TOG Spine question

[Pretty in Pink]

i always see you gals talking about using SOTW as your spine for TOG. to be honest we've been doing TOG for nearly a year now w/out a spine. we started TOG halfway through fourth grade and are finishing up yr 1 unit 4 right now. we do all of the reading on the left yellow page but none of the extras on the right page.

 

does everyone use a spine w/ TOG or just for your littles? am i missing out on something great by not having one?

[GraceinMD]

This is our second year of TOG (after using SOTW I-IV for 1st -4th grades, and SL5 for 5th grade). I wouldn't say we've used a spine, exactly, but we did keep the Ancient History Encyclopedia (Usborne Internet-linked one) handy for Yr 1, and this year (Yr2U3 and U4, and Yr3U1 and U2 - American history parts), we've kept the Joy Hakim books handy (The History of US). We read so many other books, so I wdn't consider the Hakim a spine per se, but have it as a sort of "standard reference," if that makes sense.

 

I don't think that you NEED a spine with TOG; in fact, that's really one of the many beauties of the program, imo - you're studying concepts and events, but your discussion is guided by those concepts, not by one particular version of those topics. Lampstand has always said that if you can't find a particular book that they recommend, then look on the library shelf for another book on the same topic.

[Hen]

I don't think you need a spine, either. I do have STOW handy and consider it a spine, but I really use it for my younger students grades 3 and 1...some weeks, the History book isn't very interesting or cohesive. Last week we were starting ancient Greek civilization, and the history reading, an Eyewitness book was not interesting to read...it jumped around and had no point I thought. I stopped reading out loud and went and got our STOW. Now that was very interesting, totally enjoyable, and I was narrating to dh when he got home, I was that interested. The eyewitness book would be good for just sitting and looking through. The alternate books, specially STOW are nice to have on hand, but not needed, trying to do it all would be overkill in mho.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[siloam]

i always see you gals talking about using SOTW as your spine for TOG. to be honest we've been doing TOG for nearly a year now w/out a spine. we started TOG halfway through fourth grade and are finishing up yr 1 unit 4 right now. we do all of the reading on the left yellow page but none of the extras on the right page.

 

does everyone use a spine w/ TOG or just for your littles? am i missing out on something great by not having one?

 

I don't have a spine right now, doing year 3. It works just fine.

 

Heather

 

[Pretty in Pink]

thanks for the input. i guess the multi-unit books like the usborne internet-linked encyclopedia would be considered spines.

[Melissa in CA]

I don't use a "spine." It is really NOT needed. Especially if you are using both the History Core and History In-Depth books. To add in a spine daily would be overkill if you ask me. I did purchase The Story of the Ancient World by Christine Miller (a revised H.A. Guerber book) and we read it periodically when it applies. It is interesting, but it's honestly not needed and is more often than not just a rehash of everything my son has already read in his TOG books...this, he often finds, is a waste of time but respectfully puts up with my desire to rehash and retell. :D

[Trivium Academy]

I used SOTW for a while but soon b/c overloaded with how many chapters applied to a week's topic and decided to try the primary core books only. We love using the primary core books and if I don't like one, then I pick the next level's core book- for example if I don't like the LG Core book, I use the UG Core. I think there was one occasion that I read the Teacher's Notes myself and did a narrative to explain the major points while reading our other books for that week.

 

I have SOTW and Streams of Civilization sitting on the shelf but I'd much rather read the Primary Core books, which are more Charlotte Mason to me than the alternatives.