Human Odyssey Users :: Why do you like it?

[shukriyya]

Every time HO comes up for discussion here so many folks rave about it. I've looked at a friend's copy and wasn't as wowed as I thought I'd be. So what is that you love about it? I'm considering it as our spine for Ancients.

[redsquirrel]

It is a nice step up from SOTW. It is global in approach and that is difficult to find in the middle grades. It is age appropriate and does what I need it to do. It is actual history as opposed to social studies, and it flows nicely from one section to the next. It is written clearly and is easy for my middle grade kid to outline when assigned.

 

My other fave for the first 2.5 years of middle school are the two Oxford series. However, those stop with the explorers. I used them together when I could.

[Chrysalis Academy]

I haven't used the whole thing, although I own all 3 volumes!  :lol: So I don't have a very well-informed opinion . . . but I like the chapters on culture, art, etc. and how there is more of a "history of ideas" approach rather than just a history of big events/famous people.

 

Having liberated ourselves from textbook-based history this year for the Modern era, I don't know if I will ever go back to a purely text-based history.  But I do like picking and choosing chapters from the text that provide a tying-it-together thread, kind of a big picture of the main ideas of the era.  I think HO is pretty good for that - they really do make an effort to take a more connected approach that is still age-appropriate for middle school.

[Halcyon]

I just really like it because......it's enjoyable, it gets read every day, inspires some great discussions and rabbit trails, presents a fairly well-balanced world view and yes, it's a nice step up from SOTW. We have the first two volumes and I will be getting the third soon.

[Luckymama]

--The whole series, including American Odyssey, is entirely secular.

--All the pictures, maps, graphics, and sidebars support the text instead of distracting from the text.

--The Human Odyssey volumes do the best job of presenting true world history instead of Euro- or American-centric "world" history.

--The books are written clearly but are not written down to the student. Each of the three Human Odyssey volumes increases in difficulty.

--There are no "checks for comprehension" after a section and no end-of-chapter review questions. Some people may not like this, however.

[Penguin]

I like it for all the reasons mentioned above.

 

The only thing I can add is that my kid likes it.  Yeah for that :)

[Crimson Wife]

--The whole series, including American Odyssey, is entirely secular.

--All the pictures, maps, graphics, and sidebars support the text instead of distracting from the text.

--The Human Odyssey volumes do the best job of presenting true world history instead of Euro- or American-centric "world" history.

--The books are written clearly but are not written down to the student. Each of the three Human Odyssey volumes increases in difficulty.

--There are no "checks for comprehension" after a section and no end-of-chapter review questions. Some people may not like this, however.

This, except the secular for me is a negative (I'm going to have to skip over parts in favor of a Catholic text because of inaccuracies and an anti-Catholic bias in the treatment of the Reformation & the Renaissance).

 

I have a copy of the K12 Intermediate History A student pages but haven't really used much of it. I've gotten more use out of the Critical Thinking Press "World History Detective" and the Creative Teaching Press "Building Skills by Exploring Maps: Ancient Civilizations" workbooks.

[shukriyya]

Thanks, ladies, for your detailed responses. I'm gathering it's not 'dry' in the usual sense of a textbook. Torn between this and zeroing in on one or two cultures with the OUP books which I like a lot. History curric is never straightforward. :glare:

[sagira]

I own K12 HO but haven't used it yet. It's slated for next year, to use in our logic stage ancient history studies. Our main focus is going to be Egypt, Greece, and Rome with the Dorothy Mills' history books.

 

I skimmed through it and I like what I see - clear, engaging, appropriately colorful. The idea is to have ds do written narrations from the text.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

The program is perfect for my dd to focus on writing skills. She also reads other history books, but the Human Odyssey student pages allow her to focus on writing in history at an appropriate level.  I would probably feel differently if it was the only history book we planned to use, but it's not.  Of course, she could just write from other history books she is reading, but right now we are focusing on answering essay questions well. I see no need to reinvent the wheel by writing my own.

