RebeccaC- ? about WP S&S

[Mandy in TN]

I am considering using this next year with my 14yo ds and in a search I saw that you are using S&S with the OLG this year with older dss.

My question is regarding the necessity of the OLG. My ds will be taking LA through a tutorial (so I won't need the OLG LA) and I plan to add in a light modern history text- Walch's Power Basics World History 3 (so I won't need the extra history), so is there any reason why I might want to purchase the OLG?

Thanks-
Mandy

[RebeccaC]

Mandy I originally only bought the OLG but caved in an bought the regular guide just so I could get the list of documentaries and see where they scheduled a couple of the books I had that are not scheduled in the OLG. Here are 3 reasons to buy the OLG,

1. there is a recommended reading list not contained in the regular guide. These are the books my boys have liked best. These books however are not scheduled.

2. the schedule is paired down to what an older student can do on their own and can be handed off to the student at the beginning of the week. The schedule includes readings, map work, time line work, note booking, and websites.

3. the guide contains a page that lists 3 week projects for older students to do. There are 4 categories; hands on, creative, people-related, and geeked up. The page also contains weekly writing assignments. Here is the list for week 11

Hands on: Draw design plans that demonstrate how a steering wheel moves a rudder.......

Creative: Create an Old World map showing the defeat of the Spanish Armada.......

People-Related; Present an informal seminar to a group of children on pirates.....

Geeked Up: Continue to create a website on the age of exploration......

The child is suppose to pick one and work on it for 3 weeks a few take a bit longer.

The writing choices for week 11 are;

Gunpowder Goes to Sea
Guns on Ships fight for empire
The line battle tactic.

The writing can be as long as you want it to be. So anywhere from a paragraph to an essay. The child is suppose to pick one do some research and write.

The history book for the OLG is pretty dry kinda of history for the engineering type... and the hull was expanded x amount which alowed..... My younger son loves it and my older finds it boring so I let him drop it and replaced it with another book. I have not seen the book they recommend for the sky part yet but it is a DK book and usually Dk is a hit here.

Hope this helps :)

Blessings,
Rebecca

[RebeccaC]

I got to thinking later that I should explain the recommended reading list. It is adventure type books. There are fiction, bios, and real adventure type books and a few classics. My boys favs have been those published by Bethlehem books, Midshipman Quinn and Cleared For Action.

[Mandy in TN]

3 reasons to buy the OLG

1. there is a recommended reading list not contained in the regular guide. These are the books my boys have liked best. These books however are not scheduled.

We won't need these, because ds will be taking LA at a tutorial.

2. the schedule is paired down to what an older student can do on their own and can be handed off to the student at the beginning of the week. The schedule includes readings, map work, time line work, note booking, and websites.

Is this stuff included in the program guide?

3. the guide contains a page that lists 3 week projects for older students to do. There are 4 categories; hands on, creative, people-related, and geeked up. The page also contains weekly writing assignments.

We will be adding in some modern history and the LA from the tutorial, so we won't need these either.

Hope this helps :)

Thanks, I think that I will purchase the program guide and start planning. After I make the schedule for history and see the schedule for the tutorial, I will decide if we need the OLG. LOL, I'll probably end up purchasing the OLG at the last minute in Aug.

Blessings,
Rebecca

Thanks again-
Mandy

[RebeccaC]

Is this stuff included in the program guide?

Yes. This might be a bit sacrilegious but since this is the WTM boards and not the WP I will write this out..... Unless you are planning on playing the history games in the main teachers guide or just really really want the documentaries list you could skip the TM and just go with the OLG. That is a huge savings. I really don't think the list of documentaries was worth $70. and that is about all I have used the main guide for.

One add on that is not listed in WP guide that is well worth spending money on for older learners is the complete Horatio Hornblower DVD series. I bought ours off of Ebay for about $35. It perfectly demonstrates many nautical phrases. For instance Mr. Bowditch mentions quite a few times the saying, sailing by an ash breeze, well at least two of the Hornblower episodes demonstrates that very well. As well as the saying being over a barrel. The 8 DVD set also has a lot of bonus features that will extend the study of S&S. A couple of documentaries on ships and some on how they made the series and filming on a sailing ship, nautical terms dictionary, ect...... Besides the fact that the series is full of action and very appealing to teen boys :)

Blessings,
Rebecca

[Mandy in TN]

Thanks!:)