History of The Ancient World - More Questions

[Reefgazer]

I am considering History of The Ancient World for DD for 9th grade history, so I bought this book and study guide to look over.  I have some questions for those of you who have used this for history:

 

1.  In your opinion, is this a good history one-credit/1 year course for high school, standing alone and using the study guide as recommended?  If not, why not?

 

2.  Did you supplement the book in any way (either with primary source documents, additional essay writing, video courses, or other texts)? 

 

3.  Can this book be tackled by an enthusiastic history lover in 1 semester?  It looks too meaty for that, if the study guide is used as designed, but I wanted to hear other opinions on that. 

 

4.  My tentative plan for high school history was world history from ancients-present, somehow distributed over the first two years of high school.  Is this do-able with these History of The __________ World books?  I really want to keep 11th grade free for an in-depth study of American history, and keep her senior year free for a student-designed history class on a topic of her choice.  She loves history and would not be opposed to using an elective credit for more history. 

 

5.  How does this history curriculum compare to the Oxford Histories for high school (I have no experience with them, I just saw them recommended somewhere).

[Amira]

My middle son did the book and study guide last year. Here are my opinions.

 

1. Yes, I think it counts as a one-year high school history course.

2. No, I got the study guide so we could keep things uncomplicated. Ds had done ancient history twice before and loves it.

3. I suppose you could if you wanted to divide up the time that way. Ds loves history, writes well, and reads quickly, but I think it was better to spread the class over the entire school year.

4. The books only go through the Renaissance World right now and the Medieval study guide just came out, so it's possible the Ren study guide would be out in about 18 months (that's the gap between the first two). I think you could get through all three books in two years, but that obviously doesn't take you to the present. You'd need something else.

5. We only used OUP's middle school books so I can't comment on their high school books.

 

I know you didn't ask, but we didn't go on to the Medieval World book this year because the study guide wasn't out at the beginning of the year. My son loves ancient history so I wanted him to do that for sure, but we've gone on to other history topics rather than doing world history again. I think there are many, many history courses you can design in high school and that you don't have to get through all of world history (possibly again) in high school. A child who loves history can benefit from lots of different things. We're doing Mexican history this year, Washington DC and civil rights history next year, and probably a history of Islam after that.

[Reefgazer]

Thanks; this is the kind of feedback I really really need!

 

DD recently came from public school and really didn't have a good grounding in sequential world history, so we have done that for middle school and I would like to do it again high school, but I am also open to other suggestions

 

We too have worked with the Oxford middle school books for middle school history and love them, but I have seen very few reviews on here for the Oxford high school series.

 

Funny you mention the history of Mexico, because DD plans on taking a gap year or semester her senior year in a central or south American country, and the reason we would like to save senior history for something self designed was so that she can study the country where she would be doing a gap year at that time.

 

My middle son did the book and study guide last year. Here are my opinions.

 

1. Yes, I think it counts as a one-year high school history course.

2. No, I got the study guide so we could keep things uncomplicated. Ds had done ancient history twice before and loves it.

3. I suppose you could if you wanted to divide up the time that way. Ds loves history, writes well, and reads quickly, but I think it was better to spread the class over the entire school year.

4. The books only go through the Renaissance World right now and the Medieval study guide just came out, so it's possible the Ren study guide would be out in about 18 months (that's the gap between the first two). I think you could get through all three books in two years, but that obviously doesn't take you to the present. You'd need something else.

5. We only used OUP's middle school books so I can't comment on their high school books.

 

I know you didn't ask, but we didn't go on to the Medieval World book this year because the study guide wasn't out at the beginning of the year. My son loves ancient history so I wanted him to do that for sure, but we've gone on to other history topics rather than doing world history again. I think there are many, many history courses you can design in high school and that you don't have to get through all of world history (possibly again) in high school. A child who loves history can benefit from lots of different things. We're doing Mexican history this year, Washington DC and civil rights history next year, and probably a history of Islam after that.

[brehon]

What is OUP's high school series? I'm not familiar with it, I don't believe.

[Reefgazer]

Oxford University Press. The middle school books are really terrific; I haven't seen or used the high school books, though.

 

What is OUP's high school series? I'm not familiar with it, I don't believe.

[brehon]

Oxford University Press. The middle school books are really terrific; I haven't seen or used the high school books, though.

 

 

LOL! Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. I have OUP's middle school series. I'm unsure what the title of the high school series is.

