How do YOU implement SOTW?

[mykidsrmyjoy]

I'm planning to use SOTW 2 with a 5th, 2nd, and 1st grader this coming school year. I have the reading book, activity guide, and test booklet, as well as lots of historical literature.

Will it be enough for me to read the chapter, ask the comprehension questions, get an oral or written narration, do the map work, and read the extra lit? Or should I be looking for note booking pages, craft books, etc. to fill in? What does a week of doing SOTW look like in your homeschool? 

[hollyhock2]

Well, if that's what you do with it, you'll be doing a LOT more than we are! We just read it. My kids will often use the material to write narrations, and on Fridays we add people and events to our wall timeline. Sometimes I have my youngest boy get the globe and look for places we read about. I also have lots of extra reading books that I've collected over the years (historical fiction and the like) and they are free to read them but I don't assign them. So we are very "free spirit" SOTW users over here. 

[alisha]

On a regular basis, we read the chapter (or part of it), asked the questions, and did the map work. Somehow, I couldn't seem to figure out how to add the extra lit, not to mention matching what they recommended with what was in our library, with what I could have checked out before we actually did the chapter they were intended for. I tried a few of the activities early on, and they were fun, but it just took too much time unless both my kids would finish together and we could move on to the rest of school together.

[Janeway]

We have always just listened to it in the car. And when we have spare time, I will pull activities from the activity guide. I might aspire to a timeline at some point, but not sure. I also keep books from the time period on a special shelf and try to pull from that on a regular basis. But that is it. 

[Vintage81]

We have the audiobook version and the activity book. While DDs are listening to a chapter, they usually color a page or two from the activity book. I ask a few of the comprehension questions and then we complete the mapwork. I used to try to add in the additional activities and extra books, but not anymore. The one exception is if there are paper dolls for a chapter in the activity book...both DDs love those! I also have timeline books, but I've yet to add any timeline figures to them. My goal is at the end of this year to have a review by going back and adding those in, but we'll see if that happens. 

[Hobbes]

1 hour ago, Vintage81 said:

We have the audiobook version and the activity book. While DDs are listening to a chapter, they usually color a page or two from the activity book. I ask a few of the comprehension questions and then we complete the mapwork. I used to try to add in the additional activities and extra books, but not anymore. The one exception is if there are paper dolls for a chapter in the activity book...both DDs love those! I also have timeline books, but I've yet to add any timeline figures to them. My goal is at the end of this year to have a review by going back and adding those in, but we'll see if that happens. 

We essentially do this, though we just do a timeline bonanza every so often and fill things in. And I do order a lot of the extra books from the library. Sometimes I'll read one or two aloud in school time, sometimes they get mixed into general read alouds, and often my oldest will read them because they are there - but sometimes none get read before they go back... oh well. I also try to make a point of finding the places on the globe as we go. 

[Targhee]

Our approach with three kids:

- listen to chapter (audiobook) - both sections - while coloring page from activity book

- do oral questions from activity book

- do map work

- follow up next day with audiobook again

- quiz from quiz/test packet

- as it moved me (rarely) an activity from the activity guide

- no required reading but I’d “strew” Library books each week

 

[2_girls_mommy]

In grammar stage we read a section of the chapter, did the oral questions, then a written narration for each. The 2nd session of history a week was the same, but we added a map. If there was an easy to me activity in the AG we did it that day. That was usually only if it was a paper kind of thing- cut/paste/color kind of thing. 

For extra lit books- I would just read one or two throughout the week if I had a chance somewhere. Plus the girls did their reading from books from the AG lists at a time separate from our together history time. 

Then we had one day a week set aside for art and projects if we weren't going anywhere else. So I would pick a couple of bigger projects a semester that we did on that day a week if they took more than one day, like we needed the paint to dry, then we sometimes finished over the weekend.  My kids have a lot of fun memories from our projects. 

For logic stage, we did the logic stage work in WTM, but I still read a chapter of SOTW aloud during our read alouds to start a new section of work. 

Now that my oldest is in rhetoric stage and my next is almost there, I still used SOTW. This year I read the book to myself and I used it as my guideline and jumping off point for discussion. We actually did a lot of the projects this year. They still had their own textbooks and work from their grade levels. But by me reading SOTW to keep up with the general study of what we were all studying this year, and using the AG to find some good books for read alouds, I was able to stay on top of what they were studying in a quick manner. Obviously, what they are reading in middle and high school level books goes much deeper, but I can't read every section they are reading. SOTW kept me on top of history, so when i did need to check in with them and look at their chapters, I had some rememberance of the topic. :) 

[Holly]

We are actually using Biblioplan with SOTW as our main spine.  I have ages 15 to 4, and I wanted to keep us all somewhat on the same page, but needed more of a challenge for my oldest.  She listens to SOTW since she's never listened to volume 3 before, but adds Bibliplan's Companion textbook to her readings.

