Does everyone add US History to SOTW?

[Mandylubug]

I have noticed some threads of individuals adding US history in addition to SOTW... I suppose I assumed SOTW would cover US history chronologically?!

 

We are on volume 1 and now I am worried about my older boys needing some more US history? I was trying to keep all four kids together for history.

[OnceAHomeschooler]

I am not an expert so I could be wrong but I think you are to study certain things at certain times, depending on how old your boys are it would determine what they should be studying. How old are your children?

[Mandylubug]

I have to admit that these kind of questions cause me to become irritated for purchasing the kindle version of TWTM. It is difficult to flip through the book to look for what I need. I wish I had the physical book in hand! :glare:

 

Anyway, my assumption, since we were starting in the middle and using the recommendation to still start with Ancients and progress forward; that when at 5th grade level to add the Kingfisher Encyclopedia of World History and to require more from them.

 

Then, when we reached the Modern times we would study our state and US history at the same time. The points to teach for state and US History are dictated under the Fourth Grade level, but I assumed that the instructions go along with the Modern Times volume of SOTW and not to be covered while covering other topics (such as Ancients if starting in the middle)

 

If I stayed on this path; that would put the boys at the age of 11 and 12 before learning US History. Now, we do go on field trips, etc. We flew to Philadelphia and toured Benjamin Franklin's stomping grounds, print shop, saw the Liberty Bell, etc.. but it was a "fun" trip. I personally have learned most of my US History as an adult. I was bored stiff in PS during history lessons and don't want my kids bored as I was. I want them interested in the topics at hand. That is one reason SOTW works so well for how I want them to learn History.

[sagira]

The only reason we dedicated a year to American History this year is because I am not well versed in this subject (I'm not from here originally :)), and to slow ds down, as I don't want him to deal with SOTW 4 until he's in 5th grade (World Wars, etc). We are doing Mara Pratt's American History Stories as a spine, and continuing with SOTW 3 next year. The plan is to review the Am History parts in SOTW 3. This gives me a chance to take a term to study the Italian Renaissance a bit more in depth :D

[redsquirrel]

I didn't. SOTW hits on the big notes, like it does with the rest of world history. My kids know the major wars, the major documents and the names associated with them. They know that there is much, much more to know, as is the same with almost everything else studied in SOTW.

 

I am planning to go into it more in depth during 7th and 8th grade and then spend a whole year on it in high school.

[chepyl]

I want my kids to have a very in-depth study of US history. We will do SOTW first through fourth grade, then we will repeat with him reading it on his own amd adding the Kingfisher Encyclopedia in fifth and sixth grades. Since we will have been through it once I figure double time with mainly reading and discussing we can get through it faster.

 

In 7th grade we will do The Story of US for US History, 8th grade will be civic and stayed history. Then we will be back to a final four year cycle with more in depth material and literature selections.

[KrissiK]

I have noticed some threads of individuals adding US history in addition to SOTW... I suppose I assumed SOTW would cover US history chronologically?!

 

We are on volume 1 and now I am worried about my older boys needing some more US history? I was trying to keep all four kids together for history.

 

It does cover history chronologically and it fits U.S. history in there with all the rest of the history of the world. I add stuff. I am now, since we're on the Rev. War chapter. I just feel like I want the kids to get more U.S. History since we're Americans and all. I don't dedicate a full year. I wrote this on that other thread, but I add bios and library books, etc. to the chapter we are on. So, while we may spend say an extra day on a chapter from SOTW on India, we'll have spent 4-5 weeks on the French & Indian War/Revolutionary War/Constitution and that's 3 chapters in SOTW 3. Then we'll move on to the rest of the book. Then, when we come to another American chapter in SOTW, we'll spend a little more time there. Although I do intend to spend more time on the French Revolution and contrast it to the American Revolution, since they were so close together in time, but they were both remarkably different in how they were done and the outcomes.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I didn't add any US history when we did SOTW 1. With SOTW 2 we did add some supplemental reading on the pre-Columbian americas, but that was minimal. I am doing a lot more this year with SOTW 3, when it comes up in the chronology - after reading the SOTW chapter related to American History, we "park" there for awhile and read some additional stuff. Bios, historical fiction, but also The Making of America chapters (this is a very readable, yet minimalist coverage of Am Hist) as well as A Young People's History of the United States. It's been great, it deepens our understanding of issues of American history, while staying with the chronological, broad world-view approach that like in SOTW. I don't plan to take a "year off" to cover american history before HS, we'll just do it up to the Civil War this year, and then Modern next year with SOTW 4.