Story of the World - Teaching Structure

[Guest mballard5574]

Hello all.

We teach a 7, 9 and 12 year old.  We are using Story of the World but are having some troubles with my 7 & 9 year old...mainly with comprehension.  I wanted to reach out and see how you structure your instruction of the material and if it's successful.  We purchased the audio book in order to have the material read to them.  We usually play a chapter section (not the entire chapter) for them to listen to.  Many times twice.  Then have them answer the chapter questions for that section.  They usually get the first couple of answers and then completely zone out after that. Either they have lost the will to try or it is a comprehension thing.

 

For those who have success teaching this material to a similar age group, how do you structure your teaching?  I would love some advice as this is getting extremely frustrating for me and the kids.  We rarely have time to do some of the fun activities of the chapter because of the time spent trying to learn the material.

 

I really appreciate any advice you can offer.

 

Thanks< MIKE

 

[Rachel]

When we did SOTW 1 with my 7 & 5 year olds, we listened to the entire audiobook first and then I read them each chapter asking the questions at the end. We did about a chapter a week or just a bit more than that.

 

We are now on SOTW 2, we don't have the audiobook so we just read a chapter, answer questions, and do map work. Right now we do about two chapters per week. Once a month or so we do a fun project, usually the ones having to do with food. I check out a few books on each subject for my oldest to read on his own during his free time, he is an avid reader though. I am not a project person but my kids love them so our schedule is different on Fridays to allow for projects.

 

Do your kids seems to be zoning out instead of listening to the audiobook? Is this the first time they have done something like this? In general when you read to them, can they tell what happened in a chapter?

 

I would maybe let the kids read the question for each section ahead of time and then listen for the answer. Some kids focus better when they are doing something with their hands while listening.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Rach

[Kiara.I]

Do they comprehend other books that are read aloud to them, and know the answers?

My just-turned-7 and my almost-9 do okay with it, usually.  There are sometimes a couple of questions that they don't know the answers to, but in general I can tell that they're understanding.  Often they stumble over the exact names of people or places if those are the question.

 

So generally, when your kids are listening to books, are they comprehending?  If you read shorter chunks, are they able to answer narration questions about the shorter sections?  Or do they struggle with comprehension from listening across the board?

[Miss Tick]

If they don't have fundamental comprehension issues (can discuss other books you read), take heart that SOTW is a nice program to use for improving that skill while learning interesting world history.

 

Other methods people have used include reading some of the associated library books to set the stage, then read the section and ask questions. This is not always an option though.

 

Another thing to try is asking each question agree the paragraph that contains the answer. If this is successful you can gradually increase the length of the trading selection.

[Porridge]

In our home, it works much better if I read it to them. I can emphasize words or concepts that they might not understand, stop to explain things, draw attention to points that might be funny or interesting. Jim Weiss is an amazing narrator, but at that age, sometimes it's better to have a parent (with a familiar voice) who really understands the child be able to tailor the reading to them.  IT does not take any longer, but it does take an extra 10-15 minutes of your time because you are reading it to them.  We often do this over lunch while they are finishing their meal.

 

We read the chapter on day 1. On day 2, my older child (DD7) will answer the questions orally (sometimes she skims through the chapter again).  On day 3, I'll have her do the narration and dictation. Day 4 is map.  Sometimes we do map on day 3 as well.  I don't ask much of my 5 year old. He just listens to the story.

[Holly]

My DC also prefer me reading aloud.  I would love to do more audio books, but they aren't fans.  I'd try breaking it up into even smaller sections and asking questions as you go, at least until they get the hang of it.  I'm not a fan of repeating readings, since they tend to zone out more, knowing they will here it again.    We currently  read a section of a chapter at a time, then go over questions.  Sometimes we look up the location on Google Images.  They color the AG pages as I read aloud.  I will say my younger ones (ages 6 and 9) don't answer as many questions either, but I figure they will be hearing the stories again in 4 years.    