We generally have 3 days per week of history.  Here is our general lesson format:

• listen to SOTW (read by Jim Weiss or me), AG coloring page if they want, they usually do
• discussion questions, we usually skip narrations
• complete map from AG
• If we have time, family read aloud or independent reading (we use the BP booklist because it has booklists for my older kids too)--We have another family read aloud before bed, often from our history time period
• my oldest reads the BP Companion textbook, sometimes I read aloud a section to the younger kids or show them a few pictures from it--we also use google images for anything that needs more of a visual (Great Wall of China, Stockades, weaponry, etc.
• I often consider doing a project, but we rarely (almost never) get to these, I also am terrible about getting to our timeline or Book of Centuries
• Some days we watch a video instead (Drive Through History, History channel or PBS videos, historic movies, etc.)
• If we have no SOTW reading that day, we just read from BP's independent book list, watch a video, or continue our family read aloud.  We are currently working on Johnny Tremain and Amos Fortune.  We just finished Where the Mountain Meets the Moon--I try to find something that appeals to a wide age range. 

I hate projects or anything too fiddly so we don't do many of them.  We don't currently do tests for history, but we are working on incorporating BP's Cool History books and discussion guides.  We've only been using BP for the past month or two so I'm still figuring out how to best incorporate their extras for each of my kids. 

[HomeAgain]

We like doing a lot of activities.  Usually I'll introduce an activity first, and then start reading or telling the story.  We have a giant map that we use for the "magic carpet rides", looking down on it from the edge of the coffee table or ottoman.  I find it helps him listen better and connect to the story if his hands work with it, not against it.  The next day is the review day.  He does the mapwork and/or comprehension questions & summary.  The games that are in the activity book are played this day, too, to wrap up the section of the chapter.

[Garga]

History has always been a favorite subject around here, so we were all happy to spend extra time on it in elementary.  I wasn't the sort of elementary teacher who started at 9 and was done by noon, just so you know that ahead of time.  We'd start at 9 and end around 2 with lunch and other breaks.

I'd read a section of the chapter.  The kids would color whatever sheet matched that section while I read. We'd answer the questions out loud.  If the map matched that section of the chapter, we'd do the map.  I tried to do a lot of the activities, so if an activity matched that section of the chapter, we'd do the activity.  

Then, we'd move on to the next section of the chapter and color/do map work/do an activity as appropriate. 

I made a huge timeline that runs up the staircase and we'd add dates to it.

For supplementary reading, I'd find what I could at our local library--either what was recommended in the activity guide, or other random books on that subject--and get a pile of them every couple of weeks to match the upcoming lessons.  I usually stuck with the skinniest ones, because we'd run out of time for long ones, unless I wanted to sit on a long one for a while and read the whole thing.  I almost never went without reading at least some sort of supplementary book, though it might be very skinny.

And then...just for kicks...I'd have us re-read the chapter a second time, so it would really sink in.  :)  The kids would finish up their coloring sheets during the second reading of the chapter.

Like I said...we were willing to spend a lot of time on history.  

I didn't supplement with notebooks or activities that weren't already in the activity guide.  

 

[MistyMountain]

I had her listen to the audiobook and then I asked the questions in the activity guide. I reread the parts she could not answer questions for and then she did a narration. She did the coloring pages and maps but I eventually ran out of time for maps at the end. I wanted to do extra reading but I could not fit it in this year. I will try next year with byl and audiobooks and starting the spine earlier in the year. It was almost mid year when I started it so to finish we just used our time reading SOtW instead of other books. Over the summer we might read some books aloud or listen to audiobooks on the topic. I did none of the hands on activities in the activity guide.

[mykidsrmyjoy]

Thank you all, for your responses! I tend to overplan and then do nothing that I planned on because I planned too much and can't fit it all in.  

[purpleowl]

We (try to) do history four days a week.

Days 1 & 2: I read the chapter aloud. (If the chapter isn't neatly divided into two sections, I adjust however makes sense.) We talk briefly about what was in the section I read.

Day 3: Each kid chooses something they remember from the chapter and draws a picture of it and writes about it. I allow them to look in the book to refresh their memories if they need to.

Day 4: We do the map activity from the activity guide, and we do Something Else. Something Else might be reading an excerpt from a primary source I've found and answering questions about it. It might be reading a book or part of a book from the library on the topic. It might be practice with outlining. It might be acting out an event from the chapter with stuffed animals. It might be (CC alert) identifying and writing about where we see mankind's sin and where we see God's grace in what we've learned about. Or anything else that comes to mind...you get the idea.

[Holly]

13 hours ago, mykidsrmyjoy said:

Thank you all, for your responses! I tend to overplan and then do nothing that I planned on because I planned too much and can't fit it all in.  

I remember reading somewhere (maybe on one of the "Sabbath Schooling" blog posts) that they would use their off week to fit in fun projects and extras.  I could see this working well for younger ages.  My older kids all have their own projects they want to work on during our breaks, but my younger ones could certainly use more direction to keep out of trouble.

