Just for the heck of it...Biblioplan

[Nakia]

I read a litte about Bibliplan, so I looked around at their website, but I don't understand how it all fits together. The website seems disjointed, or maybe it's just me. Can someone explain it to me? If you were teaching 3 students (grades 1, 4 and 7), what would you need to purchase? What does it include? Can you order book packages?

 

We are happy SL users, but you know, I like to keep my options open. ;)

[Annabel Lee]

I bought their newly revised & updated Year 1 last fall.

 

They don't offer book packages. You can pick how many pieces of it you want to order. You can just order the main curriculum, which is basically a schedule. It lists all the books to be used and alternates that can be used in their place. It's divided into sections, and before each section there is a detailed description of each book. This is useful when planning which books to use (in some places a choice between titles is given). You don't really get to see the full list of books you'll need until you get the curriculum. It has reading schedules for younger grammar, older grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. It also has short writing prompts (short, as in they fit on a grid schedule). UILE is scheduled in the newest BP versions, but they'll send you a PDF of the correlating KF pages with your order if you ask. Bible readings from the Bible and from Victor Journey Through the Bible as well as timeline suggestions are given as well.

 

BP is organized into chronological "chunks" that keep events within the same civilization/culture together if they're fairly close on the timeline.

 

You would need SOTW, which they use as a spine. Or, they list MOH as an alternate spine. I'd get the Companion for the 7th and possibly 4th grader, and the Cool History pages that have questions directly related to it. The Companion ties together info from all the various sources into one place.

 

Maps are available which have directions on them, written to the student. They're just a notch up from the maps in SOTW AG. Coloring pages are also available but my kids like the style of those from MOH or SOTW better. Then there's the timeline. Timeline assignments are on the schedule, but you could use your own pictures/captions.

 

BP's customer service is impeccable. Shameless plug, I know, but they were so generous with their time & resources.

 

All that said, I haven't decided whether to continue with BP for next year or do the work myself.

 

HTH!

[Nakia]

Thank you! Do they have discussion questions included?

[ByGrace3]

Thank you! Do they have discussion questions included?

 

There are questions in the Cool Histories which I believe the answers come from SOTW and/or the Parent Companion. There are no discussion questions for the literature.

 

There is a 3 day a week schedule: The Biblioplan Guide

Teachers Notes: The Companion

and the extras:

Maps

coloring pages

craft sheets

Cool Histories (questions/sometimes worsheets/some project ideas)

 

Each week you have SOTW/MOH readings (depending on what you choose for your spine) along with parent companion reading, this is done mostly together I believe. Then the schedule has a reader scheduled for each age group and then a family read a loud to be read together.

 

We haven't used it yet, but are planning to next year, so I don't have a lot of info, but hope that helps! :)

 

oh, and one of my FAVORITE things about BP is the book list. I like the idea of 4 year history cycle, but I kept being drawn to the SL books. There are many SL books scheduled in BP.

[Heart_Mom]

Am I right that Biblioplan is just History & Lit., and not Science?:001_smile: Thanks!

[mama25angels]

Am I right that Biblioplan is just History & Lit., and not Science?:001_smile: Thanks!

 

 

yes

[CarrieF]

We switched from SL to BP almost 2 years ago and I don't plan to leave it for the rest of our schooling career!

It is the best of classical cycles and literature based learning (SL) all rolled together. I love that they follow the 4 year cycle AND have a focus on U.S. history in the last 2 cycles. I love that they use strong spines AND living books. I love that they have book suggestions for ALL grade levels so I don't have to go hunting and searching on my own. And finally, I LOVE their customer service! I bought 2 different Family Guides (think IG in SL terms!) and they were revised within a year of my purchase. For BOTH guides BP sent me the newly revised version for FREE. I buy the e-books and print things off so that I can file them in my binder using my SL tabs!!! :001_smile: (No one else has 36 week tabs - even though we only need 34 for BP, I am grateful to have that organizational capacity!)

Anyway, for what it is worth, BP has been a fabulous experience for my family all the way around. AND in the newly revised year 4 (that they just sent me!) there is a new focus on New Testament parables and a focus on missionaries. Love it!

(Sorry for the 'commercial' - didn't mean to gush, but we've been thrilled and I am so glad!)

[Heart_Mom]

yes

Thanks! :)

[Annabel Lee]

Wow Carrie, I think you may have sold me on continuing with BP!

[Nakia]

We switched from SL to BP almost 2 years ago and I don't plan to leave it for the rest of our schooling career!

It is the best of classical cycles and literature based learning (SL) all rolled together. I love that they follow the 4 year cycle AND have a focus on U.S. history in the last 2 cycles. I love that they use strong spines AND living books. I love that they have book suggestions for ALL grade levels so I don't have to go hunting and searching on my own. And finally, I LOVE their customer service! I bought 2 different Family Guides (think IG in SL terms!) and they were revised within a year of my purchase. For BOTH guides BP sent me the newly revised version for FREE. I buy the e-books and print things off so that I can file them in my binder using my SL tabs!!! :001_smile: (No one else has 36 week tabs - even though we only need 34 for BP, I am grateful to have that organizational capacity!)

