Carpe Diem Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 Can someone link me to a discussion comparing these two curriculum? I have two dc to teach this year (7 and 11 yo). In the past we have dragged our feet on history. We have only gotten through SOTW 1 and almost finished with SOTW2 (both with the 11 yo only.) I purchased TOG and am planning to start with unit 3 to sort of start where we left off with SOTW. Now I've noticed WP. I'm thinking about doing Children Around The World as it is for 2-6th graders which are the exact grades of my kiddos. We haven't done enough world geography. But I also have been itching to just get on with history to early american. Which we would do if we did what I have planned for TOG. The WP has The American Story & The American Crossing. So someone tell me to stick with TOG or to persue WP. Which one has the more interesting/fun books listed? Suggestions? Tips aside from that I should stop being a curriculum junkie and just get teaching? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trivium Academy Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I think you should give TOG a chance before investing in another program. Just my 2¢. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 I agree with Jessica. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 And I agree with Jessica and Karen. :D I like WP. I have used it and found the books to be of high interest to my son, but WP does not offer you any form of discussion questions, evaluations, vocabulary, writing assignments unless you purchase the LA, Teacher's Notes, etc. All this would be fine if you just had your 7 yo, or you are very much into the CM philosophy of education. If you desire to go classical though...definitely stick with TOG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhondabee Posted July 13, 2008 Share Posted July 13, 2008 And, I'll agree with all three - even tho' I've *never* owned or used TOG! I bet once you start looking through TOG, you'll be re-impressed by all that convinced you to buy it. FWIW, I'm doing my own thing based on WTM, and every time I get to new book, I get a sinking feeling, wishing that I could open up someone else's plans and not have *so much* to do for myself. (Ha! - Like I didn't completely pre-plan SL when we used that - LOL!) But...once I sit down and get to work, I start seeing the connections, and get *really* excited with everything that we're going to be learning and reading next year - and that helps me forget all the "other stuff" that we just won't be able to get to. I would guess it's the same no matter *which* curriculum you choose. =) Rhonda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Diem Posted July 15, 2008 Author Share Posted July 15, 2008 I knew that is what you smart people would say. I wasn't planning on totally ditching TOG just perhaps setting it aside for a bit while we did something else this next year. I must have somehow gotten the idea that WP is more enjoyable. So please tell me that TOG is fun and the books recommended are great. Thanks you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karensk Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 On Saturday, I received my TOG shipment of 20 books I ordered for Y2 (units 1 & 2 only) and they're great! I got a lot of picture books for grammar level, plus books for dialectic. What levels will y'all be doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trivium Academy Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 TOG is fun and the books are wonderful. We enjoy our time with history so much more than when we were using SOTW and the books are the prime reason. No guesswork which book would be the best for the age or if two books cover the exact same material. If *you* enjoy learning, you'll love TOG even more for its teacher notes, summaries and upper level presentation of the material being learned. Packaging can make something look better than it is, that isn't the case with TOG- it's even better than its packaging. I think the only concern is whether TOG is a good fit for you as a teacher and mother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karensk Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 Packaging can make something look better than it is, that isn't the case with TOG- it's even better than its packaging. I think the only concern is whether TOG is a good fit for you as a teacher and mother. Some of the books that I thought looked a little plain/boring on TOG's website turned out to be full of color illustrations and interesting content. I loved picking out my package of books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 My stack of Y1 books look great!! They are quite like WP in that they are age appropriate for the child with a good sampling of picture-type books. Actually, for a smidge of history, I was a long time Sonlight user. During Core 3 with my youngest I noticed a decided lack of interest in the history books offered. He began to get very bored with history and this was not like him. In examining the history selections of Core 3 I noticed a huge lack in age appropriate, interesting, fun picture books. Many kids are very visual and it was surprising that an American History core would be so lacking in visuals considering there are SO MANY wonderful American history books for kids! So my quest began. I added many age appropriate books to our Core 3 to liven it up. This helped greatly but was a boatload of work for me. The next year I decided to ditch almost all of the SL Core 4 history books and use instead the WP American