[Sahamamama]

Hi, Mike! And welcome to the WTM forums! :)

 

I haven't read the other responses. Instead, I'll just tell you how we utilize SOTW here. We have 11, 9, and 9 year old girls (5th & 3rd/3rd) in our homeschool. 

 

1. Listening to and/or reading SOTW is assigned as independent work for all three girls. They can decide if they want to only listen, only read, or listen as they follow along with the book. I made up a schedule for reading the SOTW chapters (about half a chapter at a time, depending on length). They simply check the chart and complete the assigned listening and/or reading, then mark off in their binders that they completed it. Getting that part done is on them.

 

2. After they have all completed the listening/reading, their independent work list will say "Study for SOTW Chapter Test # -- test tomorrow." Then they know to go back and (on their own) review the chapter for the upcoming test. There is no pressure on this test, they simply take it (because I want them, at their ages, to have some experience with test taking).

 

3. They take the chapter test, and then we discuss it a little bit.

 

4. Every two or three (school) weeks, they have to add one notebook page to their History binders. They can either write or draw or both, and they can choose any topic from their SOTW readings or the books in the History Book Basket (for those weeks). This is another form of choice (what interests them) and another form of review (and they need it).

 

And that is it for how we use SOTW, but...

 

We also are working through Mystery of History (Volume 1), Veritas Press history cards (packs 1 & 2), a wall timeline (Homeschool in the Woods), map work, drawing books for ancient history (Draw Write Now; Ralph Masiello), and a rather full History Bookshelf for read alouds. We do an occasional project, too, but these are not the bulk of our work, which is reading, discussing, and drawing history.

 

I don't think I would assign the listening and/or reading as independent work with a student younger than eight or nine. We only started to do so this year. Also, my girls are very accustomed to listening to Jim Weiss (the narrator on the SOTW audiobook), because we have nearly every storytelling CD he's ever made.

 

For a younger child, or for a child not used to listening to audiobooks, I might read aloud through a short section at a time, and explain any vocabulary I thought my child didn't know. I might also ask, "Do you have any questions? Any words you didn't understand?" and then give brief, clear explanations on those words or concepts.

 

I would also do my best to make our study much, much more visual than SOTW does. With history study, no matter what the age, I really do think that a picture is worth at least a thousand words. IMO, it's the living books that really put the flesh on the bones of SOTW. Without illustrated books, I don't know that any child would really grasp the story (through SOTW alone). It's a tool, for sure, but it's meant to be used with plenty of other books and pictures and hands-on projects (if you can).

 

I am sure my children couldn't draw a shaduf just from the description in SOTW, but they could draw a decent one now because they've seen photos and pictures of shadufs in other books. I don't think they had a clear grasp of the difference between Sumerian cuneiform writing (on stone or on clay tablets) and Egyptian hieroglyphic writing (in stone or on papyrus) until we made cuneiform tablets (from clay) and wrote in hieroglyphs (on papyrus). Likewise, I think they really had no idea what Stonehenge was from the reading of Mystery of History -- it introduced the idea, but we needed to flesh that out with other resources. We looked at photos of Stonehenge on the internet. We printed out some diagrams. We made models of Stonehenge at its various stages of development (this was cool). We watched a documentary on Stonehenge. Then we had a sense of Stonehenge.

 

[i do, however, refuse to mummify any food product. Especially a chicken.]

 

Perhaps if you read aloud from other books (with photos, maps, illustrations, charts) on that week's topic(s), that might make the concepts clearer than through SOTW alone? Explain as you go, then have each student make his or her own notebook page (from a self-chosen topic) every other week or so. For a 7 or 9 year old, the notebook page is probably more meaningful and memorable (and understandable) than a test, which is just more words on a page. HTH.

[Chris in VA]

For the youngers, I wouldn't worry so much about the questions. Instead, I'd ask them to tell you one or two things about what you (not the recording) read. Make a narration, then you clean it up a bit for copywork, and they illustrate if they want to.