Anyway, for what it is worth, BP has been a fabulous experience for my family all the way around. AND in the newly revised year 4 (that they just sent me!) there is a new focus on New Testament parables and a focus on missionaries. Love it!

(Sorry for the 'commercial' - didn't mean to gush, but we've been thrilled and I am so glad!)

 

Hi! A couple of questions...Do you need a family guide for each child? I now have the family guide for year 1 which, to me, looks like it has info there for lower grades, up to maybe grade 4-5+ (not sure how far that can go). For a 7th grader, I need to order the next level up family guide, correct? Or am I missing something because I thought the family guide went up to grade 8. Or maybe that's where MOH and adding readers come into play.

 

I would need to purchase the cool history, companion, and hands-on separately, right? Do I just purchase the ones that correspond to their grade level? Do you do the arts part? Is memory work included?

 

Can you tell me how it takes your family to do the work each week and how you plan it all out? I know that's asking a lot, and if you don't have time, I understand.

 

Do you have time to do extras, like more reading? Coming from SL with no much great literature, I don't want to miss that. Do you buy your books? Our library is kind of (ok a lot) lacking in the children's section. Also

 

Wow, that's a lot of questions. Hope it all this makes sense. Thanks for your help!

[CarrieF]

Nakia, I'd be happy to help! :001_smile:

The Family Guide is your teacer's guide (think IG from Sonlight), so you only need one for your family. It maps out each week's plans and covers all age ranges. The only items that are age-specific from BP are the 'Cool History' pages and the 'Hands-on Maps' which now come for 'Littles' and 'Middles', so you would need to buy the set that best fits your kids' ages.

The 'Cool History', 'Hands-on Maps', and 'Parent Companion' are all purchased separately. They also have 'Coloring Pages' and 'Arts & Crafts' but I have not used them, so I'm not familiar with them per se, I just know they are also purchased separately. The best savings is buying a 'bundle', but if you already purchased the 'Family Guide' it wouldn't be worth it because that is included in the package/bundle.

We have enjoyed using the 'Meet the Great Composers' that is a part of Year 3. Other than mentioning some great artists and their works, there is no specific study of art. There is no memory work highlighted, but you could easily draw from the topic of study each week/unit.

I would say we spend between 3 & 4 hours total each week doing the reading, questions, and maps. The bulk of that time is reading/listening to SOTW on CD (which I HIGHLY recommend!). I usually only use the 'Parent Companion' for further study of people/events we either really like OR feel we didn't get enough of from the spines/reading. We add in notebooking pages here and there and if the topic is a "hot" one with my sons, we DO do extra reading/research. That is one of the things I really like about BP: flexibility!

The book lists are VERY impressive (and somewhat overwhelming!), so I create a spreadsheet at the beginning of each cycle that has 4 columns: BP week #, date, independent reader title, and read aloud title; I make one spreadsheet for each of my two oldest sons. Then I go through the book lists and decide what their readers will be. NOTE: In the 'Family Guide' there are reading suggestions for each week, so this is NOT necessary! Just me being a little OCD and control-freakish! :D I just like having an "at a glance" list for their readers. I keep these lists in my BP binder and check them off as they are completed. It is also good for accountability. ;) For the most part, I do purchase the read alouds and independent readers. It is just easier/more convenient. Then, if we want/need some extra reading, I check the library for the suggested books and off we go.

Hope I hit all the questions . . . I think I did?! :001_smile:

Hope that helps! Feel free to ask any more that pop up.

[ByGrace3]

For the most part, I do purchase the read alouds and independent readers. It is just easier/more convenient.

 

 

I am planning on buying all readers and a read aloud a week (though I am not sure if we will do "the" scheduled read alouds or pick one of the older readers for my kids as a read aloud. What do you think? Would the read alouds be appropriate for a ker and 2nd grader or would one of the 5+ readers be more appropriate? Also, any idea how much buying all the books for the k-2 range would be? :) Thank you!!!

[mom31257]

I'm using Year 1 for the first time this year. I primarily chose it because of the high school features. If you love that SL has the pages planned for you day-to-day and the literature discussion guides, you may not like BP.

 

There are no literature discussion guides at all. There are writing suggestions through the logic stage, but there are none for the high school. The classtime for the whole family is planned day-to-day. The family read aloud tells you which pages to read for the week, but not for each day. The readers by grade level list the book and page numbers for some of the 5th+ books, but there's no daily schedule.

 

The high school has one spine scheduled (Streams) as well as a few other things, but not the other spines that are listed (two of which are dd's spines). The high school literature pages are not scheduled, even for the week. The high school bible readings that go beyond the family's scheduled reading are not scheduled at all. All that said, I still feel that I do a lot of planning. I like planning, so I don't mind, but if you feel you shouldn't have to after buying a program like this, you might be annoyed.

 

I didn't buy all the books because I have a very good library system that sends holds across the entire state for free. I only bought the books that weren't in our system.

