! This year(ish) we're doing US history. Starting at the beginning, and going through to present day. We're also covering S. America and the rest of N. America in slightly less detail. After we finish this, I'm picking another continent. I think we may spend a year chronologically going through Africa and the Middle East. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 Bumping for you. My current plan for next year includes the world cultures and geography book from the Catholic Schools Textbook Project (All Ye Lands). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 I've tried to do geography as a separate subject from history and it just never gets done. I really think taking a break from history to do world geography is the only way it would actually get done regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) We did not use a prepared curriculum, but instead pulled it together from MANY resources. Our DSs were grades 7 and 8, so our objectives were: 1. learning location of specific countries; country capitals, key landscape features, etc. 2. learning about non-western cultures through living books: historical/cultural fiction, non-fiction 3. create an "atlas" 4. comparative religions study -- learn about and compare/contrast religious beliefs (with the goal that understanding religious beliefs helps understand historical, political, social, and economic choices) Below is more specifically what we used. I would estimate we spent about 2 hours/day, 4 days/week on this study. Hope that is of help! Warmest regards, Lori D. GEOGRAPHY 1. 2-4 pages in geography workbook per week (Discovering the World of Geography: Eastern Hemisphere, gr. 7-8 OR MCP: Maps, Charts, Graphs -- level F: Eastern Hemisphere = -- AND -- level G: The World) 2. learn countries/capitals * online free geography games: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com * fun supplement: Kids' Fun-Filled Search & Find Geography book (Tallarico) 3. create 2-3 atlas pages per week (1 country per page): * print, cut out, mark with colored pencils, paste onto page a map from National Geographic * add country's flag from a flags of the world sticker book * write down key facts of: capital; population; major language(s); major religion(s); major resource(s) * read about the country for about 30 minutes, then write a 5-10 sentence paragraph summary; we used: - Circling the Globe (OOP pictorial atlas) - World Book Encyclopedia CD - Wikipedia articles on specific countries WORLD CULTURE - books from the old Sonlight Core 5 Eastern Hemisphere; for some of the really young books (gr. 4-6), we substituted titles from Core 7-10, or books from the library - historical/cultural fiction and non-fiction books from the library - made a food from some of the countries - played a game from some of the countries - listened to music from some of the countries - watched feature films or travelogues from the library from some of the countries COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS - The World's Great Religions series: "Inside …" (pub. by Milliken) -- Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity - excerpts from World Religions (Bowker) - books from the library - made a large chart comparing key aspects of each religion (see this online one for ideas of what you might like to compare -- OR -- this one compares the "big 3") (and here is an interesting flow chart comparison and connection of world religions) WORLDVIEW (Christian) - How to Be Your Own Selfish Pig (MacCauley) - Lightbearers curriculum (NOTE: we did different Worldview materials in high school; this is a middle school program) - A Young Historian's Introduction to Worldview (Brimwood Press) - Conversations from the Garden (Brimwood Press) Edited October 22, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I voted 4 year history rotation because... that's what I'm doing and if I didn't think that was the right thing I wouldn't be doing it. We're doing SOTW and I feel that at this age, my kids are getting a pretty good idea of world geography. The can go up to the world map and basically point out most of the countries we've studied, and the continents and oceans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynful Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 We did not use a prepared curriculum, but instead pulled it together from MANY resources. Our DSs were grades 7 and 8, so our objectives were: 1. learning location of specific countries; country capitals, key landscape features, etc. 2. learning about non-western cultures through living books: historical/cultural fiction, non-fiction 3. create an "atlas" 4. comparative religions study -- learn about and compare/contrast religious beliefs (with the goal that understanding religious beliefs helps understand historical, political, social, and economic choices) Below is more specifically what we used. I would estimate we spent about 2 hours/day, 4 days/week on this study. Hope that is of help! Warmest regards, Lori D. Lori, Thank you for always taking the time to post such detailed notes about your experiences. I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 DD will probably attend private H.S., either online or a traditional prep school (that's still TBD). The schools we are targeting do not have their students take a world geography course like the one I had in H.S. We've incorporated a bit of geography into our history studies, but I'm wondering if that's going to be enough. In this situation, would you do a full 4 year world history rotation or a 3 year one plus world geography? Poll should show up shortly. I have been looking at the curricular materials used in the BASIS schools in Arizona. If Doodle continues at home, I may incorporate some of BASIS scope and sequence into our homeschool. Under the subject of social studies they cover: Grade 5 Classic History Grade 6 US History Grade 7 World History 1 Grade 8 World History 2 with an AP option and Economics However they also cover Physical Geography and Intro to Science in fifth grade. I had considered doing a similar history rotation, but instead of Classics doing a blended Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere (minus the missionary books) and Christian Cottage Unit Studies volume 2. The SL Eastern Hemisphere books were some of my big boys favorites and this sounds good alongside Physical Geography. OTOH- I have the schedule for the year my middle ds did Egypt/ Greece/ Rome still in my computer. I'm still just at the thinking-about-it stage. HTH- Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5 Hikers Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I