SL core F users

[Bensmom]

I am trying to decide what we will do next year. If you are using or have used Sonlight Core F (grade 5) can you tell me what you thought of the program? I am not really familiar with any of the book titles. Are there any that stand out as being particularly good (or bad)? If so, I may get a few and read as samples. Thank-you.

[Whereneverever]

:bigear:

 

I'm debating this one hotly, too.

[Mandy in TN]

I used SL's Eastern Hemisphere with my two oldest years ago. We did not use EHE or the missionary stories. We did read another biography of Mother Teresa.

 

Those books were some of my children's favorites. Instead of Aladdin and Other Favorite Arabian Nights Stories we used Aladdin and Other Tales from the Arabian Nights- Eyewitness Classics. I did this solely for the pictures and it was a hit. I also switched out the SL version of Around the World in Eighty Days for Around the World in Eighty Days- The Whole Story for all the additional information and it was a hit. My oldest drew a picture of Rascal the raccoon that my mom has framed in her guest room. My oldest reread Kipling’s Just So Stories over the summer and he is now 20yo. The whole Narnia series, not just The Horse and His Boy, as well as The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy are huge favorites here that have been read again and again. We still tell stories from The Land I Lost. The Cat Who Went to Heaven, Seven Daughters for Seven Sons, and Shadow Spinner were all big hits that really captured my oldest. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes is incredibly moving. My youngest read it this summer and when he finished he was dumbfounded that she died. He said that he was just certain that in the end she would live. I also remember Call it Courage, Li Lun, and The Big Wave as being big hits. Oh, and I really like All the Small Poems. I like it enough that when I thought I had lost it I bought another.

 

I still have the IG and the books including the two copies of All the Small Poems and the many books that we added. They are on my shelf waiting for my little man.

 

The plan was to use them alongside Christian Cottage Unit Studies vol2. However, I have been waffling since looking at the s&s for the AZ BASIS schools. I will probably go ahead and use the SL Eastern Hemisphere books with Christian Cottage Unit Studies vol2. BASIS is so tempting as a long term plan, but I may have to modify the history sequence to include Eastern Hemisphere.:)

 

Mandy

[iquilt]

My oldest and I are on week 12 of this Core and are thoroughly enjoying it with almost no modifications. We are using the four day schedule and she works on EHE daily. She has already learned many valuable research skills as well as listening to some very good books that have provided good material for discussions. She has also enjoyed her reading list of books with her favorite so far as "Sadako and the Paper Cranes". HTH

[jentancalann]

We are using it now. I have always had reservations because of the negative things I've heard about the Eastern Hemisphere Explorer. However, I'm using it in 8th grade and can honestly say it isn't a problem at all. It probably helped that ds was familiar with World Book before we ever started the program. Anyway, I had reservations but have, thus far, really enjoyed the core. I'm glad we went with it.

[desiree77]

I'm considering using this next year for my 8th and 6th graders. We have always used SL and we are doing Core E this year.

 

Interested in hearing the other responses.

[Lady Marmalade]

We're 10 weeks into Core F and are really loving it at this point. We're using an older version though without the EHE. I thought about adding it in, worried that we'd miss a lot, but we're making do just fine without it. I have no troubles doing map activities and going in-depth without the EHE to guide us.

 

Our first History read-aloud almost did me in. Torches of Joy, while a wonderful missionary story, was insanely long. In thinking about the next time I do this core with my DS, I'm going to do some serious editing of the book or find something else. The author just got really wordy and went into mundane details that were really not necessary and didn't contribute to the story. So for me, the core began on a sour note, and I was worried that the overall feel would be cumbersome.

 

Only it's not cumbersome. It's been pure joy to read about the Pacific Islands, Hawaii, Australia, Japan, and now Korea. And to read it through a combination of factual history, the World Book, and fictional history is just delightful. DD cheered today as she read the conclusion of The Kite Fighters. I suspect we'll have a few more like that as we go along.

 

I worried about doing this core so much, and had Core G in my shopping cart at one point instead, but now I'm really glad we chose this core. It won't be my favorite when all is said and done, simply because I'm a big US History buff, but it's really full and rich and worth doing.

[placeofgrace]

We're 10 weeks into Core F and are really loving it at this point. We're using an older version though without the EHE. I thought about adding it in, worried that we'd miss a lot, but we're making do just fine without it. I have no troubles doing map activities and going in-depth without the EHE to guide us.

 

Our first History read-aloud almost did me in. Torches of Joy, while a wonderful missionary story, was insanely long. In thinking about the next time I do this core with my DS, I'm going to do some serious editing of the book or find something else. The author just got really wordy and went into mundane details that were really not necessary and didn't contribute to the story. So for me, the core began on a sour note, and I was worried that the overall feel would be cumbersome.

 

Only it's not cumbersome. It's been pure joy to read about the Pacific Islands, Hawaii, Australia, Japan, and now Korea. And to read it through a combination of factual history, the World Book, and fictional history is just delightful. DD cheered today as she read the conclusion of The Kite Fighters. I suspect we'll have a few more like that as we go along.

 

I worried about doing this core so much, and had Core G in my shopping cart at one point instead, but now I'm really glad we chose this core. It won't be my favorite when all is said and done, simply because I'm a big US History buff, but it's really full and rich and worth doing.

 

We're at about the same place in the core. I also had the same feelings about Torches of Joy.:tongue_smilie:

 

I'm doing this core with 2 fifth graders. Depending on your 5th grader, (directed to OP) you may or may not have to do some hand holding with the EHE. We do it together. We're all learning alot!

[Whereneverever]

I dont understand why anyone would want to skip this core. Its such a wonderful opportunity to explore cultures and countries you don't get to hear enough about otherwise.

 

Tortures of Joy ticked me off, as a catholic.

 

We didnt read it- I had held back In Search of the Source from core 4 and we really enjoyed that.

 

I personally love the idea of studying the Eastern hemisphere but I have a few reservations. Most missionary stories are not my thing- we tend to disagree with the theological slant of the books. I also have some concerns about the EHE because of comments I have seen elsewhere on the forums.

 

If I skip Core F, we'll study the area in depth on our own.

[Mandy in TN]

I personally love the idea of studying the Eastern hemisphere but I have a few reservations. Most missionary stories are not my thing- we tend to disagree with the theological slant of the books. I also have some concerns about the EHE because of comments I have seen elsewhere on the forums.

 

If I skip Core F, we'll study the area in depth on our own.

If those two things really bother you, it is ceratinly no problem to using the books that appeal to you and creating your own study. Even though we had the IG, we really did our on version of Eastern Hemisphere.

 

Mandy