TOG vs SOTW for a 1st grader

[anmom]

Spinoff from my earlier thread...which would you prefer for a first grader?

 

We are getting ready to finish SL core a, my original plan was to continue with core b and add SOTW with the activity guide to add more activities. I recently found TOG and love how it not only follows the 4 yr cycle, but also really incorporates bible as part of the curriculum, not as an add on. I also was switching out all of the LA and Science becuase I just didnt care for them in SL anyway.

 

Does any of this make sense? My head is spinning and I need HELP!!!:lol:

[Tracy]

Under ordinary circumstances with most children, I think I would prefer SOTW. However, I have a 6yo that absolutely loves history. So we are using TOG, and I have the SOTW texts and audio CDs for supplements. The big difference that I see at this level is that SOTW gives a broader overview of history, while TOG spends more time on less subjects but goes deeper into those subjects. The TOG book choices often read like textbooks, though there is a good amount of living books thrown in. But my dd loves them all, even when I think they are over her head. I consider TOG to be an investment. I will shortly be buying Year 3, and then one more year-plan next year, and I won't need to buy history curricula ever again.

 

The other thing is that SOTW was written specifically for the young child, whereas, TOG was written first for older children and then for younger children who want to tag along with the older ones. This is not a huge issue for me, but it does show up in the materials. It is not always clear from the LG materials what the point is to a week-plan. But if I had older kids, as well, it would be more obvious.

[Hedgehogs4]

Under ordinary circumstances with most children, I think I would prefer SOTW. However, I have a 6yo that absolutely loves history. So we are using TOG, and I have the SOTW texts and audio CDs for supplements. The big difference that I see at this level is that SOTW gives a broader overview of history, while TOG spends more time on less subjects but goes deeper into those subjects. The TOG book choices often read like textbooks, though there is a good amount of living books thrown in. But my dd loves them all, even when I think they are over her head. I consider TOG to be an investment. I will shortly be buying Year 3, and then one more year-plan next year, and I won't need to buy history curricula ever again.

 

The other thing is that SOTW was written specifically for the young child, whereas, TOG was written first for older children and then for younger children who want to tag along with the older ones. This is not a huge issue for me, but it does show up in the materials. It is not always clear from the LG materials what the point is to a week-plan. But if I had older kids, as well, it would be more obvious.

 

:iagree: The other thing to consider is the sheer cost of TOG. You are paying for a whole curriculum of which you will only be using a quarter of (barely) unless of course you use the dialectic / rhetoric tracks for self-ed at this point. (which is also a GREAT IDEA!). I would rather start the 4-year cycle with SOTW and pick up TOG once I have finished a cycle, or at least until I had an UG student who was reading very well. The AGs for SOTW lend themselves to very fun activities as well as provide options for extra reading, should you decide to add in living books to the history study. If I knew then what I knew now, I would do on my own or co-op ( if I had friends to do it with) my first kid's first four years in SOTW, then go to TOG in 5th grade. I did that in a way, but I did it in conjunction with CC, which didn't always measure up exactly. oh well, live and learn. :tongue_smilie: