anmom Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I am finally getting my brain wrapped around all that TOG has to offer and are finally finding our groove. One thing I have wondered though. For those of you who have LG students only, do you read or do anything with the teachers notes at the back of each week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I'm still trying to figure out how to best use those!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anmom Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 I'm still trying to figure out how to best use those!! I guess my thoughts so far have been that for LG they just arent needed. Although, after thinking about it, I wondered if it might help me to be more informed in our discussions. Right now, I have been just skipping over those and just learning along with them in the reading selections for that week. I honestly feel like I have not been using TOG to its full potential for my kids. I dont expect a lot since they are both LG, but I do want to do more than I have been doing, which is basically using it as a glorified reading list. I love TOG, just need to figure out how to best use it for our family. One thing that I think hinders me is I have the digital version. I make my lesson plans out every 6 weeks and then I dont go back to the information. I think if I had more printed out each week I would be using it different. I am also curious how everyone sets their week up? How do you schedule your reading, activities, vocabulary, etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing the big picture. I glance through the teacher's notes and see that some of the topics mentioned aren't in the LG reading. I wish there was a short narrative that outlined the big picture and main points for the week. I could read that with my kids the first day of our week to set the stage and then dive into the details of what we were studying. We have really enjoyed the book choices and my kids get a lot out of them. I just wish there was something that said "here's a recap of the main points." Maybe I need to add in more memory work or come up with some dictation that highlights the main points for the week. Has anyone done something like this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I don't read the teachers notes because I just don't have the desire/time right now. My ds#2 has an online TOG class and my other two are LG. I schedule history with them twice a week and do a hands on project every other week. I alternate with science experiments on the off weeks. That way, they're doing something hands on each week, but I'm not driving myself crazy. We do maps, a history response page of some sort, and the literature sheet (only for ds #2) during those two days. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anmom Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing the big picture. I glance through the teacher's notes and see that some of the topics mentioned aren't in the LG reading. I wish there was a short narrative that outlined the big picture and main points for the week. I could read that with my kids the first day of our week to set the stage and then dive into the details of what we were studying. We have really enjoyed the book choices and my kids get a lot out of them. I just wish there was something that said "here's a recap of the main points."Maybe I need to add in more memory work or come up with some dictation that highlights the main points for the week. Has anyone done something like this? I print off that 1st page that says General information for all ages and read from that at the begining of the week. It is sort of a narrative of the week ahead. I dont do dictation, but we do copywork from the SOTW chapters. Have you seen this blog http://runofthemillfamily.blogspot.com/ ? I get our copywork from here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 No, I tried at one time but couldn't find the time. I have found that just by reading aloud from the lg books I am both learning a lot (YES! at the lg level) and comfortable with the level of info the kids take away. I have always used TOG as a glorified booklist with a few activities and a bit of mapwork thrown in. I have doubted myself at times, but I can say that right now I'm happier than a clam that I didn't stress too much. My kids like history and they have a good grasp of the flow of American history. They don't remember a whole lot from yrs 1 and 2, but oh well. That is just another reason to be really glad that I didn't put too much pressure on myself. I am excited to start at the beginning of the history cycle next year. I am super comfy using TOG at this point. With the nice overview we have had, I look forward to digging deeper and I suspect the kids will too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 This is our third year, and my oldest is 7yo. I did try to read the teacher's notes this year. I really enjoyed doing it, but once all the extracurriculars started up, I just couldn't find the time. It isn't absolutely necessary, but it does help to put things into better perspective for you as the teacher, and I feel like it will be helpful for future rotations. (For example, I ran across a comparison of the contemporary leaders, George Washington and Napoleon, which I found really interesting to ponder.) But it really is up there in the "ideal, but not at all necessary" category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Blue House Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Sometimes I wonder if I'm missing the big picture. I glance through the teacher's notes and see that some of the topics mentioned aren't in the LG reading. I wish there was a short narrative that outlined the big picture and main points for the week. I could read that with my kids the first day of our week to set the stage and then dive into the details of what we were studying. We have really enjoyed the book choices and my kids get a lot out of them. I just wish there was something that said "here's a recap of the main points."Maybe I need to add in more memory work or come up with some dictation that highlights the main points for the week. Has anyone done something like this? I've never actually used TOG, but as I've looked at it time and again this is the one thing I think it's missing....that and memory work :glare: I'd love to see weekly summaries for the LG/UG age that are similar to the summaries in the Truthquest guides. Maybe there's a creative Mom out there who has done this already :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I've never actually used TOG, but as I've looked at it time and again this is the one thing I think it's missing....that and memory work :glare: I'd love to see weekly summaries for the LG/UG age that are similar to the summaries in the Truthquest guides. Maybe there's a creative Mom out there who has done this already :bigear: This is what I want-I want a short narrative summary and simple memory work for LG. Surely there is a brilliant and wonderful mom who has done this! Where is she??? I do plan to use Story of the World readings as my spine and then the extra TOG readings for more info. But I'm a big picture person and I'd like the summary for me especially. I haven't had time to go through all the teacher notes right now and they are too much info for my young kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I've never actually used TOG, but as I've looked at it time and again this is the one thing I think it's missing....that and memory work :glare: I'd love to see weekly summaries for the LG/UG age that are similar to the summaries in the Truthquest guides. Maybe there's a creative Mom out there who has done this already :bigear: There is the "General Information for all Ages" page that comes before the student activity pages. This includes a short narrative overview that you go over with all your students to introduce them to the week's information. Don't get me wrong, I love TOG and use it for my D and LG student. However, it is a LOT of money to pay to only use it with LG students unless you have several and plan on using it for an indefinite period of time, I guess. The advantage is that they will always be on the same year-cycle of studying history, which is a main reason I decided to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexi Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Well, I'll soon have 5 kids and I can't imagine trying to use anything else when they are all older. I was hoping that if I started with it now we would have a good intro to the flow of history and I could figure out how TOG works. I thought it would be easier if I started now. So, I plan to keep using it and I like the discussions for older students. I guess I need a little more handholding right now as I figure it all out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I try to read the teacher's noted each week. Lately, it's been more difficult as we are getting busy in life. I do always read the general intro to him at the start of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmarango Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I just read the books, do a project here and there (candle making this week), and try to throw in some geography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverFamily Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 :bigear: We are just starting TOG Yr. 1. My "plans" are to take the time each week to read through the notes myself. I would love to improve my own knowledge of history. But I have a feeling I will not have time most weeks. We are a couple of weeks in and I have yet to find the time to sit down and read through the notes.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Well, I'll soon have 5 kids and I can't imagine trying to use anything else when they are all older. I was hoping that if I started with it now we would have a good intro to the flow of history and I could figure out how TOG works. I thought it would be easier if I started now. So, I plan to keep using it and I like the discussions for older students. I guess I need a little more handholding right now as I figure it all out. Knowing now what I wish I had known then, I agree...I am so glad to have both my kids on the "same page" so to speak. It might be a good idea to buy the print version for one unit and see if that doesn't make it easier at first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I sometimes read aloud parts of the World Book pages. I skim notes if there is something I feel I want more background info on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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