littlebylittle Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I am considering TOG. I keep reading that substituting books is fairly painless especially for grammar stages. If I substitute any book how will that work in conjunction with the activities and suggestions in the threads? Also it seems like I have read that many families mostly just read the books in the book list for the LG level and don't do much with the activities... So, if you're a TOG user, can you help me see the value in purchasing it for the LG level if I could just mostly read the books and find some maps online to do map work etc...? I love TOG :) and I'm currently borrowing a paper copy of Y1 to look through to help me decide if TOG is indeed a good fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 We use ToG. My kids are 3rd grade, 1st grade, and a 4 year old. Our library has most of the books, but the ones I can't find, I just skip it. At both the LG and the UG stages, personally, I think it would be super easy to sub books. For the activities, you can always Google. For example ...... if an activity like Make an oil lamp is listed, but you can't find the book. Surely Googling would come up with lots of sites for that activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebylittle Posted April 3, 2015 Author Share Posted April 3, 2015 Thanks Sherry! I am wondering, then, what the advantages or benefits would be in actually purchasing the TOG year plans at that age instead of just viewing the books they have and utilizing their book list, so to speak? Does that make sense? I'm curious what the benefits would be if you're not really using the threads/activities if you don't have the books, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scbusf Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I think it would be a lot of work to piece everything together if you didn't have the year plans. The year plans have such great spreadsheets laying everything out. I bought a few books that are used for a while and when I find books at thrift stores. Plus, the year plans have teacher's notes, so you know what concepts are the focus for each week. The year plans also list the hands-on projects for each week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heartsjoy Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 I am considering TOG. I keep reading that substituting books is fairly painless especially for grammar stages. If I substitute any book how will that work in conjunction with the activities and suggestions in the threads? Also it seems like I have read that many families mostly just read the books in the book list for the LG level and don't do much with the activities... So, if you're a TOG user, can you help me see the value in purchasing it for the LG level if I could just mostly read the books and find some maps online to do map work etc...? I love TOG :) and I'm currently borrowing a paper copy of Y1 to look through to help me decide if TOG is indeed a good fit. Hi, Littlebylittle, Here's an example of how we used TOG at the LG level. week 19 We read about Solomon's Temple in a children's Bible we already had. We build it with would blocks and painted and labeled a floor plan with lots of glitter paint. What my now R level kids remember the most is the unit celebrations. Unit 3 has a skit. A skit about the Queen of Sheba or one Aesop's fables would be a good fit. week 25 We read Pegasus UG just because it's beautiful and because my oldest will likely be UG next year I'm starting the transition. We study mosaics online; we make mosaics with icing, graham crackers, and mini M&M's. We keep working on our skit. My 6yr is narrating Aesop's fables as summaries, which he recopies. My 8 year old is outlining Aesop's fables with new settings and characters and writing them. She'll have 2-3 ready to share with family at the unit celebration, a Greek meal we are planning. We continue practicing our skit. Week 26 I read to them more from Famous Men of Greece. We continue writing as above from Aesop's Fables. We make a Greek theatre mask from Model Magic and plan to paint it next week. Practice skit. Week 27 I read an Alexander the Great book from the library and Dance, Sing, Remember (Hanukkah), and a fictionalized mice version of Hanukkah with a latke recipe. We quickly decide we like latkes. We test 1 and 2 pulley systems and do a final "dress rehearsal" of our skit. Saturday, some family is coming to share a Greek meal with us, watch the skit, and hear each child show and tell one or two things. You do well to count the value of TOG for LG. I did the same and saw only little glimpses at first. One of the biggest things I learned in yr 1 unit 3 was how the Greek language was so crucial for the spread of the gift of salvation. I started to understand the why behind history just reading the threads and General Information pages for each week. I wish I could have read the D and R teacher notes each week too, but then I would have wanted to talk about these ideas too and probably overwhelmed my LG knowing me. I One way I can weigh the value of TOG for LG is to think what if I had not used it then. Every year we add to our history portfolio notebooks pieces from each unit. The kids love to see their work from their lower levels and pictures of hands-on projects and especially pictures from unit celebration like the circus they put on for year 3. They've built a lot of other UG, D, and now R ideas onto the LG foundation of "Alexander the Great" (Greek) being "preparation for proclamation" week 27. Hugs to you as you weigh out what fits for your family, Melody 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jewellsmommy Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 We used TOG back in LG. We did some of the activities, and the lapbooks were a big hit! I had to write for dd, but she loved to put them together. It was her favorite part. Even though I felt that I was severely under-utilizing the program at the time, it provided an opportunity to wade into the program. Each year's exposure to the process helped me to become more and more comfortable with their methodology. That comes in handy by the time you hit dialectic. I like being able to look ahead and know what exactly is coming in the rhetoric round. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Have you considered the Primer level of TOG that they now have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timberly Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebylittle Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 You've all been so helpful... Thank you! What if I have to sub out a book...like if I choose not to buy it and/or our library does not have it? Will I be able to do the student activities or have to find something else that would work. I didn't think I should use the Primer since I will have a third grader next year... I thought it was better for younger ones?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timberly Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebylittle Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 Thanks for the explanation Timberly! That helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Great thread! We are on our 4th year with TOG. We are currently doing year 1. Each time through, I appreciate the LG level more and more. 💗 It has made a HUGE difference in my ability to instruct the other levels. I love TOG so much that I am actually running a grammar level online coop next year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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