[Pen]

I am considering History of The Ancient World for DD for 9th grade history, so I bought this book and study guide to look over.  I have some questions for those of you who have used this for history:

 

1.  In your opinion, is this a good history one-credit/1 year course for high school, standing alone and using the study guide as recommended?  If not, why not?

 

2.  Did you supplement the book in any way (either with primary source documents, additional essay writing, video courses, or other texts)? 

 

3.  Can this book be tackled by an enthusiastic history lover in 1 semester?  It looks too meaty for that, if the study guide is used as designed, but I wanted to hear other opinions on that. 

 

4.  My tentative plan for high school history was world history from ancients-present, somehow distributed over the first two years of high school.  Is this do-able with these History of The __________ World books?  I really want to keep 11th grade free for an in-depth study of American history, and keep her senior year free for a student-designed history class on a topic of her choice.  She loves history and would not be opposed to using an elective credit for more history. 

 

5.  How does this history curriculum compare to the Oxford Histories for high school (I have no experience with them, I just saw them recommended somewhere).

 

1) Yes.

 

2) We are using it pre 9th grade. Supplemented with Audible version, documentary films and some JM Roberts World History and Will Durant for the Greeks part.

 

3) Yes--esp if using Audible, whole book can be gone through more than once. I'm not sure about the Study Guide part though. Might have to pick and choose.

 

4) You might be able to do all 3 of the SWB History of the World books in 9th. A modern history course for 10th, American for 11th, and elective for senior year.

 

5) No idea.

[texasmama]

This is a helpful thread.  We have this on the docket for 9th grade next year.

 

A friend who has used the book with her high school aged son suggested that if we do the map work it would count as a half credit for geography in addition to the full history credit.  Any thoughts on this?

[Reefgazer]

I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to your question. But if someone knows it would be great if they could post because I really like Oxford's material.

 

LOL! Sorry, I wasn't clear enough. I have OUP's middle school series. I'm unsure what the title of the high school series is.

[Reefgazer]

 

I've looked through the book quite a bit and I'm now reading it completely. SWB approaches the map work in a way that is not currently typical of geography textbooks, but I think would be very effective in learning the material. Done as directed, the geography work is certainly extensive, but I don't think that one book over one year would be quite enough of a half credit of geography, but perhaps two books would be worth half a credit of geography. But again, I might change my mind about that once I work through, including the geography exercises.

 

quote name="texasmama" post="6242132" timestamp="1426445534"]

This is a helpful thread. We have this on the docket for 9th grade next year.

 

A friend who has used the book with her high school aged son suggested that if we do the map work it would count as a half credit for geography in addition to the full history credit. Any thoughts on this?

[texasmama]

I really appreciate this feedback.  Assigning credits is a new task for me.  I have a full year, extensive world geography curriculum that we will get to at some point in high school so it is not a problem if the mapwork does not "count".

I've looked through the book quite a bit and I'm now reading it completely. SWB approaches the map work in a way that is not currently typical of geography textbooks, but I think would be very effective in learning the material. Done as directed, the geography work is certainly extensive, but I don't think that one book over one year would be quite enough of a half credit of geography, but perhaps two books would be worth half a credit of geography. But again, I might change my mind about that once I work through, including the geography exercises.

 

[aprilleigh]

I'm unfamiliar with OUP's middle school history books - does anyone have a link, or at least a title?

 

As far as the History of the World series is concerned, I too am unable to comment on the geography component until I've worked through it myself. I just got the student guide, however, and it's pretty impressive overall. I'm not sure I would be able to fit two books into one year for DS because he's a STEM kid through and through. We'll see what happens, as he's still a few years away from that (I couldn't resist getting it through PHP's scratch and dent sale since I bought the book for myself last year).

[Luckymama]

I'm unfamiliar with OUP's middle school history books - does anyone have a link, or at least a title?

.

The OUP ancient history series is called "The World in Ancient Times"---here's a link to the Greek volume http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Greek-World-Times/dp/019515696X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426678413&sr=1-1&keywords=world+in+ancient+times

 

The later middle school OUP series is called "The Medieval and Early Modern World". This is the volume on Asia http://www.amazon.com/Asian-World-600-1500-Medieval-Modern/dp/0195178432/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1YNHHY7ZETJHHDDRJ14H

 

We used both sets in fifth and sixth grade.

