I’ve posted previously that I just wasn’t happy with the way history was proceeding this year for EG. Logic stage history is supposed to be about making connections, discovering the “why” behind history, and delving into cause and effect. I felt like it had instead become a checklist and the result was merely a continuation of learning and approaches like those used in grammar stage. Ouch!
I decided to make a change for next year. Instead of continuing with a chronological study of the world, using a spine, we’re going to look at history through different ‘lenses’ for the next two years (sixth and seventh grades, approximately). Next year, EG is going to study physical geography, the history of cartography, and a bit of cultural geography, all through Ellen McHenry’s Mapping the World with Art. One of things that appealed to me was the drawing component; art skills is one area that continually gets neglected in our home/school. I ordered it last weekend, received it last week, and spent the weekend printing it out and then reading through the history material, the map drawing directions, and the activity suggestions.
I’m really excited about this course of study for next year! Now, if you’re familiar with the curriculum, you know that it really doesn’t include any cultural geography, and that is an area we’ll supplement somewhat. In theory, we have 30-60 minutes set aside each week for art skills, plus 3 hours a week for history/social sciences. With this amount of time, I’m confident EG will be able to complete the reading, the map drawings, one to four activities per chapter, and still have time for a bit of supplementary reading and projects. We may use Evan-Moor geography units for each continent to enhance the physical geography, or we may not; I have to procure at least one in order to decide. One of the things I really want to do is incorporate some cooking for various countries and geographical areas. I also want EG to complete four projects over the course of the year (approximately one per quarter, or one per every seven to eight chapters). Essentially, I’m thinking of having EG do these projects each on a topic that is more related to cultural geography or the history of cartography (as opposed to physical geography), and she’ll have a choice of what format in which to present each one: a display board, a standard essay or paper, a Keynote/PowerPoint-style presentation on the computer, or a website are the formats I’ve brainstormed for now. We’ll also try to actually take advantage of the library for the cultural geography study; I’m thinking of those series of books in the children’s section that cover most of the countries in five or six well-photographed chapters per book/country.
This year of study won’t lend itself to writing as well as straight history might, so I’ll have to make sure to include outlining practice and writing practice in other subjects moreso than I might otherwise would have. It won’t give EG a chance to practice interpreting written primary sources, but it will give her experience with a different type of primary source: old maps! Since the course is projected to take only thirty weeks, we may take time halfway through to do a Jackdaw, and again at the end of the course. Even with these potential downsides, though, I feel like it’s a great choice for her for the coming academic year.
Showing posts with label homeschool: history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool: history. Show all posts
21.2.11
However, I Don't Care For Cherries
Happy Presidents' Day!
I still vaguely remember when it was called Washington's Birthday, and people remarked on Lincoln's Birthday as well. Does this make me old?
EG & FB don't have Master's Academy today, because of Presidents' Day, but we're still having school here at home. I did manage to plan some Presidents' Day themed reading, though.
FB and PC are going to listen to Anne Rockwell's Presidents' Day, which, to be honest, was something of a late addition; PC spotted it at the library and decided we had to bring it home with us.
FB has two readers for today, George Washington--Soldier, Hero, President and Abraham Lincoln: Lawyer, Leader, Legend. I had hoped to find a reader about Thomas Jefferson, but I didn't have any luck with that at the store I tried, and I didn't have a chance to look at any others.
FB & EG will both listen to Yes, We Can! and (over the course of the week ) Don't Know Much About the Presidents.
Finally, EG will read The Complete Idiot's Guide to the American Presidency.
If we were looking to spend lots of money, or our library carried them, we would watch the Mike Venezia-produced videos on Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. Since neither of those are true, we won't, but I do wish our library had them. Three of the courses offered by The Great Courses (formerly The Teaching Company) look interesting for the future: Mr. Lincoln: The Life of Abraham Lincoln (12 lectures); Abraham Lincoln: In His Own Words (24 lectures); and Great Presidents (48 lectures).
What are you doing to mark Presidents' Day? Do you celebrate it at all? Perhaps you're more the type to bake a cherry pie or make a pretzel-log cabin? Inquiring minds (well, okay, one mind–mine) want to know!
I still vaguely remember when it was called Washington's Birthday, and people remarked on Lincoln's Birthday as well. Does this make me old?
EG & FB don't have Master's Academy today, because of Presidents' Day, but we're still having school here at home. I did manage to plan some Presidents' Day themed reading, though.
FB and PC are going to listen to Anne Rockwell's Presidents' Day, which, to be honest, was something of a late addition; PC spotted it at the library and decided we had to bring it home with us.
FB has two readers for today, George Washington--Soldier, Hero, President and Abraham Lincoln: Lawyer, Leader, Legend. I had hoped to find a reader about Thomas Jefferson, but I didn't have any luck with that at the store I tried, and I didn't have a chance to look at any others.
