BrandieRose Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I would love your help. There are no samples online, and I'm looking for more information on how these guides work. My rising 6th and 7th graders have done all 5 years of VP history, but are not ready for Omnibus. They would do okay understanding concepts, they just don't have the vocabulary or stamina for such difficult books. Would the transitions guide be helpful in that situation? Or is it just a simple history survey and their reading skill would need to be improved elsewhere? Thanks for any imput! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 FWIW -- these are brand new, and print copies aren't even available yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Yes. That. They're so new there hasn't been time for anyone to use one long enough for a good review. Call VP directly and ask if you can speak with someone who's familiar with them. They're generally pretty helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandieRose Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Oh, I didn't realize how new they were. Thanks ladies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloha2U Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Good question, OP. If you contact VP, please come back and share what you find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandieRose Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Good question, OP. If you contact VP, please come back and share what you find out. I just got off the phone with a VP representative. He says the transitions should help in my situation. It's basically simplified Omnibus, only without the theology , and surveying from creation to the present. It uses the "Pages of History" along with all 5 sets of history cards as a spine, and then adds literature for each time period. It is not finished yet, but should be ready to buy at the end of August. The literature list will be the same as the one in the online courses, which can be found here: https://vpsa.veritaspress.com/term/1/courses/99. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cacao Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 I just got off the phone with a VP representative. He says the transitions should help in my situation. It's basically simplified Omnibus, only without the theology , and surveying from creation to the present. It uses the "Pages of History" along with all 5 sets of history cards as a spine, and then adds literature for each time period. It is not finished yet, but should be ready to buy at the end of August. The literature list will be the same as the one in the online courses, which can be found here: https://vpsa.veritaspress.com/term/1/courses/99. Did you end up using this course? I'm considering using it for my 7th grade dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAmomof4 Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Would love to hear if anyone is using... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandieRose Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 Sorry I've taken so long to answer this. I don't get on the boards often. I did order the first guide and used it with my 11 and 12 year old boys for awhile. I have a mixed review. First, the guide I have is very organized. Weekly lessons are divided into five sessions, one for each day. There are a few random special or optional activities, but most days have a spine reading and a literature reading with comprehension questions for each. The spine reading each day is either from the Pages of History book or from the flashcards themselves. The child reads and then answers the questions. Some questions are grammar stage type, but many also make the kid think dialectically. Then the child reads a couple of chapters from the literature book and answers or discusses those questions. Pros: It is easy to use. No planning or preparing at all. "Pages of History" is an easy read, yet they do sneak a lot of history and worldview thinking into it. The questions really did force my children to read carefully and think critically about what they read. And of course, Veritas is always good at getting kids to think Christianly. Cons, at least for us: The Pages of History is long winded. My boys are still at an age where they want to get stuff done and go outside and play. My 12 year old kept asking, "Why do they they take 25 pages to tell us a story they could have told us in 5 pages?" He would have rather gotten to the point and just read the history story rather than read about animals talking about a history story. (In the book's defense, the animals were all taking a philosophical view of the story. There actually is a point to it, but it just felt condescending to my 7th grader). The literature books are all great books, but they are all over the place in grade level. There are fifth grade level literature books along with the unabridged Beowulf. So, one week history/ literature is easy and the next week it takes over out day. There are no vocabulary activities; we really need that. If I didn't have so many younger children to teach, I would have stuck with it and just sat and buddy read through Beowulf and the other difficult literature. I just didn't have time for that. The vocabulary was also a problem. So, we ended up switching to Memoria Press lit. and they are just continuing on with the normal Veritas history, with a higher expectation of what they can do, of course. I feel like I'm giving a somewhat negative review of a curriculum I really love. So, I want to add one more thing. My two oldest are not naturally academic. Their skills/gifts lie elsewhere. My middle children are, and I am looking forward to using transitions with them when they are older. I think they will really like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama25angels Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Sorry I've taken so long to answer this. I don't get on the boards often. I did order the first guide and used it with my 11 and 12 year old boys for awhile. I have a mixed review. First, the guide I have is very organized. Weekly lessons are divided into five sessions, one for each day. There are a few random special or optional activities, but most days have a spine reading and a literature reading with comprehension questions for each. The spine reading each day is either from the Pages of History book or from the flashcards themselves. The child reads and then answers the questions. Some questions are grammar stage type, but many also make the kid think dialectically. Then the child reads a couple of chapters from the literature book and answers or discusses those questions. Pros: It is easy to use. No planning or preparing at all. "Pages of History" is an easy read, yet they do sneak a lot of history and worldview thinking into it. The questions really did force my children to read carefully and think critically about what they read. And of course, Veritas is always good at getting kids to think Christianly. Cons, at least for us: The Pages of History is long winded. My boys are still at an age where they want to get stuff done and go outside and play. My 12 year old kept asking, "Why do they they take 25 pages to tell us a story they could have told us in 5 pages?" He would have rather gotten to the point and just read the history story rather than read about animals talking about a history story. (In the book's defense, the animals were all taking a philosophical view of the story. There actually is a point to it, but it just felt condescending to my 7th grader). The literature books are all great books, but they are all over the place in grade level. There are fifth grade level literature books along with the unabridged Beowulf. So, one week history/ literature is easy and the next week it takes over out day. There are no vocabulary activities; we really need that. If I didn't have so many younger children to teach, I would have stuck with it and just sat and buddy read through Beowulf and the other difficult literature. I just didn't have time for that. The vocabulary was also a problem. So, we ended up switching to Memoria Press lit. and they are just continuing on with the normal Veritas history, with a higher expectation of what they can do, of course. I feel like I'm giving a somewhat negative review of a curriculum I really love. So, I want to add one more thing. My two oldest are not naturally academic. Their skills/gifts lie elsewhere. My middle children are, and I am looking forward to using transitions with them when they are older. I think they will really like it. Thank you for this review. I'm going to put this on the list for my Ds for 7th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 The online class says the kids need to read some books before class. It does not say what those books are. Anyone know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VPCustomerService Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Hi Paradox5-- This list is subject to change, but the summer reading list at this point consists of: Adam and His Kin God King Pages of History 1: Secrets of the Ancients: Chapters 1-2 Old Testament and Ancient Egypt History Cards 1-5 Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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