History rotation help please

[enchantedhome]

I will be homeschooling starting this fall, and my kids will be in 3rd and 1st. They have been in PS for the last 2 years and 1 year, respectively, so any history they've had has been sporadic, as you can well imagine. I'm very eager to use SOTW with them, and want some help figuring out how to jump into the rotation. My first grader has the advantage, obviously, as he will be ready for Year 1. What would you suggest I do with my 3rd grader? Have her start with Year 3? If we have her start at Year 1 with us, what do we do when we get to 5th grade? 

 

Thank you so much for thinking this through with me!

 

Angela

[Miss Tick]

I would have them both start in SOTW 1. You may decide later (year 2 maybe) to add extra reading or writing if you want to make history more challenging for her, although you don't have to, not every subject has to be a challenge. I'm digressing, don't worry about 5 years out until you get closer. All sorts of interesting things could happen between now and then!

 

Even if nothing interesting happens, by that age I imagine you and she could decide together what she wants to do going forward and into high school.

[HS Mom in NC]

Start both with Ancients. Go in order.   Use the Activity Books that go with SOTW 1-4 and have the older one do longer narrations and the younger one do shorter narrations. There are activities and additional reading for different age groups in the activity book that directly relate to each chapter of SOTW.

 

 

[scbusf]

We had the exact same issue last year.  Both kids started with Ancients and we are going in order.

[Chris in VA]

Absolutely agreeing--start with 1 and keep going.

Have fun!!

[enchantedhome]

So, if I do both kids in ancients, my first grader will end up getting two "extra" years of history than my 3rd grader, correct? The only reason I'm tempted to have one in Year 1 and one in Year 3 is because Year 3 will match up with our state requirements for 3rd grade, and we are required to meet those standards:/

 

Is the idea behind keeping them in the same cycle of history simply for my sake, because managing two different history periods is complicated?

 

Thanks for thinking it through with me!

 

[blondeviolin]

I'd start with ancients and have your third grader meet any extra standards with other reading and discussion.

[scbusf]

Some people are able to pull off doing 2 different History cycles at once, but there is no way I could.  Zero.  Nada.

[Chris in VA]

May I ask what state you are in? Must be highly regulated.

[wintermom]

So, if I do both kids in ancients, my first grader will end up getting two "extra" years of history than my 3rd grader, correct? The only reason I'm tempted to have one in Year 1 and one in Year 3 is because Year 3 will match up with our state requirements for 3rd grade, and we are required to meet those standards:/

 

Is the idea behind keeping them in the same cycle of history simply for my sake, because managing two different history periods is complicated?

 

Thanks for thinking it through with me!

 

Start with the Ancients and work through them more or less chronologically. Much of understanding history lies in knowing what happened before, and how societies related/interacted with each other. You don't get this broad perspective by "parachuting" in to year 3 without having years 1 and 2 before. If you must include certain state history information, do a mini-unit. on this in the spring and add in field trips and such. 

[Chris in VA]

Yes^^

 

Is the requirement state history? US history? I'm trying to think what is covered in Year 3 World HIst that might be of concern to states.

You can really do state history quite easily. Make a lapbook or make some fact cards.

If you need specifics on what to teach, look first at your homeschool law and see if it explicitly tells you what to teach--if not, you can just look at your public school's Program of Study (POS) which ought to be on your school's website. But you don't have to make a course exactly like the public school's. At least I don't think so--may depend on your state.

[lea_lpz]

I would not do 2 history cores. Pick what works for your 3rd grader and let the 1st grader tag along on a wants to basis. Then focus in math, Lang, and reading quality picture books to your 1st grader. Remember children in public school typically don't begin history until 3/4 grade.

 

What state do you live in? What history is done for 3rd? In my state we do State History in 4th but we are not required to spend a full year in 3rd as independent study students at a charter school. It's suggested we cover some state history at some between 1-6 and again 7-12 but not a whole year.

 

Anyhow, you could start at year 3 or 1. It doesn't really matter. Your oldest will complete 1 4-year cycle and two bonus years. If you complete a STOW vol a year. You might find you linger longer. You might want to take a break and do US history, or State, our World Cultures and Geography. In fact you could go that route and start STOW in 5 / 3.

