Marsha Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Is there any benefit to using Paths of Exploration. I really want to use Paths of Settlement now. It will be for a 4th, 6th, and 8th grader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 No. I think you can go straight into POS if that's what you prefer. We used 4 units from POE then moved on to POS but only ended up using a few units and dropped it again. I guess it's just not for us. But I don't see any problem skipping POE and moving into POS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Did you follow the schedule to do the 4 units in POE or did you shorten them? I am considering using both next year, POE and POS but using it at a shortened time, so 3 weeks each instead of 6 but it really depends on the unit. I have also read that the last unit is usually a mix of all the previous units. I have heard from others that POE does have some great units in it that people have enjoyed. I think that you almost have to do both to get a well rounded view of AH but that's just my opinion. I don't have the curriculum in hand yet so I am really not sure about this. I am like you though in that I am drawn a little more towards POS :bigear: I will be listening in to what others who have used the program advice to do. This is just my wish, I don't really know if I can make it work yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrjoy Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 We did POE last year. Planning on POS this fall. I thought POE definitely had units worth using. But if your heart is set on skipping POE you wouldn't have a problem skipping it. I do think POS has a different flavor than POE but that I am saying just looking at it in hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I did some of the units at regular pace (6 weeks) and others I shortened to 2 or 3 weeks. Shortening them didn't go so well, for one I had to leave things out, and it just didn't feel as cohesive. For another, I found the retention wasn't near as high when we shortened them. As much as I wanted TGTL to work, it just didn't. There were many things I liked about it, and also others that I didn't like. We did enjoy the units in POE more than the ones in POS. But we did shorten the ones in POS, so perhaps that is why. To get a full American history course, I think you'd have to do all 3...POE, POS, POP. Since American history is spread out throughout them in themes. They are not chronological and you will miss some things. I don't know if I would explain it as a full American history course... I'm comparing it to other programs like SL, WP, MFW, and TQ... those seem more complete in their coverage of US history. If that's not so important to you and you like a unit study approach, you'll probably like the TGTL series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 We did POE last year. Planning on POS this fall. I thought POE definitely had units worth using. But if your heart is set on skipping POE you wouldn't have a problem skipping it. I do think POS has a different flavor than POE but that I am saying just looking at it in hand. I felt the same way, POS did have a different flavor than POE. Different assignments, the workload shifts into more independence for the student (with the student reading most of the books, instead of as read-alouds), we didn't like the books as much (especially those itty, bitty science books), etc. I never used POP, but in looking at the samples I think it is different than both POE and POS. I liked POE the most out of what we covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Amyrjoy.. I see that you use POE and lots of other things as well. When we tried supplementing, it made our days very long when using TGTL. Do you just use the history portion of POE and leave out the rest/or maybe pick and choose from the rest? I found it so hard to leave things out, since everything seemed to go together so neatly. Also can I ask the question a previous poster asked of me.... do you do the units in the time frame set (6 weeks) or do you move faster? I'm asking because, I really did want TGTL to work. There were so many things I really enjoyed about it, but then there were things that just didn't work with us. However, I haven't been able to part with the program. I keep thinking maybe I can make it work with my younger children at some point. I've thought about selling it time and time again but for some reason I just can't. But when I think about using it again, I think of all the reasons it didn't work the first time, and wonder why I don't just get rid of it...lol. I'm just wondering how you use TGTL since you seem to also use another science and other Lang Arts programs alongside it. The science was one thing I really disliked in the TGTL series. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Posted June 19, 2012 Author Share Posted June 19, 2012 Thanks. I think I will order POS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I just want to add that I am not planning on using the science or language arts components to TGTL. I am using IEW and other science programs. If there is something that we come across that we like, then we will do it but otherwise I am really just looking at this for History and Geography. I don't know if that makes the program worth it but I have looked at every other AH program out there and there is just nothing that makes me think we will enjoy it. I think this program has aspects of it that we will enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrjoy Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Well, mom&nana... I think I'm a bit eclectic. Too much so sometimes. Ha! But honestly it worked for us. We did not use ES so much...just here and there. I preferred other language arts with my first and third grader this past year. I may utilize most of the LA in POS for my fourth grader this year. However I love having my kids read other good classic lit too. And I didn't follow EVERYTHING to a "T"... we seemed to follow this pattern: morning was non POE stuff. After lunch we did the reading part of POE and history and geography- and whatever else such as the art planned. HTH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrjoy Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 I love the history & geography. Definitely worth getting just for that. I just want to add that I am not planning on using the science or language arts components to TGTL. I am using IEW and other science programs. If there is something that we come across that we like, then we will do it but otherwise I