DarlaS Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 (edited) to flesh out US History for a fourth grader, which ones would you choose? Were there any you or your kids hated? I've chosen a spine that will allow us to cover US History (to my satisfaction) in one year. This will be for a fourth grade girl who is a VERY avid reader. She'll be nine in July, and remembers an incredible amount of detail from her reading. I already have the advanced readers from Core 3 so I'm mostly looking at read-alouds from both cores and Core 4 readers. I have a pretty good idea what looks good to me, but feedback from others is much appreciated! We're secular homeschoolers if that helps. Edited March 5, 2009 by darlasowders clarifying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 (edited) Our Fav's! Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Johnny Tremain Justin Morgan had a Horse The Sign of the Beaver The Witch of Blackbird Pond Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (loved this book!) Moccasin Trail Caddie Woodlawn The Winged Watchman Little Britches ETA: Core 4 reader favs... By The Great Horn Spoon George Washington Carver The Seventeenth Sawp The Wright Brothers (These are the stand-outs that my son can remember...I'm sure there were other good reads as well) Edited March 5, 2009 by Melissa in CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Johnny Tremain Justin Morgan Had a Horse The Sign of the Beaver Tolivers Secret The Witch of Blackbird Pond Across Five Aprils Caddie Woodlawn Miracles on Maple Hill Cheaper by the Dozen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Cheaper by the Dozen Miracles on Maple Hill Moccasin Trail By the Great Horn Spoon George Washington Carver Om Kas Toe The Great Turkey Walk THe Wright Brothers The Sign of the Beaver Old Yeller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Thanks for your responses. I see some of the same titles appearing over and over. That's what I was hoping for to help me narrow it down (and I actually own some of those already - which is even better!). I will probably choose the top ten from each Core 3 and 4 and add a few more. She could easily read them all, but there's no reason why she should. She'll only be nine! Oh, and if anyone just wants to name a couple (or twenty) favorites that's ok too! I'm not counting them ;) Non sonlight American History suggestions are also welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Not sure why you're feeling the need to limit the books based on her age. My dd is 9, we're doing american, and she's reading several books a day. I pull them from TQ, VP, SL, anything we have on hand. Most of the SL readers for core 3 are pretty simple, so she may or may not like them. My dd still enjoys COFA's, so they're always worthwhile. There are over 200, if you search for oop ones. We really enjoyed Walk the World's Rim from core3, so I wouldn't miss that. Boy picks and girl pics for favs may be very different too. We're reading Secret of the Andes, but so far it's pretty engaging. Naya Nuki, from WP AC1, was AMAZING, not to be missed for a girl. The other books used as readers in SL by the same author are a lower reading level. You could also check the WP lists to see what catches your eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Not sure why you're feeling the need to limit the books based on her age. I'm not limiting the books she reads--just the number she *must* read (I figure I'll leave the rest laying around and she'll read them anyway.). I'm simply looking for the best. Probably a little hard to do since Sonlight seems to do that. (I bet they had a hard time paring down for these two cores. There are SO many good books out there for US History for kids.) I do have to limit read-alouds to a realistic number. I will be doing Core K with her little brother. I find my voice gives out if I get too ambitious and try to read all day. Thanks for the reminder on the WinterPromise books! I do recall looking at those some time back and being impressed. They are also more likely to include the occasional Dover coloring book or something for activities. Oh wow... I just went to WinterPromise website, and discovered several books I had already added to my amazon wishlist are in their AS1 program. I guess I better keep poking around. So much for streamlining it! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyGirl Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 We're half way through core 3 now, and my almost 10yo ds LOVES Om-kas-toe and Naya Nuki (the other book in core 3 by the same author). He reads them over and over. He also really enjoyed Mr. Revere and I. I think our favorite read aloud so far has been the Witch at Blackbird Pond, and if you dd is an avid reader, she may be able to tackle that one on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof8 Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 (edited) Surely you jest!!! Every last one of them were great! I couldn't pick just 10. Edited March 5, 2009 by momof8 typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSDCY Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Jonny Tremain (harder to read, great for read-aloud) Carry on, Mr. Bowditch (this one is so good that ds rereads it every summer, in fact, my whole family likes it) The Sign of the Beaver (easy read but great for discussion) Across Five Aprils (deals with the complex nature of the war) Caddie Woodlawn (not to be missed by any girl) Little Britches (more of a boy book) By the Great Horn Spoon (easy read for an avid reader, but please make it a read-aloud and include your ds, you will not regret it) The Great Turkey Walk (another boy book but fun) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 Surely you jest!!! Every last one of them were great! I couldn't pick just 10. I can't either--and wouldn't (wanna see pics of my bookshelves? :lol:). I figured if 7 or 8 people list their ten favorites we'll end up with minimum 20 books (from each core for a total of about 40) by the end of the year that we schedule, and another dozen or so that I just put on the shelf for her to read on her own. I guess I need to clarify. The top ten list (from each core) is so I don't end up buying every (4-6th grade'ish) American history related book on amazon (or end up with any stinkers...