 

For my 3rd grade son, I feel that BP really wasn't necessary at all. I could have done this on my own or just used SOTW and the AG. For my 9th grade dd, I am glad that the program included the Companion, weekly written work, and unit tests including history and geography. I plan on applying to a program that gives transcripts and will require examples of work and grades. These will come in handy for that.

[mom31257]

You can get a 3 week sample for free here. You should definitely get one and take a look at more of the materials.

[wehave8]

We add in notebooking pages here and there and if the topic is a "hot" one with my sons, we DO do extra reading/research. That is one of the things I really like about BP: flexibility!

 

 

The book lists are VERY impressive (and somewhat overwhelming!), so I create a spreadsheet at the beginning of each cycle that has 4 columns: BP week #, date, independent reader title, and read aloud title; I make one spreadsheet for each of my two oldest sons. Then I go through the book lists and decide what their readers will be. NOTE: In the 'Family Guide' there are reading suggestions for each week, so this is NOT necessary! Just me being a little OCD and control-freakish! :D I just like having an "at a glance" list for their readers. I keep these lists in my BP binder and check them off as they are completed. It is also good for accountability.

 

What do you use for your notebook pages?

Would you mind sharing a sample of your spreadsheet?

 

Also, do you miss the Lit. questions from SL? Do you read what your dc read so you can ask questions or do you do another lit. program?

[CarrieF]

I am planning on buying all readers and a read aloud a week (though I am not sure if we will do "the" scheduled read alouds or pick one of the older readers for my kids as a read aloud. What do you think? Would the read alouds be appropriate for a ker and 2nd grader or would one of the 5+ readers be more appropriate? Also, any idea how much buying all the books for the k-2 range would be? :) Thank you!!!

Your 2nd grader would likely be okay with the read aloud (some MAY be a bit "over his/her head"?), but the Ker will just enjoy being with everyone while Mom reads. ;) There are times that I substitute one of the independent readers as a read aloud, but it is usually because it is a book I personally LOVE and want my 2nd grader to experience it, too.

I budget $75 and try to buy used or with Amazon's 4-for-3 promotion. I will say that for my 2nd grade son, I try to substitute historical biographies from the 'I Can Read It' or 'DK Readers' series - he just particularly likes them.

HTH!

[CarrieF]

What do you use for your notebook pages?

Would you mind sharing a sample of your spreadsheet?

 

Also, do you miss the Lit. questions from SL? Do you read what your dc read so you can ask questions or do you do another lit. program?

I have a subscription to Notebookingpages.com, so use her pages - very convenient and the pages are fun. ;) Sometimes a notebook page is just a summary (as recommended in TWTM).

I will happily share a spreadsheet when I am on my desktop! :D

I would love to say that I DO miss the lit. questions from SL, but found that we somehow never got around to them. GASP! :tongue_smilie: I loved the IDEA of them and SOMETIMES we used them, but not nearly enough for it to be a loss for us. I would say that I am familiar with/have read about 1/2 of the books I choose and just ask my sons to give me a summary 2-3 days a week. If the summary either doesn't make sense or they struggle to give it, they go back and re-read. :glare: DISCLAIMER: I am an MCT user, so will incorporate the questions he suggests for use in a literature study as posed in his book 'Classics in the Classroom'.

HTH!

[MyLittleBears]

We kind of just use the narration questions from the SOTW AG guide for my youngers but the older one does a summary from his reading in the kingfisher encylopedia. We do the read alouds and only purchase those if the library does not have them. Like pp, for the most part we do not buy too many of the K-2 readers as they are mostly basic readers and picture books which can be substitued with ones from the library. Year one is easy because you can use your own student bible for the stories. Not sure what year two will look like.

[ByGrace3]

Your 2nd grader would likely be okay with the read aloud (some MAY be a bit "over his/her head"?), but the Ker will just enjoy being with everyone while Mom reads. ;) There are times that I substitute one of the independent readers as a read aloud, but it is usually because it is a book I personally LOVE and want my 2nd grader to experience it, too.

I budget $75 and try to buy used or with Amazon's 4-for-3 promotion. I will say that for my 2nd grade son, I try to substitute historical biographies from the 'I Can Read It' or 'DK Readers' series - he just particularly likes them.

HTH!

 

ok, this brings up another question. If you do the read aloud now for this cycle, you will re-read the same read aloud in the next (logic) cycle? Also then we will never read the 3+ reader? I might be confused...but as I look at the booklist there are quite a few books in 3+ and even 5+ I would really like dd to read. Also, does reading level play into the readers or just content? I am thinking about mixing the readers from different age ranges to just get the ones we want to read, causing myself more work yes, but dd is reading at a around a 4th grade level so I should be able to pick and choose a little. Am I wrong in thinking this would be ok? Thanks!

[CarrieF]

ok, this brings up another question. If you do the read aloud now for this cycle, you will re-read the same read aloud in the next (logic) cycle? Also then we will never read the 3+ reader? I might be confused...but as I look at the booklist there are quite a few books in 3+ and even 5+ I would really like dd to read. Also, does reading level play into the readers or just content? I am thinking about mixing the readers from different age ranges to just get the ones we want to read, causing myself more work yes, but dd is reading at a around a 4th grade level so I should be able to pick and choose a little. Am I wrong in thinking this would be ok? Thanks!

