Milknhoney Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 I just got my activity book for SOTW 4. I was a little surprised to see the outlining activities. Following WWE, that is a topic I thought we would be introducing in 5th grade. I'm just wondering... who uses those for 4th grade successfully? We struggle with SOTW every year; history is not his favorite subject. I am wondering if I should even try it, or just do narrations like we've been doing. Or maybe he would actually thrive on the structure of outlining? He is a science kid. He also still struggles with too much writing, which is also a concern for me. Last year I tried dictating part of his narration to him every day which he just hated. Finally this year, at the advice of a friend, I had decided I would just let him give me a verbal narration and then have him do the tests. So then when I saw what vol 4 involved, I am questioning whether I should stick to my plan or follow the guide. Anyway, I would just like to know going in what kinds of experiences you all have had with it. Thanks in advance for your replies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milknhoney Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I thought the outlining instruction was included to help keep any older siblings in the same cycle, or kids that didn't start volume one in first grade. *shrug* My rising fifth grader did some one point outlines last school year. I probably wouldn't go with a two point at that age, but a one point is basically just a list of the most important facts. Well, it started out as simply the most interesting facts, but over time he learned to spot the main ideas. His outlines were composition exercises, and not attached to history. (He later rewrote a story using his own outline as his guide.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegeyser Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I am only on Chapter 6 with a reluctant-writer 4th grader. So far the outlining has been going pretty well. I expected more of a backlash. I can't say he enjoys it, but I think he is learning valuable skills. I let him use the book as much as he needs. I was as surprised as you when I opened the AG and saw less supplemental readers, no coloring pages, and outline templates. He gets it done, and we move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 No coloring pages? And here I thought the AG has at least a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milknhoney Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Hmmm... so it sounds like maybe I don't need to be as freaked out and that he may actually take to it better than I think? Guess we just have to try it and see what happens. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Can someone explain how the outlines work? Thanks, Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 bumping... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegeyser Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 It starts out with the main topics and the child has to fill in the sub-points. We're only 6 chapters in right now though. I know the sections they are required to complete changes as the book progresses. I haven't studied it enough yet to know exactly how. Someone with more experience using it should chime in. I don't know if there are samples on the Internet or the Peace Hill Press site or not, but it may be worth a search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegeyser Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 This mom shows a sample: http://smoothstonesacademy.blogspot.com/2011/02/sotw-wrap-up-and-review.html (scroll to the bottom of the post) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarawatsonim Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 If you look at the samples of SWB's WWS, it actually includes in the sample how to complete a few basic outlines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 The SOTW AG's ALL introduce things a year earlier than the WWE/WWS series does. For example, in WWE1, you ask the child, "What is one thing you remember?", whereas SOTW1 AG is asking for an actual narration like WWE2 does. When I used SOTW AG, I just did what I knew my son could do. In SOTW1, we'd been doing enough narrations that I was able to ask for an actual narration, but I kept any writing to a minimum. He could probably have done the outlining this year if we were doing SOTW4 (we took a US history break for grades 3 and 4, but he's read SOTW3 and 4 a gazillion times, so he still got the info). It's just a one level outline. But if the child isn't ready, or if it's killing their love of history, I'd absolutely drop the outlining and just ask for a narration instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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