VP Self Paced History - experiences please

[RosieCotton]

I'm thinking of adding this for the boys, we want to be doing more history because they really enjoy it and it sounds like all of you who use it are saying lots of good things about it. I had the catalog from last year and finally had time look.

 

Since they love to do history together would this be a good fit?

Can they both do it without additional fee?

 

Seasoned VP users chime in :)

 

Is this just a Rosetta Stone of History pictures, dates, and songs/timeline to memorize (thinking CC here) or are there stories and actual historical data shared along the way that is substantial, not fluff. Are there any writing assignments? Maps? How deep do they go I guess is my main question.

 

I have all the SOTW Acitivity books and texts so I guess I could supplement as needed.

 

Your insights are helpful, as I'm trying to pick something we can use year round going forward.

[OneStepAtATime]

We only use it as a supplement, and have only been doing Greeks and Romans, so I don't know how it would work as a stand alone or a lot of details about the other levels.  However, I will share my limited knowledge.

 

Likes:

1.  DS can log on and mostly do the lessons by himself.  Since this is a supplement, he enjoys just doing it as he has time during the day (Each lesson can take between 30 minutes and 45, depending.  Length does vary a bit.)  Today, for instance, he was very interested in the topic so he did the final lesson for the section he was covering, then he went on to take the test, then he started and finished another lesson for the next section.

 

2.  The interface is usually easy to use.

 

3.  Some of the content goes into depth.

 

4.  The maps are interesting.

 

5.  There is a lot of review throughout the program so information is not easily lost to disuse (although I do NOT recommend taking a long hiatus in the middle then coming back to it, since content from the early sections may be hard to remember).

 

6.  The supplemental readings add to the program.  I highly recommend them.

 

7.  The last lesson of each section before the test does a lot of review as well as introducing new material.

 

8.  It is possible to go back and review any material your student may need to go over again.

 

9.  Grades are tracked (quizzes and tests) and you can save the tests and quizzes to your computer (Although the quizzes and tests themselves are not saved on-line.  Once you leave the page, the test itself is gone, only the final results stay in the system.  You CAN go back right after the test and review which questions were missed but cannot take the test a second time for credit).

 

10.  The History cards that go with the level are a HUGE help and honestly I would highly recommend purchasing them.

 

11.  The lessons have multiple sections.  The computer will save where you last left off in a section, even if you haven't finished a lesson, so you don't have to worry about losing what has already been done if you have to stop in the middle of a lesson.

 

12.  There is a counter at the bottom that shows how many sections there are for the day's lesson (it varies) and counts off how many have been completed.  It helps the student to see how far they have to go to finish for the day.

 

13.  DS really, really loves doing the lessons.

 

 

Things that don't work as well for me or I don't like:

 

1. The tests by the middle of the program are mostly testing if you remember all the dates of events.  I hate this.  Memorizing and regurgitating dates is one of the most useless ways to assess understanding of history I can think of, IMHO.  Are some dates important?  Yes.  Is it helpful to have a general time frame for events?  Sure.  But when testing my kid, please focus on the content.  So what if he can recite a whole pile of dates if he doesn't understand the events those dates are tied to, KWIM?

 

2.  I have to take photographs of the maps.  There is no way, as far as I can tell, to print them out.  While the maps ARE reviewed, they are not reviewed enough for mastery for my son.  I would love to be able to print out blank map versions of the ones DS sees on the screen for him to label.

 

3.  There are no writing assignments, at least that we have encountered so far, but you could probably add something in.  There are some optional projects.  We have not done those since DS does lots of History on his own.

 

4.  I had to type out a list of all the sections/lessons and the optional reading in Excel and create a sort of pacing/checklist for us to follow since I could not find one on-line.  That way I could see ahead of time where a documentary/project/additional reading/writing assignment might be beneficial and DS could keep track of how far he had to go in the program.  It has helped him with pacing.  For instance, if he knows he wants additional time to do an extracurricular or finish a certain amount before a Holiday, etc. he can look at the checklist to see if he needs to double up a lesson.

 

5.  The questions can sometimes be pretty shallow.  I ordered the student workbook for the print version of VP History to see the material ahead of time in hopes of helping DS to gain a deeper understanding.  I found the questions in the print version to sometimes be better than the on-line versions.  The printed version of VP History, unfortunately, cannot easily be used with the Self-paced versions, though, since not all of the material is covered in the same depth or presented the same way.  The questions can be confusing or ask things that the child has not been exposed to.

