Boorstin's Landmark?

[MerryAtHope]

Anyone use this for high school history? I'm thinking about subbing this in for Hakim in Sonlight 100 for my daughter next year, but wonder if there are any gaps in topics that I'll need to fill in. Anyone know?

 

I did Hakim with my oldest but it's a lot to do all of the notes too, and my daughter won't be that interested, so I'm not sure I want to do Hakim again. She enjoyed Landmark when we did it for cores D & E, and I think she'd get more out of it this time.

 

But I'm open to other suggestions too, especially if you have used MOH and have a favorite US history course. MOH has worked well for her.

 

TIA, Merry :-)

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Boorstin stops with the moon landing because it is an older book. So you might have to go to something else at the end.

 

I think he tends to write in episodes. For example each colony gets a small chapter outlining its founding and pre-Revolution development. That can be good in that he covers things that don't make other books. But it might require a lot of connecting by the student.

 

I think Boorstin is as good or better than Hakim and I like some of his emphasis. If you are prepping for ap exams you'll want to add primary documents and things like cartoons and graphs that typically end up on the document based essays.

[MerryAtHope]

Thanks! We won't be prepping for the AP exam, so that's not an issue.

 

Anyone else use Landmark?

 

Merry :-)

[Chris in VA]

We looked at it and read from it when dd was in second grade (per Sonlight's use in D--I think it used to be Sonlight 3). I like things that are organized more chronologically, myself, but it's a solid, well-written text. I'd definitely supplement, tho.

[Candid]

I looked on Amazon. It appears there is more than one text. While the big paperback Sonlight uses would be nice to add to a program, I wouldn't use it as a spine. However, it appears that there was a whole series of folks which I assume would do a better job of overall coverage than the Sonlight text.

[MerryAtHope]

I looked on Amazon. It appears there is more than one text. While the big paperback Sonlight uses would be nice to add to a program, I wouldn't use it as a spine. However, it appears that there was a whole series of folks which I assume would do a better job of overall coverage than the Sonlight text.

 

Thanks for your feedback, have you used it recently--can you explain why you wouldn't want to use it as a spine text (not a solo text, I'd use many of the other 100 history books and all of the lit)? It's been so long since we used it, I really don't remember details, other than SL lists it for 5th grade to adult (Rainbow Resource lists it as 6th-adult).

[Candid]

Thanks for your feedback, have you used it recently--can you explain why you wouldn't want to use it as a spine text (not a solo text, I'd use many of the other 100 history books and all of the lit)? It's been so long since we used it, I really don't remember details, other than SL lists it for 5th grade to adult (Rainbow Resource lists it as 6th-adult).

 

The Sonlight version is more a serious of essays about somewhat unconnected topics in US history. It doesn't really follow what I would consider the main events of history but adds to them. I remember, for instance, a series of topics on building architecture and the evolution of "balloon houses" that we now construct.

 

I suspect it may be a selection of essays from the series of books. So while each essay is at a pretty high level the actual content won't be enough.

 

I make no promises, but I'll see if I can dig up my old copy.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

The Sonlight version is more a serious of essays about somewhat unconnected topics in US history. It doesn't really follow what I would consider the main events of history but adds to them. I remember, for instance, a series of topics on building architecture and the evolution of "balloon houses" that we now construct.

 

I suspect it may be a selection of essays from the series of books. So while each essay is at a pretty high level the actual content won't be enough.

 

I make no promises, but I'll see if I can dig up my old copy.

 

I'd agree with this. Boorstin is either feast or famine. He has a very long trilogy of The American Experience, which is fabulous (for example who knew that Jefferson petitioned to be excused from service in the Virginia House of Delegates after leaving office as governor, only to be denied by the Speaker, with the rebuke that if good men shied away from politics, the state would be governed by scoundrels?) but far more than a high schooler needs. And as much as I like the Landmark history, it is a little disjointed as a stand alone history.

 

I love Boorstin and try to reread The Image every election year, but I have used other books for my kids (despite owning most of his work).

[Sebastian (a lady)]

But if you already have it, why not pull it out and decide if it will work for you. (Because I also think Hakim is light for high school work, but that's just my opinion.)