If you use SOTW . . . . how do you schedule it in?

[farming_mum]

We are using SOTW1 and loving it! :D

 

I was wondering how you schedule it in?

 

Do you use the additional reading books? Do you do the projects?

 

Do you one chapter per week and spread it out?

 

We do a chapter in one day, that way the kids don't forget the story that I have read out (or until recently, read by Jim Weiss). Although we don't do any of the additional reading as alot of the books aren't readily available in Australia, but I do use any online videos related to the chapter we are doing.

 

We are collecting the other Jim Weiss audio books and we play them in the car. I only play the ones relating the the subject we are covering (eg. Greece - Greek Myths) so that I don't confuse the little people (DS6, DD5) :001_huh:

 

We also don't do the projects as I feel we have enough to do but I plan to cover all the projects in 4yrs time when we redo SOTW1. We do all the worksheets/ maps though, as the kids love to colour in.

 

I'd be very interested to know what you all do. :bigear:

 

Thanks :D

[lillehei]

We school most of the year so our schedule is as follows. All supplemental materials are on the subject that is being learned in each SOTW chapter:

 

For the week:

Historical fiction for dd 11

Easy library books for ds 9

 

Monday:

Listen and Read One Chapter in SOTW (my ds follows along in the book with CDs)

Review Questions in AG (part 1)

Narration in AG (part 1)

 

Tuesday:

No school. Co-op

 

Wednesday:

Read supplemental material (Usborne for 9 yo ds and K 12 Human Odyssey or Kingfisher for dd 11)

Review Question from AG (Part 2)

Narrative from AG (Part 2)

 

Thursday

Mapping from AG or other sources

Video through Netflix, Discovery Streaming Plus and online

 

Friday:

Test

 

So, we do a chapter a week with lots of supplementing. I may switch around the schedule to accommodate my ds 9 who has some reading comprehension problems. The test is 5 days after the reading/audio and that might be too much. I love the idea of going slowly through the book so we can really dig deep into each chapter and subject. This will be our second week.

Edited March 25, 2012 by lillehei

[boscopup]

When we were using it, we did one section of a chapter per day, 3 days per week. We narrated each section per the AG, and we got whatever books my library had (usually 3-4). DS could read those on his own as he felt like it. On the last section of a chapter, we'd do the mapwork. In the beginning we did some projects on Fridays, but that kind of waned. The chicken mummy is still sitting in salt on top of my fridge. :D

 

So yeah, we were kind of relaxed about it. It didn't take up a huge amount of time for us (an hour per week?). Obviously if we'd done more projects, it would have taken longer, or if I'd had to read the extra books out loud, that would have taken longer also.

[NatYoung17]

For me it's more about getting intersted in history and enjoying it in the elementary years, so I read 1 chapter per week, we do the map and short summary the same day and then if we feel like it, read some extra books from the library another day. I don't do tests on it at this point and my kids really enjoy history time.:001_smile:

[Lucy]

For the younger elementary, we would listen to the CD and do the review questions on one day - usually they get to color a sheet or something while they listen. On day 2 we look up fun stuff online - photos and such to see the real places and people we are talking about. Maybe a movie if we can find one. Day 3 we would do a project from the AG. Very simple. With my older kids this time around, I plan to add in mapping and some fiction books to read. Still very laid back - my goal is for them to end elementary years saying, "I love history!" so they will want to study it more in depth the older years.

[m0mmaBuck]

We do 1 (on a rare occasion 2) chapters/wk. I read the chapter outloud, typically over a period of 2 days (Mon and Weds). DD6 will typically choose to do the coloring page while I read while DS10 often just chooses to listen. Both do the map and review questions (although DS10 answers the bulk of them). DS10 does the narration exercise. Typically I have 1-2 additional historical reading selections for him to read independently and I will choose something to readaloud to both of them if there is a good, fun lit suggestion. Occasionally we do a project if it catches our fancy. I try to find related documentaries or movies for them to watch during lunchtime.