 

6.  The games included can honestly be horribly frustrating.  My child has some eye hand coordination issues so at first I thought it was just him.  However, even I struggle with a couple of those games.   Unfortunately, you cannot just answer the questions and skip the games.  You HAVE to do the games.  I find that some of them can be useful and DS likes.  Others are really pretty much a waste of time and frustrating to boot.

 

7.  Although the other levels apparently have different characters, the Greek and Roman one has a brother and sister (adults) that tend to pick on each other.  DS likes them but sometimes gets upset when they tease each other in a rude manner.

 

8.  They sometimes have to a spell word in a certain amount of time.  This word is usually introduced and shown on the screen only once, and frequently for just a few seconds, before the child has to spell the word with on screen letter tiles.  This can be frustrating since many of these words are not commonly used and may be Greek in origin.  The spelling is not graded, but if you don't finish in the time allotted you have to start over.  It helps to have a scratch paper available for them to jot the word down on so they can practice the word before having to spell it.

 

 

FWIW, the half price sale and the 40% off sales are over, but they may have another one in April.  

 

 

[diaperjoys]

I like VP self-paced, and we enjoyed the year we did with it, but it isn't practical to do it now that we have four school aged kids. Purchasing it for each child is too spendy for us, and combining them and working out the logistics of sharing the program is a roadblock I'd rather not deal with. But my biggest reason for choosing something else for history this year, is the fact that once the one-year subscription is over - it's really gone. Oh, sure, there are still the cards and the literature books, if you do those. But access to the bulk of the learning material is gone, and I'd like my kids to be able to go back and look through what they've learned for review. 

 

I still really like VP self-paced, and recommend it. I'd probably be using that if I had just one kiddo. It'll be a terrific fit for a lot of people...

[weintz8]

I LOVE VP SP!!  My DD is working through Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation this year.  I agree with most of what OneStepAtaTime had to say.

 

I really like how many different things it incorporates; art, architecture, music, along with history!  It's interesting to listen to (I often listen in) although it can be totally self sufficient.

 

Some thing I wish they would add;

 

1.) I wish there were writing assignments that I could assign.  Obviously they would be option but I would like to be able to give my DD more writing to go with the program.

 

2.)  I wish they had comprehension questions that went with the optional reading.  I do not have time with all my kids to pre read all the books and since my DD is young for a lot of the books and I would like to be able to check her comprehension.  We are doing narration, I would just like something more concrete.  

 

3.) I wish they would make it a DVD program!!  I would be willing to pay more for a program I could use with all of my kids!!  Also, sometimes our internet is not great and then we have problems.  

[RosieCotton]

Wow this is all super helpful! Thank all of you who chimed in.

 

I has given me something to chew on.

 

They really should be able to print out the maps. Great idea to photo them. :)

 

They should sell a DVD program. That is a fab idea!

 

I figured there were no writing assigns. Too bad.

 

I'll look these all over again later on- I've got a neighbor at my door. . . .

 

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

I LOVE VP SP!!  My DD is working through Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Reformation this year.  I agree with most of what OneStepAtaTime had to say.

 

I really like how many different things it incorporates; art, architecture, music, along with history!  It's interesting to listen to (I often listen in) although it can be totally self sufficient.

 

Some thing I wish they would add;

 

1.) I wish there were writing assignments that I could assign.  Obviously they would be option but I would like to be able to give my DD more writing to go with the program.

 

2.)  I wish they had comprehension questions that went with the optional reading.  I do not have time with all my kids to pre read all the books and since my DD is young for a lot of the books and I would like to be able to check her comprehension.  We are doing narration, I would just like something more concrete.  

 

3.) I wish they would make it a DVD program!!  I would be willing to pay more for a program I could use with all of my kids!!  Also, sometimes our internet is not great and then we have problems.  

I did not mention the bolded in my list of likes and I wanted to correct my error.  weintz8 is right.  Some history only mentions wars.  VP SP incorporates so much.  That part, too, is really nice.

 

And yes, a DVD program with printed maps and other written supplemental material, including a writing portion for those that want it, would be ideal.

