Best approach for history......

[Michelle in AL]

What has been the best approach for history for your students (as far as retention):
Well Trained Method
Traditional Textbook
Homeschool curriculum (Notgrass, Mystery of History etc)
Literature approach (Sonlight, Omnibus, AO etc)

I'm trying to plan for next yr. I have Spielvogel's Human Odyssey which we used last yr along with Omnibus. I also have Mystery of History Vol 2 (seems a little young) and the books for the WTM method which we've never actually used.

I like Spielvogel, but I'm not sure how much we actually retain.

[stephanie78]

I am interested to see what others say about this. I have been considering this same thing. I have Mystery of History that I used with my younger kids. I am thinking I am going to use MOH but supplement with books from the Well Trained Mind, and assign some more in depth tasks.

[JennW in SoCal]

I think retention only happens when someone has some kind of context for connecting and remembering facts and dates and chronology. The WTM approach I think does that best, especially with a Great Books approach in high school where the student writes a context page for a particular work. I have a borrowed copy of the Omnibus I text and it provides lots of background and context for the assigned readings. Perhaps other programs do so as well, but in my opinion, simply reading a text book, no matter how well written, is never going to make history come alive or be meaningful or memorable.

I also think that no single program, no matter how popular or well designed, can possibly create all the context needed to remember the details of history. Sometimes you have to mine the unique interests and passions of a teen by letting them explore the history of sports, theater, horses, music, science or art. This is one of the ways I've successfully attacked history in high school, and I was tickled to read in the new WTM edition the same idea of having a student research the history of a favorite hobby or interest such as sports.

Pick a program or style that engages you and your teen but add to it by looking for topics of interest. Making timelines, watching movies, visiting museums are also worthwhile ways of making a period more tangible for teens. Just don't expect them to truly remember it all, no matter how wonderful your approach or the pedigree of the program or text. Maybe all you are doing is giving them a tiny "byte" of context so they can understand and retain more in the future -- but that is important and worthwhile.

[Kathie in VA]

I think retention only happens when someone has some kind of context for connecting and remembering facts and dates and chronology. The WTM approach I think does that best, especially with a Great Books approach in high school where the student writes a context page for a particular work. I have a borrowed copy of the Omnibus I text and it provides lots of background and context for the assigned readings. Perhaps other programs do so as well, but in my opinion, simply reading a text book, no matter how well written, is never going to make history come alive or be meaningful or memorable.

I also think that no single program, no matter how popular or well designed, can possibly create all the context needed to remember the details of history. Sometimes you have to mine the unique interests and passions of a teen by letting them explore the history of sports, theater, horses, music, science or art. This is one of the ways I've successfully attacked history in high school, and I was tickled to read in the new WTM edition the same idea of having a student research the history of a favorite hobby or interest such as sports.

Pick a program or style that engages you and your teen but add to it by looking for topics of interest. Making timelines, watching movies, visiting museums are also worthwhile ways of making a period more tangible for teens. Just don't expect them to truly remember it all, no matter how wonderful your approach or the pedigree of the program or text. Maybe all you are doing is giving them a tiny "byte" of context so they can understand and retain more in the future -- but that is important and worthwhile.

Thank you for this. It was very timely for me. I decided on Omni for my two oldest. Then decided that as much as I really want it all laid out, Omni required too much. Then I re-read the old WTM and liked the pattern of learning that it seemed to teach. Once in awhile I go back to Omni and 'decide' to just do some of it but then I realize I want my kids to go thru the pattern described in WTM so they can learn how to learn for themselves. Now if I could just stop re-deciding on a method and get down to picking the spine and planning the year :glare:.

[Kimm in WA]

FYI, you can pare down Omnibus. The Ancient (Omnibus I) is tough reading to start with, I think. Because of an older child, I started my younger boys (then 7th grade) with Omnibus II (Medieval) and it went much better for a 1st Omnibus year that the older boy. This year they will do Omnibus III, then we'll go back to Omnibus I for them. You could pick and choose the primary books you want to do, as well as weed out some secondary books. Also, remember that Omnibus is the equivalent of 3 high school courses: history, theology, and literature, so it's reasonable that it takes a long time. If you do it, you might need to cut back on other subjects. I personally think Omnibus is excellent. My 3 boys learn and retain much more than they do with other methods, including computer-based courses (like SOS, which they used for health), and BJU, which oldest is using for US History this year.

HTH,
Kimm in WA

[Michelle in AL]

Thanks Kimm, we did love Omnibus 1 which we did this yr. I think we all retained a lot of information. We did most of the primary and all the C.S. Lewis of the secondary. It was a great yr.

