How did you use SOTW 1 with a first grader?

[snickelfritz]

I was thinking SOTW (on audio) with some occasional AG activities, a timeline and related picture book readings.

Am I missing out by not planning for narrations, history notebook, etc...?

My way would let me do history in the car and projects once a week. The other way would take ????? days per week? Is it worth the extra time?



Is there another way that I'm missing?

[Susie in CA]

You can do the Audio CD's in the car and an occasional activity if that is how you want/need to work history into your day.

I do have to say, though, that SOTW 1 was our favorite history book of all time. How much time we spent and how we did it varied greatly because of the ages of dss at the time. One day we might read a section, do some oral narration, work on a project and read some picture books. At a different time we might skip the narration part. The third week I might write down the narration for them. SOTW 1 was so much fun!! We did the most projects for history then, especially the ones involving clay. The nile river project comes to mind here as well as the Minotaur Labyrinth. We read tons of books during the day as well as bedtime reading--they were just so much fun!

We, actually, moved to doing history in the car now that we are in SOTW 4. We are learning a lot but it just started to feel like a lot of work. SOTW 1 never felt that way.

Susie

[WTMindy]

We did all the parts. I read to them while they colored the page. We did the map and a project. I had them write and illustrate a narration for each chapter. I bound all of these together in a notebook (including pictures of their projects) and it is one of my most treasured homeschooling keepsakes. They LOVE to go back and look at their cute little pictures. I'm sure that you could get away with doing just the listening, but I think it would take some of the best things away from the program. I think by writing about it, it helps solidify it in their minds.

But, you can make it work for you the other way, too. I would encourage you not to skip the projects. They are a pain, but they really made my kids enjoy and love history.

[Laurel]

I read the chapter while she colors the coloring page. We go over the review questions and she dictates a short narration (1 sentence usually) to me. We do copywork and map work.

The next day we read additional reading, and maybe watch a DE Streaming video. And we do a project. I take a picture of the project to go in the history notebook.

I try to make a point to listen to the chapter on audio CD in the car sometime that week as well.

It is worth the time for us. We both enjoy the projects and readings, and I think everyone in the house is learning a lot of history. :D

[KAM]

We just started SOTW 2, which we are using the same way as for first grade-

Day 1: I read the chapter, she narrates after each section and I write it down and read it back to her. We do the map work and coloring page and file it in her notebook. If I have go along books ready we start on those.

Day 2: We listen to the audio (I use this time to check out the encylopedia we use the Usborne Internet Linked History one so I see if there are any good links to follow). We do some extra readings if we found anything good at the library. We do a project- often that gets pushed to a 3rd day.

The projects and coloring pages are dd's favorite parts and she does like doing the notebook and showing it to her dad. We love this program, it's definitely worth the extra time to us.

[sagira]

My plan for next year:

Day 1: SOTW chapter reading (by me) and narration
Day 2: Map work and activity (while listening to same SOTW chapter on CD)
Day 3: Usborne Encyclopedia and Book of the Centuries (similar to history notebook, with timeline, people and figures)
Day 4: Supplemental reading and project

Extra: SOTW audio in the car for reinforcement, or review from previous chapter

Too much stuff to do for less than four days. We also ascribe to short lessons, a la Charlotte Mason, so we're shooting for 20 min. each. The project can take longer, of course, but is planned for the evening when Daddy gets home ;)

[Penelope]

We are halfway through first grade and SOTW1.

Ds nearly always narrates--we do one section of the chapter at a time, so that is usually two days per week. I write his narration down and he draws a picture. We do the map on the first day. From time to time we also use the globe or our world wall map, and with this we can review the previous chapters and what happened in the different areas.

I always search my library for the supplemental reading, but only have something maybe every 2-3 weeks. I don't worry about it. We just read these when we can, some time during the week. Sometimes over several weeks, in the case of Egyptian and Roman myths, and the retellings of the Iliad and the Odyssey--these type of books are not part of our "history time", but just part of life, and we read them in short segments and we take turns telling back (I need to do it, too, so I can keep all of the characters straight!).

I think the AG projects are great, but most of them don't appeal to ds. I do see him incorporating history into his play, or sometimes he will take one of the project ideas and think of something else that is sort of related, to do. They are not typical cookie cutter projects; most of them are neat ideas, ah well, maybe my second child will want to do them in a few years.