Beefing up SOTW for logic stage...just need a sounding board

[Rhondabee]

Just wondering what all you do.

We're still in our 1st time through (SOTW3 w/4th and 7th this year). My 7th grader usually outlines the corresponding KF, fills in maps and his timeline, and then reads SOTW as his supplemental reading, and writes a page or so narration on each story. I try to get them to read a few library books as well, but sometimes we just run out of time (or steam). We do history every day, but sometimes skip Friday.

Right now our plan is fine, and it will be fine if we keep it next year. They're learning and enjoying history and getting writing practice. But, since they will both be in logic stage, I'd really like to have them more involved in doing "research". (But, I'd still like to use SOTW-4, especially since it is designed for 4th-8th grade.)

I guess I need to wean myself from pre-ordering our library books online, and just go to the closest library in our system and accept that sometimes they'll have something and sometimes they won't. And, even though I've got Apologia Physical coming for next year, I'm pondering doing History 3 times a week and Science 2 times following the WTM recs instead. (Oh, man, did I really just admit that?)

Anyone else care to share what you're doing ~especially how you use the library or how you schedule history/science? Thanks for letting me at least get this "out there"! DH is supportive, but completely clueless in all things homeschooling :001_smile:.

Rhonda

[Susie in CA]

You will be fine! SOTW 4 is more for logic stage kids anyway. The Activity Guide introduces outlining and the book suggestions are more advanced also.

Susie

[Rhondabee]

At least for my oldest.

So, our schedule would be KF/map/Timeline on Monday - SOTW Tues and Wed - then "research paper" work on Thurs and Fri?

Something ala Momof7's Incremental Writing?

[Pam in MA]

We had been doing outlining from Kingfisher or Usborne, writing papers from the outline, etc., to beef up SOTW 3, so we've just continued that with SOTW 4. Actually, the outlines they start presenting in SOTW 4 AG are much less detailed than what we had been doing and we continue to do our own. We've also referred to C. Miller's "All Through the Ages" for supplementary reading titles, although all the recommendations in the AG are plenty difficult for a 7th grader. You'll be fine. The real question is where to go next year!

[Rhondabee]

Boy, isn't THAT the truth!

I've already started ordering lit/history books for Ancients in 9th grade, so I can try to make an informed decision, and I haven't even gotten next year's books!

;)
Rhonda

[MIch elle]

we're reading Abraham Lincoln's World aloud together (end of SOTW 3 & beg. of SOTW 4). 14yob is listening to A History of US, Hakim series and doing IEW U.S. History Based Writing Lessons. 11yob is reading The Story of the U.S.A. series. We also watch corr. videos on history from United Str.

[Colleen in NS]

But, since they will both be in logic stage, I'd really like to have them more involved in doing "research". (But, I'd still like to use SOTW-4, especially since it is designed for 4th-8th grade.)

I guess I need to wean myself from pre-ordering our library books online, and just go to the closest library in our system and accept that sometimes they'll have something and sometimes they won't.

What about showing THEM how to pre-order the library books online? That is a research skill, esp. if it's your library website, not just any old thing that turns up on Google. This is something I am thinking of doing, too, for next year logic stage. I DO want to find our multi-library system's good books to go along with our studies, not just go to the nearest library - we'd have a book deficit if we did that! :)

[Rhondabee]

or, just have them look up names, etc?

Currently, I look through all the titles (by author, because sometimes the title doesn't show up even in the library has it) that are in AG - and only resort to really "looking" if those are unavailable. Then, I check the page count, and maybe read a sample or the review; I try to just order the 2 best books for each dc so I don't get the, "You may only check out 2 books per subject at a time" speech. It just seems like an excessive amount of work, especially when so many don't even get read!

I know this should be simple. I know that in 2 years, the answer will come and I'll think, "Now, why didn't I just do THAT?" (No, it will probably come in 10 years, when it will be too late for even my 2yo dd to benefit from my new, profound insight :glare:!)

OK - just the names, then, huh? ;)

(I also wonder how much we should be using the encyclopedia instead of Juvenile-level books.)

Good to "see" you!
Rhonda

[Colleen in NS]

or, just have them look up names, etc?

Currently, I look through all the titles (by author, because sometimes the title doesn't show up even in the library has it) that are in AG - and only resort to really "looking" if those are unavailable. Then, I check the page count, and maybe read a sample or the review; I try to just order the 2 best books for each dc so I don't get the, "You may only check out 2 books per subject at a time" speech. It just seems like an excessive amount of work, especially when so many don't even get read!

