TOG reviews, any experienced users willing to share?

[cakemom]

I have been researching TOG (year 1) to use this fall for the first time with my 6th grader and 9th grader. I am wondering if any TOG users would be willing to share what they like and don't like about it after working with the program and or any tips on how to set up/ plan your year with a bit more ease. Also, are any of the extras actually worth the extra cost to purchase (the map cd, etc.)?

 

Thank you!

[AngelBee]

I have used TOG 2 and TOG 3. Will will be using TOG 4 in the fall. We LOVE it!

 

I have used lapbooks and popquiz. Otherwise I do not have other extras.

 

Will be back when I have more time to answer. Bumping for you :)

[Kathie in VA]

I tried TOG year 1 classic years ago but it didn't work out. I got lost in the 4 week fog.

 

I tried it again this year with a co-op and we got through Year 1, redesigned. For me it took the accountability.

I am really glad I purchased the MapAids, we used it weekly.

I also purchased the Evaluations and used it, but not every week. It was handy to pick from for quarter tests. It was nice to see the essay questions and answers to use as a guide.

I purchased the PopQuiz for my hubby but we never used it.

 

We did almost burn out all our students though, because there is so much that can be assigned as hw. We are still working out ways to keep the workload reasonable.

 

We skipped the in-depth books this year only to discover that the questions sometimes relied on them. We will probably get them next year.

 

hths

[mandymom]

We've done Y1 and Y2 and we will be on Y3 next year. This year, I made a "workbook" for each unit for each child. It worked well, and I will be doing the same next year. It contained the reading list, all the pages for the appropriate levels, maps, and supplements. The last two years we have used a different writing program than TOG, because as new homeschoolers as of two years ago, I felt we needed a more comprehensive writing curriculum. Next year the older four kids will return to TOG writing. My youngest probably won't until middle school/high school. Other than writing, we've used all that TOG has to offer. My kids, for the most part, really enjoy the reading selections, and we are having great discussions each week.

[cakemom]

mandymom

 

I like the idea of putting everything into workbook form for each of the kids. That way, they have everything that they need and are ready to go. Good suggestion!

 

Has anyone else found tips that have made this program easier for their family to work with?

 

Also, I am a little concerned about the writing. Do the assignments just say.....for example....write a report on X but does not give any instruction on how to do so or is that what the writing extra is for?

 

Could you use any writing manual for that matter?

 

Can anyone give examples of what kind of writing assignments are given for students in 6th and 9th grades

 

Thanks again

[hsmom08]

We have used it for 4 year and will be starting our 2nd round. We started it when my dd was in 1st grade. We got the map aid for all 4 years but didn't always use it. I like the evaluation, to see what she was retaining. Again didn't use it all the time. I think I really need to make a little workbook like "mandymon" mentioned, then we would probably use more of the map aid, evaluation. We tried lapbook but she didn't like having to do all the writing so this year we cut it out. We did a couple of writing assignment from writing aid but decided to hold off just because she doesn't like to write and writing is my weakest area. Writing aid to me was really ideas on what to write, kind of giving you a topic to write about. They might suggest doing a wheel to write down things, etc. I needed something with a little more hand holding. So we are going to try IEW SWI this year. Then I think writing aid will be much more useful.

[pineapplehorse]

I was completely head over heels in love with TOG this time last year. I could have sold it at the convention I was so on-board. I watched every video, printed double-sided color copies until my printer ran out of ink (twice) and convinced another family to start using it. I even made elaborate excel spreadsheets with everyone's daily assignments - color-coded no less :)

 

August came and we DOVE in...and around week 3 it fell apart....In the end we finished Units 1 and 2 of Year 2 in one year (1 semester for Unit 1 and 1 semester for Unit 2).

 

Here are my thoughts on our experience...

 

First, some background...