 

I discovered a third series from OUP last year called "Pages from History". Perhaps that's what an PP was referring to http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pages+from+history&sprefix=Pages+from%2Cstripbooks%2C272 We used the United-States-specific volumes last year for US History in 8th grade.

[Grantmom]

I hope this isn't too off topic, but I'm reading about a lot of great resources as we put together our history and lit courses over the high school years, and I was just curious how you keep up with all of the books, primary source documents, DVDs, documentaries, etc, that you are either using or considering using?  And then also, do you save all of that for the course descriptions for college applications?  Would you list all of them in the description?  I want to keep the info I need now because I know I won't be able to remember that in a few years.

 

I was thinking some kind of spreadsheet, but then I can't really think how to organize it.

[MomOfABunch]

I hope this isn't too off topic, but I'm reading about a lot of great resources as we put together our history and lit courses over the high school years, and I was just curious how you keep up with all of the books, primary source documents, DVDs, documentaries, etc, that you are either using or considering using? And then also, do you save all of that for the course descriptions for college applications? Would you list all of them in the description? I want to keep the info I need now because I know I won't be able to remember that in a few years.

 

I was thinking some kind of spreadsheet, but then I can't really think how to organize it.

This is a really good question! I would like to know too.

[Grantmom]

Also, I am looking in the WTM right now, in the chapter about Great Books for 9th grade, and it gives a list of what to read.  Is there a place where a list like that is matched up with HotAW?

[aprilleigh]

Not that I'm aware of, but I'm sure someone here has probably done that. :)

[jec3113]

I am writing a syllabus to aid in keeping track of book lists and all the supplements used.

[momto2Cs]

The OUP ancient history series is called "The World in Ancient Times"---here's a link to the Greek volume http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Greek-World-Times/dp/019515696X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426678413&sr=1-1&keywords=world+in+ancient+times

 

The later middle school OUP series is called "The Medieval and Early Modern World". This is the volume on Asia http://www.amazon.com/Asian-World-600-1500-Medieval-Modern/dp/0195178432/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1YNHHY7ZETJHHDDRJ14H

 

We used both sets in fifth and sixth grade.

 

I discovered a third series from OUP last year called "Pages from History". Perhaps that's what an PP was referring to http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pages+from+history&sprefix=Pages+from%2Cstripbooks%2C272 We used the United-States-specific volumes last year for US History in 8th grade.

 

I'd like to know for certain what the high school series is too!

 

[Kareni]

I hope this isn't too off topic, but I'm reading about a lot of great resources as we put together our history and lit courses over the high school years, and I was just curious how you keep up with all of the books, primary source documents, DVDs, documentaries, etc, that you are either using or considering using?  And then also, do you save all of that for the course descriptions for college applications?  Would you list all of them in the description?  I want to keep the info I need now because I know I won't be able to remember that in a few years.

This is a really good question! I would like to know too.

 

We came to homeschooling when my daughter was in 7th grade.In 9th grade, she was doing her final year of a three year sweep through world history. I did not include materials used in her course descriptions though many choose to do otherwise. I incorporated many of those books in the reading list that was part of her application materials. Here are her course descriptions for World History and World Literature that year.

 

 

World History from 1700 to 2000

This reading-based course covers world-changing events of the 18^th through 20^th centuries which have shaped our culture today; it complements the associated Literature course (listed above) by giving the student a context for the literature studied. The course also includes musical recordings, documentaries, and videos of or about the time. Map work and short writing assignments are required. (Class taken at home in 9^th grade.) Awarded 1.00 credits.

 

 

World Literature from 1700 to 2000

A study of 18^th through 20^th century short stories and novels with the intent of familiarizing the student with selected literary works of enduring quality. This interdisciplinary course (see the associated History course below) allows the student to explore this time period by reading its literature while also studying its historical context. (Class taken at home in 9^th grade.) Awarded 0.50 credits.

 

(She did several other things that year for language arts, so I only gave 0.50 credits for the above.)