 

Honestly I don't feel like doing a history cycle in k-4 is all that critical. They don't retain to much. You could just easily just read a lot of good historical fiction.

[Mom22ns]

There are two reasons to start them both at the beginning in my mind:

 

1. Your oldest has no point of reference to jump into later history. Learning history in a linear, from the beginning fashion really makes things build and make sense. Public school will have had "social studies" but no in depth study of any history time period unless they are highly unusual. Certainly kids can jump into any period of history, but you have a great opportunity here to let them both start at the beginning and get a better feel for the sequence and cause and effect nature of history.

 

2. It makes your life so much easier! There is no reason for your kids not to do SOTW together. This is great family time and they will both learn at their own level. Getting the concept of putting multiple ages together was something I struggled with coming from a ps mindset. However, history, which normally has no required order (unlike math), is the perfect opportunity to combine and both ease your stress and build your homeschool/family community bonds.

 

I don't know what your state requirements are. I'm unaware of any state that puts specific topics into homeschool history requirements in third grade. I would talk to others in your state and see if you have the freedom to chose your own history sequence.

[Kiara.I]

So, if I do both kids in ancients, my first grader will end up getting two "extra" years of history than my 3rd grader, correct? The only reason I'm tempted to have one in Year 1 and one in Year 3 is because Year 3 will match up with our state requirements for 3rd grade, and we are required to meet those standards:/

 

Is the idea behind keeping them in the same cycle of history simply for my sake, because managing two different history periods is complicated?

 

Thanks for thinking it through with me!

 

Yes, you definitely want them both in the same cycle for your sanity.  ;)  Although I'm sure you could do both years, one with each, if you're ambitious.  But it'd probably be more fun for them, doing it together, anyway.

 

We're actually almost in the same boat as you, because although we've already started, we haven't moved as fast as I want.  I currently plan to accelerate rapidly, and cover the rest of 1, all of 2, and hopefully a chunk of 3, by the end of next year.  If your younger loves history (mine does, at the moment) you could consider that option too.

 

Regarding matching up with local standards...well, it depends on what those are.  In my area, they're written as exposure-based, rather than mastery-based.  So my current plan is to, every year, do three courses:

1) Whatever part of the history cycle we're on.

2) Geography

3) "Hoop jumping."  This is my "look at the local requirements, figure out the minimum we have to do, do a library trip, read a few books, do a couple of pictures/projects/essays, snap a few photos, and file it in the portfolio and call it done" course.  I figure 2 weeks at the most will be required for that.  ;)

[HS Mom in NC]

I have homeschool friend IRL whose 5 kids each start SOTW: Ancients at 6 years old and move on to the next book each year.  She's also the most organized person I've ever met.  She plans it all out for the year in a 36 week file folder system for each of them too. It works well for her.  I don't know anyone else who has their kids in different eras of history.

[Bluegoat]

Starting them both at once is a nice advantage, sometimes it gets complicated adding in other kids.  You could probably give the third grade child some other books to read alongside your spine.

[enchantedhome]

Hi all,

 

Thank you for your thoughts. Since I posted, I clarified what I need to teach, "social studies"-wise, and indeed, it wouldn't be a problem to have them in the same year of SOTW. I am torn between doing SOTW and following AO's history plan, and there the kids would each be doing their own history time periods.

 

I think the issue is I'm super undecided on how to approach history in general, and I want a plan to hand hold me through it. SOTW appeals, but I've spent so much time immersed in CM reading and AO that I've got myself all confused. 😂

[Bluegoat]

Hi all,

 

Thank you for your thoughts. Since I posted, I clarified what I need to teach, "social studies"-wise, and indeed, it wouldn't be a problem to have them in the same year of SOTW. I am torn between doing SOTW and following AO's history plan, and there the kids would each be doing their own history time periods.

 

I think the issue is I'm super undecided on how to approach history in general, and I want a plan to hand hold me through it. SOTW appeals, but I've spent so much time immersed in CM reading and AO that I've got myself all confused. 😂

 

You can use AO's kinds of resources without necessarily setting up your schedule the way they do.  My biggest problem with AO has always been that sometimes they are very inflexible in their thinking - they seem to think there is one way to do things and any other approach or set of books will produce a faulty result - and they can tend to push this even when using their program seems to be producing results that are not "CM" - like kids having little free time for non-academic work.  Look at other CM systems and don't get bogged down in toeing the AO line - their texts are great but you can use them flexibly without dooming your child academically.