11yr old - voracious reader, slow poke, daydreamer, very gifted - did combination UG/Dialectic

8 yr old - struggling reader with vision therapy issues, bright in math, artistic, kinesthetic learner - LG

7 yr old - excellent reader, high energy, extremely gifted - LG

 

1. I did TOO much that wasn't TOG so we never had time for fun activities or socratic discussions (the part I looked forward to the most) - this is the key for me. We added math, latin, spanish, writing strands, biology, chemistry, equine science, etiquette, handwriting, spelling (not all for the same child) so spending hours a day on TOG just couldn't happen

 

2. The reading was insane! My 11 yr old did all the reading he was supposed to, no extras, and it took him several hours a day. This is the kid who reads a Harry Potter book in 2 to 3 days. He isn't a slow reader.

 

3. The vocabulary was AWESOME!

 

4. Many of the books were great and the themes were spot-on. Even when we didn't read exactly what we were supposed to (the lower grammar kids), we read something for that time period as a together read/read aloud and kids really enjoyed it. In the end, we did A LOT of read aloud and I bought the MBTP units that correlated with what we were supposed to be doing in TOG. The kids ADORED Shakespeare.

 

5. I learned that they all glow from head to toe when we do things together and that my 11yr old was tired of going off to a room to work independently while I spent time with the younger two. I learned that he can be independent AND I can be more involved in teaching him :)

 

6. I knew it was more religious-based than I wanted but that I could edit, and I did, and I was totally happy with that. In fact, it made me more comfortable with a religious-based curriculum than I thought possible (I teach sunday school every week, just wanted a secular curriculum for school).

 

Will we use it this year...probably not...

Why?

 

1. Just too much reading. My oldest was in tears by the end of the year and completely burnt out on the renaissance versus being in love with (like I am).

2. The kids begged to return to SOTW for history (I was reading SOTW as additional read aloud where suggested because they love it so much).

3. There is too much I want to add to it.

 

I know this review has dragged...but hopefully it helped. I think TOG is a great curriculum but I think you need to dedicate yourself to it, and I just couldn't do that. I adore history and the kids do as well, but it just wasn't a good fit for us. Good luck!

[Jennefer@SSA]

I started TOG: Year One two years ago. I got through unit one and we fizzled. It was too much for me to plan and implement alone, yet I was more convinced than ever that TOG was the program for me. Last year I helped start a two-day-a-week afternoon co-op: history, science, music, and art (the subjects that I could just not get to - but the ones I felt really help make a well-rounded student). TOG is our history program. We jumped in and did Year Two with 8 families; it was wonderful! This next year we will do Year 3 with 15 total families in co-op and we'll have 3 levels - LG, UG, and D. Each year we are adding a level so in a few years we will serve K-12.

 

As for supplements, I think MapAids is a must. We did the lapbooks last year with our LG and UG students but the teachers didn't think we got enough benefit from them to justify the cost and time. This year we will focus on doing more mini-projects in class rather than lapbooks. We also do timelines in co-op. We use Homeschool in the Woods timeline figures. In the LG class they will do a class timeline and UG and D students will each have their own timeline notebook. The notebook will be used all 4 years to stretch through a full cycle. It takes a bit of time but we have loved using this resource with TOG.

 

As for writing, I do not use TOG's writing. I made up my own assignments but I did have the students write each week. Last year I taught our 6th-7th grade class using a mixture of UG and D books (UG for history core and history in-depth and mostly D for the lit). The writing assignments were always from our history reading, not from the lit. At the start of the year I simply had them answer in-depth comprehension questions (that I wrote) in complete sentences to get them used to being held accountable for their reading. Most of my students had never had to do this and it was a good place to start. As they become better readers (b/c they knew they were reading for a real purpose - answering the questions was only a part, classroom discussion was the other component) - we incorporated more varied writing. Sometimes the students had to write a journal entry as if they had just witnessed an historical event. I would give them very specific guidelines such as they had to include a minimum of 10 distinct facts about the event. Other weeks they wrote a newspaper article about an event. I also taught them how to compose summaries and the entire last unit they wrote 3-5 paragraph summaries of their reading. (We started with only 1 paragraph and worked up to the longer compositions.) This year I want to do better about giving them a grading rubric with each assignment that more clearly shows the expectations.

