tomandlorih Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 you chose to use HO instead of just straight up SOTW (with or without AG).. I am searching for something different (but not to different) for history next year so I was looking at HO - Early Modern Lvl 1. The downloaded sample looks pretty simple. Read UsborneILEWH, look up and define a word, read CHOW, read SOTW, maybe a coloring page, maybe a project, reading suggestions and a map. Are the suggested books better than the suggestions in the SOTW AG? Projects better? Does the story of history flow better? Was retention better? I want to use it but it looks more time consuming than just plain SOTW.. Is it worth it? TIA, Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I like the flow better-- more by region chronologically than jumping all over the place to force the chronology-- the timeline helps us make those connections easily. I really like the literature and maps in HO. I picked up a SOtW Activity Guide in the book store, and didn't love the activities so much. I have felt the activities in HO had more imagination (mummified poultry not withstanding). There are also whole sections in HO that don't refer to SOtW. Maybe it goes beyond? Does a better job? Over the course of time, HO also includes a gradual and deliberate, organized ramping up of writing and literary analysis skills that I appreciate. Each level teaches new skills that build on the prior skills. It is an integrated writing/literature/geography/history program over the years. History is one of those areas where an author's POV definitely shades the presentation, no matter how intelligent, fair, or careful she was when writing a book. Very little in history is truly objective when writing in the SoTW style. I prefer to use a list of sources and activities that come from someone other than the author of a main text in the program so that we don't run the risk f seeing only one POV... Very dangerous in history. SoTW is fine for grammar stage, but when starting to homeschool, I had a kid in each of grammar and logic stage. I wouldn't dream of using such an elementary program with my then 10YO, who at the time was reading Ms. Bauer's adult ancient history book for fun in his own time. HO, on the other hand, had appropriate materials for both grammar and logic (and now rhetoric) stages. I may not stay with Pandia Press all the way through ... See above... but they solve the multi-age problem nicely. Maybe a 10YO who was more of an average reader could do okay with SoTW, with lots and lots and lots and lots of supplementation, but I'd rather challenge him with a program more designed for him in the first place. SoTW has its place on the bookshelf. For us, it is as one component of a grammar stage history program, but not as the entire thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I love HO. It's well organized, IMO and the activities are interesting. We departed from it this year because we got off on our 4 year cycle three years ago (stupid, shiny, distracting other curric!) and played catch up this past year. We did an abbreviated version of early modern and modern so we can get back on track for 5th grade. I'm soooo happy to be using HO again! The level 2's are a bit more involved of course, and laid out differently, but still, yay! I am, of course, tweaking it to use a different spine (Human Odyssey), but other than that, we'll use all their outlining, questions and other things. Oh, and they have a beautiful timeline available. IIRC, it's around $30-40, but includes 4 separate timelines, one for each year, and stickers, but leaves plenty of room for writing in your own stuff, or the stuff they recommend in the lesson. They are about 5 feet each and can be put on the wall or hole punched to put in a binder. If you break the price down, they come out to about $7-10/year. I found HO much easier to use that the SOTW AG because it's laid out and pretty much open and go after you have your books and notebook laid out. Like the pp, I also prefer that it's regional, so you're not jumping around from country to country. I found the retention better with studying one area at a time. When we get to another region, even though we're going back in time, it was easy for Indy top remember what was going on in the previously studied regions because we got so deep into what was going on, instead of learning a little, hopping to a different region, then another, that it stuck. If I had a complaint it would be that they don't have enough book suggestions in case you don't want to use the one or two they have listed for a lesson. IMO, it's totally worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Can someone give me an idea of what the activities are like? I've looked at lesson samples and it's pretty basic. Map work, outlining, notebook pages, readings. Are the activities listed elsewhere? We are doing ancient history this year and I'm kind of putting it together myself and I have no problem coming up with reading material but I'm looking for fun hands on activities to tie in with it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Mimm, are you looking at level 1 or level 2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 2 I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 Reading all this is making me excited about HO Early Modern Level 1 next fall :) I'm trying it out with the 10-week trial (ebook). I like so far the history by region, the mapwork and coloring pages (read on here that SOTW 3 AG's coloring pages and activities were not as good). Ds doesn't like activities as much as dd. It has writing activities built in. If I use the ebook ds can go ahead and check off what he's done so far. He enjoys checking off lists, and so do I. I'm going to have SOTW and Usborne History Encyclopedia as a resource, but I'm supplementing with Our Island Story instead of CHOW. I, too, like the activities and thought-provoking questions. I'm going to use it CM style, with narrations instead of summaries. Ds will be 9 when he starts it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 I like HO because it is easy to follow with everything spelled out, and as you move along it is written to the student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomandlorih Posted July 6, 2012 Author Share Posted July 6, 2012 Oh you guys!! I had decided to just stick with SOTW because it looked faster - as in just get it over with.. *sheepish grin*. But you all are getting me excited that HO is just what we need to get us excited about history again! Thanks! Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 I like HO because it is easy to follow with everything spelled out, and as you move along it is written to the student. :iagree: Moominmamma (12) is using Medieval level 2, and she does it independently. It's perfect for us that it is written to the student, has some reading, some writing, some mapwork, some activities - but not so much that one feels overwhelmed by the quantity of choices. Ya just do the next lesson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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