Might someone like to indulge me in some long term planning help? (Omnibus)

[ByGrace3]

I know I am certainly putting the cart before the horse here, (and I am a long way from belonging here!) :tongue_smilie: but as the summer of planning is winding down, I find myself trying to do some long term "planning." Of course I know they are ideals and all could changed next week . . . but all that aside. :) Anyone care to indulge my planning curiosity? :tongue_smilie:

 

I just can't make this work on paper...

 

If your long term plan was to do either Omnibus or TOG for logic/rhetoric or something of that caliber... help me plan to have my dc prepared.

 

DD did Ancients using SOTW for first. 2nd will be Sonlight Core C with WTM writing/narration/notebooking. Then I am thinking 2 years of American history using TQ and SL books. (with a WTM flavor: WWE/FLL/AAS/notebooking) Pretty much a complete "cycle," but not exactly.

 

Then- logic stage. I would have 5th and 6th grades to prepare older dd to enter Omnibus. What would be some suggestions here?

 

Or of we went the TOG route, I would just start there. I think a transition to TOG here would be fine, my main concern is if we chose Omnibus...

 

I really love the look of Omnibus, especially for high school, but I am uncertain if the first 3 Omnibus would be enough "history" unless I was able to get in a full cycle/ 2 year world history for 5th and 6th grade (something along the VP transitions course but in 2 year not one). If it matters at all we would have covered all of the VP history cards in 1st-4th grades. My one concern for that would be it puts dd on her own history cycle in fifth grade instead of seventh as I would like.

 

The theme here, is how do you prepare for Omnibus? Suggestions on paths to prepare? Is there enough history in the first three Omnibus (why do I feel like I need to be writing "Omnibi" :lol: for a "2nd" cycle?

 

Keeping in mind I have 2 other kids I would like to stream line as much as possible:

for 2nd/K-- SL Core C w/WTM flavor

3rd/1st-- TQ w/SL books w/WTM flavor

4th/2nd-- TQ w/SL books w/WTM flavor

5th/3rd/K (dd1????) Ancients for littles

6th/4th/1st (dd2 ????) Medieval for Littles

7th/5th/2nd Omnibus 1/ Early Modern for Littles

8th/6th/3rd Omnibus 2/ Late Modern for Littles

dd1: 9-12th Omnibus

ds 7-12 Omnibus

dd2 4th-6th? (7th start Omnibus)

 

If you followed that at all, Thanks!!! :D

[PeterPan]

Well man (or woman?) I WANTED to indulge you, but this is just too far ahead! :lol::lol::lol:

 

I used a lot of those things, and when we got to junior high it STILL wasn't obvious. :D

 

TQ was very unstructured. I ended up using it more as book lists. I bought SL core 3 (now D?), but the readers weren't a good fit for my extremely good reader (which it sounds like yours is), and the books, well she's looking over my shoulder and says they were lame. :D Ok, you're getting 13 yo opinion there, but there you go.

 

What really turns out is that somewhere between 2nd and about 5th you're going to have this big realization of OH, THAT'S WHO MY KID IS! And then all this becomes moot. At that point it's no longer you funneling food into them but you figuring out what they like to eat and how they need it cooked or whether they're actually sushi sort of kids. My kid is one step beyond sushi. She likes it raw and unfiltered, but she needs it Hibachi-style, with the extras.

 

Omnibus isn't history. Omnibus is GB (Great Books) with history to fill in the cracks. TOG is history with GB to fill the cracks. (sorry, had to have parallelism) If you have a HISTORY-lover, this can be an important distinction.

 

Another suggestion you haven't thought of. Around about this year dd and I realized it was extremely important to us that we make a plan that has her finish her rotation and have a year of other stuff for her senior year. It's also nice to have room for a year of geography. In a sense it becomes easier to compact your favs from O1/4, O2/5, and O3/6 into a 3 year study. I haven't seen many people who actually stuck out the whole progression anyway, and I'm not sure honestly it would fit all kids or be interesting to all kids.

