TOG ques

[swellmomma]

I have seen several posts on here about TOG and how great it is, so after checking out the website for it I thought it looked pretty cool. My question is though how intertwined is American history in it? As a Canadian I do not want my kids to have a major focus on US history until they actually know Canadian history. Is it easy to tweak it to have more Canadian history and less American? Or does the whole thing have a US slant on it?

[ruth]

I guess it would depend on the year you began in. We have done year 2 and are now in year 3, and there is alot of American History, but we are also learning about South America, Australia, and the reign of Queen Victoria.

you could just downplay the American History parts, maybe find some Canadian history that would fit into the same time period.

I would post your ? on the TOG forums and you might get more help

[Lisawa]

I have seen several posts on here about TOG and how great it is, so after checking out the website for it I thought it looked pretty cool. My question is though how intertwined is American history in it? As a Canadian I do not want my kids to have a major focus on US history until they actually know Canadian history. Is it easy to tweak it to have more Canadian history and less American? Or does the whole thing have a US slant on it?


In years 1 and half of year 2, no... it doesnt... but from year 2 unit 3-year 4 it does... I have seen this question posed before....but not sure how far anyone has gotten..... but to me it seems like it would be a lot of work....

Have you gone to one of the yahoogroups or even TOG forums?? I think they have a link specifically for Canadian users....

TOG users in other Countries (http://tapestryofgrace.groupee.net/eve/forums/a/frm/f/6521059621)

If you have not registered to use the tog forums... you will need to, to see the link page... but its free...

[swellmomma]

Thanks ladies I will check out the tog forums

[siloam]

I have seen several posts on here about TOG and how great it is, so after checking out the website for it I thought it looked pretty cool. My question is though how intertwined is American history in it? As a Canadian I do not want my kids to have a major focus on US history until they actually know Canadian history. Is it easy to tweak it to have more Canadian history and less American? Or does the whole thing have a US slant on it?

Have you looked at the topics lists? Do you want something that is all planned out for you or do you just need an outline of ideas?

If you just need the outline of ideas I think you could make TOG work. You would simply choose to focus more heavily on World History and when the week was primarily US history you would cover it lightly or use the opportunity to focus on something else that was going on at the same time. A composer, artist, invention, ect... Usually I use the Timeline list to take me in other directions. You would probably replace the President study with a study of the Prime Minister's, Sovereigns and/or Governor General's of Canada over the ages (and I had to go look Canadian Government up on Wikipedia to figure out that much, LOL!). You would replace the state study with Canadian Providences. I personally wouldn't find these difficult to schedule in, but if you wanted something that didn't require any work, then I don't think TOG would work beyond year 1 and half of year 2, which ends with the American Revolution...but if I remember right it is covered in 2 weeks. Year 3 would be the worst, IMO. You have several weeks just on the Civil War, you have the west ward expansion, California Gold Rush, ect... Now that is not to say they don't cover other parts of the world. There is a week in India and two weeks on Africa and the Crimean war gets a week, but overall it is heavy on US History. Then from what I have previewed of year 4 it widens back out and takes more of a World view of the 20th century. Several weeks cover other countries and when WWII is covered (I think over 5 weeks), it doesn't even get to US involvement till week 4.

The only other problem I can think of that you might run into is that while the topic might be world history, but the book that TOG recommends might be written from a US perspective. Or there might be cultural information included in a week that only applies to the US. For example in Year 4 there is a week where the older children focus on one topic (probably war related) and the younger kids cover Neil Armstrong and the trip to the moon. Here is where you could just find a substitute text on the space race that wasn't from primarily a US perspective. You could still probably use the Literature, mapping, vocab and such. You would just get a book with a wider view of things.

Heather

[swellmomma]

Thank You Siloam, it is great amount of information. I don't need everything planned out for me just more help in tieing everything together kwim and how to work with kids in all different levels at the same time as I have 3 in different levels right now. I am fine with them learning about major figures in history like Neil Armstrong etc I just worry about a program that is egocentrically American being too difficult to work with as a Canadian. This is part of what put me off of SL after a year with them. I am looking at Yr2 for next year as I think my plan for this year is fine with what I already have going. Hmmm I will need to think on this some more, I don't mind making substitutions, I just don't want to have to sub the whole program kwim