[Porridge]

The first year we used it, we did many of the activities from the activity guide. We did all of the maps, and read many of the recommended books listed in the activity book.

Since that time, we've become more streamlined. The kids are part of a history co-op where they do a lot of hands-on activities, so we ended up de-emphasizing those at home. We do one chapter a week, 2 days a week. Day 1: read the first section of the chapter. Older child writes a written narration. Younger child gives an oral narration (but is starting to write some of his own). Day 2: Read second part of chapter. Both children complete the maps and give me oral narrations. We were doing timeline last year but that fell by the wayside this year....

[ExcitedMama]

You can definitely just do the more minimum and get a lot out of it. We do the encyclopedia reading, the chapters and the workbook pages. I have DS do the outlining in a separate book but I keep it just to history and not the fables. I do add in extra reading from the library but I don’t think it’s necessary. I have been really impressed with VP Pages of History which we’ve been reading as well. It does a great job adding in biblical elements, like comparing Noah and Gilgamesh if that interests you. I had thought I’d do the extras but I honestly don’t think we’ve done any yet. We are in a virtual charter so I have to account for our time and there have been times where we’ve crammed in some history. SOTW is great in that you can do as much as you have time for. Plan on doing the minimum so you don’t feel overwhelmed and if you have the time or interest you can add on. 

[ScoutTN]

We read the book aloud or listen to the audio, usually 2-3x a week. Narration 1x a week. We always do the map work and look up locations on our maps or a globe. We get library books (literature and non-fiction) about chapters that are interesting and do 2 or 3 projects a year. We do 2 or 3 history related RAs a year.

No tests here. Lots of discussion!

We do history year round and follow many rabbit trails. We spent 18 months on the Middle Ages this last time around because we were enjoying ourselves! In volumes 3 and 4, we spend extra time on the American history topics.  

Next year is my last with SOTW! 

 

 

[goldenecho]

With your older kids, it might be.  I have a very visual kiddo with short attention span who I started with at around 1st grade.  NOW, at age 10, we just read the chapter section, look at some pictures online related to it, and often watch a short video related to it (I suggest TED Ed, Extra Credits History where they align with the chapters...also, videos where they just visit the site, like videos of people walking the great wall of china, or showing the Indus river, or that type of thing, I find really engages my kids.   I'll sometimes show those with the sound off while I read the chapter aloud).

Early on though, I had to even split the sub-chapters in half for my 6 year old, or give him something to do while I read (some do coloring, but he's never been that into that...so I would often do a snack related to the time that he could eat while listening). 

We did a lot of related crafts early on...but later that wasn't necessary (and he didn't want to do them as much.) 

We occasionally read related suggested folktales, or find others from the era at the library.

Anyways, we did a lot more than most probably because...frankly, I love doing that kind of stuff and I really, really wanted my son to love history as much as I do.   But I didn't do some things most people do, like the narration and tests.

[Knock]

Elementary school - Read aloud the chapter, followed immediately by oral questions. Every few chapters we'd do a narration. Then student was turned loose to do map work and copy work. The first time I went through the cycle, I printed and bound each student an individual notebook. I typed out the map instructions for them to follow independently, and wrote out the suggested narrations for them to use as copy work/handwriting practice. I included all of the SOTW Student Pages for them to use, color, or ignore at their discretion.We did a weekly library trip, and they were to check out a book or DVD related to the week's studies. When the questions, maps, and copy work were done I handed them the AG to see if any projects interested them. We did one or two each month, many of them the kids did without much help from me. Some of mine did all of the coloring pages, some did none.

Middle school - read the chapter to oneself, with or without audio CD (student's preference). Then map work and outlining. Free reading throughout the week from any book on the Cycle X bookshelf in the living room, even if it's not neatly related or in time sync with the week's studies. Projects were a free for all, to be done on their own and on their own time. They did some of the same ones from their first rotation through the cycle, and some different ones - maybe one a month.

[KrissiK]

I’m doing it with my first and third grader. We are doing book 2 this year. Generally, I will read the selection and do the questions. I stopped narrations years ago (gasp, don’t tell anyone) and I use the “suggested narration” in the book under the questions as copywork. I write it on the white-board, the girls copy it and draw a picture. That is generally one day’s work. When we finish a chapter, I will usually read the corresponding pages in Usborne World History, do the map work and the coloring page. That will be another day. Sometimes I will add in extra reading. Sometimes not. We just finished the We do history every day.

[Melissa in Australia]

First day I read aloud the chapter while the kids colour in. We then do the questions orally then I scribe their narration. We are trying something different this year. We are doing narration onto notebook pages and making a history book with it. 

Next day, I read some book that relates to the history a fable or story etc. we look at the pictures in a history encyclopaedia, and if I am in a good mood do a craft activity.

 

Takes 30 minutes a day tops