 

Have fun planning. :)

[ByGrace3]

Well man (or woman?) I WANTED to indulge you, but this is just too far ahead! :lol::lol::lol:

 

I used a lot of those things, and when we got to junior high it STILL wasn't obvious. :D

 

TQ was very unstructured. I ended up using it more as book lists. I bought SL core 3 (now D?), but the readers weren't a good fit for my extremely good reader (which it sounds like yours is), and the books, well she's looking over my shoulder and says they were lame. :D Ok, you're getting 13 yo opinion there, but there you go.

 

What really turns out is that somewhere between 2nd and about 5th you're going to have this big realization of OH, THAT'S WHO MY KID IS! And then all this becomes moot. At that point it's no longer you funneling food into them but you figuring out what they like to eat and how they need it cooked or whether they're actually sushi sort of kids. My kid is one step beyond sushi. She likes it raw and unfiltered, but she needs it Hibachi-style, with the extras.

 

Omnibus isn't history. Omnibus is GB (Great Books) with history to fill in the cracks. TOG is history with GB to fill the cracks. (sorry, had to have parallelism) If you have a HISTORY-lover, this can be an important distinction.

 

Another suggestion you haven't thought of. Around about this year dd and I realized it was extremely important to us that we make a plan that has her finish her rotation and have a year of other stuff for her senior year. It's also nice to have room for a year of geography. In a sense it becomes easier to compact your favs from O1/4, O2/5, and O3/6 into a 3 year study. I haven't seen many people who actually stuck out the whole progression anyway, and I'm not sure honestly it would fit all kids or be interesting to all kids.

 

Have fun planning. :)

 

Thanks, I really appreciate the input. It is so true that they change so much and I look forward to seeing who dd becomes as a student. We already switched gears this year to more meet her needs. I don't even know if Omnibus will be a fit for her, I just love the idea of deep critical thinking, theology, worldview all planned out. (unlike TOG). And I hold to the thoru that I want my dc to be prepared for anything they choose to pursue...

 

I did consider a geography year. I like SL core F but think maybe we would prefer a geography of the whole world instead.

 

I know I WILL be flexible and tuned into her needs, I just like a plan! :lol:

 

Thinking ahead to a combination of the Omnibus is a good one, I have considered that for high school and then spreading it out over 4 yrs. are there any resources outling how to do this?

 

I think part of my issue right now is I am backing up in our history studies to help dd ENJOY history by using SL. I think she will enjoy it, but I think I want to assure myself that we are not sacrificing long term plans. :lol:

 

Honestly it is NOT Omnibus that is the goal, it is deep theological and worldview thinking. I know there are many paths there.

 

Thanks again!

[ByGrace3]

I don't combine History and Great Books, but when I discovered Omnibus also wondered how do I make dd ready for that?

 

We decided to use Lightening Literature7+8 for 5th/6th grade for the literature part.

As we will use LL7 next year, I can't say yet if it helped ;-)

 

Thanks! Curious to know how your preparation goes for you! ;)

[Janice in NJ]

Hi Nicole,

 

As you mentioned, a lot can change as you move along. If you are serious about Omni, I would recommend that you peruse the texts. Load the isbn numbers into Google Books. They have lengthy samples available.

 

IMO, the current editions of Omni 1-3 could stand to be improved. The assignments, especially the writing assignments, would be really tough to complete according to the schedule. Veritas hit a much better grove for books 4-6. But you can't just use books 4-6 and skip 1-3; books 1-3 house some of the most widely read/studied titles. I think I have heard some chatter that books 1-3 might be revised.

 

Omni really begs for a knowledgeable teacher. I could not have attempted it 8 years ago. I do have the volumes now, and I dip into them for my youngest. They do not cover literary analysis, a necessary high school English skill IMO, but there is a healthy dose of worldview, and I do like some of the writing assignments. But, like I said, I've done this high school thing before - my kids get plenty of literary analysis elsewhere.

 

TOG is much more teacher-friendly if you need some hand holding. Yes, there is more planning involved, but that can be a good thing. You learn along with your student, so you pick and choose assignments that match your ability; the goal is to stretch yourself and your student just a bit as you move along. That's why the program is so flexible; we all come to the table with a different skill-set. TOG was designed to be useful to a broad section of folks. Omni really requires a larger leap right from the start - it was for me, anyway.