Story II books. I already had Core 4 on-hand, so I used a combination of SL/WP. I used all of the WP AS II, and added in the Sonlight readers and a few of the read-alouds. My son had a wonderful history year. The WP books were of high interest and very visual. He enjoyed reading all his history for himself, with me just reading the read-alouds and the history encyclopedia. It was great....but there was no discussion and very little history interaction between us. That was not so great. In steps TOG... TOG is everything WP and Sonlight are not. It has the high interest, visual history books (at least in the LG, UG, and D levels) of WP, but with a depth that goes beyond WP and SL together. The discussion/accountability questions, Student Activity pages, etc., all add the depth that both programs are missing. I really do see it as the creme of the crop and in my not so humble opinion, the other two really don't compare. Not that they are not good valid choices, they are! But I am VERY glad I looked into TOG. ;) I would honestly give your TOG a good solid try before abandoning it for WP. The two programs are really quite similar in their book choices and both give you great activity books. I must admit that WP's catalog is VERY inviting; the advertising is well done! ;) (so is SL's!) Don't be fooled though...if TOG lined up all their book selections in a nice colored catalog for people to drool over, they would see how truly fantastic it is; and perhaps WP and SL wouldn't look quite so appealing anymore. :lol::D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
profmom Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 TOG is everything WP and Sonlight are not. It has the high interest, visual history books (at least in the LG, UG, and D levels) of WP, but with a depth that goes beyond WP and SL together. The discussion/accountability questions, Student Activity pages, etc., all add the depth that both programs are missing. I really do see it as the creme of the crop and in my not so humble opinion, the other two really don't compare. Not that they are not good valid choices, they are! But I am VERY glad I looked into TOG. ;) I'm glad to read this because this is why I'm going with TOG this school year -- the depth that I don't see in other programs. I've been printing student pages and receiving books in the mail. TOG (2) looks wonderful! We're excited! To the OP, I would say that you could get by another year without the discussions and depth of TOG with an 11-year-old as your oldest, if you want to. (I hope that doesn't sound bad -- I don't mean to put down any other program and also realize that TOG isn't everyone's cup of tea. Hooray for choices! :hurray:) If you think you'd be better off with a daily schedule vs. weekly, you might hold off on TOG and use WP this year. I'm excited about TOG, but it has been more work getting set up and organized (doing a bunch ahead of time this summer) than WP AS1 was. I feel that TOG will be worth the effort, and I think we'll all get more out of it because I will be more involved than I tend to be with everything planned out by page by day. Let us know what you decide. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted July 15, 2008 Share Posted July 15, 2008 I'll agree with Jessica, Karen, Melissa, Rhonda... no seriously, just one more thought to put in the pot... Imagine how GOOD you will feel when you all finally finish a history "cycle." Aaaaaaahhhhhh. Someone will tell you to put your feet up, someone will bring you iced tea, someone will... well, anyway, you will feel GOOD to have studied all the way through history at least once. At that point, if you stay on track -- completing Year 3 this year (2nd/6th) and Year 4 next year (7th/3rd) -- your oldest will be heading into 8th and your youngest will be going into 4th. Perhaps THEN you could take a year "off" from the chronological cycle and study world geography, cultures, and missions. My Father's World has their "Exploring Countries and Cultures" program (3rd-6th graders), while Sonlight has Core 5: Eastern Hemispheres. Of course, by then you might be so in love with Tapestry of Grace, that you'll want to go right back to the beginning and study history all over again! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carpe Diem Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies. I feel reassured that I should just focus and get TOG figured out. As Sahamamama said, it would be wonderful to complete a cycle. I can't imagine. I wish I could have a few extra years with my 11 year old. So, I should buy UG for my 11 year old and LG for my 7 year old? What if I can't afford that? What other suggestions would you have for me? Thanks again.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 the books are wonderful. even my ds, who does not love to read, has enjoyed every book, yes, every single book from TOG literature and has learned so much that he said history is now tied for his favorite subject! If you can't afford both (I can't afford either!) try the library. If your library offers interlibrary loan, you can get most of the books. Of all Year 1 Unit 4, there were 4 books I bought, the rest I got at the library. Remember, you also don't have to use all of the books, so you can save there too. TOG rocks and has been the best history we've ever done...hands down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WinterPromiseFamilies/message/27020 here is a link, though you will have to join the group to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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