I know this should be simple. I know that in 2 years, the answer will come and I'll think, "Now, why didn't I just do THAT?" (No, it will probably come in 10 years, when it will be too late for even my 2yo dd to benefit from my new, profound insight :glare:!)

OK - just the names, then, huh? ;)

(I also wonder how much we should be using the encyclopedia instead of Juvenile-level books.)

Good to "see" you!
Rhonda

My first thought is I don't really know, cuz I haven't thought it through yet, LOL!!!!!

Hmm....I just read your description of how you do it. If it was me, I'd probably just show them exactly how you do it (I don't know what the cheat sheet is - I don't have the AG for SOTW). Use the titles and authors you already have, then if they can't find them, show them how to look up under subject or historical figure names, or however your lib. system has it set up. To me, this would be a valuable skill to teach them. Teach them what to look for in a sample or review, too, so they can figure out what would be a good read and what would be a waste of time to check out.

Man, that stinks about being limited to only two books per subject!!!! OTOH, I could probably learn from that.....I just tend to keep clicking on "put book on hold" when I see something interesting, not paying attention to how many I already have.....but I'm also noticing ds10 is not devouring 10 books on one subject at at time anymore.....heeeeheeee

I know what you mean about figuring something out when it's too late....I feel like that A LOT (writing - I still sort of dread it; history - still haven't decided what to have ds outline next year; Mind Benders - I was really stuck the other day; TWEM analyzing lit. - after two years I'm finally getting to the rhetoric stage of Pilgrim's Progress, and feeling like I'm too simple-minded)!!!!! But, luckily, I'm an oldest child, too, so I tell ds all the time that he will survive and thrive on being the guinea pig!!! LOL Onward I go......

hth Nice to "see" you, too!

[Colleen in NS]

BTW, this thread is interesting to me. Thanks for starting it!

[WTMindy]

did not have nearly as many of the books suggested in SOTW 4 as it did the others, but I also felt there was so much information in SOTW that it would have been too much some weeks to read more. I almost felt that reading SOTW a couple of times was more beneficial. I do wish there was more literature choices for this time period, but other than the major wars, I didn't find too much.

To beef it up, I would have my student write more and research a bit more (even if on the internet) some of the topics in the book. I think it can easily be beefed up to be good for middle school. I think of how incredibly much I learned from SOTW 4!!

[Rhondabee]

That helps ~ thanks!

And, having never actually gotten to any history past the World Wars in my own education, I'm really looking forward to next year!

=)

[ArwenA]

I've got a 5th and 7th grader doing SOTW 3 as well as younger kids.
We'll read a section from SOTW do outlining in Kingfisher, read supplemental books, do narrations, do essays or discussion, activities, copywork, memory work and poetry if relevant to history.
We do history Mon, Wed an Fri but if there are lots of books to read they'll spill over into other days.
When I'm planning our book list I'll see which books are at the library first. After that I'll check out the local bookstores and I'll buy the rest from Amazon.

[Stacy in NJ]

I'm planning on using SOTW with a 4th and 6th grader next year. I've made a kinda workbook out of the Activity Guide. My older guy will write out the answers to the comprehension questions, do a bit of vocab work that relates to the reading, do the outlining and map work, then every other week we'll alternate history/science writing assignments. Some of his lit reading will correspond to the history time period. Maybe we'll use some of the lit recommendations from TWTM. I won't have him to the outlining via Kingfisher. He'll be doing outling via science this year, so I don't want to over do it. I bought the test package and he'll do that weekly, as well.

My rising 4th grader will simply listen in on our read aloud of the chapter, do the mapwork and write a short narration.

[mcconnellboys]

I do use a planner but any sort of list would do; you could jot down titles in the margins of SOTW, etc.

Over the summer, I find the books that I want to use along with each topic covered and jot those down (I also check that my library has them).

Then during the school year, I generally order my books 1 or 2 weeks before we need them, so that hopefully most of them will be in by the time I need them. I order more than I'll probably use to allow for those that are lost, checked out, etc. at the time that I'll need them. Also, I generally find some that I really don't like the look of and so we don't end up using those, either.

My system allows us to have books out for 3 weeks, so I generally don't need to recheck. If your check-out time is shorter than that, you might check to see if your library offers rechecking by phone or online, which would save you a trip if you need to keep books longer.

Regena