 

In the end most moms end up using the program that they can teach from. Omni isn't the best path; it's just a path. Like other programs it does some things well and other things not at all. At this point, I would recommend that you enjoy your journey with your kids. If you are eager to begin exploring high school material, grab some Great Books from the library and start reading. Susan's text The Well-Educated Mind is very helpful if you have never really studied the GB on your own. Just dig in to the actual titles themselves. When you get to 7th grade, you will have a much clearer understanding of the landscape; choosing curriculum will be a snap. And the market keeps changing; there will be a shiny, new, gotta-have-it, it's the "best" choice to sift through by then anyway. :-)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

[Homemama2]

Well, I can tell you how I'm "trying" to prepare, but since my oldest is only going into 5th grade this fall, I can't tell you if it will work or not. :D I use a lot of Ambleside Online (although, as you can see from my siggy, I'm not 100% percent CM). I use AO mainly for literature because I feel they are very challenging, and the old fashioned language/phrasing etc. is what they will have to deal with for a lot of Omnibus reading. I combine Truthquest with AO (and Beautiful Feet because I had it...I don't really use the BF guide, just the books). If you look at the VP catalog for the younger grades, that can help with planning too.

 

What we did:

1st grade: BF Early American and AO yr 1

2nd: AO yr 2 World Geography using Galloping the Globe (MAJORLY tweaked)

Then my youngest got added in...

3rd/1st: SOTW 1

4th/2nd: SOTW 2 with SCM Middle Ages and AO yr 3

5th/3rd: TQ/ AO yr 4

6th/4th: TQ/AO yr 5 (use TQ to finish up AO yr 6 term 1 which is more modern

7th/5th: Start Omnibus w/ oldest. Youngest will now have 2 years until he is ready for Omnibus. Thoughts for him would include 2 more years of American History, or a year of world geography with a year of ???

 

 

In all reality, although I have this long term plan in mind, I do not think my oldest will be ready for Omnibus in 7th. So then I plan to start them together in Om. 1 when they are in 7th and 9th. My youngest will most likely be ready because he loves school, likes to be challenged, is an excellent reader etc....while my oldest is the opposite of him. ;) So he might end up using something else entirely.

[ByGrace3]

Hi Nicole,

 

As you mentioned, a lot can change as you move along. If you are serious about Omni, I would recommend that you peruse the texts. Load the isbn numbers into Google Books. They have lengthy samples available.

 

IMO, the current editions of Omni 1-3 could stand to be improved. The assignments, especially the writing assignments, would be really tough to complete according to the schedule. Veritas hit a much better grove for books 4-6. But you can't just use books 4-6 and skip 1-3; books 1-3 house some of the most widely read/studied titles. I think I have heard some chatter that books 1-3 might be revised.

 

Omni really begs for a knowledgeable teacher. I could not have attempted it 8 years ago. I do have the volumes now, and I dip into them for my youngest. They do not cover literary analysis, a necessary high school English skill IMO, but there is a healthy dose of worldview, and I do like some of the writing assignments. But, like I said, I've done this high school thing before - my kids get plenty of literary analysis elsewhere.

 

TOG is much more teacher-friendly if you need some hand holding. Yes, there is more planning involved, but that can be a good thing. You learn along with your student, so you pick and choose assignments that match your ability; the goal is to stretch yourself and your student just a bit as you move along. That's why the program is so flexible; we all come to the table with a different skill-set. TOG was designed to be useful to a broad section of folks. Omni really requires a larger leap right from the start - it was for me, anyway.

 

In the end most moms end up using the program that they can teach from. Omni isn't the best path; it's just a path. Like other programs it does some things well and other things not at all. At this point, I would recommend that you enjoy your journey with your kids. If you are eager to begin exploring high school material, grab some Great Books from the library and start reading. Susan's text The Well-Educated Mind is very helpful if you have never really studied the GB on your own. Just dig in to the actual titles themselves. When you get to 7th grade, you will have a much clearer understanding of the landscape; choosing curriculum will be a snap. And the market keeps changing; there will be a shiny, new, gotta-have-it, it's the "best" choice to sift through by then anyway. :-)

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

Thank you for your input. I have read lengthy samples and love what I have read. I definitely plan to do some self educating. While I had a traditional private school education, I had a rather classical college experience and both Dh and I have masters from seminary. I do think I would feel comfortable teaching it, especially if I have pre read and read the books that I have not previously covered.

