Choosing a History/Lit spine

[Cadam]

I am starting to plan my son's 9th grade year. I am planning a WTM history/lit program that will lean toward the sciences and the history of discovery but still include a lot of great literature.

I feel like the first thing I need to do is to choose a spine; so hit me with your wisdom!

I have the second edition of TWTM and the core books listed are:
Spielvogel, The Timetables of History and the Dorling book.

Have the recommendations changed in the new edition?

I have yet to see Susan's History of the Ancient World but if I was to use it, would it sub in for one of the above?

I would love to hear from those of you who have designed your own WTM based programs. I will admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed (thus I am researching and reading a year and a half early) but I have looked into many pre-planned programs and I am convinced that I need to customize my son's education for him to get the most out of it. None of the pre-written programs are quite what we need.

Any tips on choosing which great books to use? There are so many that I have never read and I know I can't read all of them. How do you go about choosing the books that are the best for your student and situation?

I am guessing that all of this has been discussed about a thousand times so if you just want to point me to previous threads, that's great too. I have found that I don't really need the K-8 curriculum board anymore, but I feel like the new kid here. It's almost like having him back in first grade and asking about phonics programs again. Thanks for tolerating the slightly terrified mother of a Jr. Higher!

[Cadam]

:lurk5:

[Mrs Mungo]

I am starting to plan my son's 9th grade year. I am planning a WTM history/lit program that will lean toward the sciences and the history of discovery but still include a lot of great literature.

I feel like the first thing I need to do is to choose a spine; so hit me with your wisdom!

I have the second edition of TWTM and the core books listed are:
Spielvogel, The Timetables of History and the Dorling book.

Have the recommendations changed in the new edition?

I have yet to see Susan's History of the Ancient World but if I was to use it, would it sub in for one of the above?

I have the first and second editions of TWTM, not the third. However, Susan's book would substitute for the Spielvogel book. You will still need the others. BTW, I got *all* of the books for this on abebooks.

I would love to hear from those of you who have designed your own WTM based programs. I will admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed (thus I am researching and reading a year and a half early) but I have looked into many pre-planned programs and I am convinced that I need to customize my son's education for him to get the most out of it. None of the pre-written programs are quite what we need.

Any tips on choosing which great books to use? There are so many that I have never read and I know I can't read all of them. How do you go about choosing the books that are the best for your student and situation?

I am guessing that all of this has been discussed about a thousand times so if you just want to point me to previous threads, that's great too. I have found that I don't really need the K-8 curriculum board anymore, but I feel like the new kid here. It's almost like having him back in first grade and asking about phonics programs again. Thanks for tolerating the slightly terrified mother of a Jr. Higher!

Next year is my eldest dd's ninth grade year as well. I have the year planned out but I cannot speak to how well it worked. ;)

[Cadam]

Next year is my eldest dd's ninth grade year as well. I have the year planned out but I cannot speak to how well it worked. ;)

If it was easy to share and you didn't mind, I would love to see an example of how you went about planning it.

[Mrs Mungo]

I am basically doing the history bit as it is recommended in TWTM. I think it *sounds* more complicated than it is. I'm still typing up more specific plans on what she shall read and when (part of the reason I've been on the computer so much lately :tongue_smilie:).

Here's the great books piece of the plan (a friend and I are doing a class together):
I think what we settled on is meeting twice a month for 2-3 hours each time. We're doing one work per month and not meeting in December.

For the first class of the month: the teens will be expected to bring a short composition (most of them have done IEW) on the historical background to class. We'll talk about the historical setting, the genre and any mythological/literary background needed for the story. A lot of the ancient history includes various mythological characters. You need to know something about Medea's history before you read the play.They'll keep a log of notes while they read the work.

The second class we will discuss the text and analyze it. We'll go over what they need to know for an essay on the text. Lastly, we'll briefly touch on what was going on elsewhere in the world.

We thought we'd stick with mostly fictional works since that would give us more to talk about from a literary standpoint. Probably, most of the kids will read another work or two.

Month 1: Gilgamesh
2: Iliad
3: Agamemnon and Medea
4: Oedipus the King and Antigone
5. the Birds
6. On Poetics *or* the Odes
7. Aeneid
8. Metamorphoses

In all, they will do 16 papers (8 on the history, 8 on the text) and cover 9 works.

[Cadam]

Thank you! That gives me some things to think about.

[Lori D.]

... I feel like the new kid here. It's almost like having him back in first grade and asking about phonics programs again...


Welcome to high school, Christina! :) That's exactly how I felt, too, our whole first YEAR of homeschooling a highschooler! :)

What helped me most was hearing a homeschool convention session by Mary Schofield; she basically said: "Your time in high school is very limited; so it is critical to set priorities for high school." She explained how, and to FIRST consider spiritual and character priorities for your student, and the academics will fall in line. She also wrote a book: "The High School Handbook" = http://www.amazon.com/High-School-Handbook-Junior-Too/dp/0966093771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269580013&sr=1-1


I would love to hear from those of you who have designed your own WTM based programs...Any tips on choosing which great books to use?... How do you go about choosing the books that are the best for your student and situation?


Hearing all the wonderful BTDT experiences of the wise ladies on this board has been SO helpful for me! Since it sounds like you'd like to do some WTM history/lit BUT with a science/math focus, do some searches for tags with "Nan's Words of Wisdom", or for posts by Nan in Mass., as they are all engineering-oriented students, but have down WTM history/lit. And don't forget to take a look at some of the great packaged programs, such as Omnibus by Veritas Press.

I'm linking a lot of rich past threads for you, which I think may answer a lot of your questions. BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.



Threads for setting high school goals:

- "If you knew then what you know now"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158267

- "When formulating a high school plan"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154787



Threads with links to additional threads, all with GREAT SPECIFIC resources, tips, and info on planning highschool:

- "Soon to be a highschooler"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154193

- "For those of you with 8th graders considering homeschooling high school"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3487&highlight=normal



Threads on WTM style history/lit:

"Which 20 Books Help Prepare for Reading the Great Books?"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93913

"If you make up your own literature course list" -- a thread on how to pick which Great Books
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160309

"Do you follow WTM for high school?"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85560&highlight=high+school

"Does anyone do highschool history/lit ala WTM?"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81682&highlight=high+school

"Tell me about your traditional lit/history high school courses"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77827&highlight=high+school

"Is boxed curriculum no longer sufficient for high school?"
http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153360