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Darla, I know this isn't what you asked, but have you considered doing WP AC? It schedules TT (Time Travelers), and my dd, age 9, is enjoying them a TON. You'd have no trouble adding onto it a book basket, and they have coordinated readers in their LA section too. I saw you went to WP AS, but I didn't know if you had made it to their AC selections yet. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atozmom Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and The Witch of Blackbird Pond were great. A book not on the Sonlight list we enjoyed was Riding the Flume by Patricia Curtis Pfitsch. I would also recommend looking at the Baldwin Online Children's Literature site. You can read many books online for free, even print them out if you like. Find it at mainlesson.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in MI Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 We did this Core last year, my dd's loved: The Witch of Blackbird Pond Johnny Tremain Carry On Mr. Bowditch Caddie Woodlawn The Sign of the Beaver The Great Turkey Walk Moccasin Trail Sarah Plain and Tall By the Great Horn Spoon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apCrazy4Jesus Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Thank you everyone I was also looking for something like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 By the Great Horn Spoon (easy read for an avid reader, but please make it a read-aloud and include your ds, you will not regret it) Thanks for mentioning that! I do try to include him whenever possible. Making my lists! Starting my plans! :D Anyone else LOVE Microsoft OneNote? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Darla, I know this isn't what you asked, but have you considered doing WP AC? I've been at their website several times today. There seem to be four different US History programs for me to pick titles from. I figure any SL title that appears there also (and several do) is definitely a must have. Good thing she likes to read. We'll be covering a little Michigan history as well. Core 3 includes Paddle to the Sea, so when we get there we'll just take a little rabbit trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Core 3 RA Carry on Mr Bowditch Justin Morgan Had a Horse The Sign of the Beaver Walk the World's Rim (Which I know has had mixed reviews, but we REALLY loved) The Witch of Blackbird Pond Beloved Core 3 readers- any of the Childhood of Famous Americans series, Naya Nuki Core 4 RA Caddie Woodlawn Little Britches Moccasin Trail Roll of Thunder, hear my cry The Winged Watchman Core 4 readers Hellen Keller, In the year of the Boar, Sing Down the Moon Have you looked at SL Core 3+4? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Carry On, Mr.Bowditch Johnny Tremain The Sign of the Beaver Walk the World's Rim The Witch of Blackbird Pond Across Five Aprils Caddie Woodlawn Little Britches Moccasin Trail Miracles on Maple Hill The Great Turkey Walk Cheaper by the Dozen The bolded ones are in our top SL read alouds ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Darla, the reason I mentioned WP AC (American Crossing) is because it uses the Time Travelers cd's. They have maps, hands-on stuff, text, just about everything you can imagine. And if you don't want to use WP's schedule, you can buy the TT cd's individually or however you wish. My dd is thoroughly enjoying the stuff we do with them. This week we wrapped up the explorers by studying pirates, and the cd's have you make spanish doubloons, dress a pirate, play a pirate game, make a treasure chest, etc. It appeals to her crafty side and is easy for me to implement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sted Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Were looking at doing something similar next year! Shannon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 It was mentioned a while back by someone here. It's called the Children's Encyclopedia of American History and it's a DK/Smithsonian book. http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Encyclopedia-American-Smithsonian-Institution/dp/0789483300/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top It's a little light, but it still looks better than typical 4th grade textbook. I will probably buy the Landmark book (and the Story of the USA books) as well for *me* to draw info and ideas from. From it's reviews though it sounds a bit much for some kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 Have you looked at SL Core 3+4? Yes, I have. I may just choose the IG from this core. I like the idea of having the study pages and maps for ALL readers and read-alouds though. Just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 It was mentioned a while back by someone here. It's called the Children's Encyclopedia of American History and it's a DK/Smithsonian book. http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Encyclopedia-American-Smithsonian-Institution/dp/0789483300/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top It's a little light, but it still looks better than typical 4th grade textbook. I will probably buy the Landmark book (and the Story of the USA books) as well for *me* to draw info and ideas from. From it's reviews though it sounds a bit much for some kids. If I had SL to do over again I would not use the Landmark book or The Story of the USA books. I would get this book for my spine: http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/colonies.html and use it alongside the DK American history Encyclopedia. And possibly even this one too, somehow combining them: http://www.nothingnewpress.com/guerber/republic.html Both list additional living books to add to them, possibly even many that you already have on your list. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted March 6, 2009 Author Share Posted March 6, 2009 If I had SL to do over again I would not use the Landmark book or The Story of the USA books. Now that I've found a site that shows me sample pages, I have to agree. I'm still toying with the Story of the USA books though. I may just get the first one and see how they go. The Guerber books look nice. I'll have to have a closer look at those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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