Favorite lit or textbook based History...History ONLY

[Mommyfaithe]

I don't want an integrated program!!!!

 

It can be text book based.

 

I would like study questions, vocabulary , map work/ locate this type work, Identifying famous people and some thinking deeper questions.

 

I would love if it had notebook pages.

 

I don't want Bible, science, poetry etc. to be included...I like doing my own thing there :D

 

It can be secular...or Christian, or Jewish

 

This would be for my 3&4th graders combined.

 

We are up to Middle Ages, but I can be convinced to do American History next year.

 

 

PLEASE HELP!!!!

 

Faithe (Who is going to ask a similar question about science in another post once I have history for next year nailed down.)

[Momling]

How about Galore Park Jr History. You could probably do all three in a year. They are very Focused on British history after that.

 

Core knowledge might be another place to look though the organization isn't necessarily chronological.

 

Big educational publishers (glencoe, houghton mifflin, etc...) will also have good options if your kids are good readers... Look for the middle school history textbooks.

[sagira]

We're going to be using History Odyssey by Pandia Press next year. Pandia Press has a 10-week free sample. You can see if that's what you're looking for.

 

ETA: History Odyssey uses SOTW too. We're using Early Modern Level 1 next year, which uses SOTW 3. We love SOTW here too! :)

Edited May 1, 2012 by sagira

[Another Lynn]

What about SOTW ?

 

OR

 

What about Veritas Press ? Aren't there worksheets to fill out on each card? Or scan and shrink each card as a graphic for a notebook page (not that you wanted to make notebooking pages all year long again.)

 

OR

 

What about Biblioplan? - I think it has a lot of "extras" now.

 

OR

 

What about MOH - pre-tests, Activites, Reviews. I think they might sell notebooking pages or lapbooks or something separately.

[Five More Minutes]

Story of the World? It has a great, readable text; lots of map work; additional books to read along; and optional activities for learning. We love it here.

[NittanyJen]

Check out the Creek Edge Press task cards.

 

I'm personally a fan of History Odyssey (no Bible or poetry :D :D but does suggest literature-- though you can easily leave out any component of it you don't wish to do-- it's basically a checklist you can pick and choose from quite easily). It comes with nice blackline maps and a suggested schedule, but the schedule is quite easy to bend to your will.

 

But I am also pretty interested in the task cards in HO starts to feel "old" to us at any point, and bought a stack of them to look over.

[sagira]

Check out the Creek Edge Press task cards.

 

I'm personally a fan of History Odyssey (no Bible or poetry :D :D but does suggest literature-- though you can easily leave out any component of it you don't wish to do-- it's basically a checklist you can pick and choose from quite easily). It comes with nice blackline maps and a suggested schedule, but the schedule is quite easy to bend to your will.

 

But I am also pretty interested in the task cards in HO starts to feel "old" to us at any point, and bought a stack of them to look over.

 

I don't want to hijack, but how do HO and task cards compare? The only thing that kept me away from the task cards and choosing HO were the availability of the maps.

Edited May 2, 2012 by sagira

[Lily_Grace]

I don't want to hijack, but how do HO and task cards compare? The only thing that kept me away from the task cards and choosing HO were the availability of the maps.

There are some big differences and some not very big.

 

For maps, we use mostly these. There are black outline maps for each area.

 

We used HO for Ancients and are currently using CEP task cards for Medieval.

 

HO was 87 lessons, without a real schedule to go by. Some of the lessons can take up to two weeks to complete (like reading Greek Myths and making a list of gods/attributes). Some are pretty quick. Some, like the History Pockets, can be a lot of printing and busy work.

I liked the introduction to outlining and paper writing, but the hodge-podge feel of it all made us less likely to return.