 

I really enjoy TOG and continue to feel it is the program for us. A new mom joining our co-op shared a story with us in her interview. She is currently getting her masters degree at seminary. She and her husband (also getting his masters) have been so impressed with one young man in their class. His depth of knowledge

and his strong Biblical worldview have astonished them. They finally had a chance to talk to him a few months ago and they asked him how he knew so much. He shared that he was homeschooled and his mom used TOG with them. He attributed his solid foundation to TOG! The family immediately began researching TOG and found our co-op. :)

 

That being said, TOG is a tool. And like any tool it is only as effective as the one wielding it. TOG is certainly not a magic bullet. It takes time to implement. It takes time to teach. It is not open and go (in my opinion, although I know moms who certainly disagree). To get the most out of TOG the teacher/mom has to be prepared to lead intelligent discussions at any age. This is hard to do if you haven't read the material. And like a mom said before, there is a lot of reading. My biggest challenge in teaching my class was making the time to keep up with all the reading.

 

Good luck on your journey!

[kristi26]

We've done Y1 and Y2 and we will be on Y3 next year. This year, I made a "workbook" for each unit for each child. It worked well, and I will be doing the same next year. It contained the reading list, all the pages for the appropriate levels, maps, and supplements. The last two years we have used a different writing program than TOG, because as new homeschoolers as of two years ago, I felt we needed a more comprehensive writing curriculum. Next year the older four kids will return to TOG writing. My youngest probably won't until middle school/high school. Other than writing, we've used all that TOG has to offer. My kids, for the most part, really enjoy the reading selections, and we are having great discussions each week.

 

This might have made us more successful with TOG. I wish I'd thought of it!

 

We've used TOG2, units 1 and 2. I had ordered it early last summer, went through and worked out schedules for several weeks in advance including reading assignments and activities. I pushed through from August through December and then gave up. It was too overwhelming and I just couldn't do it anymore. Then I read that TOG2 is a rough year and of course, that's the one I started with...I'd like to believe that I could do it if we'd started at year 1.

 

Some things we DID like about it: Fun activities to do; mostly good reading choices; set of questions for ODS to answer each week; literature, art, and history were all related to one another (well I liked this).

 

HTH!

[melmichigan]

We are going on our 4th year. We did our years in the following manner: Y2U1-U3, Y2U4-Y3U3, Y3U4-Y4 (condensing Y4, especially U4). We will be doing Y1 in the fall. TOG is a tool. Like anything else I adjust and adapt to make it work for our family and for each child, that is what is great about TOG, the buffet, the ability to pick and choose. I also think that is what people forget about that the most and then they are disappointed or overwhelmed.

 

I make workbooks over the summer for all my basics, questions, mapaids, etc. This gives me a chance to decide on my focus for each week.

 

LG to me is gravy, we do SOTW as a family so this level just focuses on the SOTW AG. I buy few books for this level and rely on what I already have or what the library carries. My DC do SL Readers through the old Advanced levels before moving to TOG literature so I just pick and choose from those selections depending on time.

 

UG for us is a focus more on geography and timeline while continuing to get a basic feel for history.

 

D is where TOG begins to shine IMHO, tailor the reading to your child.

 

We are just starting R this fall. I have been working through the material myself as they come out with the updated units for Y1 for the fall.

[warneral]

I purchased the first quarter of year one last year and printed it all out. I was disappointed b/c they originally said they would have the revised (more user friendly) version out in time for the school year, but then didn't get to it in time. I was also disappointed in their lack of technology. This cannot be viewed on the ipad which would save a lot of printing. I also had issues printing double sided (which they helped me with but it still wasted a lot of paper). Because of locklizard, the curriculum is far less userfriendly than it could be. These two things had already left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

I was going to use a littler lower and then all of upper grammar level reading. I gathered the books, but it just didn't feel like a cohesive walk through history to me.