I don't have this on any "authority" buy my impression is that the book lists that BP provides are so huge so that we CAN pick and choose! I do not follow their recs. for independent readers across the board, but pick titles that I think/know my sons will enjoy. Even the read alouds are only recs. so if there is a title you really love/want to use as a read aloud, go for it! I sometimes cross out the titles in the Guide and write in my own titles, just to keep everything all together on my main page. Flexibility! :001_smile:

[Nakia]

So, I've been comparing the book lists from BP and SL, and they are so different. Of course, there are a few that they have in common, but not that many. In almost 2 years of SL, we've only found 2 or 3 books that we just didn't like, as a family. I don't do a separate literature program, so I do appreciate the literature questions in SL.

 

Ugh. Can I just say ugh? LOL! This is making my head spin.

[CarrieF]

So, I've been comparing the book lists from BP and SL, and they are so different. Of course, there are a few that they have in common, but not that many. In almost 2 years of SL, we've only found 2 or 3 books that we just didn't like, as a family. I don't do a separate literature program, so I do appreciate the literature questions in SL.

 

Ugh. Can I just say ugh? LOL! This is making my head spin.

 

I don't know if this will HELP or seem like more WORK, but . . . :001_smile:

When I first switched from SL to BP I kept using the SL books that fit with our BP cycle so that I could FEEL like I was still a "Sonlighter"! Eventually, I felt independent and "strong" enough to go with the BP recs. (along with some of my own that I think SHOULD be BP picks!).

HTH?!

[Nakia]

I don't know if this will HELP or seem like more WORK, but . . . :001_smile:

When I first switched from SL to BP I kept using the SL books that fit with our BP cycle so that I could FEEL like I was still a "Sonlighter"! Eventually, I felt independent and "strong" enough to go with the BP recs. (along with some of my own that I think SHOULD be BP picks!).

HTH?!

 

That is actually very helpful. Another question (am I driving you nuts yet?)...Would it be feasible to buy one of the Cool History and Hands-on Maps and make it work for both girls? Or do I truly need to buy one for each girl on their level. I was particularly wondering if I could purchase the one for my 7th grader and use what is appropriate for my 4th grader. What do you think?

[CarrieF]

That is actually very helpful. Another question (am I driving you nuts yet?)...Would it be feasible to buy one of the Cool History and Hands-on Maps and make it work for both girls? Or do I truly need to buy one for each girl on their level. I was particularly wondering if I could purchase the one for my 7th grader and use what is appropriate for my 4th grader. What do you think?

Totally possible! As a matter of fact, I buy the one for the middles (even though my oldest is 4th grade) because I like it and felt it was a good compromise. If I feel we need to go to the 'Advanced' for our next cycle, then we'll have something a little different, but if not, I'm okay doing the same next time around. :001_smile:

[Nakia]

Totally possible! As a matter of fact, I buy the one for the middles (even though my oldest is 4th grade) because I like it and felt it was a good compromise. If I feel we need to go to the 'Advanced' for our next cycle, then we'll have something a little different, but if not, I'm okay doing the same next time around. :001_smile:

 

 

Okay, so since I own the Family Guide, I would need the Companion, Cool History for Upper Middles, Hands-on Maps (middle maybe to make it a little easier since we haven't done a ton of mapwork), and the timeline (maybe because we've never been able to keep up with a timeline), and I might get the coloring book for my 4th grader. Sound right?

[CarrieF]

Okay, so since I own the Family Guide, I would need the Companion, Cool History for Upper Middles, Hands-on Maps (middle maybe to make it a little easier since we haven't done a ton of mapwork), and the timeline (maybe because we've never been able to keep up with a timeline), and I might get the coloring book for my 4th grader. Sound right?

That sounds good. We have not done the timeline yet, but will start with it once we start on Ancients next year. I would look at the samples of the coloring pages first . . . from what I remember they were very simplistic. I hope you enjoy it like we have! :001_smile: Like any other curriculum, you just have to use it a bit, tweak, and hit your stride. ;)

[Nakia]

That sounds good. We have not done the timeline yet, but will start with it once we start on Ancients next year. I would look at the samples of the coloring pages first . . . from what I remember they were very simplistic. I hope you enjoy it like we have! :001_smile: Like any other curriculum, you just have to use it a bit, tweak, and hit your stride. ;)

 

I will look at those samples. Thanks.

 

I am horrible at making decisions. My thoughts keep going back to the fact that if I am going to be substituting a lot of books, why buy the rest of the BP curriculum? I guess I just wish I could have all of this curricula in front of me so I could compare. I'm hoping to go to a conference this year.

[mama25angels]

I will look at those samples. Thanks.

 

I am horrible at making decisions. My thoughts keep going back to the fact that if I am going to be substituting a lot of books, why buy the rest of the BP curriculum? I guess I just wish I could have all of this curricula in front of me so I could compare. I'm hoping to go to a conference this year.