 

My goal right now is definitely enjoying my kids! Which is partially why I am researching the future. I want to be sure while we enjoy our time, we still can get where I want to go! :D

 

Very true about new stuff coming out. That is one of the main reasons I have not bought TOG. If I can't decide now how can I commit to it long term? :lol:

[PeterPan]

...We already switched gears this year to more meet her needs. I don't even know if Omnibus will be a fit for her, I just love the idea of deep critical thinking, theology, worldview all planned out. (unlike TOG)....

Thinking ahead to a combination of the Omnibus is a good one, I have considered that for high school and then spreading it out over 4 yrs. are there any resources outling how to do this?

 

I think part of my issue right now is I am backing up in our history studies to help dd ENJOY history by using SL. I think she will enjoy it, but I think I want to assure myself that we are not sacrificing long term plans. :lol:

 

Honestly it is NOT Omnibus that is the goal, it is deep theological and worldview thinking. I know there are many paths there.

 

 

Pulled out a few of your thoughts here. Personally, I'm of the mind that if you understand the present and take steps that really make sense and work and fit the kid, the future sorts itself out. I think I hear you wanting to "do a good job," something that is my big bugaboo. I'd like you to consider that VP actually only does *1* rotation in the early years. You made the comment that you'll have done the equivalent of the VP cards by the time you're done with the plans you listed, and I want to *gently* suggest you won't. Maybe after that 2nd rotation? It's a thought I started and deleted in my first reply to you. When I originally started the VP stuff with my dd (back when she was in 1st, what your dd is finishing up, fun fun), I taught it the best I could. Then, because my dd is a history-lover, I got her the new self-paced online classes. At this point she has done NTGR, MARR, and is finishing the last two american courses. They are AWESOME and they go WAY beyond the printed materials. It makes SENSE why a student could go directly into Omnibus from the VP elementary sequence when you see all they do in the online self-paced classes. They do a lot of rabbit trails, what was going on in the rest of the world, memorizing timelines, geography,e tc. etc. The result is the kids are making those logic stage connections and have *memorized* the points that allow them to go into GB and have a context. It's more than I could have pulled off, lol.

 

Now as far as the changes you've made, it sounds like you're seeing some things. Some kids are very narrative (like mine). They want the rabbit trails and details and live for connections and stories. Some kids are big picture thinkers (like me) and don't really grasp things until they see the outline, how it all fits together. VP is actually marvelous for both types. It has all those rabbit trails, but it also focuses on that framework. I just throw that out in case it makes more clear the conflict you're seeing in your dc. I'm a history HATER raising a history LOVER. That's been interesting. :lol:

 

As Janice said, it's not at all unreasonable for you to get Omnibus or at least the BOOKS from Omnibus and start reading. I did, and it left me with a lot better sense of where Omnibus is going. It let me know how I intersect with the materials and what I'll feel comfortable doing with them. It let me see VP's "worldview" as you put it. I hate that term anyway, but that's a total aside. I found VP sort of spoonfeeding. (discuss the topic I brought up, answer the leading essay prompt I put into your head) I guess no one else sees it that way, but I did. TOG and Marcia Somerville's thought process is more the direction I'd like our discussions to go. I'm just saying I don't see the dichotomy you're seeing. Both VP and TOG are pretty profound and they're just different enough in flavor that it depends on what calls to you.

 

Couple things you might like to add to your thought process. You have a number of kids. VP is working on a self-paced Omnibus which will be a follow-up to their self-paced elementary. If you find a WTM-style study of history or TOG or a textbook or whatever fits her history itch (junior/high school), you'll have the option of adding in those self-paced Omnibus classes to hit the GB. Might be very practical in your situation. To *me* the worst part of planning over the years was that every year I'd make a plan, something new would come out and BLOW UP my plan. :lol: The year I planned out TQ for american using the VP cards to organize it, out came WP AS, hehe. And you know, I should have done it. Turned out it's EASY to add in books. But starting off with structure and hands-on, that's the hard part.