[MomatHWTK]

We are using the VP self-paced study this year so I just read the chapter that I think best matches what we are studying via VP. I pause now and then to let our VP course catch up and sometimes I supplement with videos or other materials. I found a $1 e-book at Scholastic that has additional reference materials and will use some of those to go along. It's fun for me to study the time period so I'm willing to do a little extra. ;)

[stm4him]

We want to do it just like you are doing (all in one day, probably no projects or extra readings but all the AG pages). How long does this take?

 

Thanks!

[threedogfarm]

We do a chapter/day 4x's per week. I started doing that b/c I wanted to "catch up" in history and be on track within two and a half years instead of 4 (we started homeschooling this year, with my son in 3rd grade this year). I do the reading comprehension questions and usually pull books out of the library for the week on the topics we are reading. I never make a formal request for the kids to read those books but they always do. I spend a few moments relating that day's info to what we have read before (an informal review). We used to do some of the activities but that ended pretty quickly. We never do the coloring pages (no interest) and we do some of the maps. We have laminated maps for placemats and those get used A LOT and my children probably know more geography from using those maps at meal times than if I had formally taught a geography this year. They show their dad the regions they studied during dinner.

 

I used to tie our read alouds with history but that didn't fit in well because there are just so many other books that we want to read (our public library is amazing and it is so hard to go in there and just pick out the books on The List). But somehow most books end up being related to our history lessons. For example we are reading Watership Down right now and there are references to some of the things we have studied in the past (like Odysseus) and I think it's great that the kids pick up on those references right away. The rabbits tell stories of their own history (myths) and my children were quick to notice that. History is not being spoon fed to my children but they are still creating the hooks that were discussed in the WTM.

 

I want my children to love history and get a rhythm for what happened when all over the world (which I think SOTW really well).

 

So, while we may not be that formal I think the information is really sinking in. Our history lesson takes about 20 minutes per day 4x's per week. I do it at the end of our school time because the kids enjoy it so much--they look forward to it and it is like the carrot at the end of the stick. Math is always done first in case you are wondering. . .

[ktgrok]

We read Mondays and Tuesdays, with him narrating back to me what he read. Wednesday is co-op. Thursday is Mapwork and Friday is Timeline. Plus we read historical fiction relating to the time period, and sometimes watch a documentary.

[Lucy the Valiant]

We are "flexible" (my preferred term - hee-hee!).

 

If it's an interesting time period, we read together, get the extra books, do ALL the activities, have a themed party, make a play, you name it. Coloring pages, map work, all of it.

 

Then (because that takes forever) when we get to a less-interesting part, we pop the audio CD in the car, listen to 5-6 chapters at once, go over a few review questions to fit it into the big picture, and call it done.

 

Don't tell SWB on me, ok? :)

 

I have been AMAZED at my kids' retention (they're young), and though I considered my own education a good one, I have learned SO MUCH myself going through the books and stories with them.

 

We treat the book as a 2nd-tier core subject, and the activities as "treats" or fun stuff.

[farming_mum]

We want to do it just like you are doing (all in one day, probably no projects or extra readings but all the AG pages). How long does this take?

 

Thanks!

 

 

About 1hr depending on how elaborate the kids decide to color in! :lol:

 

Also, I don't treat the test as a test it's used more to check that the kids were listening to the audio tape and were listening to our discussion of the questions in the TM. If, the kids are guessing the answers then we listen to the audio tape again - this usually really helps! :D

[farming_mum]

[quote name=Katie;3751302

I have been AMAZED at my kids' retention (they're young)' date=' and though I considered my own education a good one, I have learned SO MUCH myself going through the books and stories with them. QUOTE]

 

 

I have also learnt so much and so we are learning about history at the same time. The only one that misses out is DH but the kids try to fill him in when they feel like it. :lol:

 

We also look for history based books at the library on the subject that we are covering at the time, but it is on a very relaxed basis. We listen to alot of Jim Weiss's Audio books (just discovered him!) in the car and the kids love them.

 

Another source we use to bring together some of the chapters is the Evan Moore printables (Teachers box). For example when we finished Ancient Egypt we did the Egypt history pockets. We still need to do the Mesopotamia history pocket and then we will do the Greek and Roman history pockets. I find these really help the kids understand the way of life in these civilizations - and they love to color in (while listening to more audio tapes :D)