Throw me some history suggestions for 7th grade

[kentuckymom]

We're in the homestretch of our first year homeschooling. My son recently turned 12 and is in 6th grade. He has a 6 year old sister, but she goes to public school, so he's an only child when it comes to homeschooling.

 

 

This year we're using From Adam to Us for history. It's a one year world history survey for grades 5-8 from Notgrass. He loves it. I've learned some interesting things and don't regret using it, but I don't like it nearly as much as I thought it would. I'd kind of like to switch programs, though Squirrelboy would probably happily move into Notgrass America the Beautiful next year.

 

Though the curriculum could be very independent for some kids, it isn't in our case. He's dyslexic and, while he can read and write at grade level thanks to lots of intervention, he still doesn't really like to. I'm trying to slowly build up his tolerance, but history is his favorite subject and I don't want to spoil it by forcing him to do a lot of history work in his weak area. I find that he retains more when I read aloud than when he reads himself, so I read all the lessons aloud. We then go through the questions in the review workbook orally and I write his answers. If he doesn't know something I point out the section it's in and have him reread that section himself to find the answer. We don't use any of the vocab, bible,  or creative writing sections. We've only done three of the family activities. We've loved all the accompanying literature and have added in extra literature.

 

I'm looking most seriously at Bookshark, probably 5th grade history and reading (Eastern Hemisphere) or possibly 8th (History of Science). 6th and 7th are out because we're doing a world history survey right now and I don't want to just do that again, even using different books and a different approach.

 

The problem I run into with Bookshark is that I really want some output with history. I guess Reading with History 5 has that, but the other levels seem to be just reading and discussion.

 

Is there some great program I'm missing? I'm open to either Christian or secular. I've found this year that I feel the need to tone down the preachiness in most Christian material and I'd want to add some faith discussion into secular material. Neither would be a perfect fit.

[HomeAgain]

There is a program that came to mind called History At Our House.  It's a classroom set up - you can choose to be part of the classroom or just have access to pre-recorded classes and the teacher is really great.   My youngest took one of their one-day courses a while back and loved it. It sparked a deep love of Egyptology in him. It might be worth checking out if this is a subject he really likes and wants to go deeper than his reading skills may let him do easily.  Here's a link to their syllabi but you can click on the top to get back to their main page. https://historyatourhouse.com/syllabi/

[kentuckymom]

There is a program that came to mind called History At Our House.  It's a classroom set up - you can choose to be part of the classroom or just have access to pre-recorded classes and the teacher is really great.   My youngest took one of their one-day courses a while back and loved it. It sparked a deep love of Egyptology in him. It might be worth checking out if this is a subject he really likes and wants to go deeper than his reading skills may let him do easily.  Here's a link to their syllabi but you can click on the top to get back to their main page. https://historyatourhouse.com/syllabi/

 

Thanks for the suggestion! Based on the syllabi that might be a good fit. I'll show it to Squirrelboy next week.

[8Arrows4theLord]

We have used Sonlight history with success with our dyslexic boys. We added narrations, picture/diagrams drawing, and projects to expand the history to do more than reading and discussion. Plus we watch movies or clips on-line to expand. Nice thing about Sonlight is that it has such a broad age range and uses interesting materials. My 13 yr. old is finishing up core E and has enjoyed it- his favorite book has been the World Wars book by Usborne.

[bensonduck]

Have you looked at Build your Library? 7th is geography and 8th is history of science. There seems to be a little more output required, but not a huge amount.

[Berta]

We are using Notgrass Uncle Sam and You this year for 6th grade and will be using Notgrass From Adam to Us for 7th. I love Notgrass. 

[Momto6inIN]

No dyslexics here, but I had great success with reading Mystery of History out loud and having my middle schooler keep a timeline and write a written summary every week. We ignored the maps and activities for the most part, but enjoyed the extra reading suggestions.

 

Sent from my Z988 using Tapatalk

[Kareni]

...The problem I run into with Bookshark is that I really want some output with history. ..

 

I don't have a suggestion for a specific approach since when my daughter was homeschooling I bombarded her with books that pertained to the given time frame she was studying, but your desire for output made me remember this.

 

I had my daughter keep a Book of the Centuries when she began homeschooling in 7th grade.  We did a three year sweep through world history, and she added information to her book for three years.  Here are the instructions I gave her in 7th grade.

 

"History and Reading

 

The plan:

 

To study history chronologically from prehistory to about AD500.

 

The means:

 

We’ll use Hillyer and Huey’s two books Young People’s Story of the Ancient World as well as numerous other books and resources.

 

Typically each week there will be a list of required reading.  There will generally be a novel to be read pertaining to the time period.  There may also be some myths and legends to be read.  There will also be non-fiction books or selections to be read and perhaps a website to visit or a video to view.

 

You will need to locate any places mentioned on the map, in a historical atlas and on the globe (if we obtain one).  Each week you will make two pages for your Book of the Centuries.  These pages should be work you can be proud of!  They should be well planned, edited and neat.  They can be in your best cursive or done on the computer.  All art work should be done with care.  The pages should pertain to the time period being studied.  Each page should be titled.  Pages might cover such topics as:

 

A people

A great man or woman (a ruler, artist, explorer, scientist)

An artifact (tools, buildings, type of writing)

A religion

An event

A discovery or invention

A war or battle

The daily life of a people

A map (route of an explorer, location of a people) 

An imaginary encounter between two historical personae

???

 

You might find information on these topics at home or you may need to do additional research at the library or online. 

 

Maps should include a legend (which may be printed) in addition to the title.

 

In addition to your two pages, you should also note five to ten important dates in your Book of the Centuries."

 

Regards,

Kareni

[jaredluvsjoanie]

I second the motion for one of Notgrass's offerings for middle school age: From Adam to Us (world history), America the Beautiful (U.S. history), or Uncle Sam and You (civics). All are excellent, and my children both enjoy them AND learn a lot, which is not always the case with other materials. 😊

Edited May 8, 2017 by JNDodge