Omnibus I replacement?

[Aloha2U]

We are working through Omnibus I together this year, but it is possible that I may replace it. I'm just not sure where to turn at this point. I like the idea of Omnibus, but the execution is lacking and it seems as though there are liberties taken that don't hold up to scripture, imo. I feel it's a sort of hit and miss, so I'm not necessarily impressed. My little man is somewhat disgusted with the discrepancies. I'm so thankful that he picks up on them, too, and we discuss, but I just have a feeling—I've been trying to fight, since we already own the materials and have it all planned out—that perhaps there is something better out there that we can use together, that won't cause us to cringe and doubt its accuracy or usefulness. Someone please tell me that there is no perfect curriculum out there and that, despite these hiccups, it's still a worthwhile guidance tool. Otherwise, what are your suggestions for other options?

[prairiewindmomma]

We considered Omnibus before the whole VP debacle.  If he is an average 7th grader, I'd consider History Odyssey K12.  If he is advanced, I'd consider SWB's History of the Ancient World at a slower pace.

[Aloha2U]

Thank you, prairiewindmomma.

 

Here's the thing. I'd like to find an alternative that covers History, Theology, and Literature together, similar to that of Omnibus, instead of breaking them into three separate subjects. If I am to do the latter, I may (most likely) continue with Western Civilization by Spielvogel, KJV Bible studies via Bob Davis of North Country Chapel and Blue Letter Bible, and Invitation to the Classics. Has anyone already scheduled a similar line-up?

 

Perhaps Omnibus will get better once we're through the Genesis and Exodus portions. Maybe I'll hold off making any decision until we get into the Epic of Gilgamesh.

Edited September 20, 2016 by NCAmusings

[Meriwether]

You could look at TOG.

[ScoutTN]

Not an exact parallel to Omnibus, but gave you looked ar Roman Roads Media? Their Western Culture courses are integrated abd interdisciplinary. Aimed for high school. I have only seen a few lectures and Wes Callihan is excellent.

[Paula in MS]

I would go ahead with Omnibus.  I considered it really as more of a guide than anything.  Because it is a series of essays, we just took it as the opinion of different people.   No need to agree with them at all.  The discussion questions will start you off on the road to some interesting discussions, and the answers in the teacher's CD are just meant to be examples of how a discussion might go.  I have not found another great books study out there that is as comprehensive.  I recommend you cut some books and pick and choose what discussions are meaningful for you.  It is actually a bonus if you disagree with one of the authors because it does give you a different perspective to think through that you probably don't have at home.  My daughter takes the Great Conversation courses at Wilson Hill, and I can tell you that even those teacher's don't agree with everything in Omnibus.  

[Aloha2U]

Not an exact parallel to Omnibus, but gave you looked ar Roman Roads Media? Their Western Culture courses are integrated abd interdisciplinary. Aimed for high school. I have only seen a few lectures and Wes Callihan is excellent.

 

I remember looking at those briefly. Are they only offered as online courses? I'll have to look again.

[Aloha2U]

You could look at TOG.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't know the first thing to do with TOG. Last I checked, years ago, it was my understanding that TOG would be far more than what we want, and expensive, too. That being said, I may just go give it another look to refresh my memory.

[ScoutTN]

I remember looking at those briefly. Are they only offered as online courses? I'll have to look again.

There are classes, but the people I know who use it just do the dvd lectures and the books. With lots of discussion and some writing, of course.

[Aloha2U]

I'm so close to jumping the Omnibus ship and climbing aboard the RRM bandwagon. I hesitate for a few reasons:

 

1. It's designed for 9-12th grades; however, the age range is set at 12+. So... that would work for us. After viewing a couple of the sample videos, my little man and I are sold. I'm just hoping it would be a doable workload. I suppose it can't be heavier than Omnibus.

 

2. If we begin RRM's Old Western Culture 4 year cycle this year for 7th grade... What will we do for the last two years (i.e., 11-12th)? What will we use/do for him to earn credit for world history in HS? Should we wait until 9th grade to begin Old Western Culture? What about Raymond's History programs as a filler?

 

3. It uses readers instead of original works. That said, we can use our own copies.

 

4. Should we add Spielvogel's Western Civilization for more history? Would this be overkill?

 

5. Too bad I missed some of the sales.

[Meriwether]

PM laughing lioness if you have questions about RRM.

[Aloha2U]

Perhaps we could combine Omnibus I and RRM's Old Western Culture: The Greeks?   :thumbup:   :laugh:  :smilielol5: :lol: :svengo:

[Aloha2U]

Quick update...

 

I just wanted to share that we've stayed the course with Omnibus I thus far, completing the Epic of Gilgamesh chapter, as well as The Codes of Hammurabi and Moses chapter—which were both great, each in their own way. Moving forward we are going to integrate Old Western Culture: The Greeks—starting with the Epics, which will replace both the First and Second Samuel chapter and the First and Second Kings chapter. 

 

So, in short... we are actually combining Omnibus I and OWC. This is going to be an interesting year—good times.

[lgliser]

 

We considered Omnibus before the whole VP debacle.

What is the Veritas Press debacle?  Just curious!

 

I popped on tonight to look into what people thought about Omnibus :) 

 

I see on their FAQ page it says that they highly recommend taking Omnibus primary and secondary together. Does that mean like do one lesson from primary and one from secondary every day? Or zoom through primary so that you can do secondary right after in the same year?

[Tumbatoo]

 

 

 

I see on their FAQ page it says that they highly recommend taking Omnibus primary and secondary together. Does that mean like do one lesson from primary and one from secondary every day? Or zoom through primary so that you can do secondary right after in the same year?

We started out alternating lectures, but now we do one book primary, then one book secondary, etc. It's easier for us to focus on one at a time. But, if you do self paced you can make your own schedule however you like!

[JoJosMom]

We decided against Omnibus for ethical reasons (as in, it appears to me that the company is lacking them.)  We are using a combination of:  Old Western Culture: The Greeks with Mr. Callihan's tutorial ( :thumbup: ),  HoAW, and Spielvogel.  We started out with History of the Early Church, too, but it was too much with DD's other classes.  Mr. Callihan explicitly discusses Christian thought throughout the curriculum and his discussion, so that and Awana is going to be it for Bible right now.

[RootAnn]

What is the Veritas Press debacle? Just curious!

I'm assuming this refers to the plagiarism in Omnibus accusations and, more importantly to many, VP's response (lack of, surrogate, or inappropriate, depending on what you've seen).

 

If you search, you should be able to find blog posts and threads on here. It was fairly recently.