Ever skip history cycle and just do topical?

[LAmom]

Wondering if you have ever skipped doing year 1, 2, etc. of the history cycle, and just do a year of topical/random history studies?  Using living books, etc.?  I am not really sure how I would go about that, but history has been a real failure the last 2 years and I don't feel like my kids have learned much.  I was thinking maybe with some quality in-depths studies they will at least learn a little about a few things.  Is that crazy?  Especially if I have an 8th grader? :)  Maybe we would actually get some science done, too.  :P 

 

 

[Random]

I insert a year of US History and a year of world geography as I see fit.

 

I'm toying with using Creek Edge task cards for my rising 7th grade son next year.  The classical model is *so* not his thing.  :svengo:

 

 

[EKT]

We are abandoning the classical cycle until 5th grade (or possibly even until 9th). We currently do American History instead, which seems so much more accessible to my children. 

[alisoncooks]

We haven't followed a classical history cycle.

 

Last year we did early American up to the Thanksgiving story, some Vikings (meant to go to American Rev. but DH was dx with cancer so we stopped there).

This year:  Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome - but not heavily (more craftsy, with lots of library books)

Next year:  we're toying with either continuing to Middle Ages or doing states & capitals geography (since my 9 year old thought Kentucky was in China).  Or maybe both (a semester each?).

 

So, we follow some of the classical groupings (ancients all in a year, etc)...but not necessarily sticking with order or recommended age.

Edited June 1, 2016 by alisoncooks

[Farrar]

We did a cycle plus a year of American history in elementary. Now, for middle school, we're doing all topical, mostly child-led history. I think it fits the age better, just like I felt like doing an overview and getting a sense of things fit the grammar stage.

[Coco_Clark]

We kicked things off w/ a year of world geography focused on cultures and living (picture) books based in those cultures. We spent about a month on each continent, give or take, Australia was obviously quicker than Europe! It was super fun.

 

Next year we finish up SOTW 3 and then I look forward to skipping modern history to do another geography run- this time probably focusing on the states and holling's books.

 

I like the history cycle, personally, but if it's not ringing your bell then by all means- do something else.

[Targhee]

How classical is the 4-year rotation anyway, when classical pedagogy originated before 3/4 of it occurred?

[abcmommy]

I am fond of unit studies.

[Mrs Twain]

I do a history overview every year until 6th grade. The first half of the year I read a world history overview book aloud (such as CHOW) and assign two or three history lapbooks which give us some depth in those areas.

 

During the second half of the year, I read an American history book aloud and do other lapbooks.

 

We repeat this pattern year after year. My goal is to try to get the big picture and a general history outline into their minds before high school. I am hoping that he repetition serves them well.

[Sahamamama]

We have never been tied into the "four year cycle" concept. We do study History and/or Geography every year, but not according to the WTM pattern. No regrets at all. HTH.

[Holly]

I'm becoming increasingly unhappy with the 4 year cycle.  When you think about it, there is no rule saying all history must fit into exactly 4 years.  ;)  Next year we are trying MP, which uses a mult-stranded history approach.  So, no, I don't think your idea is crazy!  

[MerryAtHope]

Wondering if you have ever skipped doing year 1, 2, etc. of the history cycle, and just do a year of topical/random history studies?  Using living books, etc.?  I am not really sure how I would go about that, but history has been a real failure the last 2 years and I don't feel like my kids have learned much.  I was thinking maybe with some quality in-depths studies they will at least learn a little about a few things.  Is that crazy?  Especially if I have an 8th grader? :)  Maybe we would actually get some science done, too.   :p

 

My kids went through 2 cycles. The first one took 3 years. The second one took 3 years for one, 4 years for the other (some of that was done together, some not--oldest was into high school by then & I was working around different needs). We did use some living books, some biographies, and some historical fiction (lots of Sonlight books for all of the above). I didn't really expect my kids to "master" history, but wanted us to enjoy it (one did, one only sometimes did), to have discussions about human nature and major cultural/political events, to have good exposure to the scope of history, and to have a basic overall scope of the flow of history. Especially the Ancients often felt more like a series of "unit studies" to some degree--Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome... So often that felt somewhat topical.

