SunnyDays Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 So, I'm probably overthinking this. :) It's been known to happen... I'm trying to sort through the options for History for 5th grade next year. We have been doing American History so far, and next year I'd really like to start a full history cycle with the Ancients. Here's what I've been considering: 1. Guerber books 2. Dorothy Mills books 3. K12 Human Odyssey 4. Mystery of History First of all, I know that MOH is strongly Christian, whereas the others are not. I'm just trying to settle in my mind which of those I want... I'm leaning more secular, but keeping this on the list just in case. I like that MOH ties in Biblical history, but I also feel that it doesn't go very deep into any one topic. I like the readable styles of the Guerber and Mills books. I also like that it goes deeply into each culture/era rather than a short blurb... but, it doesn't tie everything together as well, I don't think. Human Odyssey is attractive because it's very complete, and I know it's well loved here. I don't even know what's holding me back from this being the overwhelming favorite. *I'm most interested in learning more about the Mills books... I really like the look of these but would like to know more about them!!* I'm not interested in using Sonlight, Biblioplan, ToG, or any of those types of curricula. I know lots of people love them, but they're not our style and would probably be overkill for us!! There isn't even a particular question here, LOL!! But I'd love for you all to tell me, if you've used any of these for History, what you liked or didn't like about them. Hoping that maybe it will rule one out or make one become the favorite! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anna~ Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 We are using Human Odyssey and like it fine, but I also like the Oxford University Press series The World in Ancient Times. We are using both. Have you looked at those? I feel like Human Odyssey doesn't go as far into things as I'd like, and I find the OUP series fills in the gaps for me. It has a very readable style in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 See, at our house it was just the opposite. We tried using K12 Human Odyssey plus Oxford's World in Ancient Times. World in Ancient Times was overkill for us. It was way more detailed than we wanted and, since we didn't love it, too pricey for what we got. I guess it boils down to how much your DC love history. (My DS is a science guy.) We love K12 Human Odyssey. I especially like how it handles the transitions between the different cultures, showing the connections between ancient cultures and also connections to our own world today. We think it is highly readable too, as you said about two of your other choices. The lengthiest samples I've seen are available on Christian Book's website. Have you looked at those? Sorry, I'm not familiar at all with your other 3 choices. Maybe now that you've narrowed it down, you should let your DS choose after he looks at samples of each? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Also, maybe think about how you want to "do" history in 5th grade. Do you want to do it WTM-style, with outlining, narrations, timeline, mapwork - all of those or some combo of those? Do you want to read and discuss, and call it good? Do you want a workbook? Or whatever other style appeals to you. Do you want to spend a lot of time on history or use something more efficient? Then figure out which of your book options will fit best with that method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I'm up between K12 next year and the Mills books. I'm leaning Mills. We *tried* HO at the beginning of the year and it was a bust. Not because it wasn't good (I did think it was very good), but because the text on its own was not enough for my daughter. Without solid outlining skills, there was really no output and she retained NOTHING. Memoria Press has guides for the Mills books and should have the guide for the middle ages text I want by spring of this year :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 The MP guides to the Dorothy Mills books are fairly new, so unfortunately I don't think too many people have actually used them. I decided against getting them because I already had a copy of K12 HO V1 and the Mills books didn't seem like they'd add anything to that. DD will be doing HO plus selected parts of the MP Famous Men of Greece and Famous Men of Rome study guides. The rest of the FM stories will be free reading. I have also ordered the IEW Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons theme book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Okay, this is good, you're giving me a lot to think about! :) I think I'm ruling out MOH. I love the idea of it, but I looked at it again this afternoon. I remember what I didn't like: It jumps around SO much! The three weekly lessons might be on completely different topics... all in the same time period of course, but one week had a lesson on India, a lesson on the early Greek Olympic games, and a lesson on Jonah and Amos from the Old Testament. I think that would drive us a little nuts. Plus, while we are Christian, MOH is very strict YEC, and I don't think that's what we want. (We are Creationist as well, but I don't take a firm stand on YEC vs OEC... we discuss the differing viewpoints.) Probably, I'm going to rule out Guerber as well. They seem very similar to the Mills books, and the Mills have ready made study guides for all of them. So why reinvent the wheel?? I have looked at the OUP series, and while I like them, I am with Taryn in that it would be overkill for us. DS likes history, but in small doses. It's true that I want to look at the format and what the plans are as well. So... I think I'm down to Human Odyssey and the Mills guides. I think I will show DS the samples, and think through how I want our year to look and what type of "processing" I want to do with it (outlining vs notebooking vs study guides, etc.). Thanks for the thoughts... if anyone has further on HO or Mills, would love to hear it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarynB Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I don't think you can go wrong with either one. They are both truly great and can be flexible and adapted to whatever type of output you want your DS to complete. K12HO can easily be used WTM style or you can get the teacher and student guides for cheap. (We're doing a combo of both.) Same with Mills, use the MP guides or go on your own WTM style. Whatever you choose, as in all things, it will be what you make of it. :coolgleamA: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 I slept on this and took a look again this morning. I *don't* think DS will like the MP guides... I see the value in them, but have a feeling he'll find them tedious. My gut is telling me to go with Human Odyssey... so I ordered a copy! :) If I don't like it, then back to the drawing board... but I did look at the samples on Christian book in more depth, and I do think it'll work well for us. My goal is reading, discussion, and I'm still deciding on output... I do want to make sure we have something, but need to think through whether I want it to be outlining, a history notebook and timeline, or just what. Thanks all, for helping me think it through!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anna~ Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I think that will work well for what you want. I would say a timeline would help, and maybe through in some historical fiction as well to tie it all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 Anna, I found another thread with a note that you had a reading list for HO on your blog, so I'm totally swiping your list of additional books to read!! ;) We won't even come close to using all of them, but it will certainly give us plenty of ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Cris, have you seen the yahoo group where some of us are posting plans and resources for using HO? You should check it out. I will try and find and link the thread. ETA - Here it is: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/414986-notebook-for-k12-ho-vol-1/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted January 27, 2013 Author Share Posted January 27, 2013 Well, Human Odyssey has arrived. I love it! I think this will be a good option for us. I have plans to do notebooking/outlining, supplemental reading, historical literature, etc.... but it covers so much ground in the text, even if we do nothing but read and discuss it, he's still going to be leaps and bounds ahead of what he would have gotten in school for ancient history!! :) Rose, I took a look at the books you lined up with HO, and I got the Kemp Streams of History books for the Kindle... I think those will be great supplemental reading, so we'll just tuck a bit of them in here and there. We're not going to do the OUP series (I really think that would be overkill for DS), but I'm borrowing a few more of your ideas as well!! Thanks again, all, for helping me think through this. Excited to begin this in the fall. (Or summer, we may have to get started early, LOL!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.