prefer a 6 year cycle. Ancients, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Early American + World Explorers, Modern World, and Geography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homemama2 Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I voted other. We have the mapwork that goes along with SOTW, but I wanted my kids to know where places were on a map. SCM has you label a continent map (we're doing Europe this year while we study the Middle Ages-Ren/Ref.) Once a week they try to label from memory (with correct spelling!) at least a couple of countries. When they are done, they check a map and make any corrections and then copy a couple more off the map to memorize for the next week. Then each week, you copy the ones you previously learned and add a couple new ones. This is working beautifully with both my boys, and literally takes 5 minutes per week. I don't let them choose the new countries, I pick so that they are the ones we are learning about in history at the time. We did a year of 'world geography' in 2nd/K and here it was a waste of time (but fun!) because they didn't retain anything. I do plan to do more of an indepth study in high school, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I vote three year world, one year American, and then overlay geography for the first rotation. For the second rotation, I vote two year world, one year geography (high school level), one year American (high school level). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 I just include geography with history, so no need for a seperate year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 (edited) Grade 5- Classic HistoryGrade 6 - US History Grade 7- World History 1 Grade 8 - World History 2 with an AP option and Economics Since you are looking ahead :) , I'll just throw in a little info about the usual high school History requirements, to help you have more details for deciding on your middle school History sequence. Sometimes by starting with what will happen with high school helps you plan "backwards", down into middle school. :) For high school graduation, most states require 3 years of "Social Studies": - 1 credit (1 year) American History - 1 credit (1 year) year World History (your choice of a vast overview, or a "slice" of time; public schools tend to do Western Civ. history) - 0.5 credit (1 semester) Economics and/or Personal Finance - 0.5 credit (1 semester) Government and/or Civics A few states want 4 years of Social Studies, by requiring 2 years of American History (part 1 = Colonial to Civil War; part 2 = post Civil War to Present). Or, a few other states require 0.5 to 1 credit of World Geography. Just a few states require part of a credit to include the State's History. While not all states require homeschoolers to follow state board of education requirements, it's good to at least know what OTHER students will be covering in high school, in case you end up needing to have a student attend a high school, but also to know what is considered "standard knowledge" for high school graduates, and what colleges will generally be expecting from incoming freshmen. Note the emphasis is on American History and, typically Western Civ. History. So, looking ahead, it may help you decide what you want to make SURE gets covered in middle school that may NOT get covered in high school. (Typically, things like: Eastern Hemisphere, Comparative Religions, Worldview, Geography.) From our personal experience: much as I thought we WOULD be doing 4 years of History in high school (which would also mean *additional* time on Government, Economics, and Church History), it just didn't happen. As we got to the Senior year, it was a matter of balancing required credits we still needed to complete; taking dual enrollment; important extracurriculars; and demands of real life. The extra (i.e., beyond required credits we had completed) History just had to fall by the wayside for us. I am so *very* glad we covered World Culture/Geography and Comparative Religions in middle school, as we would have otherwise missed out on that whole area of the world, not having the time to do so in high school. Just food for thought as you plan ahead for History! :) Warmest regards, Lori D. Edited October 23, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Since you are looking ahead :) , I'll just throw in a little info about the usual high school History requirements, to help you have more details for deciding on your middle school History sequence. Sometimes by starting with what will happen with high school helps you plan "backwards", down into middle school. :) If Doodle were to stay at home, I was thinking about using the BASIS S&S as a guideline for high school. This is why I was looking at the BASIS S&S for middle school. I actually have two older boys. One who is a sophomore in college and one who is a senior. My boys actually took a lot of social studies/ humanities courses. I no longer have my oldest's transcript on my computer, but I know he completed World History 1, World History 2, Govt/Econ, and two semesters of US History at the community college. As required by his umbrella, he also did a semester of religious studies each year that included comparative religion, church history, Old Testament, and New Testament. He was also required by his umbrella to take a semester of Worldview. My second son has completed World History 1, World History 2, European History, and Govt/Econ. This summer he took US History at the community college. He has 3 semesters of religious studies- a devotional study, church history, and Bible. He has also completed his semester of worldview. He has completed the first 6 chapters of Holt World Geography Today and he has covered cultural and political geography along the way. He has put in the work and I do plan to give him a credit in geography on his transcript. Currently, he is taking Humanities 1 at the community college and Southern History through his umbrella. He also has 3 art credits. My middle ds and I work at a Kumon center owned by an Indian. We have been at the center for over 4 years. My husband is Persian. My extra student is Chinese. Although we are not lacking in exposure to Eastern Hemisphere cultures, I am definitely having a hard time letting go of Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere to cover Egypt/ Greece/ Rome. Your comments have made me even more unwilling to skip the SL EH that I already have on my shelf and have been looking forward to for so long. :D Thanks for your insight. Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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