looking ahead: importance of K-4 history memorization

[serendipitous journey]

Hi --

 

I've been lurking around this board, and hope you don't mind if I post a question (or two :D) about educating in K-4 with the logic stage in mind.

 

I am wondering what y'all have found to be the most important results (if any are important) of doing history memory work in K-4. Right now, Button is learning poems but not many memory facts for history. This is because for many reasons we've jettisoned the WTM history approach for first (where Button is). Several posters on this board have mentioned that the history cycle for 1-4 is not essential, and that the child's reading/writing/math development _is_ essential: Button will have very good skills in those areas, as well as general memorization practice, but will not have WTM-ish facts memorized going into the logic stage. Do you think this will be a problem?

 

as background, he's accelerated and intense, so I am focusing on skills, rich language/classic books, and a LOT of time playing outside.

 

thanks in advance for any help & perspective! and thank you so much for all I've learned while lurking!

ana

[Julie Smith]

:bigear:

[redsquirrel]

I didn't do history memory work. I focused on grammar memory work (those prepositions!) and poems and stuff in science and Latin. I didn't not do history on purpose, I just sort of forgot. We used SOTW and the AG pretty intently and if they had put the darn memory work in the AG it would have got done. But, they didn't and it didn't. Oh well.

 

So, I don't feel like my son missed out on memory work, just history memory work. With all the other stuff we did I feel like it's no harm, no foul. I must admit that the other memory work we did has come in handy. He has said so himself. However, he hasn't bemoaned the lack of instant history facts...but it's not like you miss what you don't know.

 

He has retained enough of SOTW and the general 'flow' of history that he feels comfortable making connections. He can't recite all the Egyptian Pharaohs but he does know that Cleopatra was Ptolemaic, and why. He can't recite all the British kings and queens, but he does know what William conquered (and when) and what that did to British society.

 

So, while I feel comfortable saying that history memory work hasn't been a big loss, I wouldn't say we could have skipped history for years 1-4. History has been much more for us than simple memory work.

[serendipitous journey]

...We used SOTW and the AG pretty intently and if they had put the darn memory work in the AG it would have got done. But, they didn't and it didn't. Oh well.

...

 

He has retained enough of SOTW and the general 'flow' of history that he feels comfortable making connections. ...

 

So, while I feel comfortable saying that history memory work hasn't been a big loss, I wouldn't say we could have skipped history for years 1-4. History has been much more for us than simple memory work.

 

Thanks. I'm planning on doing a cycle of history btw. now and then, but wasn't sure about SOTW per se ... we may do the audiobook in the car and add some of the AG/mapwork. If he memorizes anything I kind of want it to be first civilizations, places where writing developed independently, basic needs of people, basic characteristics common to societies ... it sounds like that would complement things and he won't suffer from not doing the memory work laid out in WTM.

 

thanks again! So nice to have the perspective of someone who's been there & done that :).