K12 History and SOTW complimentary schedule ???

[Tidbits of Learning]

I was wondering if anyone knew of a schedule that lined up K12 with SOTW history.  We are now doing K12 but still have our SOTW books and I would like to utilize them where they compliment each other. 

Thanks in advance.

[JBJones]

:bigear: I'm interested in this as well. Thank-you for posting this question.

[happyhomemaker]

Listening also. We're doing modern history with K12 and SOTW in the fall.

[Tidbits of Learning]

I found this with several helpful links for human odyssey and SOTW in case this helps anyone else-

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/356184-is-there-a-schedule-correlating-k12-human-odyssey-sotw-1/

I am wondering if anyone has lined it up against the computer K12 history for 1st-4th.  Still unsuccessful with the lower grades.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Anyone?  Any schedules for 1st-4th that lines up k12 history with SOTW 1-4.

[Samiam]

The author of SOTW also helped write the K12 elementary history. Why would one use both if they are very much the same? So then if one chooses to do just K-12, you either paid for it yourself, very pricey, and I'd hope after spending all that $$$$ it would be enough on it's own. If you got it via a virtual school, you probably don't have time to add extras. It's unlikely a K12 user took the time to match up SoTW in either circumstance.

 

On the other hand the chapters of SOTW are clearly labeled. If you just had to add it to k12, it's easy enought to do that.

 

So, to answer the question, no, probably does not exist.

[Tidbits of Learning]

We do a virtual school and have had no problem going down rabbit trails and adding extras.  ds actually finished his grade level last year in about 4 months time and we were able to move forward to the next grade level. :hurray:  I do realize that SWB wrote the k12 elementary history.  I already own SOTW so I thought I would see if anyone had referenced it to the elementary years to compliment not take the place of K12 history as I am sure it has a different style/flavor  than SOTW word for word,  If it was SOTW, then they would ship me SOTW.  Since SOTW is for 1-4, I thought someone might have already lined it up somewhere to the k12 elementary history.  Instead I found it lined up to the middle school k12 Human Odyssey when I search.  Having done the 4th grade history with k12 last year and having children who enjoy reading about history, I thought it would be a way to explore history further.   :laugh:   I haven't gotten our 1st grade materials yet.  If such a complimentary schedule does not exist, then it will be fun to line it up this year and maybe make a schedule should someone else have the same question in the future.  

Virtual schools aren't chained to the desk without a reprieve or lacking in the ability to go down rabbit trails and explore things further.  We have actually been able to move 2 of our students ahead rather successfully and help one child who was behind work at their own pace and catch up to their grade level.    :tongue_smilie:

[Samiam]

We do a virtual school and have had no problem going down rabbit trails and adding extras.  ds actually finished his grade level last year in about 4 months time and we were able to move forward to the next grade level. :hurray:  I do realize that SWB wrote the k12 elementary history.  I already own SOTW so I thought I would see if anyone had referenced it to the elementary years to compliment not take the place of K12 history as I am sure it has a different style/flavor  than SOTW word for word,  If it was SOTW, then they would ship me SOTW.  Since SOTW is for 1-4, I thought someone might have already lined it up somewhere to the k12 elementary history.  Instead I found it lined up to the middle school k12 Human Odyssey when I search.  Having done the 4th grade history with k12 last year and having children who enjoy reading about history, I thought it would be a way to explore history further.   :laugh:   I haven't gotten our 1st grade materials yet.  If such a complimentary schedule does not exist, then it will be fun to line it up this year and maybe make a schedule should someone else have the same question in the future.  

Virtual schools aren't chained to the desk without a reprieve or lacking in the ability to go down rabbit trails and explore things further.  We have actually been able to move 2 of our students ahead rather successfully and help one child who was behind work at their own pace and catch up to their grade level.    :tongue_smilie:

I'm familiar with how virtual school works, having had my son in  a K12 virtual charter school at one point, as well as having paid for K12 history (and science) out of pocket at one point in his elementary years, not to mention I'm currently using SOTW (finished Vol 1 last year and just finished planning Vol 2 for our upcoming year).

 

So yeah, depending on your virtual school and your student, it is possible for you to have had time to do rabbit trails, and move faster etc.  Not all virtual schools are the same, and not all students are the same.  Some virtual schools have extra things, ie Study Island, required Class Connects, etc etc that essentially are time-sucks, leaving many families DONE for the day by the time they've finished just the basics. In other families, students, even without those extra requirements, struggle to get basics done every day, so again...the luxury of rabbit trails and moving students ahead is just that...a luxury.

 

All that being said, if there was that luxury of taking on rabbit trails, why not just read real books, related to the historical timeframe?  Read-alouds, and chapter books the student reads on their own?  Why add another "textbook" to K12, that which K12 is based upon?    Okay, so one really wants SOTW.   Again, each chapter is clearly labeled and easy enough to look through it to match up to this week's K12 lesson.     

 

I'm simply answering the question that was asked, that this "line-up correlation" most likely does not exist.   

[Tidbits of Learning]

Look, I tried to add smileys and be light but your tone in the other posts were snarky.  It was basically why are you asking this if you pay for k12 then you overpaid if you want something else.  If you are getting it through a virtual school, then you must be overwhelmed and bombarded with busywork and drowning in mandates from the school.  It is hard to post on here as a virtual schooler.  It is bashed a lot.  I do get my curriculum for free and I do like it.  I am sorry it did not work out for you.  If you don't know of a schedule, you don't have to reply with that whole spiel that was bordering on saying I was wasting my time and yours by posting the question.

You weren't simply answering the question you were adding your opinion...so I added mine and honestly your opinion was a little bit on the rude side the first time and downright snarky the second time.  