 

So yes read ahead and yes figure out why she hasn't been happy with history to this point. I'll just also loosely point out that sometimes when kids are having fuddy-duddy issues at this age, it turns out you're seeing evidence of some things (vision problems, 2E, adhd, whatever). I assume you've done this, but have you read Cynthia Tobias' book "The Way They Learn"? Might help you sort things out.

 

It amazed me when we hit 7th to realize that in fact the plans I made when dd was in 1st or 2nd DID matter and DID actually sort of come to pass. So what you're doing is reasonable. Just don't tie it to curriculum. Tie it to content and flex the materials as you discover more about your kid. Build in a year of flex here or there. You might get pregnant again or find something really cool you want to do (anne of green gables study, that sort of thing). It's nice to have a flex year.

 

Have fun! :D

Edited July 11, 2012 by OhElizabeth

[Narrow Gate Academy]

 

DD did Ancients using SOTW for first. 2nd will be Sonlight Core C with WTM writing/narration/notebooking. Then I am thinking 2 years of American history using TQ and SL books. (with a WTM flavor: WWE/FLL/AAS/notebooking) Pretty much a complete "cycle," but not exactly.

 

As far as history, you might consider a year of geography for 5th and then something like Sonlight core H to round out your history and get the world portion of years 3 and 4.

 

Then- logic stage. I would have 5th and 6th grades to prepare older dd to enter Omnibus. What would be some suggestions here?

 

A few things I would recommend...

Lots and lots of reading. Look at the Veritas literature selections, cover an children's literature you want her to read, and try some of the challenging selections in TWTM (for example White's The Sword in the Stone from the 6th grade list). Omnibus is a lot of reading. A good base of reading and comprehension skills (narrations and then some discussions 5th and 6th) are essential IMO.

 

Have dd read some simplified versions of Homer (The Children's Homer by Colum or Sutcliff's version of the Iliad and Odyssey), of the Aeneid (In Search of a Homeland by Lively), and of Shakespeare (Tales From Shakespeare by Lamb). This will give her a basic idea of the plot before tackling the originals. You could also include some Greek and Roman myths as well as the Arthurian legends.

 

Work on writing skills. There is not a lot of writing instruction to go along with the assignments in the book. Being able to write at least a solid paragraph and having some practice of starting with an outline as a basis for writing would be helpful.

 

Is there enough history in the first three Omnibus (why do I feel like I need to be writing "Omnibi" :lol: for a "2nd" cycle?

 

To have a sufficient amount of history, you'll need to do some reading from something like Spielvogels or another history spine. The books in Omnibus are like small glimpses that focus on small portions of time or themes like church history or the kings of England. To see the broader picture of what else is happening at that time and place the events in context, I would recommend some kind of history spine similar to what TWTM recommends at the rhectoric stage as part of the Great Book study.

 

HTH

[ByGrace3]

Pulled out a few of your thoughts here. Personally, I'm of the mind that if you understand the present and take steps that really make sense and work and fit the kid, the future sorts itself out. I think I hear you wanting to "do a good job," something that is my big bugaboo. I'd like you to consider that VP actually only does *1* rotation in the early years. You made the comment that you'll have done the equivalent of the VP cards by the time you're done with the plans you listed, and I want to *gently* suggest you won't.

 

I completely agree that after our first cycle we will not have done a thorough VP cycle, I only said we would have memorized the cards. it will only be basic coverage. Which is WHY I know that logic stage cycle will be really important.

 

Maybe after that 2nd rotation? It's a thought I started and deleted in my first reply to you. When I originally started the VP stuff with my dd (back when she was in 1st, what your dd is finishing up, fun fun), I taught it the best I could. Then, because my dd is a history-lover, I got her the new self-paced online classes. At this point she has done NTGR, MARR, and is finishing the last two american courses. They are AWESOME and they go WAY beyond the printed materials. It makes SENSE why a student could go directly into Omnibus from the VP elementary sequence when you see all they do in the online self-paced classes. They do a lot of rabbit trails, what was going on in the rest of the world, memorizing timelines, geography,e tc. etc. The result is the kids are making those logic stage connections and have *memorized* the points that allow them to go into GB and have a context. It's more than I could have pulled off, lol.

