Talk to me about Tapestry of Grace

[tmstranger]

I have looked at their website oodles of times and just kept writing it off as too confusing or too much for our family. As my oldest is quickly approaching high school, I wanted to give it another look just to see if it will fit our needs for next year or in the future. (He'll be in 8th grade next year.)

 

I understand that it's a buffet and that you don't have to do everything, but how do you use TOG in your home?  How much is reasonable? I want to make sure I'm challenging him appropriately, but I can easily overwhelm him...I do it all the time! 

 

Also, I see that they have writing topics and a "writing aids" guide.  Is there writing instruction in the guide?  or would you use a separate writing program (I was considering WWS2 for next year)??

 

I have looked at the samples and the bookshelf site, but I wish I could look at the books I NEED...the core books or whatever, so I can find out how many I would need to purchase vs. what I can get at our library.  Is this specific list anywhere?  And have you found the book purchases to be expensive? or are they readily available at the library?

 

For literature...how good is the lit instruction and discussion? 

 

Finally, we are doing Early Modern this year and will end around 1850.  Year 4 of TOG starts with 1900.  I hate just skipping time periods!  Would you buy unit 4 of year 3 and start there? or that just too expensive for no good reason?

 

I appreciate all input.  I wish they had a sample week of something closer to where we are in our history study, so I could "use" it for a week and see how it works for us.  My kids don't want to go back to Jamestown since we just finished that...

 

 

 

 

[Sahamamama2]

Following along... heading down the same road, with the same questions. :laugh:

[tmstranger]

bumping in hopes someone on this board uses TOG...

[Lang Syne Boardie]

1. There's no waste in buying the next unit that you're ready for, chronologically, because there's no law about completing a TOG year in a school year. :) If this year's history is "off year" it doesn't matter; what matters is that you are advancing in social studies. Does that make sense? Also, 26 weeks of TOG is enough to be considered a full school year (whichever 26 weeks, doesn't matter), according to Marcia Somerville.

 

2. If you want to see the primary book sources for a particular level for a particular year AND unit, there's a tool for that at Bookshelf Central. Click on "Books for Tapestry" and choose your year plan, unit, grade level, and subjects.

[tmstranger]

1. There's no waste in buying the next unit that you're ready for, chronologically, because there's no law about completing a TOG year in a school year. :) If this year's history is "off year" it doesn't matter; what matters is that you are advancing in social studies. Does that make sense? Also, 26 weeks of TOG is enough to be considered a full school year (whichever 26 weeks, doesn't matter), according to Marcia Somerville.

 

2. If you want to see the primary book sources for a particular level for a particular year AND unit, there's a tool for that at Bookshelf Central. Click on "Books for Tapestry" and choose your year plan, unit, grade level, and subjects.

 

Thank you.  I'm struggling with the book selections...most are not at my library.  I haven't checked the ILL yet, but will do that. 

 

Do you use Writing Aides? Or add a different writing program? 

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Thank you.  I'm struggling with the book selections...most are not at my library.  I haven't checked the ILL yet, but will do that. 

 

Do you use Writing Aides? Or add a different writing program? 

 

I do use Writing Aids. I am experienced at teaching composition, so the amount of instruction is sufficient for me. I also like the grading rubrics. I don't like to use this as the only writing instruction, though, because there's only one writing assignment per week.

 

One of my teens is also using The Lively Art of Writing, and my younger students do the composition portions of Rod and Staff English.

 

Concerning the primary sources, you should know that TOG schedules SOTW in all four year plans, so that might be a good "spine" option for your fourth grader if you make the switch. Also, there's a schedule of alternate book options in the year plan, so if you're an experienced hs'er with a massive home library (or a decent public library), you might be able to use the alternates.

[freesia]

I'll do my best to answer your questions.  The way I use it is different b/c I have kids at 3 levels. We are on our 6th year of TOG.

 

Bookshelf Central has a search feature where you can search what books you need at each level.  That is the quickest way.  Oh, I see you did that.  Well, you would need to get the curriculum to see what the Core books are.  For D and above, you really need both for the questions.

 

Are you looking for next year?  I would not put a fifth grader in dialectic.  My ds, who is gifted in LA, would not have done well.  I tend to begin to transition my kids during the final quarter of fifth grade.  So, I would put off doing TOG until your oldest is in sixth and just finish up with SOTW next year.  Then start with Year 1. there are no questions for grammar levels, so there is no real difference using TOG vs. SOTW with added books from the actiivty book.  In fact, that's mostly what I do.