am really just looking at this for History and Geography. I don't know if that makes the program worth it but I have looked at every other AH program out there and there is just nothing that makes me think we will enjoy it. I think this program has aspects of it that we will enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrjoy Posted June 19, 2012 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Forgot to say that I did shorten the first few units because of wanting them to line up correctly for Thanksgiving, etc. It didn't make things feel off or too hurried for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Amyrjoy, Thanks so much for explaining how you worked it all out. I like how you did non-POE things in the morning then did the history and geography afterwards. I'm usually pretty eclectic too, we usually have quite a bit of things going at once. TGTL is such a beautiful program, you can really tell how much time and thought went into planning it all out. It is integrated so nicely and I think that is why I always found it so hard to skip things. I do think the Geography in it is really awesome. It's some of the best I've seen. Fourcatmom, thanks for sharing how you plan to use TGTL and sub out the science and LA. I already have Lang Arts settled as we use Phonics Road. I really did enjoy some of the Lang Arts activities in TGTL though. If I do decide to use it again in a couple years with my younger girls, I will pick and choose more carefully. Thanks again! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Where the Lapbook cd's worth $60? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Well, mom&nana... I think I'm a bit eclectic. Too much so sometimes. Ha! But honestly it worked for us. We did not use ES so much...just here and there. I preferred other language arts with my first and third grader this past year. I may utilize most of the LA in POS for my fourth grader this year. However I love having my kids read other good classic lit too. And I didn't follow EVERYTHING to a "T"... we seemed to follow this pattern: morning was non POE stuff. After lunch we did the reading part of POE and history and geography- and whatever else such as the art planned. HTH. I will also add that amyrjoy was a big help to me in deciding to follow through with this curriculum. I loved it from the moment I saw it but then started second guessing myself. She was really helpful in answering all my questions. Weird Unsocialized homeschoolers also did a review on this program as well as Sam's Noggin. You can search for those or I can give you the links. Both had great reviews. Sams Noggin even did some videos on how she works through the program and organizes it. HTH:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Amyrjoy, Thanks so much for explaining how you worked it all out. I like how you did non-POE things in the morning then did the history and geography afterwards. I'm usually pretty eclectic too, we usually have quite a bit of things going at once. TGTL is such a beautiful program, you can really tell how much time and thought went into planning it all out. It is integrated so nicely and I think that is why I always found it so hard to skip things. I do think the Geography in it is really awesome. It's some of the best I've seen. Fourcatmom, thanks for sharing how you plan to use TGTL and sub out the science and LA. I already have Lang Arts settled as we use Phonics Road. I really did enjoy some of the Lang Arts activities in TGTL though. If I do decide to use it again in a couple years with my younger girls, I will pick and choose more carefully. Thanks again! :) We might do some of the LA that is included, especially as it relates to what we are learning but I just wanted to use IEW, it might end up being a combination of both. I don't have TGTL in hand yet, so it's really hard to say what I will use and what I wont. I just think if I use LA or Science or Art, it will be as a supplement and not my main curriculum. Does that makes sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 I'm seeing that there are 2 readers for each unit. Do you read them out loud or have your child to? I know you can do either, but i am curious how everyone else does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyrjoy Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) In POE, one was for reading aloud, the other for the child to read to him/her-self. I read the one aloud, and let my children read the other themselves. I am not sure what I'll do with POS. I'd rather not read aloud, LOL. My children are good readers, so I will probably let them take turns reading one of the books aloud, themselves, for practice. Edited June 20, 2012 by amyrjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Thank you fourcatmom, yes that does make sense. I will also look at the blogs you spoke about. Marsha, It depends on the level of your child. For the lowest level, they read a couple pages out of the reader out loud to the parent and the then parent does the other book as a read-aloud. In the middle level, the child reads from the lower reader silently and then reads a couple paragraphs from the higher level read-aloud book, with the parent reading the scheduled section out loud. At the highest level, the student usually reads the reader silently and then a couple pages out of the read aloud, with the parent also reading from the read aloud. In POE, there is a reader and a "read aloud", read by the parent at all levels. So the student is reading some of the read aloud book and then the parent re-reads what the student read in the read aloud book plus more. In POS, the focus shifts towards more independent reading from the child. Even so, I always read the "read-aloud" out loud because both my dd and I enjoyed it that way. We did add in more books for her to read, sometimes the middle school supplemental book TGTL suggested. Other times, it was various books I chose or ones we found from the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcatmom Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Here are the links for the sites that I know of that did reviews on Trail Guide Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers Sam's Noggin and her TGTL Vlog HTH:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom&nana Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Here are the links for the sites that I know of that did reviews on Trail Guide Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers Sam's Noggin and her TGTL Vlog HTH:001_smile: Thank you. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.