 

In other words, her reading outpaces her writing skills. Human Odyssey lets her work on those writing skills at the appropriate level.

 

 

[skimerinkydo]

So far my just out of public school 6th grader says it is better than the usual history textbooks, that it is more interesting to read.

[shukriyya]

Thinking we'll go ahead with this. Thanks, ladies :D

[sagira]

This, except the secular for me is a negative (I'm going to have to skip over parts in favor of a Catholic text because of inaccuracies and an anti-Catholic bias in the treatment of the Reformation & the Renaissance).

Crimson, is there an alternate text you recommend after K12 HO 2? These are the same reasons I may have to avoid even Dorothy Mills' books of this era. Sigh. I'm Catholic too.

 

Oh, not to hijack, but is the third HO really for high school?

[Luckymama]

Oh, not to hijack, but is the third HO really for high school?

The third HO is a high middle grades book-- dd used it in seventh grade. I think that it would be an extremely light book for even ninth grade.

 

K12 uses The Anerican Odyssey in their ninth grade American history class ( I believe--I haven't looked since last year). Dd is using it this year in eighth.

 

On phone--please excuse any errors.

[sagira]

No worries. I'm always here from the phone, so I understand ;)

 

Thanks for the info.

[EKS]

The third HO is a high middle grades book-- dd used it in seventh grade. I think that it would be an extremely light book for even ninth grade.

 

K12 uses The Anerican Odyssey in their ninth grade American history class ( I believe--I haven't looked since last year). Dd is using it this year in eighth.

 

This is incorrect.  K12 uses the first volume for their 7th grade course, the second for their 8th grade course, and the third for 9th grade.  The American Odyssey is intended to be used in 10th or 11th grade.

 

I agree that the whole series can be used earlier.

[Luckymama]

This is incorrect. K12 uses the first volume for their 7th grade course, the second for their 8th grade course, and the third for 9th grade. The American Odyssey is intended to be used in 10th or 11th grade.

 

I agree that the whole series can be used earlier.

 

:eek:

[kalphs]

--The whole series, including American Odyssey, is entirely secular.

--All the pictures, maps, graphics, and sidebars support the text instead of distracting from the text.

--The Human Odyssey volumes do the best job of presenting true world history instead of Euro- or American-centric "world" history.

--The books are written clearly but are not written down to the student. Each of the three Human Odyssey volumes increases in difficulty.

--There are no "checks for comprehension" after a section and no end-of-chapter review questions. Some people may not like this, however.

I concur with the Luckymama.

I purchased the set to use alongside SOTW and because our child loves to read from textbooks.

:001_smile: 

 

[macmom28]

This, except the secular for me is a negative (I'm going to have to skip over parts in favor of a Catholic text because of inaccuracies and an anti-Catholic bias in the treatment of the Reformation & the Renaissance).

 

 

 

I was wondering which Catholic text you were using?

[JadeOrchidSong]

The program is perfect for my dd to focus on writing skills. She also reads other history books, but the Human Odyssey student pages allow her to focus on writing in history at an appropriate level. I would probably feel differently if it was the only history book we planned to use, but it's not. Of course, she could just write from other history books she is reading, but right now we are focusing on answering essay questions well. I see no need to reinvent the wheel by writing my own.

 

In other words, her reading outpaces her writing skills. Human Odyssey lets her work on those writing skills at the appropriate level.

Are there essay questions in the books? Can you share how you use it for writing? I am very interested.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Are there essay questions in the books? Can you share how you use it for writing? I am very interested.

 

The questions are in the student pages, which is a separate paperback book.

 

We use writing programs during our designated writing time each day, but essay questions in history give her a chance to apply those skills in a different context. The lessons require her to describe people and places, compare and contrast cultures, order and analyze events, etc.

 

Not sure that answers your question, but I hope it at least sheds a little light.  :) 

[Lizzie in Ma]

It's easy to outline, clean and well laid out. 

Works great plugging in with other programs as well, we are using it with World History Detective this year.