Charles Wallace Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi -- We're on the verge of cycling back through history again. Initially, we used SOTW for all parts of the history cycle waaaay back when my DD was much younger, and now we'd like to approach history on a more complex level. This leaves us at a loss as to what history curriculum to use. Does anyone have any ideas? Our ideal history curriculum would... * Be focused on telling a "story" -- that is, making connections between and among events so that DD could see how X event caused Y result which led to Z outcome. * We would prefer a secular approach * We'd like a curriculum that comes with testing materials. I'd really be eager to hear what other folks have considered or have done. Thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I'm using SOTW again--at least this year. We are in ancients again. I'm also using the suggestions in TWTM for fifth through eighth grade. I used those suggestions years ago before SOTW was published. So, basically dd has two "spines" --SOTW and Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. She does narrations and outlining from these sources. We supplement those with extra reading suggested in TWTM or with stuff we have at home. We don't use the Activity Guide for SOTW. We do use the SOTW test book as an extra review sheet weekly. I have a blackline map book that we use. Basically, dd does 1-2 SOTW chapters, related KHE reading, and 2-3 other history readying assignments a week (from the Bible, magazines like Calliope, The History of Mankind, biographies, etc). She does 2 summaries a week. We probably do maps and videos every other week. You might want to check out The History of Mankind. It is secular and written for this age group. It was the first Newberry winner. We also listen to A Little History of the World in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Wallace Posted January 4, 2009 Author Share Posted January 4, 2009 The History of Mankind, biographies, etc). She does 2 summaries a week. We probably do maps and videos every other week. You might want to check out The History of Mankind. It is secular and written for this age group. It was the first Newberry winner. We also listen to A Little History of the World in the car. I ran in to THOM on Amazon through a homeschool curriculum review -- I take it that you liked it? Does it really have a "storybook" feel to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 We're going to use K12's Human Odyssey as a spine for the logic stage. It definitely tells a story, ties things together, and is secular (while providing a very balanced picture of the world's religions and philosophies and how they have affected history through the ages). I don't know of any testing materials, but K12 could have some. I bought the books used to save money, but I've heard you can buy them from K12 without buying their whole program - they could well have some kind of testing materials available directly from them. I'm thinking of using another Human Odyssey (Spielvogel) alongside, which is a bit more dense, but has end of section and chapter questions, to fill that "testing" compontent. But we tend towards overdoing history. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I'm doing much the same for ancients this year. We read aloud from Kingfisher and other history encyclopedias we have at home. He reads on his own from SOTW and outlines at least one section of one chapter each week. In the rare instance where we're covering a topic not included in SOTW (such as Megalithic Europe, a while back), he outlines from another source. We are using the SOTW maps, with extra review added in. He is doing some of the other activities this year, as he was not into that the first time we covered SOTW and is more interested now. We're keeping a timeline this year, too. We're using a book format I picked up from the folks at Peace Hill Press while at convention. We work on it sporadically, so it serves as review. We're putting the SOTW review cards into it, as well as pics we find online related to the cultures we're working on, historical stickers we've found, some drawings by ds, etc. I'm using the SOTW tests this year. We're doing lots of extra reading, both aloud and alone. He writes one report, summary, book review, etc. per week related to some topic he's been reading about that week. Occasional videos are viewed, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 (edited) I ran in to THOM on Amazon through a homeschool curriculum review -- I take it that you liked it? Does it really have a "storybook" feel to it? It is not as story book as SOTW, but it it is not encyclopedic or textbook like. Since it was a Newberry winner, it should be available in most libraries or through interlibrary loan. This book covers prehistory through modern times. The final chapters are mid to late 20th century and written by a different author. It was originally published in 1921. If you plan a whole year on ancients I would use this book with supplements dealing that time period as suggested in TWTM and which you can find in your library. The objection that many Christians have to this book is in the first few chapters where prehistory and evolution are discussed. And yes, I do like it. I also like my dc use a variety of sources for history, because every author provides a different viewpoint and I don't think any author can claim to be completely unbiased. Edited January 4, 2009 by betty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 I highly recommend taking a look at K12's Human Odyssey series. It is truly excellent. We are using this as a spine in combination with Spielvogel's Human Odyssey. I read the K12 book aloud and my son reads the Spielvogel book and answers the questions. I also periodically assign essay topics that usually have a synthetic bent to them, which is in line with how the K12 book presents things. In fact, essay topics practically leap off the pages of the K12 book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Wallace Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 I highly recommend taking a look at K12's Human Odyssey series. It is truly excellent. We are using this as a spine in combination with Spielvogel's Human Odyssey. I read the K12 book aloud and my son reads the Spielvogel book and answers the questions. I also periodically assign essay topics that usually have a synthetic bent to them, which is in line with how the K12 book presents things. In fact, essay topics practically leap off the pages of the K12 book! Is it possible to order the K12 HO book somewhere? On the K12 site, it seemed like you couldn't get the book w/o taking the course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 We are using SOTW for outlining for my logic stage kid and then I am adding in Streams of Civilization for more depth. It is not secular though. Not long ago there was a very long discussion about what to use for logic stage. I will see if I can find it. I remember that discussion :) Our logic stage history plan is on my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Is it possible to order the K12 HO book somewhere? On the K12 site, it seemed like you couldn't get the book w/o taking the course. I think you need to phone them/contact them, and they wil sell it to you separately. I ended up buying the Teacher's Guide and Student pages that go with it...I honestly dont reommend them though- a lot of busywork, unless you really want lots of inane worksheets. I would suggest outlining, written narrations, and further research on chosen topics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Is it possible to order the K12 HO book somewhere? On the K12 site, it seemed like you couldn't get the book w/o taking the course. You can buy it from Amazon or Alibris. ISBN#s Vol. 1 1931728534 Vol. 2 1931728569 Vol. 3 1601530188 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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