 

Now as far as the changes you've made, it sounds like you're seeing some things. Some kids are very narrative (like mine). They want the rabbit trails and details and live for connections and stories. Some kids are big picture thinkers (like me) and don't really grasp things until they see the outline, how it all fits together. VP is actually marvelous for both types. It has all those rabbit trails, but it also focuses on that framework. I just throw that out in case it makes more clear the conflict you're seeing in your dc. I'm a history HATER raising a history LOVER. That's been interesting. :lol:

 

As Janice said, it's not at all unreasonable for you to get Omnibus or at least the BOOKS from Omnibus and start reading. I did, and it left me with a lot better sense of where Omnibus is going. It let me know how I intersect with the materials and what I'll feel comfortable doing with them. It let me see VP's "worldview" as you put it. I hate that term anyway, but that's a total aside. I found VP sort of spoonfeeding. (discuss the topic I brought up, answer the leading essay prompt I put into your head) I guess no one else sees it that way, but I did. TOG and Marcia Somerville's thought process is more the direction I'd like our discussions to go. I'm just saying I don't see the dichotomy you're seeing. Both VP and TOG are pretty profound and they're just different enough in flavor that it depends on what calls to you.

 

Both are certainly great programs and I am considering both. There is just something about Omnibus that draws me, but we could definitely end up going with TOG, or something completely different! The only reason I do pull these two programs out is because they are the caliber I would like to see in my rhetoric students.

 

Couple things you might like to add to your thought process. You have a number of kids. VP is working on a self-paced Omnibus which will be a follow-up to their self-paced elementary. If you find a WTM-style study of history or TOG or a textbook or whatever fits her history itch (junior/high school), you'll have the option of adding in those self-paced Omnibus classes to hit the GB. Might be very practical in your situation. To *me* the worst part of planning over the years was that every year I'd make a plan, something new would come out and BLOW UP my plan. :lol: The year I planned out TQ for american using the VP cards to organize it, out came WP AS, hehe. And you know, I should have done it. Turned out it's EASY to add in books. But starting off with structure and hands-on, that's the hard part.

 

Interesting you mention this, because I have considered the VP cards/TQ combo often. It is pretty much our American history years, adding SL books. Not sure WP is my thing though, what would make WP better than what you planned?

 

So yes read ahead and yes figure out why she hasn't been happy with history to this point. I'll just also loosely point out that sometimes when kids are having fuddy-duddy issues at this age, it turns out you're seeing evidence of some things (vision problems, 2E, adhd, whatever). I assume you've done this, but have you read Cynthia Tobias' book "The Way They Learn"? Might help you sort things out.

 

It amazed me when we hit 7th to realize that in fact the plans I made when dd was in 1st or 2nd DID matter and DID actually sort of come to pass. So what you're doing is reasonable. Just don't tie it to curriculum. Tie it to content and flex the materials as you discover more about your kid. Build in a year of flex here or there. You might get pregnant again or find something really cool you want to do (anne of green gables study, that sort of thing). It's nice to have a flex year.

 

Very true! (Wanting flexibility mostly, but of course the having a baby thing is possible! :lol:

Have fun! :D

 

Thank you for your very thoughtful insight. I think one thing I need to consider is to simply take each year and do the very best we can with it. If we are faithful to each year independently, we will get where my dc need to be and not where I think they need to be. Whether that is above or below my expectations.

 

I hadn't considered using Omnibus as just lit. It seems so intense to do that and a history, but it seems it might be necessary? Or perhaps if we made through a full logic style history cycle, Omnibus with some extra history for high school might be sufficient (using a combo of the 2 levels). I like the idea of that.

 

Thank you!

[ByGrace3]

As far as history, you might consider a year of geography for 5th and then something like Sonlight core H to round out your history and get the world portion of years 3 and 4.

