Textbook/workbook style history/social studies...

[mommy5]

I have been using a more Charlotte Mason approach but for this coming school year I would like to try to more "traditional" approach to social studies.  We need something that isn't too teacher intensive right now.  I need something that is straight forward and will get done.  Here is what I have been considering:

 

CLE

BJU Heritage Studies

Abeka

Rod & Staff

 

 

Can anyone help?  I'm right now leaning toward BJU 5th grade for my almost 10 year old.  I'm not sure about my 7 yr old, yet.

[kbutton]

America the Beautiful (American history) or Uncle Sam and You (civics) from Notgrass might fit the bill for your 5th grader (it's for 5th-8th grades). I have not used the other curriculums (though I did complete A Beka history in school when I was that age--not sure if it's the same). They have optional literature and writing components. One volume in each series has original documentation--speeches, songs, portions from documents, letters, etc. Both sets have workbooks or worksheets, and the history has both maps and a timeline. We don't do the writing, and we use the literature as a reading list, but we haven't done anything fancy with it. Notgrass has extensive samples from their curriculums. My son (9 and a good reader) did ATB independently this year and is excited to do Uncle Sam next year. No nagging and not much work to check in to see how they are doing.

 

 

[Um_2_4]

You could try these books:http://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Book-United-States-History/dp/1561896799/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400453866&sr=8-1&keywords=complete+book+of+us+history,  http://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Book-World-History-Books/dp/1561890898/ref=pd_sim_b_17?ie=UTF8&refRID=15VMEDBGN7CGG4GJ085F , http://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Maps-Geography-Grades/dp/0769685595/ref=pd_sim_b_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=15VMEDBGN7CGG4GJ085F

 

Each section has a "review" area and then add in reading books for read alouds or independent reading for those ready for it.

[naturally]

What topic do you want to study?

I was looking for ancient/world/geography.

I decided to use BJU 6th for my 10 and 7 years olds together. I plan on using it as a read-aloud, asking some questions, doing some of the fun things, and adding in books on topics of interest.

History is one area we haven't done well at all. I want to keep my kids together on the content subjects. I debated all the same publishers that you are and am so thankful I got to look at them at convention. Out of those 4 choices, BJU was tops with Abeka second. BJU (at least this grade) seemed so much more interesting and engaging. But..... we haven't used it yet. :-)
 

[zoo_keeper]

How about Story of Western Civilization?  They have an American history counterpart as well.

[mom31257]

I vote for BJU. Ds just started BJU 5th grade heritage studies and is loving it, and he is using the online course. I bought access to it during the December sale and planned on him doing it this summer. He really likes the teacher.

 

He was just talking to us yesterday about how the corporations profiting from transportation such as trains used the Red Flag Act to discourage people from buying cars, how Henry Ford made the Model T so affordable that almost anyone could have it, and how the model T revolutionized America. I think watching/hearing the teacher, reading the material, and then doing to student activity pages are really cementing it for him. 

 

I plan to use BJU for history and science all the way through middle school. The 6th grade video doesn't use the latest editions of the textbook, and the new student activity manuals are very, very good, so I don't know that I'll use video the whole way through. The activity manuals contain outlining, map work, graphic organizers, summary sections, etc. The older levels contain source documents, too. I think these courses will definitely prepare ds for high school level work. I do plan to add in some historical fiction. 

 

I have a friend who used a Charlotte Mason approach for many years, and her ds wanted to go to high school to play a sport. When she allowed him to go, she realized he was not prepared at all for the kind of work he had to do there. She said she was glad she had used that approach, but she wished she had intermingled some regular textbooks. 

[SilverMoon]

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Edited July 9, 2022 by SilverMoon

[mommy5]

Thanks for the suggestions! I just checked out the Veritas Press Online Self Paced History and really liked it.  It is nice that it is all online.  I'm usually very hands on, but because of a few things going on I need to be able to be freed up a bit but make sure my son still is able to do his work.  With that said, is there a scope and sequence somewhere on their website?

 

[mommy5]

What topic do you want to study?

I was looking for ancient/world/geography.

I decided to use BJU 6th for my 10 and 7 years olds together. I plan on using it as a read-aloud, asking some questions, doing some of the fun things, and adding in books on topics of interest.

History is one area we haven't done well at all. I want to keep my kids together on the content subjects. I debated all the same publishers that you are and am so thankful I got to look at them at convention. Out of those 4 choices, BJU was tops with Abeka second. BJU (at least this grade) seemed so much more interesting and engaging. But..... we haven't used it yet. :-)

 

 

I would like to either study world geography or late American history (about 1850-2000).  My son will actually be going into 4th grade but I really liked the look of the BJU 5th text because the 3/4th grade we've already covered pretty much this year...

[SilverMoon]

I don't remember an S&S. The history sets are designed to teach grades 2-6, and can be done in any order. If you have more specific questions on the self-paced I'd call VP directly. :)

[Guest]

We are going to be using BJU history for 6th and 8th grade next year, and both look really good!  I am not planning on using the distance learning for history, but we will for science.