 

 

And here are the materials she used in 9th grade for those two subjects:

 

 

World History the Easy Way, Volume 2 by Charles Frazee

 

American History the Easy Way by William Kellogg

 

World History Map Activities by Marvin Scott

 

Poor Richard’s Almanack by Benjamin Franklin

George Washington, Spymaster by Thomas B. Allen

Tomaso Albinoni – 12 Concerti a cinque Op. 5

Roots by Alex Haley (to p. 126)

Georg Philipp Telemann – Suite A Minor, 2 Double Concertos (Michala Petri, Academy of St. Martin-in-the Fields)

Amadeus (video)

"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift

George Washington’s World by Genevieve Foster

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

I Will Repay by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Eldorado by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Sir Percy Hits Back by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel (three part video, BBC)

Carl Friedrich Abel – Symphonies Op. 10, numbers 1 – 6, La Stagione

Francesco Geminiani – 12 Concerti Grossi, I Musici

The Art of the Fugue by Bach, Emerson String Quartet

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Longitude (video, A&E)

C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower (set of 8 videos, A&E)

Lock, Stock, and Barrel by Donald Sobol

Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphonies 5 in C Minor, Op. 67, and 6 in F Major, Op. 68, Pastoral

"Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Cartouche (video)

Joseph Haydn – String Quartets, Op. 17, Nos. 1, 2, and 4, Kodaly Quartet

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (translated by Norman Denny)

The New Nation by Joy Hakim

A Tale of Two Cities (video)

Georges Bizet – Carmen Suites No. 1 and No. 2; L’Arlesienne Suites No. 1 and No. 2, Leonard Bernstein

Adolphe Adam – Giselle, conducted by Richard Bonynge, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Anton Bruckner – Symphony No. 4 “Romanticâ€, conducted by Eugen Jochum, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Men-of-War: Life in Nelson's Navy by Patrick O'Brian

Young Frankenstein (video)

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (video with Kenneth Branagh)

Lily Afshar -- A Jug of Wine and Thou (Persian music)

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith

Master and Commander (video)

Chamber Works by Women Composers, The Macalester Trio

Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg

Wassail! Wassail! Early American Christmas Music by the Revels

"An Occurrence at the Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce

The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce

Stephen Foster’s Civil War Songs (sung by Linda Russell)

 

The Century for Young People by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster

Critical Thinking in United States History, Book Four, Spanish-American War to Vietnam War by Kevin O’Reilly

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Nutcracker, Berliner Philharmoniker, Mstislav Rostropovich conducting

Winsor McCay: The Master Edition (The Sinking of the Lusitania)

Claude Debussy: La Mer, Nocturnes, Jeux, The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez conducting

The Battleship Potemkin (video)

“Broadway, Blues, and Truth†from RESPECT: A Century of Women in Music

Botchan by Soseki Natsume (translated by Umeji Sasaki)

Many Lives, Many Stories by Kathryn Abbott and Patricia Minter

Witness by Karen Hesse

Influenza 1918 (video from PBS)

New Orleans Rhythm Kings and Jelly Roll Morton

Antarctica by Walter Dean Myers

War Game by Michael Foreman

Mao Tse-Tung and His China by Albert Marrin

“The Butcher Boyâ€, “The Garage†and “Rough House†from The Best Arbuckle Keaton Collection (video)

Fluffy Ruffle Girls: Women in Ragtime

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Charles A. Lindbergh: A Human Hero by James Cross Giblin

Inherit the Wind (video)

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

All Quiet on the Western Front (video)

The Depression and New Deal by Robert McElvaine

Cabaret (video)

Radio Comedy Classics: Jack Benny Program and Fred Allen Show

Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren

Maus I and Maus II by Art Spiegelman

Rabbit-Proof Fence (video)

The Verse by the Side of the Road by Frank Ransome, Jr.

Elvis Presley title album

Aaron Copland, Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Billy the Kid, Fanfare for the Common Man (New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein)

1940s House (video)

Diary of Anne Frank

North to Freedom by Anne Holm

Shane (video)

Frank Sinatra, Come Swing with Me

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi

Ed Sullivan’s Rock and Roll Classics, Volume 8: Legends of Rock (video)

Beatles, Beatles for Sale

Atomic Café (video)

Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited

“I Have a Dream†by Martin Luther King, Jr.

All the President's Men (video)

Forrest Gump (video)

Judy Collins, Whales and Nightingales

Hair (video)

The Vietnam War by Marilyn B. Young, John J. Fitzgerald and A. Tom Grunfeld

Singers and Songwriters, 1974-1975

Good Morning, Vietnam (video)

Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis

The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley

The Mouse that Roared (video)

Abba, The Definitive Collection

W;t by Margaret Edson

W;t (video)

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Fax from Sarajevo by Joe Kubert

U2, Achtung Baby

A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich

 

Regards,

Kareni