Human Odyssey (K12)

[Jennifer]

I would like to start using this book for my newly homeschooled 7th grader. I'm just not sure how to go about it.

 

I liked the idea of the narration/outlining as described in TWTM with map work and additional reading. But then I worried it wasn't "enough". So I bought the Teacher Guide and Student Guide for the text from K12. But looking through the books has me thinking maybe the online course offered through K12 is the way to go.

 

What I need is someone to tell me we don't need the online course or the study guides and working through the book ala TWTM will be more than sufficient and I should stop planning and researching and spending and just start homeschooling already!

 

Thanks in advance

Jennifer

[EKS]

I never used the K12 course, but I absolutely love the Human Odyssey series!

 

I didn't have my son outline or narrate anything. Every so often I had him write a report on something he was learning in history. So, for example, in studying the first civilizations, he wrote a short report on how rivers were important. I would just pick something every few weeks that seemed to be a theme or that he seemed particularly interested in and he would write about it.

[lisabees]

I never used the K12 course, but I absolutely love the Human Odyssey series!

 

I didn't have my son outline or narrate anything. Every so often I had him write a report on something he was learning in history. So, for example, in studying the first civilizations, he wrote a short report on how rivers were important. I would just pick something every few weeks that seemed to be a theme or that he seemed particularly interested in and he would write about it.

 

 

This is how I do it. But I am sure to add plenty of documentaries, literature and an occasional field trip or activity (usually food!).

[TarynB]

Agreed. I think it is enough. For history my DS10 is reading Human Odyssey, making brief entries to a timeline, and watching documentaries. Once in a while reading a related library book. Not much writing. Definitely no tolerance for busy-work. (He does do writing assignments, just not a lot for history, generally.) I also have the K12 guides, but I use them only to guide our history discussions and to make sure he's getting what he should be getting from reading the HO text (me asking him comprehension questions, all done verbally). I feel no pull toward using the K12 online course at all. The method we're using is working very well here. I think he's learning more than I ever did AND he's enjoying it. For a 7th grader, maybe you'd want to do outlining/some form of note-taking, but perhaps you're already doing that plenty in other subjects. Not every subject has to be intense in middle school.

[EKS]

 

 

But I am sure to add plenty of documentaries, literature and an occasional field trip or activity (usually food!).

 

Good point. We also read tons of historical fiction, period literature, and supplemental nonfiction as well as watched documentaries.

[Luckymama]

I never used the K12 course, but I absolutely love the Human Odyssey series!

I didn't have my son outline or narrate anything. Every so often I had him write a report on something he was learning in history. So, for example, in studying the first civilizations, he wrote a short report on how rivers were important. I would just pick something every few weeks that seemed to be a theme or that he seemed particularly interested in and he would write about it.

 

This is how I do it. But I am sure to add plenty of documentaries, literature and an occasional field trip or activity (usually food!).

 

Exactly :) We are on the third volume this year. I've been spending this break gathering resources (fiction, nonfiction, documentaries, online sources) for our study of World War II. Next year we will use the similar American Odyssey for a good introduction to American history befo high school.