9th grade history question and the WTM

[Chris in PA]

I am working on planning my ds's 9th grade year. I really don't feel he is ready to jump into the WTM rhetoric level recommendations. So I would like to spend one more year in the logic stage. I am reading through the WTM logic stage and rhetoric stage history sections again today. I see she recommends the HoAW for the Ancients at the rhetoric level. I previewed the text online and I think he may be intimidated by the reading level. It's not that he can't handle it, he will just complain..... So I am thinking of doing the following with him:

 

1. Use the KF Illustrated History of the World for outlining. This will help cement the concepts we are learning in WWS.

2. Create a timeline.

3. Do map work

4. Either have him write summaries of one or two of the topics listed in the WTM or have him follow the rhetoric stage recommendations for summarizing the end of a chapter.

5. His ds will be studying Greek history and mythology so I thought we all could read some of the HS level ancient works together. I would need to add in other works just for him.

 

Does that sound like a decent plan? Also if we don't use the HoAW is there another spine we could use or would the KF book be sufficient?

 

Has anyone else had a 9th grader that wasn't quite ready for the rhetoric level? If so, how did you treat the history/great books?

 

TIA for helping a mom with hundreds of ideas swirling around in her head!

[1Togo]

Sending a pm.

[Chris in VA]

Have you seen k12's first Human Odyssey book? IDK if it would make a good spine for 9th grade--I've only got the 3rd in the series, and I'll be using it for 7th grade (Moderns), so it may be too easy. But the writing in the one I have is clear and understandable, but not dumbed down.

 

When ds was in 9th, we used Spielvogel and supplemented a bit with Kingfisher (and we used Omnibus 1). I found Spielvogel to be pretty accessible.

 

You could also try Barron's World History The Easy Way. We used it occasionally to supplement. I liked it.

 

I just find the idea of only reading Kingfisher to be dry. But, remember SWB doesn't say to do that--she says read it, outline it, then go research a topic, as you would be doing. Who's to say you couldn't have Spielvogel and Barrons and even SWB's book lying around as resources? Even if you just had him pick a topic to do further research on every week and a half or two weeks--he could then use SWB's book as a resource.