 

I don't see total comprehension/memory of details to be the purpose of the first history rotation; rather, I want dc to enjoy history, remembering a few highlights. I saw the fun projects to be worthwhile because they left the impression that history is doable and interesting.

[cintinative]

I had the same problem with mine zoning out or forgetting. Sometimes the sections are just really long. What I would do is stop the recording, ask a few questions that had been covered so far (from the activity guide), and then move on. But ultimately I didn't worry about it a ton if they didn't always know the answer, unless it was something so obvious that I couldn't let it pass.  I did notice that SOTW4 was the one we had the most trouble with. There are a lot of wars, and discussions of countries involved, etc. Honestly, it can be very confusing.  We didn't even complete the whole book.

 

I'm not sure if this is much help, but I can commiserate with you on this issue. I also sometimes made them relisten to the segment. Others here suggested I read it myself instead of listening to the recording. I have to say, this year, I do all the reading and I do think that somehow they listen better to me. Not sure why that is . . .  =)

 

ETA: for your oldest I would consider doing dictation. There is usually something in the activity guide, or just formulate a sentence or two she/he can write on the bottom of the coloring page or on the back.  

Edited March 8, 2016 by cintinative

[mom2att]

 

I don't see total comprehension/memory of details to be the purpose of the first history rotation; rather, I want dc to enjoy history, remembering a few highlights. I saw the fun projects to be worthwhile because they left the impression that history is doable and interesting.

 

Agreeing with Chris. With my oldest child, who I was homeschooling pre-SOTW, we did history the old WTM way, with the Usborne book. We did lots of narrations, and illustrations, and projects, and . . . boy, we DID history in those elementary years.

 

A few years later when my boys were in elementary, we were busy focusing on other skill areas so I just read SOTW to them, a chapter a day, just reading the story. And then sometimes we'd talk about it.

 

Funny thing is, the older child with whom I spent so much time doing history is not a history buff, nor does she know so much more about history than her brothers. In fact, my 15-year-old saw the SOTW books on the shelf the other day and mentioned that he really liked it when we read those books, that he liked the stories in them. And he's doing very well in his high school history studies.

 

The great thing about SOTW is that it makes history into an interesting story. Let the elementary years of the history rotation draw them into the story and pique their interest. Focus on the story, not the details.

 

I also agree with the previous poster who said her kids got more out of it when she read it to them. When you can stop and talk about something as you read it, it can generate some interesting discussion and make for a more memorable reading.

[Syllieann]

My DD zones out when there is only audio input. She does so much better when she reads it herself. For audio/read alouds, here are some things that help:

 

Give an overview about what you are going to read.

Let them know the questions you will ask before you start reading.

After each paragraph (work up to a page) have each child tell it back to you. Start with youngest and go up, having each add something to the previous.

Have competent readers read it themselves or take turns reading it out loud.

 

I sort of disagree with some of the other posters about details/just exposure. Sotw questions are about the important stuff. They are not intended to try to trick the child with minuscule details. They are meant to lead the child to narrating a summary. I don't think this is an issue of not remembering the details. I think it is a matter of completely zoning out and allowing the mind to wander. It is important to develop the habit of attention. It sometimes takes mental effort to maintain attention. It would serve them well to learn how to do it with material they aren't super excited about.

[HomeAgain]

I schedule it backward.  The fun activity is started, I tell the story as we do it, we review the next day with mapwork and extra reading/videos/picture books, then the final day is timeline and narration.  The second half of the chapter is condensed slightly (no mapwork, it's available to refer to), and the review card is memorized, filed, and brought out the next week during review time.

 

The format of the book works much better this way since it gives us a full week to work on a project, the hands are kept busy but on directly relevant work to what is being said, and we get more time for extra visual aids.

[sarahinwa]

When reading SOTW, I have found retention is best when my girls either color as I read or we walk as I read. That second one is challenging - and possibly slightly dangerous for me - but the physical action of walking while listening seems to cement the words into their brains.