 

 

 

A few things I would recommend...

Lots and lots of reading. Look at the Veritas literature selections, cover an children's literature you want her to read, and try some of the challenging selections in TWTM (for example White's The Sword in the Stone from the 6th grade list). Omnibus is a lot of reading. A good base of reading and comprehension skills (narrations and then some discussions 5th and 6th) are essential IMO.

 

Have dd read some simplified versions of Homer (The Children's Homer by Colum or Sutcliff's version of the Iliad and Odyssey), of the Aeneid (In Search of a Homeland by Lively), and of Shakespeare (Tales From Shakespeare by Lamb). This will give her a basic idea of the plot before tackling the originals. You could also include some Greek and Roman myths as well as the Arthurian legends.

 

Work on writing skills. There is not a lot of writing instruction to go along with the assignments in the book. Being able to write at least a solid paragraph and having some practice of starting with an outline as a basis for writing would be helpful.

 

 

 

To have a sufficient amount of history, you'll need to do some reading from something like Spielvogels or another history spine. The books in Omnibus are like small glimpses that focus on small portions of time or themes like church history or the kings of England. To see the broader picture of what else is happening at that time and place the events in context, I would recommend some kind of history spine similar to what TWTM recommends at the rhectoric stage as part of the Great Book study.

 

HTH

 

Thank you for your input! I had considered a geography year and Sonlights one year history to round it out, but I feared SL would not prepare her for Omnibus or other similar curriculum. However, no matter what we use, we use a WTM base for LA and added to what we are doing in history, including writing and lit suggestions such as those you mentioned.

 

I do think I am leaning towards a full logic stage 4 yr history cycle as a goal at this point.

 

Thanks everyone, this discussion has been very helpful! :)

[PeterPan]

I hadn't considered using Omnibus as just lit. It seems so intense to do that and a history, but it seems it might be necessary? Or perhaps if we made through a full logic style history cycle, Omnibus with some extra history for high school might be sufficient (using a combo of the 2 levels). I like the idea of that.

 

Thank you!

 

There are large samples of Omnibus available at google books, so you can read it and see for yourself what it has and what it does with the books. I found it very helpful to read what it does with *one book* (I picked Gilgamesh) and then look that book up in each curriculum or resource I was considering. That way I could see the differences in how the materials handled it, what viewpoint they were taking, what they were focusing on. And Gilgamesh is short enough that you can read it for yourself and have some opinion of whether that's what YOU would have wanted to extract from it and talk about.

 

I think you should trust your gut. In general you're going to be very in sync with your kids and the things you like just as a gut reaction probably are reflecting your family values and preferences. If you picked up Omnibus and like it, set that as a goal, definitely! It doesn't hurt to have a goal and change your mind when you get there. It only hurts not to have a goal and realize later you would have liked to have been able to do it.

 

And conversely, if your gut says you don't like something, you don't. Just listen to your gut and you'll be awesome. There have been some times where I had to override my initial frustration and find ways to deal with the aspects I disliked. But it's not like my gut was wrong. It was more of an issue of whether what the curriculum contributed was so valuable that I needed to deal with those issues.

 

It's going to fly by fast. Enjoy! :)

[Janice in NJ]

Nicole,

 

It sounds like you would be comfortable teaching with Omnibus. The program is very full; to complete it would take the full six years. The first three years are marketed by the publisher for the logic stage. The next three are the rhetoric stage. You don't need to complete a logic stage cycle of history before you complete the program; years 1-3 are supposed to be the logic stage.

 

Sonlight 6&7 cover Western Civilization from ancients through the 20th century. If you love SL, you could use those programs to map the content for your 5th and 6th grade years. However, you will find a leap from SL 7 to Omni I. Perhaps by then you will feel more comfortable using just a WTM directed study: pick a spine, plow through it, and explore topics of interest more deeply. The value in this method is that it allows you to focus on building skills rather than comprehensively covering content; that makes it easier for you to slope the ramp a bit more steeply so you can make it to the Omni starting gate by 7th grade.

 

If that continues to be the goal, that might be the best way to get there.

 

Peace,

Janice

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey