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Picture books for SOTW 4


jcissel
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Hi! We are getting ready to start Story of the World Vol 4 this year. I have a fourth grader, second grader, and a tagalog preschooler. I realize some of the material is a bit sensitive in the book, so we are working on how to handle that with the younger ones. Meanwhile, I have been looking through the Activity Guide and I see that it is quite different from the guides for previous versions.

 

A big part of how we use Story of the World has included lots and lots of supplemental reading. Although my kids can and will read chapter books like those in the Vol 4 Activity Guide, I also want to include picture books for the younger ones, and even the fourth grader, both fiction and nonfiction. Of course I can pull books together myself, but I am so spoiled by having the lists right in the activity guide and a bit disappointed that we will need to change things up. Ideal would be a list of book ideas by chapter. I found one blogger who listed picture books by chapter, but she only has about two books for each chapter. We are used to easily having 10-12 books per week!

 

I was hoping maybe you knew of a list available somewhere and could point me in the right direction. I have debated switching to History Odyssey Level 1 this year because they include book lists for older kids, but we have really loved SOTW thus far, and I already have the text, activity guide, audiobook, and test book. I hate to buy something else for history when I thought we were all set. Thank you for your help!

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I'll try to go through and find all the picture books I have thus far.

 

That would be wonderful, thank you!  If you could list them by chapter, that would be even better! Sometimes it's obvious, but sometimes it's harder to tell how the fit best.  I was looking at the Biblioplan list for modern, but it was alphabetical.  It's good to have a list of books, but even better if they are organized.  Yes, I guess I'm lazy! :)

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I don't have a list, but we just wrapped up a year with SOTW4.  There were tons of picture books for every chapter that we covered.  We mainly focused on Am. History this year.  So there are a ton to do with all of the presidents, the wars, the states, the pioneers, immigration, life in the World Wars, etc. that are good for the younger ages.  I just put the main topics into the library catalog when I go and reserve any that look good if that branch doesn't have it, and then I go to the shelf with the number and find everything on the area that looks good.  Even though my kids were in 8th and 6th this year, I have never stopped using picture books alongside our history readings.  There are just so many good ones out there.  For coloring books, I have a good collection of the Dover coloring books: We have several on American Indians.  I have life in the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, WWI, WWII, Colonial times, etc. These make good reading on their own and touch on major events and persons.

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I don't yet have these organized by chapter, but here are pictures of our leveled readers, easy chapter books, and picture books for SOTW 4.  I know I have more, but they are still in boxes.  At some point I will try to organize the books into chapter lists.  

 

Some of these overlap from the last couple of chapters in SOTW 3, but they are chapters that I want to extend into 4.

 

Shared album on Google Photos:  https://goo.gl/photos/4979vchn5asU3hUo9

 

I just want to add that I really, really love Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  My eight year-old daughter has read it independently once or twice, and listened to it as a read-aloud twice.  It's a short novel with a poignant message and many discussion points.  I highly recommend it for even your youngest.  My six year-old was able to meaningfully participate in our discussions the last time we read it (last autumn).

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Thanks, everyone. So far it sounds like I will still have to do my own book hunting.  I sometimes add to the SOTW lists with other books that our library has or ones I find on other lists, I just really like having what I know is a good, solid list of books. It's also nice that sometimes the activity guide will include topics that may not be specifically mentioned in the chapter but relate to that region and time period, like books on composer, artists, scientists, etc.  I will not do so well with pulling that together with the right timing, so I know there will be some good books that just won't make it into our house. :(

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I am happy to go through my materials as we ran parallel with our coop doing SOTW 4-- at home we did ancients, but also did a Friday mixed-age coop that covered SOTW4. I have a very advanced/accelerated 6 yo...so we tend to run the gamut between materials for 5 yo...to high school-level materials.

Just off the top of my head. For example, I was very worried when we covered the Holocaust. But we went to Washington DC at Xmas and visited the National Holocaust Museum, which hubby and I *really* wanted to see. At the info desk, trying to decide if it was possible, the lovely lady there directed us to begin with the kids exhibit. It is called 'Daniel's Story'. It is AWESOME! Perfectly detailed and sensitive for any age. Seriously, a must-see...and it is available on-line, as a virtual tour. It set the tone for our whole studies of that time.

I have a lot more, but have to put the baby to bed...

https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/museum-exhibitions/remember-the-children-daniels-story

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I still need to update my blog with the rest of the school year, but here's my post through chapter 23:

https://westwoodhomeschool.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/sotw4-for-my-first-grader/

 

When the material gets too intense for younger kids, I would frequently read local myths or do a geography-style study of the area. When we did WWII, we all watched a couple episodes of Hogan's Heroes and had a family discussion about the historical (in)accuracy of the show.

 

Ruth

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I don't yet have these organized by chapter, but here are pictures of our leveled readers, easy chapter books, and picture books for SOTW 4.  I know I have more, but they are still in boxes.  At some point I will try to organize the books into chapter lists.  

 

Some of these overlap from the last couple of chapters in SOTW 3, but they are chapters that I want to extend into 4.

 

Shared album on Google Photos:  https://goo.gl/photos/4979vchn5asU3hUo9

 

I just want to add that I really, really love Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.  My eight year-old daughter has read it independently once or twice, and listened to it as a read-aloud twice.  It's a short novel with a poignant message and many discussion points.  I highly recommend it for even your youngest.  My six year-old was able to meaningfully participate in our discussions the last time we read it (last autumn).

 

Thank you.

 

Do you have something like that for SOTW 1-3?

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Have you checked the Sonlight lists and the Veritas Press catalog? They usually have good suggestions.

One thing I do to find books is make a list of the most important people, events, documents etc. to use in library searches.

I can't find my lists right now, sorry.

Edited by ScoutTN
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I am happy to go through my materials as we ran parallel with our coop doing SOTW 4-- at home we did ancients, but also did a Friday mixed-age coop that covered SOTW4. I have a very advanced/accelerated 6 yo...so we tend to run the gamut between materials for 5 yo...to high school-level materials.

Just off the top of my head. For example, I was very worried when we covered the Holocaust. But we went to Washington DC at Xmas and visited the National Holocaust Museum, which hubby and I *really* wanted to see. At the info desk, trying to decide if it was possible, the lovely lady there directed us to begin with the kids exhibit. It is called 'Daniel's Story'. It is AWESOME! Perfectly detailed and sensitive for any age. Seriously, a must-see...and it is available on-line, as a virtual tour. It set the tone for our whole studies of that time.

I have a lot more, but have to put the baby to bed...

https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/museum-exhibitions/remember-the-children-daniels-story

 

This is so good to know. We can easily take a day trip to DC, but I wasn't sure about the content in the Holocaust Museum.  I was reluctant to go and debating whether to wait until the next time we get to SOTW 4. Thank you for the info!

 

My six year old is the same way--he reads board books up to young adult books.  Both him and my 8 year old will definitely read many of the chapter books recommended in SOTW 4 (after I have previewed them, in some cases), but I also find that they read and enjoy picture books--both fiction and nonfiction. The fiction adds the element of art/illustrations that often reflect the time and culture. They also can spark interest that may encourage them to read something longer on the subject. Nonfiction, the pictures are even more important.  

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I still need to update my blog with the rest of the school year, but here's my post through chapter 23:

https://westwoodhomeschool.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/sotw4-for-my-first-grader/

 

When the material gets too intense for younger kids, I would frequently read local myths or do a geography-style study of the area. When we did WWII, we all watched a couple episodes of Hogan's Heroes and had a family discussion about the historical (in)accuracy of the show.

 

Ruth

 

 

This is AWESOME, Ruth!!!! Exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.  I'm going to take your list plus a few others and combine them now so it's easier to choose books throughout the year. Thank you, thank you thank you!!!

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Have checked the Sonlight lists and the Veritas Press catalog? They usually have good suggestions.

 

One thing I do to find books is make a list of the most important people, events, documents etc. to use in library searches.

 

I can't find my lists right now, sorry.

 

I have always taken a peak at the Sunlight lists for ideas. The "problem" I have with SOTW 4 is that the activity guide lists mainly chapter books and longer books. I find the Sunlight books that correspond with history are also longer books, especially when you get to the modern history stuff, because of the way the program is designed and because modern history isn't touched on until upper elementary (same problem I'm having with the SOTW guide, actually).  I really want picture books and short nonfiction books or even short stories.

 

I also have found in the past that the activity guides includes books that are appropriate for the time period/region but are things that are not specifically mentioned in the chapter, and they are always excellent suggestions. So I can easily look at the chapters and do library searches, but I feel like there will be some gaps in our list vs. previous years, if that makes sense.  Plus, sometimes it's nice to have that blurb in the activity guide describing the book, and just knowing that it's going to be worthwhile because it made it into the guide! :)

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Have checked the Sonlight lists and the Veritas Press catalog? They usually have good suggestions.

 

One thing I do to find books is make a list of the most important people, events, documents etc. to use in library searches.

 

I can't find my lists right now, sorry.

 

I have always taken a peak at the Sunlight lists for ideas. The "problem" I have with SOTW 4 is that the activity guide lists mainly chapter books and longer books. I find the Sunlight books that correspond with history are also longer books, especially when you get to the modern history stuff, because of the way the program is designed and because modern history isn't touched on until upper elementary (same problem I'm having with the SOTW guide, actually).  I really want picture books and short nonfiction books or even short stories.

 

I also have found in the past that the activity guides includes books that are appropriate for the time period/region but are things that are not specifically mentioned in the chapter, and they are always excellent suggestions. So I can easily look at the chapters and do library searches, but I feel like there will be some gaps in our list vs. previous years, if that makes sense.  Plus, sometimes it's nice to have that blurb in the activity guide describing the book, and just knowing that it's going to be worthwhile because it made it into the guide! :)

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Lots of great ideas here:  https://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/curriculum-guide/modern-times-epistles-revelation/

 

The books listed for grades 1-3 include mostly picture books.  The Elizabeth Mann books in the family reading section are longer, more advanced picture books that you may also be interested in.  

 

Thank you! I'll add these to my list.  I know have about 6 different sources to compile into one list, organized by chapter. Quite a project!

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I have my 5th grader in SOTW 4 this year, but I opted to take my 2nd grader through the modern era via SCM module 6. It is a much better fit! Today we read a short chapter covering some battles of the Civil War and then read a little bit from D'Aulaire's Buffalo Bill. It is so much more age appropriate. Just FYI. You just schedule in their picture books for grades 1-3. We can return to SOTW down the road. In fact, I can't wait to start at the beginning with her in 3rd grade.

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I have my 5th grader in SOTW 4 this year, but I opted to take my 2nd grader through the modern era via SCM module 6. It is a much better fit! Today we read a short chapter covering some battles of the Civil War and then read a little bit from D'Aulaire's Buffalo Bill. It is so much more age appropriate. Just FYI. You just schedule in their picture books for grades 1-3. We can return to SOTW down the road. In fact, I can't wait to start at the beginning with her in 3rd grade.

 

Thank you for your reply. My kids are very excited to start volume 4 and we have already started the audio. My second grader, especially, loves listening to it in the car. So I'm not sure that I could do something different with him, exactly.  He actually reads at a very high level, but both of my kids have also enjoy and benefited tremendously from reading picture books.  I also think he'd be ok with the upsetting content, or at least as OK as my fourth grader, so I'm not as concerned from that standpoint now.

 

I would really like to continue using STOW as we have the past three years: one chapter a week, lots of supplemental reading, a project/activity, and map work, but as I look through the activity guide, I see that the map work is also more advanced.  

 

Thank you for the recommendation of SCM module 6, I'll take a look at that and see what we can do.  

 

I can't imagine I'm the only person who has run into this problem with volume 4 and the content of the activity guide.  It seems like a BIG jump from Volume 3!

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