 

You really don't have to buy the rest of the curriculum if you don't want to! The options are just there for people who want them, if you think you'd be more comfortable with the SOTW AG then you could use that, it will be fine.

[CarrieF]

I will look at those samples. Thanks.

 

I am horrible at making decisions. My thoughts keep going back to the fact that if I am going to be substituting a lot of books, why buy the rest of the BP curriculum? I guess I just wish I could have all of this curricula in front of me so I could compare. I'm hoping to go to a conference this year.

I don't know where you live, but they are going to be at the 'Great Homeschool Convention' in Cincinnati in April. I will be there and cannot wait to meet the people who provide such awesome customer service. :001_smile:

I like hardcopies of things, too, so I totally understand. I guess for me it was nice to have everything laid out similarly to SL, but to have some flexibility/autonomy in the choosing of books. Just my $.02. ;)

[CarrieF]

Wow Carrie, I think you may have sold me on continuing with BP!

Anything to help! ;) Hopefully it WAS helpful?! Ha! Ha!

[CarrieF]

You really don't have to buy the rest of the curriculum if you don't want to! The options are just there for people who want them, if you think you'd be more comfortable with the SOTW AG then you could use that, it will be fine.

That IS a good point: the SOTW AG is full of questions & activities, so if you have that or wanted one centralized resource, that is a great option. I always forget about the SOTW AGs! Thanks for the reminder. :001_smile:

[RobinF]

I actually used Biblioplan this year and was considering just using SOTW and AG's next year, but after I compared them, I decided to continue using Biblioplan. I like that Biblioplan already questions typed up to us and my olders can use them semi independently. The maps are printed out with instructions on them. I just figured that with the work it would take for me to make the AG work (because we wouldn't do the questions all orally) that it still made sense to use Biblioplan. We have really enjoyed all the books we have used and love having literature scheduled and even some writing assignments.

[Nakia]

Since I now have the BP Family Guide, I am really leaning toward using it. I will probably use SOTW with my 4th grader and MOH with my 7th grader.

 

I see that there are 15 "Resources" included on the scheduled book list. That includes SOTW and MOH. How much of that is needed? It seems like a ton to try and fit in. I'm thinking I'll skip a lot of that (I do plan to get the Kingfisher Encyclopedia, an atlas, and maybe a couple more if highly recommended by someone here) and just really ramp up the historical fiction/literature. Does that make sense?

 

I have spent some time this evening looking over the book list, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that my library has a whole 37 out of almost 100 titles. I am being dead serious. Our library is rated slightly higher than horrid as far as children's literature so I really thought they'd have none. I am seriously considering getting a library card for the next (much bigger) county over.

 

I finally have a little peace tonight. I have been going a little nuts for the past few days. My husband looked at the TOG sample with me tonight, and he gave me this look:

 

 

He didn't come right out and say that he thinks I'm nuts to consider it, but close enough. He knows me well, and I think he knows it would really overwhelm me.

[ChildofGrace]

I'm using Year 1 for the first time this year. I primarily chose it because of the high school features. If you love that SL has the pages planned for you day-to-day and the literature discussion guides, you may not like BP.

 

There are no literature discussion guides at all. There are writing suggestions through the logic stage, but there are none for the high school. The classtime for the whole family is planned day-to-day. The family read aloud tells you which pages to read for the week, but not for each day. The readers by grade level list the book and page numbers for some of the 5th+ books, but there's no daily schedule.

 

The high school has one spine scheduled (Streams) as well as a few other things, but not the other spines that are listed (two of which are dd's spines). The high school literature pages are not scheduled, even for the week. The high school bible readings that go beyond the family's scheduled reading are not scheduled at all. All that said, I still feel that I do a lot of planning. I like planning, so I don't mind, but if you feel you shouldn't have to after buying a program like this, you might be annoyed.

 

I didn't buy all the books because I have a very good library system that sends holds across the entire state for free. I only bought the books that weren't in our system.

 

For my 3rd grade son, I feel that BP really wasn't necessary at all. I could have done this on my own or just used SOTW and the AG. For my 9th grade dd, I am glad that the program included the Companion, weekly written work, and unit tests including history and geography. I plan on applying to a program that gives transcripts and will require examples of work and grades. These will come in handy for that.

 

I have been looking at purchasing BP Year 1 for my two high schoolers next year (actually, I would be repurchasing due to the fact that our previous version did not include the high level as it is now) so wondered if I could ask you a couple of questions regarding the high school level?

 

You mentioned that the literature selections are not scheduled at all. So, are you saying then that the high school selections are merely listed, without any scheduling suggestions whatsoever? Also, the BP website mentions usage of the Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Literature--is that scheduled at all? And would you mind sharing just a couple of the literature selections they suggest--other than the typical suggestions like Gilgamesh and The Odyssey?

 

Finally, with regard to the non-scheduled Bible reading--would you say those are handled in a similar manner as the high school literature portion?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

[mom31257]

I have been looking at purchasing BP Year 1 for my two high schoolers next year (actually, I would be repurchasing due to the fact that our previous version did not include the high level as it is now) so wondered if I could ask you a couple of questions regarding the high school level?

