staceyobu Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I previously did SOTW 1 and 2. Then I jumped ship and did two years of American history instead of 3 and 4. I just finished a second round of SOTW 1 and 2. I'm considering jumping ship again. I think I do the same thing a couple of years and then I get wanderlust. Is it worth staying the course? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I can't convince you. You have to want to or not. I mean, you have to want to study world history or not, because your choice right now is jumping to country-specific. You think 1 and 2 were awesome, but not awesome enough to go on. I'd be glad to compare world history programs for that time period, but I can't write a persuasive argument on why volume 3 should be reason enough for you to stay with world history or work it concurrently next to American. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 It always was worth it to us. But we like the SOTW/WTM way of doing history, and don't get bored with it since we are using so many library books and doing projects and such. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 (edited) My son liked it, and we start 4 next month. :) Edited August 9, 2017 by whitehawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Ii think its very similar but has a slightly higher reading level. I guess I might ask - do you just get bored or the format generally, or do you feel like there is something about that period that induces you to make a change? One thing that I find is that there is a lot more recorded history available for that period, and I think it can make world history a little unwieldy - and since kids are older, it can seem like the treatment of some things is a little to glossed over or disconnected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoo Keeper Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 Depends on what you want in a history book. There are many options... Do you want narrative history? Lots and lots and lots of books history? Hands on projects history ? SOTW is popular because it can be tweaked to fit all three styles (using the Activity Guides). I will admit that the first few chapters of Vol. 3 were slow going and a step up (in reading level) after Vol. 1 and 2; I like the second half of the book much better. If you just want something different... the younger two could go through CHOW, while the older one does A Little History of the World, or some Genevieve Foster Books. These are more narrative history. OR you could look at something like Sonlight or Build Your Library if you want lots and lots of books... OR you could look at Guest Hollow if you want more projects and hands on. All are good options for different reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotesFromTheParsonage Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I love the Story of the World books. We have added extras in from time to time to go along with them, but I love SOTW as the backbone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 Ii think its very similar but has a slightly higher reading level. I guess I might ask - do you just get bored or the format generally, or do you feel like there is something about that period that induces you to make a change? One thing that I find is that there is a lot more recorded history available for that period, and I think it can make world history a little unwieldy - and since kids are older, it can seem like the treatment of some things is a little to glossed over or disconnected. I think this is a good description of how I feel. Like, will my kids retain when it is a little America, a little Asia, a little Africa, a little Europe all mixed up together? Is it better to focus in a bit more? But, then I would like them to know what is going on all around the world. But, if the tidbits are too small to really remember, then does it matter if it is introduced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 (edited) . dp Edited August 9, 2017 by staceyobu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 (edited) SOTW 3 was a bit of a slog for us in the beginning but DS and I got excited toward the end as steam power and industrialization took shape. I like the idea of having American history taught in the context of what's going on in the world. While 'that' was happening in Europe/Asia/Africa/South America, 'this' was also happening in the US. SOTW meets that test but so do other things like History Odyssey and Human Odyssey. Are you suggesting skipping early modern/modern world history or just using other materials to cover that time period? DH's job has allowed us to visit and explore multiple countries. It's important to me that my peeps know a bit about those countries, their stories, and how things connect. Missing out on modern world history would be missing an awful lot. Edited August 9, 2017 by Sneezyone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I think this is a good description of how I feel. Like, will my kids retain when it is a little America, a little Asia, a little Africa, a little Europe all mixed up together? Is it better to focus in a bit more? But, then I would like them to know what is going on all around the world. But, if the tidbits are too small to really remember, then does it matter if it is introduced. I've actually switched my approach around since I started homeschooling, so that in elementary ( grade 3+) school I focus on a few national r regional histories in a narrative form, and then add more of a world history around the middle school years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 (edited) I think this is a good description of how I feel. Like, will my kids retain when it is a little America, a little Asia, a little Africa, a little Europe all mixed up together? Is it better to focus in a bit more? But, then I would like them to know what is going on all around the world. But, if the tidbits are too small to really remember, then does it matter if it is introduced. I think it does matter if it's introduced, even if not many details are remembered. That said, I'd also add in other readings/documentaries/etc. For full disclosure, I should probably say that we *still* haven't finished SOTW1, but that we've listened to the SOTW1, 2, and 3 audiobooks (borrowed from library), and are about to listen to the SOTW4 audiobook. One of the things about introducing it is if a kids says "hey, that's interesting" they can learn more about it. Plus, I just don't want my kids to think that history is all about the US - even if they don't remember anything, they should still know that the world is huge and that the US is just one tiny part of it. And realistically, they'd remember *some* of it. Edited August 9, 2017 by luuknam 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share Posted August 9, 2017 I asked the kids and they were like, "We love story of the world!" So... maybe we will stay with that! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted August 9, 2017 Share Posted August 9, 2017 I asked the kids and they were like, "We love story of the world!" So... maybe we will stay with that! That's definitely a good reason! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted August 10, 2017 Share Posted August 10, 2017 (edited) We bounced around a bit for history...I needed a break and the kids did self paced VP the last couple of years...we are coming back to Biblioplan this year. I feel like it takes SOTW (and their own spine) and put it into more "units" based on area, so it seems a bit more focused to me, but still with the benefit of using SOTW. Also has readers and read alouds scheduled for all ages (like Sonlight), and has extra books scheduled in to go deeper as they get older... Edited August 10, 2017 by ByGrace3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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