Opinion: Finish SOTW w/5th or Stop Here & Begin Logic Ancient History Rotation?

[LearningGrace]

Just wondering what your opinions would be regarding finishing the last of SOTW 4 with our dd.  We're behind.  (All right, perhaps everyone is??)  We've done SOTW all along but aren't finished with this first rotation of history.  She enjoys it and looks forward to it every week; we do 1/2 chapter on two days per week.  But, I have all of these wonderful books on our shelves just waiting to be read. :)  Our dd 5th grader is rather young; she just turned 10.  I don't think she's really ready to begin doing the outlining for the next rotation yet.  So, what would you do?  Would you proceed on course since she is enjoying it and then let the history play out in the years to come with diligence and hope that high school history will begin on time?

 

Just wondering what seasoned WTM families would do.  Thank you for your input ~

 

By the way, why did the educational powers that be ever stop teaching history chronologically?  I am acquiring an excitement about studying history that I never had before.   I am still dismally lacking in historical knowledge, but what I have begun to acquire has been most helpful in understanding at least some of what set the stage for modern times.   Thank you, SWB.  Much gratitude and respect ~

[Momling]

Stick with it!

My sense is that most families on this board don't follow a strict history rotation as laid out in the WTM and it's totally okay. What always has held true for me is this: If your child is learning and thriving with a certain curriculum, stick with it. Don't let yourself be influenced by some other family or a great review or slick marketing materials. Don't second guess yourself, just put on blinders and keep going with a program until it no longer meets your child's needs.

[Zoo Keeper]

Keep on truckin'.  Sounds like you are doing fine, and don't need to change a thing. ;)

 

 I have found a slower pace *with understanding and even some excitement* is worth sooo much more than following anyone else's pre-determined sequence. 

[kiana]

I'd just keep trucking. So what if you don't finish 3 full rotations? I'd rather do that than skip modern to go back and start ancients "on schedule" every time. 

[melmichigan]

I'd just finish it.  

[kiwik]

Finish it. I think SOTW4 is aimed at grades 4 plus anyway. You could add a bit more if you felt it wasn't enough.

[HS Mom in NC]

Finish it. 

Half a chapter (by this I assume you mean a reading as many chapters have several readings in them) twice a week is a very slow pace for a child that age with no learning challenges. I would pick up the pace to 2 a week  if your current pace is going to mean not finishing a book at the end of a year. I'd also be selective about which livingbooks I'd do in addition along the way.  Just the best of the best children's literature during school hours and plenty of other great selections  to choose from in free reading time. I would read those I didn't get to in the first rotation during the second if they're very high quality and still developmentally appropriate.

 

We started late because my youngest literally bounced of the walls in the 5-6 year old age range. So, we'll finish SOTW 4 when she's 10 next year instead of when she's 9 this year.  I do Greenleaf Guides after SOTW, so I have my long range plans tweaked accordingly.  I'll have to do the second history rotation with Greenleaf Guides in 3 years rather than 4 if I want 4 years free for high school.  I can eliminate enough of the less important assignments to compress things into 3 years while still having my youngest do all the assigned reading to make up the time.

Maybe it's time for you to chart out the long range plans (wherever you are now through the end of 12th grade)  in pencil in each subject.  Too many homeschoolers never get around to it and feel the crunch later.  I think after you've got a couple of years of homeschooling under your belt, it's time. It's in pencil so you can change your plans down the road if you need to, but it's there in print so you can look it over every semester or so and keep track of where you're going to be if you stay the course you're on now. I care about getting to all 3 stages of The Trivium, so I have to plan accordingly.  If you don't care about covering 4 years of history at the Rhetoric Stage, it's not as important to plan it out.  Most people here at TWTM boards don't choose to do all 3 stages in each subject, so their advice will reflect that.

[Pen]

Unanimous so far. Finish it.

 

If you want to streamline, I'd do that in a later rotation on ancients, but not shortchange the modern era.

[EKS]

If she's enjoying it absolutely finish it. If you end up wanting a three year rotation for middle school, K12's Human Odyssey is a three volume series meant to be done in three years.

[Farrar]

Another vote to finish it. I don't know if your dd is like my kids but by the time we got up to WWI and II and so forth they were DYING to get there to all the recent history references they were used to hearing.

[....]

You are not behind!  That is the most important book in the series, IMO.  And the most important time period in history.  I'm using it as a spine for a 6th grader and 7th grader.  They are making all kinds of connections to current events.  I add a ton to SOTW for them (since they are older and my son is really interested in history).  I add historical fiction, biographies, archived footage from Library of Congress, newsreels posted on YouTube, historical movies, map work, etc.  There is so much stuff you could cover in the 20th century.  We spent 2 weeks *just* on World War 1 (even though it's just a couple of chapters in SOTW 4).  There are so many incredible resources out there online for that time period if you are worried about beefing it up.  I say finish the series and take your time!  You could even take more than a year to cover that time period and you still wouldn't be "behind".  

 

Edited to add:  I was just thinking...  Are you near places that would make good field trips for that time period?  I know everyone can't do this (and my kids are a little older), but we visited Dealey Plaza in Dallas (where President Kennedy was murdered) and spent hours in the Sixth Floor Museum (the old Book Depository).  My older kids are never going to forget that trip.  I think there is also a WWII battleship a few hours from here that you can tour, too.  Those are just examples...  Just thinking...if you wanted to beef things up, field trips are good, too.