 

You mentioned that the literature selections are not scheduled at all. So, are you saying then that the high school selections are merely listed, without any scheduling suggestions whatsoever? Also, the BP website mentions usage of the Greenleaf Guide to Ancient Literature--is that scheduled at all? And would you mind sharing just a couple of the literature selections they suggest--other than the typical suggestions like Gilgamesh and The Odyssey?

 

Finally, with regard to the non-scheduled Bible reading--would you say those are handled in a similar manner as the high school literature portion?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

 

BP is divided into 5 units for high school. At the beginning of each unit there is a list of chapters from spines other than Streams, Bible readings which are larger portions than the family time Bible reading, and literature selections. You do know which literature selections to do during each unit, but the daily schedules are not there. For example, Epic of Gilgamesh is to be read during the first 7 weeks, but no lines or pages are assigned per week. I've not seen anything about Greenleaf's guide. I chose to use MFW Ancient Literature Supplement. You have choices for the literature and are reading at least one per unit. The literature selections are:

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Gifts of the Jews and/or the Book of Job

The Odyssey

The Three Thebian Plays

The Aeneid, The Last Days of Socrates, On Obligations, and/or The Confessions

 

As far as spines an in depth reading scheduled, those include Streams, Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, and the famous men of Greece and Rome books. The Bible readings are treated the same as literature with portions listed for each unit. The high school student reads more of the Bible than the younger children. I found it difficult to schedule dd's reading to coincide with the family, so she read all hers on her own, then ds read the family portions I assigned to him. We do separate readings for family devotions at night, so I just used this as independent Bible reading.

 

I hope this helps you, but if you need to know anything else, I'll be glad to help you.

[CarrieF]

Since I now have the BP Family Guide, I am really leaning toward using it. I will probably use SOTW with my 4th grader and MOH with my 7th grader.

 

I see that there are 15 "Resources" included on the scheduled book list. That includes SOTW and MOH. How much of that is needed? It seems like a ton to try and fit in. I'm thinking I'll skip a lot of that (I do plan to get the Kingfisher Encyclopedia, an atlas, and maybe a couple more if highly recommended by someone here) and just really ramp up the historical fiction/literature. Does that make sense?

 

I have spent some time this evening looking over the book list, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that my library has a whole 37 out of almost 100 titles. I am being dead serious. Our library is rated slightly higher than horrid as far as children's literature so I really thought they'd have none. I am seriously considering getting a library card for the next (much bigger) county over.

 

I finally have a little peace tonight. I have been going a little nuts for the past few days. My husband looked at the TOG sample with me tonight, and he gave me this look:

 

[ATTACH]8182[/ATTACH]

 

He didn't come right out and say that he thinks I'm nuts to consider it, but close enough. He knows me well, and I think he knows it would really overwhelm me.

:lol: LOVE the pic. of your husband!!! I can TOTALLY relate as I have received very similar looks from mine when "talking curriculum" with him. So funny!

Very glad that you are feeling better/more peaceful about BP - yay! How encouraging to know that your library will have about 1/3 of the titles . . . small things can be big blessings. ;)

I do not use SOTW and MOH at the same time (usually), although I have both and LIKE both. When we do Ancients I am sure I'll rely more heavily on MOH because of the Biblical history/reference. Now in years 3 & 4 MOH is not yet available (but coming soon!), so we only use SOTW and the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia for our spines. The read alouds and independent readers really help "fill in" the details and help focus on smaller "bites" of what we're studying overall. Anyway, when we were doing Year 2 and the beginning of Year 3 I would look over the MOH lessons (usually on Sunday night when planning for the week) to see if there were any that were too good to pass over and would literally circle or star them on my Family Guide page and 'X' out the ones that I could skip - it somehow made me feel better - like I had "permission" to skip those! :D I almost NEVER read duplicate lessons, unless it is a favorite person/topic.

I hope that helps! Really happy for you to have found peace. :001_smile: I feel like BP is a wonderful blending of history from a Biblical, God-honoring perspective and I really appreciate that aspect a lot.

Have a wonderful, peace-filled day!!!

[Nakia]

:lol: LOVE the pic. of your husband!!! I can TOTALLY relate as I have received very similar looks from mine when "talking curriculum" with him. So funny!

Very glad that you are feeling better/more peaceful about BP - yay! How encouraging to know that your library will have about 1/3 of the titles . . . small things can be big blessings. ;)

I do not use SOTW and MOH at the same time (usually), although I have both and LIKE both. When we do Ancients I am sure I'll rely more heavily on MOH because of the Biblical history/reference. Now in years 3 & 4 MOH is not yet available (but coming soon!), so we only use SOTW and the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia for our spines. The read alouds and independent readers really help "fill in" the details and help focus on smaller "bites" of what we're studying overall. Anyway, when we were doing Year 2 and the beginning of Year 3 I would look over the MOH lessons (usually on Sunday night when planning for the week) to see if there were any that were too good to pass over and would literally circle or star them on my Family Guide page and 'X' out the ones that I could skip - it somehow made me feel better - like I had "permission" to skip those! :D I almost NEVER read duplicate lessons, unless it is a favorite person/topic.

