JudoMom Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 We'll be starting SOTW4 next month. I've purchased the previous 3 Activity Guides, but the main use has been the color pages. We've done the mapwork, too, but I almost never look at the supplemental reading and we've not done any of the activities. We'll be moving through SOTW4 rather quickly because I want to start a new rotation in July/August. Should I skip the activity guide for this book? Or would it be worth it to get the maps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usetoschool Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I did buy it and I am sorry. I actually bought the student pages also and I should have done more research because it is somewhat different than the previous years. There are no coloring pages for one thing. The maps are blank and you spend most of the time filling in names of places, which depending on the ages of the kids, means you spend a lot of time spelling things for them. There is none of the coloring, marking etc. of previous maps. I understand that if you are following the program, by the time you get to book 4 the kids will be ready for the outlining and different approach to mapping etc. but we started halfway through with several grade levels and like you are just trying to get through the books to start over on the right grade level and this change in method has been frustrating. But, like I said, my fault for assuming and not researching more before I bought them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 I did buy it and I am sorry. I actually bought the student pages also and I should have done more research because it is somewhat different than the previous years. There are no coloring pages for one thing. The maps are blank and you spend most of the time filling in names of places, which depending on the ages of the kids, means you spend a lot of time spelling things for them. There is none of the coloring, marking etc. of previous maps. I understand that if you are following the program, by the time you get to book 4 the kids will be ready for the outlining and different approach to mapping etc. but we started halfway through with several grade levels and like you are just trying to get through the books to start over on the right grade level and this change in method has been frustrating. But, like I said, my fault for assuming and not researching more before I bought them. That is very helpful. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Weren't they coming out with pages for younger kids? I don't see anything at PHP, but I thought that they were doing that. We also use Biblioplan, so for me, I will look into their supplemental materials for next year when we hit year 4 (those materials are new for Biblioplan and I haven't used them thus far as I have been using the AG). Reading lots of books is more important to me than coloring pages. I don't know that we would miss the AG student pages, but we will be reading lots of supplemental books, and the AG can be helpful for finding those. Again, we'll have Biblioplan so we may not need the AG's list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 . There are no coloring pages for one thing. The maps are blank and you spend most of the time filling in names of places, which depending on the ages of the kids, means you spend a lot of time spelling things for them. :lol::lol:. I spent a lot of time spelling places as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Weren't they coming out with pages for younger kids? . glad you mentioned this. I thought I had heard this as well. but I had begun to wonder if I had imagined it.:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted January 1, 2009 Author Share Posted January 1, 2009 glad you mentioned this. I thought I had heard this as well. but I had begun to wonder if I had imagined it.:confused: I'd heard rumors of this, too, I thought, but doubt they'll be ready by next month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 My neighbor gave me her AG She had used all the maps and other student pages. The only thing I used it for was the comprehension questions at the end of reading. My dd was in 4th. I have my own set of black line maps. So we did maps on our own. We also got the SOTW tests book. I used that like a worksheet to help dd reinforce her comprehension. Giving her "tests" was not working out for her. We did extra reading based on what we could find at the library. My black line map book has maps from ancient times through present. It can be photocopied, but it also has a cd rom for printing. If you got it for use with SOTW 4, you could continue to use it again and again over the years. Now, if your dc are younger and AG comes out with more age appropriate activities than I would go with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I used this with 7 3rd - 5th graders last year. We loved the student pages and the student activity guide. I actually typed up the questions from the guide and had the kids put them in their notebook. Instead of spelling the names of the cities for the maps; have your student look in his/her student book. We used the tests and I thought the essay questions were excellent and felt that my student were well prepared for future essay tests. I also loved the cds. Because I had a large group we were able to act out battle scenes and have debates. Clearly, I enjoyed this history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testimony Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 I did purchase the AG for SOTW 4. I found it to be helpful with learning outlining. I did stop mid-way and just use the maps, the questions, and the literature suggestions for extra reading. I realize that 4th grade was too young for the type of outlining that was required. He is learning more about outlining now in 5th grade. So, on the second round, he will be better at tackling the outlines. That is just my opinion and experience. Happy New Year! Karen http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inashoe Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 We'll be moving through SOTW4 rather quickly because I want to start a new rotation in July/August. I doubt if you will be able to move through SOTW4 quickly. We found it to be very meaty and it led to a lot of lengthy discussions. I really value those discussions I had with my son as they pertain to the world we live in now, and how we got here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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