 

On the flip side, CEP is 33 cards, or one a week. They often follow a format that include encyclopedia research, further research, literature, mapwork, and a project. There is a LOT of flexibility in what you do and how you do it. For example, my son is older - 7th grade. His research includes a full outline that a paper is produced from, projects that tie in the skills he is learning in his Microsoft class (instead of a poster of what Timbuktu was like, for example, I'll have him create a brochure for a prospective student going to an ancient Timbuktu university), and a full chapter book that ties in to the time period. We use the Kingfisher for encyclopedia research and the Oxford Medieval series for a further reading spine. You can use any books or resources you want for each card, but I would suggest going through them all at the beginning and making sure you have at least one resource that covers each card available to you.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

What about Trailguide to World, American, or Bible history? If I remember correctly there just have map work and questions to seek out the history in a region/state. They do have notebook pages and you can adjust how much or how little you want to go.

[Mommyfaithe]

I am seriously tired of reading aloud. My little kids just don't learn that way....and it is a big fat waste of everyone's time and energy.

 

My kids like having their own assignments....and I like having some kind of product/proof of learning.

 

My little guys are not so little...they can handle a few sentences, or some map work.

 

I don't want to use SOTW....they already sat through it with their older siblings...and it is not easy to assign pages. The narration questions are with the answers....so I would have to type it all up if I wanted them to answer in full sentences.....and I do!

We do spur of the moment oral narrations, talk about what we read all the time....but for school time, I want them to have written work. When they write, it solidifies the information in their brains. This is how I learn, and this is the learning style of my 13& 9 year olds. My 8 year old does not need as much writing....and I have no problem adjusting his assignments.

 

I am still:bigear:

 

Trying to get this all squared away so I can plan for next year....

 

Thanks....I am checking out all the suggestions.

 

We have used VP in the past.....and I actually have all the cards and sets, but I used it with other programs with my older kids. VP won't work for these guys. They do not want a history-centric curriculum.....and I want them to have time to pursue their own interests.

[SilverMoon]

My first reaction was History Odyssey or an Easy Classical history schedule. They both use SOTW, but it's not the only spine. You could skip it.

[precious4b]

We are using Mystery of History next year. Volume 2 is the Middle Ages. They have a CD that has all kinds of crafts and activities. The readable lesson part is short and they make a big timeline of events.

[Aurelia]

CHOW with the Calvert workbook? Calvert uses it for their fourth grade curriculum.

[PeterPan]

Abeka 4. Or do the VP online. Lessons usually take about 20 minutes, so they're nothing terrible.

[NittanyJen]

I don't want to hijack, but how do HO and task cards compare? The only thing that kept me away from the task cards and choosing HO were the availability of the maps.

 

maps: I wouldn't worry there. Another poster has already posted one source; I like the maps available through MapTrek (blanks and already filled in for comparison, plus pre-lined blanks for freehand drawing map practice if you wish). I downloaded their map software, and can print at will.

 

HO and CEP cards have much in common; they are both kind of checklist systems and you can take or leave tasks as you wish.

 

What is different: From what I see, the task cards are more adaptable to open-style learning. HO delineates lessons with very specific assignments: read these pages of this encyclopedia and create this type of outline or write these sentences in this section of your notebook. The task cards are specific, but in a differnt type of way; they guide what the student should read about and are very organized; they do suggest activities and even some definition and projects, but are more open-ended in many ways; they might instruct the student to read about the battle of Agincourt in an encyclopedia, but it does not have to be page xx and yy from Kingfisher. You might use Usborne, DK, Kingfisher Red or White, World Book, Britannica, or Wikipedia if that's or preference, without having to modify the assignent. On the same card later in the week, it might assign further reading on the topic. Maybe you like vanLoon, or perhaps Oxford or K12 or a library book or UXL; it's really up to you. You could (ideally) have a host of middle ages resources available and allow your student to pick and choose (one approach is the Montessori prepared environment). The assignments are not light and fluffy, and by modifying which resources you make available, easily adaptible to different age learners with different goals in mind. There is a TM that ships with the cards.

 

I hope that description was helpful to you or anyone else trying to compare the two programs; on the surface they do appear quite similar.

 

Jen