I hope that helps! Really happy for you to have found peace. :001_smile: I feel like BP is a wonderful blending of history from a Biblical, God-honoring perspective and I really appreciate that aspect a lot.

Have a wonderful, peace-filled day!!!

 

Carrie, you have been absolutely beyond helpful the past couple of days! I appreciate you putting so much time into helping with this. I think I'm getting it. I'm going to print off the Family Guide and highlight the books my library has and the ones I already own. Then we'll go from there. :D

[CarrieF]

Nakia,

You are so very welcome! That's what we're here for: to help each other on this lovely journey. :001_smile: Now I just hope and pray you and your family enjoy it as much as we have!!! Marking up the Family Guide is VERY helpful - good idea. ;)

Enjoy!!!

PS - feel free to PM any questions, any time.

[LAmom]

Question-- would you say that the SOTW AG is not needed if one were to go with Biblioplan. I already have the AG but am looking to use Biblioplan. I thought I would ask here where you ladies seem to know what would work best. :001_smile:

[CarrieF]

Question-- would you say that the SOTW AG is not needed if one were to go with Biblioplan. I already have the AG but am looking to use Biblioplan. I thought I would ask here where you ladies seem to know what would work best. :001_smile:

I do have the SOTW AGs, but really only use them as references or for the coloring pages, so you are correct: it would not be needed. :001_smile:

[ByGrace3]

ok, so can I ask one more question on this thread? You BP users have been amazingly helpful! (Thanks OP for a great thread!) In the same boat as Nakia deciding between SL and BP for next year. I have looked at the booklist for year 2 and there are a good number of SL books listed. Looking ahead, I REALLY love the look of Core D and Core E, can anyone answer if BP years 3 and 4 use many of the SL D and E books? (I am just thinking even if I like the look of BP year 2 over core C, if I am going to switch and do SL D and then E the next two years, it might be just better to do Core C this year?) :001_huh:

 

I am pretty set on BP, but I would hate to miss out on the great books of SL D and E :tongue_smilie:

 

Thank you!!!

[CarrieF]

ok, so can I ask one more question on this thread? You BP users have been amazingly helpful! (Thanks OP for a great thread!) In the same boat as Nakia deciding between SL and BP for next year. I have looked at the booklist for year 2 and there are a good number of SL books listed. Looking ahead, I REALLY love the look of Core D and Core E, can anyone answer if BP years 3 and 4 use many of the SL D and E books? (I am just thinking even if I like the look of BP year 2 over core C, if I am going to switch and do SL D and then E the next two years, it might be just better to do Core C this year?) :001_huh:

 

I am pretty set on BP, but I would hate to miss out on the great books of SL D and E :tongue_smilie:

 

Thank you!!!

If my memory serves (and that is a big IF!), there are a number of SL books in BP year 3 and 4. However, if there are SL picks that you REALLY like why not just MAKE them part of your BP experience and schedule them in place of a BP pick?! That's what I did this year (not ALL SL books, but a number of them) and it was great! My philosophy is that a great book is a great book no matter WHO recommends it, so we're going to READ them! ;)

HTH!

[ByGrace3]

If my memory serves (and that is a big IF!), there are a number of SL books in BP year 3 and 4. However, if there are SL picks that you REALLY like why not just MAKE them part of your BP experience and schedule them in place of a BP pick?! That's what I did this year (not ALL SL books, but a number of them) and it was great! My philosophy is that a great book is a great book no matter WHO recommends it, so we're going to READ them! ;)

HTH!

 

Very true, and what I was planning...not sure what makes me so indecisive! BP sounds like a really good fit for us, I just constantly feel the pull to SL (perhaps bc we have never used it!) ;) DD says her favorite part of SOTW is the coloring pages, so I am pretty sure she would not be as happy with SL as I would be :tongue_smilie: I think BP is going to be a good balance. Carrie, thank you so much for your help! Whenever I begin to question myself, I will just come back and reread this thread! :lol:

Thank you!!!

[Nakia]

ok, so can I ask one more question on this thread? You BP users have been amazingly helpful! (Thanks OP for a great thread!) In the same boat as Nakia deciding between SL and BP for next year. I have looked at the booklist for year 2 and there are a good number of SL books listed. Looking ahead, I REALLY love the look of Core D and Core E, can anyone answer if BP years 3 and 4 use many of the SL D and E books? (I am just thinking even if I like the look of BP year 2 over core C, if I am going to switch and do SL D and then E the next two years, it might be just better to do Core C this year?) :001_huh:

 

I am pretty set on BP, but I would hate to miss out on the great books of SL D and E :tongue_smilie:

 

Thank you!!!

 

I haven't seen the BP year 2-4 booklist, but I just wanted to tell you we used SL for cores D & E (using now), and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. We have really enjoyed those two cores! The main reason I am looking for something different for next year is because I don't want to speed through Ancient and Medieval history the way SL does for cores G & H. I want to slow it down and really dig in. HTH and doesn't confuse you more. :D

[warneral]

Can someone explain how biblioplan schedules MOH1? Do you go region by region?