[Aloha2U]

Things that don't work as well for me or I don't like:

 

4.  I had to type out a list of all the sections/lessons and the optional reading in Excel and create a sort of pacing/checklist for us to follow since I could not find one on-line.  That way I could see ahead of time where a documentary/project/additional reading/writing assignment might be beneficial and DS could keep track of how far he had to go in the program.  It has helped him with pacing.  For instance, if he knows he wants additional time to do an extracurricular or finish a certain amount before a Holiday, etc. he can look at the checklist to see if he needs to double up a lesson.

 

Just a heads up in case anyone is unaware... there are lists/spreadsheets, scheduling literature and such, available on the VP Elementary Yahoo! group (Files > History).

[Meadowlark]

The mention of the snarky brother and sister in the NT year worries me. I know I'm sensitive to that kind of thing already and from what I hear, they can be really mean to each other. Why or why would VP think that kind of teasing and sarcasm is appropriate? I talked to someone from VP about it, and she said it's just intended to be fun. So how bad is it? Maybe if enough of us contact them about it, they will consider changing that. Blah.

[OneStepAtATime]

The mention of the snarky brother and sister in the NT year worries me. I know I'm sensitive to that kind of thing already and from what I hear, they can be really mean to each other. Why or why would VP think that kind of teasing and sarcasm is appropriate? I talked to someone from VP about it, and she said it's just intended to be fun. So how bad is it? Maybe if enough of us contact them about it, they will consider changing that. Blah.

Well, I guess that depends on your tolerance level.  They aren't really mean in the strictest sense of the word, just kind of teasing in a cutting way.  DH grew up with that so he doesn't see it as a big deal.  I did not and was unhappy.  DS is sensitive to how people treat each other and has gotten irritated or mildly upset at times.  But they aren't really being "mean" per se.  I DO wish the interaction between them were a bit more encouraging and we both get tired of them snipping at each other but we have learned to move past it all, for the most part, and they don't do it all the time.  

 

I think there may some sample videos you can see?  Isn't there a trial lesson or something so you could determine if it is within your comfort level?

 

As for redoing it, I seriously doubt that they would any time soon, sadly.  Those videos were almost certainly costly and time consuming to make and there are a LOT of them.  Redoing those would add significantly more cost for the company as well as additional significant time to put them together.  A lot goes into these productions behind the scenes.  I just don't think it would be financially viable.  This product hasn't been on the market that long.  Maybe in a few years, though....

 

Good luck with your decision...

[sdobis]

I love, love, LOVE VP self-paced history. My daughter just finished lesson 100 of MARR. She is in fifth grade, but struggles with some mild LDs. It's great for me because it's one less thing that I feel the need to sit and read to her. We use it as an independent program. The only thing we add is the history cards (necessary in my opinion) and I do my own read alouds. I also let her use her history cards on all quizzes and tests. I'd rather her be able to find answers that she doesn't know than memorize dates that aren't all that important to know.

 

The amount of built in review is fabulous. The games are usually fun, but there are a few that are more annoying. She has needed help with the spelling sections about 5 times in 100 lessons, and this is not her forte. We haven't personally had any map issues.

 

There are times that I don't hear much from her regarding her history lessons. Then there are days like today. She wanted to talk about the black plague and how horribly it was handled. She wanted to talk about poor Joan of Arc who she felt was misunderstood. She wanted to talk about the 100 years war and why war is used to settle conflicts. There is a lot of meat to this program. I don't plan anything except writing the lesson number in my plans. 

 

My read alouds are not matched up with her history. We just enjoy historical fiction and are working our way through time with them. It was funny because today I mentioned William the Conqueror (A Proud Taste of Scarlet and Miniver), and she  immediately responded with, "and the battle of Hastings!" 

 

I've already purchased next year's VP course thanks to their 40% off and delayed start time. I only have one child using the program so I cannot say anything regarding the use of more than one child.

[bnwhitaker]

My sons enjoy it and learn lots! 

[PeterPan]

My dd LOVED the VP self-paced history.  All the writing assignments, worksheets, projects, etc., you're wanting are on the enhanced tm cd you buy from VP.  You can get it when you order the cards.  You don't *have* to order the cards, but if you want the physical cards that's a good time to get it.