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looking for a readable history text


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I am looking for HS level world and US history books that are readable and enjoyable....not dry and boring.  My kids do not like history all that well and I want to find  texts that they might tolerate...and maybe, actually enjoy reading.  If you know of such a text, please share with me.

 
My ultimate plan is to use some of the DVDs from Great Courses and then I want my kids to work on some outlining, essay writing and note taking from a text as well.  So this is why  I need a text book that they will actually read and understand what they are reading. 
 
thanks.
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I really like the Biblioplan Companion books for history. You can get all 4 or just the ones you want. Year 1 is Ancient, Year 2 Medieval, and in Years 3 and 4 they are world and U.S. history running together. You can download free 3 week samples of each one. I haven't used them b/c I just can't use everything that I think is neat-o.   :)  I may just get them for myself.   :)

Edited by sltress
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For US history, I liked Tindall's America: A Narrative History , previous editions would be considerably cheaper

 

For World History one option would be Ways of the World, this book does contain some primary sources

 

If you choose a text without primary sources, I would add some type of primary source reader. I have one I like, I just cannot think of the name right now. 

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My ultimate plan is to use some of the DVDs from Great Courses and then I want my kids to work on some outlining, essay writing and note taking from a text as well.  So this is why  I need a text book that they will actually read and understand what they are reading. 
 
thanks.

 

 

What I did was first I chose which Great Courses series I wanted to use. Then, because the Great Courses accompanying course guide recommended a specific text, that's the one I got. The professor's recommendation stated that he chose it because it was approachable and widely readable, and he was right. And then it required no effort on my part to tie in the video lectures with the material for reading and note-taking. And there were lots of ideas for essay prompts in the course guide too.

Edited by TarynB
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Which Great Courses series did you use? This sounds like a great plan

 

What I did was first I chose which Great Courses series I wanted to use. Then, because the Great Courses accompanying course guide recommended a specific text, that's the one I got. The professor's recommendation stated that he chose it because it was approachable and widely readable, and he was right. And then it required no effort on my part to tie in the video lectures with the material for reading and note-taking. And there were lots of ideas for essay prompts in the course guide too.

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We loved K12's American Odyssey.  They also have a high school level world history text called World History: Our Human Story which is adapted from their Human Odyssey series (which is the all time greatest history text/series ever, IMO).

 

There's also Ways of the World.  It's actually a college level text, but it's very well written.  It stresses patterns and themes in history rather than minutiae. 

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Which Great Courses series did you use? This sounds like a great plan

 

I bought this one http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/history-of-the-united-states-2nd-edition.html for US history and this one http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/high-school/history/high-school-level-world-history-the-fertile-crescent-to-the-american-revolution.html although I didn't pay nearly that price for them.

 

I also own http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/high-school/history/high-school-level-early-american-history-native-americans-through-the-forty-niners.html  that I might add in there somewhere too. 

 

A friend of mine tonight suggested that I use the Kingfisher and Usborne Encyclopedias as a text.   

 

But I also was looking at Biblioplan....that program looks amazing and had I found it 2 years ago, I might have bought into it fully...but with one in 9th and one in 10th this year...(so 10 and 11 next year), I am not so sure how that will be an economical choice for us...although I am not ruling it out completely.  I do have one more child who is a 7th grader this year...so, I am still on the bubble. 

 

I would still use the DVD's but I might add some of the stuff from Biblioplan...although I want to add too much probably...not enough time to do it all.

 

sigh!!!!  decisions.....decisions.....

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Which Great Courses series did you use? This sounds like a great plan

 

 

For history, we have used/will use these Great Courses:

 

History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World

The Medieval World

The Early Middle Ages

The High Middle Ages

Foundations of Western Civilization II

The History of the United States

 

 

 

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For history, we have used/will use these Great Courses:

 

History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World

The Medieval World

The Early Middle Ages

The High Middle Ages

Foundations of Western Civilization II

The History of the United States

so, then, tell me...exactly HOW do you use these?  i mean..do you simply watch them and discuss?  Do you have your kids do some sort of work too?  Do you use a book or other resources?  Please give me more details.  thanks so much!!!

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so, then, tell me...exactly HOW do you use these?  i mean..do you simply watch them and discuss?  Do you have your kids do some sort of work too?  Do you use a book or other resources?  Please give me more details.  thanks so much!!!

 

We have used a large assortment of GC courses, too. My kids just listen to them. If we can, we listen together (car trips). We talk about things we find interesting.

The courses have very few visuals, and watching a prof stand at a lectern lecturing puts us to sleep, so we use them on audio only and can thus use time that would otherwise not be productive.

 

I have my kids write longer essays/research papers. They also have a spine text for reading, and we try to cover the literature of the period simultaneously.

 

ETA: we have used:

all courses by E Vandiver, Daileaders 3 part series on the Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance (Bartlett?), French Revolution+ Napoleon; the two series on WW1 and WW2; the Vikings, Persian War, Famous Romans, Battles of teh Ancient World; Turning points in American history; Revolutionary War. There are probably some I forget - don't have my records on this computer,

Edited by regentrude
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are all of the DVD's just a prof standing in front of a class talking?  Or just some of them?  I was under the impression that there was some interesting visuals and that is what made them appealing?  I bought these with the idea that it would more interesting than just reading a text. hmmmm

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are all of the DVD's just a prof standing in front of a class talking?  Or just some of them?  I was under the impression that there was some interesting visuals and that is what made them appealing?  I bought these with the idea that it would more interesting than just reading a text. hmmmm

 

In my experience, if a course is available both on audio and on video, it has so few visuals that they are not essential.

The courses with lots of visuals are only available as video.

 

It is a lot more interesting than reading a text because many lecturers are really outstanding.It is the quality of the lecturer that makes them appealing. But there's not much to see. They're not documentaries; they are college lectures.

Edited by regentrude
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so, then, tell me...exactly HOW do you use these?  i mean..do you simply watch them and discuss?  Do you have your kids do some sort of work too?  Do you use a book or other resources?  Please give me more details.  thanks so much!!!

 

Here's how we use them:

 

What I did was first I chose which Great Courses series I wanted to use. Then, because the Great Courses accompanying course guide recommended a specific text, that's the one I got. The professor's recommendation stated that he chose it because it was approachable and widely readable, and he was right. And then it required no effort on my part to tie in the video lectures with the material for reading and note-taking. And there were lots of ideas for essay prompts in the course guide too.

 

Watch, then sometimes discuss only, sometimes use the course guide's discussion questions as a writing prompt. (This decision often depended on his writing workload in other subjects for the week.) Follow up with note-taking in the relevant section from textbook. We happen to prefer the video versions, not just audio. Just depends on your personal preference. I'm a visual person, I guess, so I like having someone/something to look at and focus on. We often watch the videos during our lunch break. I find that my mind wanders and I focus too much on other things if I'm just listening to audio. Also, although some people listen to the audios while driving, we tend to have our best teen talk time in the car, so I reserve that time for him.

 

I think you won't know until you try them for yourself.

 

Just a sidenote, the first one you linked above that you have already purchased is considered college-level. The other two (by Linwood Thompson) are considered high school-level and are marketed as such by TGC. You might just need to try them with your kids and see what style they prefer and engage with.

Edited by TarynB
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