[Nakia]

Can someone explain how biblioplan schedules MOH1? Do you go region by region?

 

 

I haven't seen MOH in person, but from the looks of my BP year 1 plan, it tries to match it up with the SOTW chapter(1) being read that week. Does that make sense at all?

 

Wish I could be more helpful!

[ByGrace3]

I haven't seen the BP year 2-4 booklist, but I just wanted to tell you we used SL for cores D & E (using now), and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. We have really enjoyed those two cores! The main reason I am looking for something different for next year is because I don't want to speed through Ancient and Medieval history the way SL does for cores G & H. I want to slow it down and really dig in. HTH and doesn't confuse you more. :D

 

This is what I heard, which is why I have been so :confused: I don't love the look of cores A-C. I like the books, not a huge fan of CHOW, and while I love the great read alouds in SL, I don't like that there are not more history related read alouds in those cores. Also, one thing I don't like in SL in the lower cores is the lack of picture/smaller books for that age. We have read some great ones this year with SOTW. I love how BP seems to have a balance in the k-2 schedule. So, all that led me away from SL for next year-- to do BP yr 2 instead of Core C; however, I have heard over and over how wonderful cores D and E are. But if I do BP year 2 then Cores D and E, it wouldn't line up as well as doing Core C then D, and E. Y/K? Not the end of the world, but still enough to stress me out over deciding! :tongue_smilie:

 

So, what do you think was your favorite part of these cores? I love the book lists, but if that is the main highlight, like Carrie said, that is easy enough to add in. But is there more to the enjoyment of those cores that would be missed by just reading the books?

[Nakia]

This is what I heard, which is why I have been so :confused: I don't love the look of cores A-C. I like the books, not a huge fan of CHOW, and while I love the great read alouds in SL, I don't like that there are not more history related read alouds in those cores. Also, one thing I don't like in SL in the lower cores is the lack of picture/smaller books for that age. We have read some great ones this year with SOTW. I love how BP seems to have a balance in the k-2 schedule. So, all that led me away from SL for next year-- to do BP yr 2 instead of Core C; however, I have heard over and over how wonderful cores D and E are. But if I do BP year 2 then Cores D and E, it wouldn't line up as well as doing Core C then D, and E. Y/K? Not the end of the world, but still enough to stress me out over deciding! :tongue_smilie:

 

So, what do you think was your favorite part of these cores? I love the book lists, but if that is the main highlight, like Carrie said, that is easy enough to add in. But is there more to the enjoyment of those cores that would be missed by just reading the books?

 

The books, by far, are our favorite part of Sonlight. Over two years of using SL, there have been less than a handfull of books we didn't love. I also like most of the SL spines. The Story of the USA books are great (they are actually workbooks, but we've used them orally) and this year we have an amazing book about the World Wars we are reading right now. The Landmark book they use as the main spine is pretty dry, so I read ahead and summarize for the girls.

 

We never use the history questions or any of the discussion questions for the books we read aloud. We just talk about it. I haven't felt the need for any formal list of questions. But for the books my oldest reads on her own, I like having discussion questions. Oh! Another thing I love about SL is that I don't have to worry about the book choices; I trust SL to pick great books. That's why we will continue to schedule them in to whatever we do end up using.

 

BTW, I've never used cores A-C, but I have always heard those are commonly the least favorite cores.

 

HTH!

[savmom]

Can someone explain how biblioplan schedules MOH1? Do you go region by region?

 

The MOH lessons are definitely out of order. For example: BP week 1 uses MOH week 1; BP week 2 uses MOH week 2 with part of week 4.

 

If you wanted to use MOH chronologically, you could simply do the lessons in order & cross reference BP (which is what I am going to do). I am currently making a spreadsheet that has the MOH lesson number on the left with the BP week on the right. That way, I can use BP's awesome maps, cool history, & the reader schedule without losing my mind (I can't stand reading a History book out of chronological order :tongue_smilie:).

 

Edited to add:

 

I forgot to mention that in Ancients, SOTW is done out of order also. We are not using SOTW though, so I have not paid too much attention to how out of order it is. I would be happy to check my guide and let you know (PM me if you want more info).

Edited March 8, 2012 by savmom
Add detail

[Nakia]

The MOH lessons are definitely out of order. For example: BP week 1 uses MOH week 1; BP week 2 uses MOH week 2 with part of week 4.

 

If you wanted to use MOH chronologically, you could simply do the lessons in order & cross reference BP (which is what I am going to do). I am currently making a spreadsheet that has the MOH lesson number on the left with the BP week on the right. That way, I can use BP's awesome maps, cool history, & the reader schedule without losing my mind (I can't stand reading a History book out of chronological order :tongue_smilie:).

 

Edited to add:

 

I forgot to mention that in Ancients, SOTW is done out of order also. We are not using SOTW though, so I have not paid too much attention to how out of order it is. I would be happy to check my guide and let you know (PM me if you want more info).

 

Any idea why BP doesn't use the books in chronological order?