This yr I'm wanting to read fewer selections and some books that are different than Omnibus. I'm one of those people that like to tweak things my own way and once I'm done tweaking it's not too close to what we started with. :confused:

[Carol in Cal.]

Poor DD, with her mean mom, is not allowed to just turn on the computer or the TV whenever she is bored. So she turns on the SOTW CD's. Now, we did cover SOTW, along with many extra books, by reading it. And she has done a few big projects along the way (which is what I really retained from school). And she has attended historical sites and field trips, and tried native and early American crafts, and watched historical films and movies, and read a lot of historical fiction and biographies, and done a fair amount of history writing.

But the repetition of that material, orally, in the background, has stamped it into her brain. I only wish that there were similar CD's available at the high school level. She could start now, at 12, and learn all that before she got there.

I debate sometimes whether or not this is the right way to learn. I wonder, have I really taught her to learn from books? Why is this the main info that she covers every time we talk about history? But the truth is, for her learning style, this provides the best retention. She is really good at reading comprehension, but retention is a different matter. And I want her to develop the copia as well as the skills, so I'm cool with this.

[Mandy in TN]

What has been the best approach for history for your students (as far as retention):
Well Trained Method
Traditional Textbook
Homeschool curriculum (Notgrass, Mystery of History etc)
Literature approach (Sonlight, Omnibus, AO etc)

I'm trying to plan for next yr. I have Spielvogel's Human Odyssey which we used last yr along with Omnibus. I also have Mystery of History Vol 2 (seems a little young) and the books for the WTM method which we've never actually used.

I like Spielvogel, but I'm not sure how much we actually retain.

Peanut (ds 1)
8th grade
Omnibus 1 retained next to nothing
9th grade
1st semester TRISMS EOC great retention, but spend way too much time on rabbit trails (much much research and lots of discussion), so
2nd semester Speilvogel with Study Guide and TC Foundations of Western Civ only retained the info from the TC lectures
10th grade
Holt Geography Today remembers absolutely nothing
11th grade
2 semester of US history at the CC He had 3 hours of lecture every week, watched movies and wrote numerous papers. It was a wonderful experience and I am fairly certain that there will be wonderful retention as well.

It is obvious that this particular ds does best when he hears the material- even if like EOC he is the primary one doing the talking.

Cashew (ds 2)
last year
Painless American Govt, the 2 Standard Deviants Govt DVD's, TC Cycles of American Political Thought lectures, America Votes!, Not for Ourselves Alone DVD, and additional research hmm, I do think that we reinforced information from middle school, but no significant amount of new knowledge was retained.
this year
WP S&S much better

I'm not sure what to say about this ds. He just isn't very interested in history, but at least he doesn't complain incessantly about WP.

HTH-
Mandy

[Harrison_B]

Hi Michelle,

My sons are not big history fans, and their retention is about the same as a typical teenager. One book I wanted to share was a book called "History Greatest Hits" by Joseph Cummins. I found it at B&N in their clearance section. It is a great supplemental book for history. The book tells tales from The Ancient World (Hannibal Crosses the Alps, Julius Caesar, Fall of Roman Empire) to the Cold War and Beyond (Fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11). There are 37 stories and they are interesting stories. My younger son who doesn't like history at all can narrate the story of Hannibal crossing the Alps with great detail. This book can be used with any world history curriculum.

[Tami in CA]

Were going to be using Mystery of History and will do the older student activities and supplemental reading. :)

[Veronica in VA]

Every child is different but for my dd, the lit approach has been the best. We use Sonlight, and this has worked very well for her.

Veronica

[Kareni]

... the repetition of that material, orally, in the background, has stamped it into her brain. I only wish that there were similar CD's available at the high school level. She could start now, at 12, and learn all that before she got there.

... for her learning style, this provides the best retention.

There are so many good books that are also available as audio books. And be aware too of Teaching Company audios. You can probably find some great options for your daughter to take advantage of!


...One book I wanted to share was a book called "History Greatest Hits" by Joseph Cummins. ... The book tells tales from The Ancient World (Hannibal Crosses the Alps, Julius Caesar, Fall of Roman Empire) to the Cold War and Beyond (Fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11). There are 37 stories and they are interesting stories. My younger son who doesn't like history at all can narrate the story of Hannibal crossing the Alps with great detail. This book can be used with any world history curriculum.

This sounds like a great book! Thanks for sharing.

Regards,
Kareni

[imeverywoman]

but that he still recalls using a combination of my planning, along with Sonlight. Seriously, it baffles me at times to see what he still recalls from those early years!

[Stacy in NJ]

You may want to look at the audio book for A Little History of the World by Grombrich. It's available via amazon for $20.00.