BlessedMom Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 I would appreciate any information you can tell me about TOG. Pros & cons, likes & dislikes, why it worked or did not work for your family. It seems costly, is it worth the cost if you only have one child? How teacher intensive is it? Is it easy to use or complicated? At the 1st grade level which subjects are not included. I have not been able to see the program so I would greatly appreciate any information you think might help give me a clearer picture of how it functions. Thank so much for your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trivium Academy Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/explore/ This will tell you all the facts about the program, including 3 weeks of samples. Also search the board for TOG and Tapestry of Grace and you'll find old posts where this has been discussed at length. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NevadaRabbit Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 I would appreciate any information you can tell me about TOG. Pros & cons, likes & dislikes, why it worked or did not work for your family. It seems costly, is it worth the cost if you only have one child? How teacher intensive is it? Is it easy to use or complicated? At the 1st grade level which subjects are not included. I have two children both in Grammar level, and we are in our second year of TOG - so for what it's worth - here's my opinion! Pros/likes: chronological unit study that covers our needs for multiple subjects in a coordinated way. Emphasis on God's sovereignty through history, building a Christian worldview. The included Teacher's Notes section allows me to feel ready to teach even if I cannot read all the additional resources. Coordinates with other chronological history programs like Veritas and SOTW. Follows classical progression grammar-dialectic-rhetoric. My kids love it. Cons/dislikes: learning curve. It takes a while to get comfortable with the curriculum once it's in your hands - not that it's nonsensical, but you just have to play with it for a while. Website is a bit cumbersome. Every TOG user I know struggles with wanting to do more - it is a rich curriculum with so many options/ideas that you have to really train yourself to be realistic with your expectations and not over-plan/burn out. Ease of use: Requires mom's time to plan - not usable out of the box, and requires reading materials at additional cost (this quickly moves to the "pro" category if you have a good public library nearby). Clear and simply-stated objectives for each subject help you know how to plan. Printable worksheets and maps give you hands-on work to do. Tough to address the issue of cost for anyone but ourselves. Spread over the 12 years, the cost is more reasonable. I do feel that TOG is even better in a co-op, and that doesn't have to be anything formal or fancy. We coordinate TOG plans with another family also using TOG, and it's nice for us moms to share plans and it's nice for the kids to have someone to do things with. But even with "just" one child, or two in our case, I think it is a wonderful curriculum. At grammar stage levels, included subjects are History, Writing, Literature, Geography, Fine Arts/Activities, and Church History. Not all subjects are covered every week, but most are. I have separate curricula for math, grammar, handwriting, spelling, science, and devotions. I could go on and on. I'll stop there for now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langhaven Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 Jill handled the overview well. Perhaps you should think about ordering a free sample, or experimenting with purchasing one unit and spreading it out over a semester just to see what it is like. It would certainly be plenty of work for that period of time. With a good library nearby and knowing that your child is a 1st grader, you will be able to judge if this is something that would be worth using long term, without paying a lot of cash upfront or worrying that you might change out of a curriculum and lose continuity. We're going on our 6th year and it gets better the older the student gets. It is a very rich curriculum and I like it best for the worldview it teaches, as well as learning about history as a whole and not compartmentalized into categories. We love it. It can consume you, if you let it, but it is a very deep, rich and rewarding curriculum, less so for the younger and more so for the older student. Blessings, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTMindy Posted August 10, 2008 Share Posted August 10, 2008 One thing about the cost is that there is a very good resale value if you want to resell it. I have found many of the books in our library or used, and then I can just resell them when I'm done. I think that others have done a great job talking about the program, but I would encourage you to take a look at the 3 week sample and spend some time with that. I think it will give you a good idea of how the program works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlessedMom Posted August 10, 2008 Author Share Posted August 10, 2008 Ladies, thank you for your very helpful responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted August 11, 2008 Share Posted August 11, 2008 I agree! Look at the 3 week sample...but don't just look at it, USE IT! I took the sample (printed it out!) and ordered any books for it that my library could get for me. I then played with it and really got to see how it works before making my final decision. Just looking at the curriculum can make one feel overwhelmed right from the get-go. I mean it's curriculum for 12 grades so it's quite meaty. Once you pin-point your grade area (Lower Grammar, Upper Grammar, Dialectic, or Rhetoric) you can set aside the assignments for the other grades and get a clearer less overhwelming picture. Also, it's a buffet of choices and you have to remember that you don't HAVE to do them all! For example you can just choose SOME of the vocab words, or none if you already use another program (ex; wordly wise). If you don't like Activities (crafts) you can easily eliminate that column from your week altogether. If timelines are not your thing then don't bother with that. Geography too much, pare it down some. Get the idea? :D OH!...and don't EVEN LOOK at the "Alternate or Extra Resources" page until you absolutely understand the basic curriculum! That is oftentimes when one gets overly confused. That page if for those people who either have those books onhand and want to use them, or for those who have already used the basic Core, InDepth, Literature, etc., choices and need a different book. So don't go there....don't even look at it! LOL Look at the "Primary Resources" page instead. My advice: Get the 3 week packet! Either download the sample or order the Explore packet for free...you'll be glad you at least investigated it thoroughly. Blessings, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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