EKT Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 (edited) For history, my girls and I are doing our own unit study on American history. (My girls are in 3rd and K. We are planning on doing this American history unit study until the oldest is in 5th grade, when I plan to pick up the classical history cycle.) We are using the American Girl historical novels as our "spine" and then adding in tons of great non-fiction books and picture books, as well as museum visits, etc., to study the various time periods associated with each girl. My daughters are loving it and I think we've gotten a lot out of it so far. The only problem is that I had hoped to cover much more ground this year. I had planned to do six of the American Girls this year and six next year, but we've only done two: Kaya (Native American history) and Felicity (Revolutionary War). I kept wanting to move ahead, but the girls were so interested in what we were doing, we just kept digging deeper. But the problem is that now we are "behind." So, what would you do? Would you do MUCH shorter units from here on out, to ensure that we cover each American Girl time period, up through the present day (and likely cut off our formal study of each time period sooner than my girls would like)? Or should I just keep proceeding as we are, letting units take as long as they take and just be happy that my girls are so interested (and risk only getting to, say, the Civil War by the end of next year)? I'm just really struggling with depth vs. breadth. Not sure how to proceed and would love your two cents! (Is it better to know a little bit about everything, or to know tons about the Revolutionary War, but virtually nothing about WWII?) Thanks! Edited May 10, 2016 by EKT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Oh, totally keep going at their pace! It sounds cool and they are in no danger of being behind (behind what?) Plus, they enjoy it, yowza! educational gold! Tamp down your inner box checker. I have one and they can be strong, but you can win this fight! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 Agreed! If you have a good thing going, don't mess it up! :) It really doesn't matter if you get through all the books. You're learning with engagement and gaining the skills either way. If you were doing a survey approach, you'd probably feeling the same thing, that the OTHER way would be better. There's ALWAYS that sort of angst. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthmerlin Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 For history, my girls and I are doing our own unit study on American history. (My girls are in 3rd and K. We are planning on doing this American history unit study until the oldest is in 5th grade, when I plan to pick up the classical history cycle.) We are using the American Girl historical novels as our "spine" and then adding in tons of great non-fiction books and picture books, as well as museum visits, etc., to study the various time periods associated with each girl. My daughters are loving it and I think we've gotten a lot out of it so far. The only problem is that I had hoped to cover much more ground this year. I had planned to do six of the American Girls this year and six next year, but we've only done two: Kaya (Native American history) and Felicity (Revolutionary War). I kept wanting to move ahead, but the girls were so interested in what we were doing, we just kept digging deeper. But the problem is that now we are "behind." So, what would you do? Would you do MUCH shorter units from here on out, to ensure that we cover each American Girl time period, up through the present day (and likely cut off our formal study of each time period sooner than my girls would like)? Or should I just keep proceeding as we are, letting units take as long as they take and just be happy that my girls are so interested (and risk only getting to, say, the Civil War by the end of next year)? I'm just really struggling with depth vs. breadth. Not sure how to proceed and would love your two cents! (Is it better to know a little bit about everything, or to know tons about the Revolutionary War, but virtually nothing about WWII?) Thanks! Let your girls determine the scope, pace & depth! As a public school teacher, I am envious because you're able to guide interest-lead learning, which is quite potent & long-lasting. As an after-school parent, I second your maternal instincts to respect your young children's natural curiosities--there will always be time for more 'prescribed' curricula. Today's (purported) goal of education is to produce lifelong learners...passion & curiosity are vital ingredients to this recipe......please enjoy! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted May 10, 2016 Share Posted May 10, 2016 I don't worry much about 20thcentury and beyond until my kids are around middle school age. Before that I concentrate on explorers, revolutionary war, and up to about 1900 in American history. If your kids are interested and learning, that is most important because the knowledge will more likely be remembered long term. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSinNS Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 My current 11 yo at 8 loved history. We were supposed to do a year in ancient history as per WTM and we totally went nuts, first reading about jobs in Ancient China (really interesting), then about the French Revolution, and then Henry the 8th. Ds totally messed up my plans, but he loved history, and still loves it. And guillotined a fair-few barbies. It's amazing what he remembers from then, and how much history he knows now. And he still knows more than me about the ancient world even if we skipped it. Have fun with your American Girls, and just be glad they aren't starting a Reign of Terror in your playroom :-}. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeegal Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 (edited) There's nothing magical about the 4 year rotation. Let your daughters enjoy their studies for several years. You can postpone the 4 year rotation until high school if needed. You're better off with girls who shriek, "We LOVE history!" than girls who only tolerate the subject. :001_smile: Edited May 11, 2016 by coffeegal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domestic_engineer Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 I agree with everyone else. Don't forget too that if you go broad, your younger will be studying WWII with a 2nd grader. I'm sure the American girl books would tackle it gently, but that's still an era of history that I'd prefer the kids be older rather than younger when they learn about it. (Or perhaps more accurately, *I'm* not ready to broach that topic with young ones.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco_Clark Posted May 11, 2016 Share Posted May 11, 2016 We also take just about foreeeever to get through history. My "4 year cycle" is going to be stretched to at least 6, seeing as I'm finishing up yr 3 and just past SOTW 2 (Middle Ages). *shrug* 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.