 

Biblical history and early church history are both important to us, so we did add in more of a topical focus sometimes with those as well.

 

We did specific topical studies on US history twice, as well as a geography/cultures oriented year, a government class, and a high school social studies elective where my kids got to choose a topic of interest (one did Japanese history, for example, since he was studying Japanese.)

 

Doing 2 cycles instead of 3 made it easier to do some of these other things. I will say that my oldest is in college, and I think his history instructor is much more topical, and my son likes that approach better. That said, I do think there's something to be said for understanding the flow of history, and I don't feel badly for passing that on. I grew up having no sense of a general historical timeline, and felt like history was an unorganized mishmash. Teaching a cycle helped make a lot of sense out of history for me. 

[Guest]

I tend to like going in order, but a more unit study approach. So, when we studied the Revolutionary War last year, we really delved in, and when we were done, we were done. Next year, I think we will start with the French Revolution. I don't think it is bad to take something "big" and go out of order, meaning to throw a US history study in there, or a study on wars through the ages, but I wouldn't study WWII, then the Middle Ages, then the Vietnam War, then the Greeks, you know? So, topical, yes. Completely random? Probably not. I'm not sure *how* random you mean.

[barnwife]

I do a history overview every year until 6th grade. The first half of the year I read a world history overview book aloud (such as CHOW) and assign two or three history lapbooks which give us some depth in those areas.

 

During the second half of the year, I read an American history book aloud and do other lapbooks.

 

We repeat this pattern year after year. My goal is to try to get the big picture and a general history outline into their minds before high school. I am hoping that he repetition serves them well.

 

Would you care to share what books you use for the overviews of world history (other than CHOW) and American history?

 

Next year is our oldest's official K year. As we will be adding a new baby to the family science and history/social studies will be RA library books. But looking to the future, I am not sure the 4 year cycle is for us.

[Mrs Twain]

Would you care to share what books you use for the overviews of world history (other than CHOW) and American history?

 

Next year is our oldest's official K year. As we will be adding a new baby to the family science and history/social studies will be RA library books. But looking to the future, I am not sure the 4 year cycle is for us.

 

Favorites are starred.

Some of these books are old and out of print which means you need to buy them used (from Amazon, etc.).

Also since some are old, they have outdated language once in a while.  If I come to "savages," I insert "Native Americans" or something like that instead of reading the other word. 

 

World History Overviews:

*A Child's History of the World (Hillyer)

*Builders of the Old World (Hartman)

*Medieval Days and Ways (Hartman)--only covers middle ages

A Little History of the World (Gombrich)

Story of the World series (M.B. Synge)

 

American History Overviews:

*Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans (Eggleston)--love this especially for younger kids--

*Makers of the Americas (Lansing Chase)

*A First Book in American History (Eggleston)

*Rainbow Book of American History (Miers)

*Why America is Free (Hamburger)--only covers the founding

*The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic (Guerber)

American History Stories, Vol. I-IV (Pratt)

 

I bought these but haven't read themyet:

Our Island Story (Marshall)--history of England

This Country of Ours (Marshall)--American history

Edited June 4, 2016 by Mrs Twain

[Mrs Twain]

Added one to the list that I forgot to mention--

 

The Story of the Thirteen Colonies and the Great Republic (Guerber)

[calihil]

An older mom I know homeschooled all 4 of her sons. She told me for history she was very eclectic, they read a lot of historical fiction, watched documentaries, and pretty much did an unschooled approach to history up until 9th grade when she did a "real" curriculum. Her boys were more than fine, one is a Physical Therapist, another is an MD, another is a Nurse Anesthetist, and the other one is doing great in college, all received full rides. And all still love history which maybe is the most important thing. :)