Tell me why NOT to buy Creek Edge task cards

[momto2Cs]

Thinking of buying at least the history ones for my dd12. She's NOT a big history fan, and I think maybe this will give her the opportunity to choose different time periods/events/etc. to study, while requiring a decent level of work. Is there any reason NOT to buy them?

[bpskowski]

If she's not self motivated maybe they are not a good option.  The tasks are general, so there's nothing specific to check off; just general tasks.  Example: 1) Biographical Summary: Constantine or 2) Summary: Western Empire Ends and 3) Literature: Write summaries of books set at the time of the fall of Rome.

 

I would think if she's not a fan of history, she'd want something specific and already laid out so she can just get through it and move on.  

 

But, on the other hand, you could use the cards to lay out a basic plan and she just has to do those specific tasks ; )

[Targhee]

I agree that you need to be very self-directed to use the Creeks Edge task cards.  I tried with my 1st and 4th graders a few years back and it was a fail.  I loved the task cards, but they didn't have the self-directed work skills.  Also, they were not really interested in Geography (they did a little better with Earth and Space).

 

Another option you could consider is making a product choice menu.  This is essentially a buffet of choices, similar to the task cards, but slightly different. With it you could give your student more structure (less self-direction) while retaining choice. MBtP uses these.  Here's an example of one.  And here is a slide presentation about making them.

[PeterPan]

I guess because the money would be better spent on chocolate is not a good enough reason?  :D

 

Seriously, as an avowed and vocal hater of history, I have to say a set of history task cards would not have changed that.  Things I don't mind?

 

-A really well done, visual text.  (yes, gasp, a textbook, something where the image stays in the same place every time)

-the VP cards (the flow finally makes sense, I never knew things overlapped)

-history done OTHER ways.  Think WEM on this.  Think what would happen if you learned the entire history of the world through MUSIC or whatever her pet interest is.  I've had two pet interests over the years: musicals and anything to do with Russia.  Somehow no one ever thought it worthwhile to teach history connected to those or using those and the jumping points.  Apparently only wars are important.  ;)  And yet today I think through history in terms of how it relates to old time movies and musicals I've watched.  I think when you release your sense of what it HAS to be, you can rediscover it in something she can relate to.  Anything she's interested in will have occurred over time.  That's the whole point of WEM.  Some kids are just ready for that sooner.  :)

 

People try way too hard on history.  Do less.  Or do history of mathematics.  I was cool with history of mathematics in school, because I liked math.  So spend more time exploring unusual things about math and computational science and oh btw there was some history there.  Or history through fashion.  Any way but wars and white men and dead greeks, and battles, bleh.  History of childbirth and midwifery over the years, with a sequence of novels of women...

[SnMomof7]

We have a set. My history loving DD uses them as 'for fun' research projects. They aren't easily divisible into daily assignments for me, so I'm not sure I'd use them for more than that.