 

[Samiam]

Never said any of that.  Never said Virtual school didn't work for us.  That wasn't the case at all.  Never bashed virtual schoolers.   Been one myself...don't have time in life to worry about other people's schooling journeys.   You read it snarky...people often do that when they don't like what they read because it didn't agree with what they wanted to hear.   I wasn't bashing your request to match up K12 and SOTW, but simply explaining why it would be unusual for anyone to have done that...thus the reason it's not being found in an online search.   I just give it straight up, with no sugar.  Neither snarky nor sweet.  Just straight.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Well to get back to topic.  I guess I should put a disclaimer that I am looking for a schedule not an opinion on whether one exists or why no one that uses k12 would have put forth the time and effort to make one.  And if one doesn't exist, then I will enjoy making it for my kids this year b/c I will take the time and energy and I think it is worthwhile and we like textbooks.  :ohmy:

[Jennifer N.]

I've not posted before on the forums.  I have afterschooled my children for several years since finding The Well Trained Mind on a library shelf when my oldest was about 3 (my children are currently 2, 5, 7 and 9).  I visit the WTM forums when I want to research curriculum choices etc.  The forums have been so helpful to me in the past.

 

I am considering the Virginia K12 virtual academy for my oldest (he will be in 4th) and have read through some older posts with useful information.  I decided to post in this thread because Tidbits of Learning mentions s/he does virtual schooling and still has time for extras.  But others say their children are chained to the computer.  I am really concerned a lot of computer time will be involved.  Does anyone have knowledge about how much time is actually spent on the computer?  Since I found WTM years ago, I have read up on lots of curriculum.  I think it is so interesting how much of the K12 curriculum is high quality (in my opinion of course) and this is a real draw for me.  And then today I find SWB may have helped write the elementary history curriculum for K12 too.

 

So back to the question, K12 seems to indicate, if I read the information correctly, that students spend about 30% of their time on the computer.  Is this accurate?  I have read through their course descriptions and materials and really like how they are laid out.  I think the paper materials are going to be a great fit for my son along with my teaching (or coaching as K12 calls it).  But I don't want him to have to spend hours staring at a computer screen every day. 

 

Thanks very much.

[Tidbits of Learning]

The amount of time you have away from the computer depends on a lot of factors-the virtual school you use, your children, you, classes your children are taking, and age/grades of the children.

I have a mix of kids in the k12 system.  We did a lot of extras b/c we used k12 as a buffet.  I did not make them do every little thing if they had mastered material and could take the assessment.  Science is all online.  There is no textbooks for science.  You do have some extra books to read as well as the student/teacher pages.  History is a mix.  It is all online until middle school and then you receive texts as well as student/teacher pages.  Math is online/offilne mix.  Up to 3rd grade, the kids have consumable math texts and you have a hardback teacher's text.  Language arts for the most part is offline in elementary school.  Art is offline/online.  

My middle schoolers worked independently.  My 4th grader was independent for a lot of things.  My 1st grader needs me for his work.  We were on the computer a lot, but it was such a mix of online/offline that I did not feel chained to it nor did my kids.  Science is very experiment driven so lots of hands on learning with science.

We did a co-op 1x a week, drama classes separate (my dd was in a big production of Esther), 4H, scouts, and more.  Whether it was just b/c I was unwilling to lose those things or not, we weren't giving up the freedom of homeschooling.  My kids work at their own pace and have been up and down in the curricula.  

Our school is very communicative and we can do school when we want (weekends and holidays) and those hours count towards our weekly quota.  Some schools are not that flexible.  Some schools have to switch out k12 materials for state based materials.  Ours has not except for state history.  We are getting what someone purchasing k12 individually would receive.  We do have to state test and complete Study Island assignments as well as turn in work samples.

4th is a very writing intensive year.  There will be essays throughout the courses.  It was a good year but a rough year to jump in with my 4th grade ds.  If I wouldn't have seen how 6th and 7th looked, I would have felt overwhelmed.  We were able to adjust and do more orally and just do the written work samples that had to be turned in to the teacher.  Not all schools will be that flexible.  

I try to set a schedule for the kids where they rotate from a more online subject to an online/offline or completely offline subject so they don't stay at the computer for long periods.  Our teachers were great and I could just kmail when we had extracurriculars and field trips and use supplemental hours to cover our attendance.  

My best advice is to find someone in your state using the virtual school and get the lowdown on your virtual school.  I was able to do that the year before we started and see the materials and the person that helped me out gave me the good and the bad.  

[Jennifer N.]

This is such a delayed reply and may be against forum etiquette.  But if there's a chance the above poster will read this, I wanted to say thank you so much for your reply.  It really helped me in making the decision to use a virtual school for my oldest and helped me to navigate the system this school year.  I printed out your reply last summer and some other WTM posts on virtual schooling and read and reread them as I was making the decision of homeschooling versus virtual schooling for my son.

 

Also to anyone else reading these posts in future as they explore the option of virtual schooling...  It is funny but I can see both sides now as a "learning coach" at one of these schools, the pros and the cons mentioned in posts on this forum.  It's been a lot of work this year but so beneficial for my son.  He is definitely receiving a superior education to what he has before in bricks and mortar school and all the advice I've read on these forums helped me to maximize the benefits of virtual schooling for him.  I can also see how one family's experience in their state would differ from another's in another state.  We are blessed that our school is flexible and we have great relationships with my son's teachers.  An additional benefit for those considering virtual schooling as a temporary option (meaning, your child may someday return to bricks and mortar school), you do get to keep up with the standards of learning for your state.