Alison in KY Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I would like to try sonlight's core G, but I want to use it more independently. Are parents supposed to read the spines, or the kids? Wouldn't it work out okay to just use the spines and readers and skip the read alouds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 You can use Sonlight however you want to. I have added and changed lots. But to be really honest the read a louds are the best part. I wouldn't skip them. You could assign them as readers too. You would just move slower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillehei Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 This is basically what we are doing but not through Sonlight. We do SOTW and dd picks readers to go along with each chapter or subject. There are lots of sites out there that give literature lists for middle school, like this one: http://homescool-ed.blogspot.com/2007/04/sonlight-books-arranged-by-well-trained.html This one has books by date: http://www.muni.org/Departments/library/kids/Pages/HistoricalFiction.aspx and this one by ages: http://www.historicalnovels.info/Young-Adult-Historical-Novels.html There are more sites out there if you just keep looking or even go to the Sonlight website and peruse the books in Core G. We did Sonlight Cores D+E and F with dd and we didn't have much success. I am ill and also don't enjoy reading outloud. I also didn't like how we were in so many books at one time. Right now we combine our 9 and 11 yo in history. We do one chapter of SOTW on day 1 with the cds and book. I ask review questions and have them tell me something they learned. On day 2 we do more review questions, narration, mapping and the test. Day 3 is supplemental reading. For the 9 yo, it is Usborne. For dd 11, it is The Human Odyssey by k12. I pick some library books for them to look through as the week continues. Day 4, we watch a dvd or video from Discovery Streaming, PBS, Netflix, etc. My dd 11 picks a historical fiction to read each week or two and usually brings it to bed with her and finishes it in a night or two. We school 4 days a week, year round. You could do SOTW double time, like Sonlight does, very easily. We just found SL draining and it dragged us down. We love our new schedule! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 SL doesn't specify who reads the spines. If your child is up to it, the spines in Core G are pretty easy reading and shouldn't be a problem. I don't think you can leave out the Read Alouds. They are a large part of how students are supposed to understand the time period being studied. You can have your child read them instead of you if you prefer. I would find a time to read them though. As a previous poster said, they are the best part of SL. Let your whole family listen. Read them at bedtime or let your dh read them in the evenings. It doesn't matter when, but do include them somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I love the read-alouds and wouldn't want to leave them out, but I think if you are going to follow the methods in TWTM and add in SWB's additional book recommendations or follow her suggestion of additional reading on something that the child found interesting on the topic you are covering, I do think you could leave out the read-alouds. I mean, the Core G spines are now SOTW and 2 history encyclopedias, so it's really Susan's program. I am actually trying to tweak Core G right now to add in some of SWB's suggestions for the logic stage and one thing that's bugging me is that there is no way I can add in interest-led reading for my kids because we will already be spending so much time with the read-alouds and the readers. I also think your kids could very easily read the history spines in core G on their own. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 I am actually trying to tweak Core G right now to add in some of SWB's suggestions for the logic stage and one thing that's bugging me is that there is no way I can add in interest-led reading for my kids because we will already be spending so much time with the read-alouds and the readers. Lisa We didn't find this to be true at all. We spent 1 hr/day on the readers & read alouds combined. My kids still kept a book of their own interest going most of the time and we always have an evening RA that is unrelated to SL too. I don't read aloud (outside of school) every day, but every time our schedule allows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 (edited) We didn't find this to be true at all. We spent 1 hr/day on the readers & read alouds combined. My kids still kept a book of their own interest going most of the time and we always have an evening RA that is unrelated to SL too. I don't read aloud (outside of school) every day, but every time our schedule allows. Interesting. I'll have to actually time myself, but I'm pretty sure it's taking us that long to read (though there are days I'm doubling up so maybe it just feels like it's longer) and I am not a slow reader.:D In looking at Core F and G, G seems like it's significantly lighter, especially without so many missionary stories. Those alone seem like they take 30 minutes to get through. Add the readers in and that usually adds a minimum of another 30 minutes or more and, again, my kids are strong readers. At the beginning of the year, they had more time to add in additional reading for fun, but as we've gotten further into the core, I haven't found that to be the case. But, we are very busy with other activities as well and 1 1/2 - 2 hours a day is the maximum amount of time we have for reading. Lisa ETA: I do read aloud for science and bible as well, so maybe that accounts for some of the difference? If you did Core F, I'd love to know if you found the reading heavier in that core? It would be kind of encouraging to think my plans for next year might actually be doable. I'd really like to add in more interest-led reading. Edited April 6, 2012 by LisaTheresa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 ETA: I do read aloud for science and bible as well, so maybe that accounts for some of the difference? If you did Core F, I'd love to know if you found the reading heavier in that core? It would be kind of encouraging to think my plans for next year might actually be doable. I'd really like to add in more interest-led reading. Dd and I take turns reading science aloud, ds reads it on his own. We don't do bible. History is really the only out-loud reading I do during school. I think it would feel like more if I did other subjects too! We skipped F, so I don't know about that one. We did 3+4 and 100, then G, then H. We're leaving SL next year, but I do love it! I wish I started younger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Dd and I take turns reading science aloud, ds reads it on his own. We don't do bible. History is really the only out-loud reading I do during school. I think it would feel like more if I did other subjects too! We skipped F, so I don't know about that one. We did 3+4 and 100, then G, then H. We're leaving SL next year, but I do love it! I wish I started younger! Thanks, Debbie! I'm really looking forward to Core G next year. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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