 

I ended up purchasing Mystery of History and supplemented with notebooking/lapbooking and various projects. I think I'm more of a DIYer. I didn't like having a buffet because I didn't think we had the time to get a good taste that would be cohesive.

[Hedgehogs4]

We will be starting our third year with TOG this year, and will be covering Y1. I have heard that it takes three years to really hit a groove with it. I would say that I know that now to be true, but the last two years have not been bad, by any means. Some people (like pps) run headlong into TOG and hit a wall because they get overwhelmed. I did a bit of that the first year, and felt rather burnt out at the end of the year. Even so, it was one of the best years we've had. (We started with year 3)

 

This year we will be covering year 1. I am so excited about it, because I do feel that I know how to manage the amount of reading and how to pace ourselves now. PPs complained that the amount of reading was nuts, but seriously, you don't have to do it all! Just do what you can, and you will still have done plenty! You do have to consider the heft of the program though if you have a huge list of other things on the docket.

 

I absolutely agree with MelMichigan that the D level is where TOG really "shines." My LG daughter did little with TOG year 4 this year, just because the topics were so heavy. We read a lot of contemporary literature and focused on biographies of famous Christians like Eric Liddle and Corrie Ten Boom. Next year I will focus on STOW with her and TOG literature and worldview. My D son will do the history, lit and worldview.

 

I think map aids are a must-buy, and if your husband wants to get involved, the Pop Quiz is fun. I highly recommend getting together with any other family you know who is doing TOG to do socratic discussions and have unit celebrations with. We have two other families that we get together with and and this has been an absolute highlight.

 

I am currently in the process of making my ds's notebook for the year. He will have each week's work printed out and ready for him. He has learned to pace out his reading himself. This year I am adding in a weekly writing assignment using the accountability questions as prompts.

[talltexan]

We are just finishing up our first year of TOG, using Y1. I think it's a fabulous tool, but right now we've just used it at the LG level. Looking ahead at the D and R levels, I can tell it's going to take a lot of time, but it looks worth it. I've really liked the reading suggestions they provide. The Teacher's Notes are helpful.

 

I agree with previous posts--Map Aids is a must! I didn't have Pop Quiz this year but I want to get it for next year. My good friend who does TOG with her 2nd through 9th grade kids puts the Pop Quiz CDs on when they are in the car, and it serves as a good review for them during the week.

 

A lot of people don't like the writing program provided and choose to do something else.

 

The biggest thing to remember when looking at TOG is NOT to try to do it all. Pick and choose activities and books that work for your kids and your schedule.Oh, and allow yourself a good 3 weeks (or more!) to look at the curriculum before you start and get yourself organized. It will be overwhelming at first. Print out the maps and student pages your kids will need, and either put them in a file folder by week or make a notebook for them. The more you can get planned before you start, the less burned out you'll feel later! All curriculums have a learning curve, and TOG is no exception. Allow yourself time to get used to it!

[ebrindam]

Curious...does TOG use STOW as a spine? If so, why isn't it listed on bookshelfcentral.com site?

[FromA2Z]

Curious...does TOG use STOW as a spine? If so, why isn't it listed on bookshelfcentral.com site?

 

 

 

TOG is listed as an alternate resource.

[TXMary2]

mandymom

 

I like the idea of putting everything into workbook form for each of the kids. That way, they have everything that they need and are ready to go. Good suggestion!

 

Has anyone else found tips that have made this program easier for their family to work with?

 

Also, I am a little concerned about the writing. Do the assignments just say.....for example....write a report on X but does not give any instruction on how to do so or is that what the writing extra is for?

 

Could you use any writing manual for that matter?

 

Can anyone give examples of what kind of writing assignments are given for students in 6th and 9th grades

 

Thanks again

 

You need to purchase Writing Aids to get the instruction portion - it is $50 for all 12 years. The WA assignments are in the year plan, but the info you need to teach the 'how' is in the WA book.