 

I would say that if you distill AO down, they treat very early history as more like stories, using things like 50 Famous Stories Retold - that would be for younger kids in about year 1.  Then they move on to A Child's History of the World, Our Island Story, and the book on American history which I can't remember the name of.

 

A Child's History of the World is IMO a better history spine than SOTW, the writing is much better, and there is no reason you could not have your younger child listen in on it. The same is true of Our Island Story - my grade 1 child likes both, and my grade 4 used ACHOW this year for a full survey and it worked very well. 

 

Remember that about grades 1 to 3 were Form 1 in CM schools, and academically were much lighter with an emphasis on habits, storytelling in narrative form, oral work, and time outdoors.

 

I might have the goal of planning for your younger child to start a more serious study of history in year 4, and it might be nice to have both your children lined up to start ancients at that time, though it will be less important since you won't be reading to them.  So work out a system that will do to get both kids where you want then.  That may mean doing a 3 year cycle with an extra full survey year or a year of just American and state history, or adding in a year at one end or the other.  It may mean a looser approach for the younger student which IMO is fine - they don't need the same systematic approach.  Also, some parents find with the Form 1 kids, there isn't as much value doing a full year of modern history, and they end up skipping or abbreviating it until the second cycle.

 

You can also look at working backwards from high school - how do you want to approach history in those years?  Then look at what would make the most sense to bring you to that point, and scedual the AO books that you like in the way that works.

 

[lea_lpz]

Hi all,

 

Thank you for your thoughts. Since I posted, I clarified what I need to teach, "social studies"-wise, and indeed, it wouldn't be a problem to have them in the same year of SOTW. I am torn between doing SOTW and following AO's history plan, and there the kids would each be doing their own history time periods.

 

I think the issue is I'm super undecided on how to approach history in general, and I want a plan to hand hold me through it. SOTW appeals, but I've spent so much time immersed in CM reading and AO that I've got myself all confused. 😂

We are pursuing the CM two six year cycles. AO us not the only way to go though you might find some great ideas from their website. I plan to keep my kids in the same core. They are 6 & 8 like your children. I need things steam lined, and at this age they still need a lot of mama intense teaching. Especially the younger one.

 

We are actually planning to do a lot more US history history, state history, and world cultures in our first six years. We'll probably fill in a chronological world history with CHOW at some point. To be honest, I don't think my kids retain enough to be too caught up in the history cycle in 1-4, even in 5-6.

[kiwik]

I would borrow a copy of SOTW1 and CHoW. If your children burst into tears when they see the book (SOTW) or you find you have to edit it heavily or you can't bear to read it (CHOW) try something else. There are plenty of resources.

[enchantedhome]

Reviving my own thread, because I'm still not sure what to do with history. 😂 I am so visual, and maybe someone can help me to see how this will all lay out on paper?

 

If we do both kids together in SOTW Volume 1, my 1st grader will be lined up with TWTM's suggestions for a history cycle. So, that makes sense. My 3rd grader, in that scenario, wouldn't finish the SOTW series until 6th grade. Would I then do a two year cycle of something before jumping into the 4 year cycle for high school? I am trying to get a picture in my head of what the long term plan is, assuming we homeschool through high school. I'd love some ideas for how you would envision this. At some point, the kids won't be/won't need to stay on the same cycle of history. It doesn't always need to be a family subject....

 

Thanks for your help! We're supposed to start in a little over a week, and as it stands, I've got my kids set up to do two different cycles of history (I've even scouted out library books for each chapter for each SOTW volume). It's feeling like a lot. Lol.

[rebcoola]

That's kind of up to you and your goals my plan personally after not starting TWTM the right way is to start with Ancients next year when older is 4th and younger 2nd go through the cycle once.  When they are in 8 & 6th take State History which is required here in middle school.  Than do another cycle my youngest will have 2 years left in school at that point I feel like she will still have solid history base and can decide for herself what she wants to do for social studies credit.

[73349]

You could have your older child do two cycles (grades 3-4-5-6 and 7-8-9-10) and then something else, such as one or two courses in US history, geography, economics or psychology to finish high school.