 

The Writing Aids books has the writing instruction.  I have done different things different years. Sometimes I use TOG, sometimes IEW, sometimes other resources.  Really it's a mashup depending on the kid and the year. 

 

I can get a lot at the library or used through Amazon.

 

Lit--mmm. Well, the rhetoric lit is deep.  The dialectic lit is pretty good.  The discussion questions at that level aren't super, though.  Now I do a once a month book club on one of the books with a couple of other families.  I base my discussion questions around Teaching the Classics.  I like book discussions in groups and I like those questions.  Lower levels, I prefer Sonlight.

 

How we use it:  My D and R students do the history readings, questions and have a once a week discussion.  I read SOTW and some other books to my dd7 (with dd 11 listening in). Sometimes and some years I also read a D reading outloud.  They also do the map.  I don't do the people or the vocab.  At our Thursday co-op the grammar (and sometimes dialectic) do an activity related to what we are studying.  We sometimes have unit celebrations.  This quarter it's just watching a related movie together, last time we had a Medieval feast.

 

This is getting long.  There is no one right way to to Tapestry and I use it more or less depending on the "season" of life. I've been very pleased with the discussions.  But I really am glad we didn't start until I had a D student--I just don't find the grammar selections very compelling.

 

 

 

 

[tmstranger]

I'll do my best to answer your questions.  The way I use it is different b/c I have kids at 3 levels. We are on our 6th year of TOG.

 

Bookshelf Central has a search feature where you can search what books you need at each level.  That is the quickest way.  Oh, I see you did that.  Well, you would need to get the curriculum to see what the Core books are.  For D and above, you really need both for the questions.

 

Are you looking for next year?  I would not put a fifth grader in dialectic.  My ds, who is gifted in LA, would not have done well.  I tend to begin to transition my kids during the final quarter of fifth grade.  So, I would put off doing TOG until your oldest is in sixth and just finish up with SOTW next year.  Then start with Year 1. there are no questions for grammar levels, so there is no real difference using TOG vs. SOTW with added books from the actiivty book.  In fact, that's mostly what I do.

 

The Writing Aids books has the writing instruction.  I have done different things different years. Sometimes I use TOG, sometimes IEW, sometimes other resources.  Really it's a mashup depending on the kid and the year. 

 

I can get a lot at the library or used through Amazon.

 

Lit--mmm. Well, the rhetoric lit is deep.  The dialectic lit is pretty good.  The discussion questions at that level aren't super, though.  Now I do a once a month book club on one of the books with a couple of other families.  I base my discussion questions around Teaching the Classics.  I like book discussions in groups and I like those questions.  Lower levels, I prefer Sonlight.

 

How we use it:  My D and R students do the history readings, questions and have a once a week discussion.  I read SOTW and some other books to my dd7 (with dd 11 listening in). Sometimes and some years I also read a D reading outloud.  They also do the map.  I don't do the people or the vocab.  At our Thursday co-op the grammar (and sometimes dialectic) do an activity related to what we are studying.  We sometimes have unit celebrations.  This quarter it's just watching a related movie together, last time we had a Medieval feast.

 

This is getting long.  There is no one right way to to Tapestry and I use it more or less depending on the "season" of life. I've been very pleased with the discussions.  But I really am glad we didn't start until I had a D student--I just don't find the grammar selections very compelling.

 

Thank you for your response.  I was considering my 5th grader UG, not quite D yet.  He likes SOTW, so I'm fine with keeping that.  Do those readings line up with the D readings, so I can do read-alouds, discussions, etc. together? 

 

I think the main reason I'm drawn to TOG is the socratic questions and teacher's notes to facilitate that.  I feel like I fall short in this area. I've looked at Teaching the Classics and it was definitely on my list of possibilities, too.  I also need to look at TOG's lit selections for the year because I know my son has read Anne of Green Gables, which is the first one in the sample.  If I have to sub out a lot of books, then the lit portion won't be a benefit. 

 

I asked to join the year 4 Facebook group, but I have not been added yet.  The admin asked why I wanted to join, and I responded, but haven't heard anything else.  I was hoping that group could help me decide, too...

 

 

[freesia]

Yes, in the alternate readings SOTW is lined up with the D reading. However, you couldn't do SOTW and answer the D questions. It is an upper grammar alternative.

 

The discussions are only for D and up.