FB & EG will both listen to Yes, We Can! and (over the course of the week ) Don't Know Much About the Presidents.
Finally, EG will read The Complete Idiot's Guide to the American Presidency.
If we were looking to spend lots of money, or our library carried them, we would watch the Mike Venezia-produced videos on Washington, Adams, and Jefferson. Since neither of those are true, we won't, but I do wish our library had them. Three of the courses offered by The Great Courses (formerly The Teaching Company) look interesting for the future: Mr. Lincoln: The Life of Abraham Lincoln (12 lectures); Abraham Lincoln: In His Own Words (24 lectures); and Great Presidents (48 lectures).
What are you doing to mark Presidents' Day? Do you celebrate it at all? Perhaps you're more the type to bake a cherry pie or make a pretzel-log cabin? Inquiring minds (well, okay, one mind–mine) want to know!
11.11.10
Duh! Not Just History (A Follow-Up of Sorts)
The category says “social sciences,” not just “history.”
In general, colleges want to see a year of American history/government. Yes, that’s how I keep seeing it listed. Government is not, strictly speaking, the province of history, but rather political science.
Social sciences, however, encapsulates a range of disciplines. Wikipedia lists the branches of social science as “anthropology, economics, education, geography, history, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, [and] sociology.”
One of the advantages of homeschooling is customizing education to a student’s strengths. Beyond that, I can see many more opportunities for linking cause and effect explicitly within such fields as economics and geography.
I don’t have an answer for where I want to go with this. The short answer is that at the very least, I want to integrate the social sciences into EG’s other courses of study. It would require ‘dialing back’ a bit with regards to history expectations, and adding material alongside.
What kinds of materials am I looking at?
• creating an economics course using a multitude of resources, including the Life of Fred Pre-Algebra 2: Economics book, and possibly The Literary Book of Economics
• studying United States government and politics, using some of the Complete Idiot’s series: U.S. Government & Politics and The American Presidency
• cultural anthropology, using The Teaching Company’s People and Cultures of the World, or biological anthropology, using Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective
• psychology, for which there are numerous resources
• similarly, philosophy
• geography, starting perhaps with Ellen McHenry’s Mapping the World With Art (again, another possibility in Geography)
• linguistics and the history of the English language, using Excavating English
• perhaps an introduction to Constitutional law? There’s a Complete Idiot’s Guide to the US Constitution that might provide a good starting point for a middle school or early high school course, along with The Federalist Papers and The Anti-Federalist Papers.
• Mark Kurlansky’s books could provide a different avenue for studying aspects of history.
• Both history and music, I fully intend to put together a “History of Rock N Roll” course for my kids when they are each in high school. I’ll use something like this, and add reading and further listening for a nice 0.5 credit course. Maybe we’ll culminate it with a vacation that includes a swing by Cleveland, OH for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.
What are some not-quite-as-typical ideas that you have for social sciences (or another area, for that matter)? Resources you’ve spotted that look like a great deal of fun? Bonus points if you can steer me towards some resources for sustainable agriculture, whether from an economic or scientific perspective.
In general, colleges want to see a year of American history/government. Yes, that’s how I keep seeing it listed. Government is not, strictly speaking, the province of history, but rather political science.
Social sciences, however, encapsulates a range of disciplines. Wikipedia lists the branches of social science as “anthropology, economics, education, geography, history, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, [and] sociology.”
One of the advantages of homeschooling is customizing education to a student’s strengths. Beyond that, I can see many more opportunities for linking cause and effect explicitly within such fields as economics and geography.
I don’t have an answer for where I want to go with this. The short answer is that at the very least, I want to integrate the social sciences into EG’s other courses of study. It would require ‘dialing back’ a bit with regards to history expectations, and adding material alongside.
What kinds of materials am I looking at?
• creating an economics course using a multitude of resources, including the Life of Fred Pre-Algebra 2: Economics book, and possibly The Literary Book of Economics
• studying United States government and politics, using some of the Complete Idiot’s series: U.S. Government & Politics and The American Presidency
• cultural anthropology, using The Teaching Company’s People and Cultures of the World, or biological anthropology, using Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective
• psychology, for which there are numerous resources
• similarly, philosophy
• geography, starting perhaps with Ellen McHenry’s Mapping the World With Art (again, another possibility in Geography)
• linguistics and the history of the English language, using Excavating English
• perhaps an introduction to Constitutional law? There’s a Complete Idiot’s Guide to the US Constitution that might provide a good starting point for a middle school or early high school course, along with The Federalist Papers and The Anti-Federalist Papers.
• Mark Kurlansky’s books could provide a different avenue for studying aspects of history.
• Both history and music, I fully intend to put together a “History of Rock N Roll” course for my kids when they are each in high school. I’ll use something like this, and add reading and further listening for a nice 0.5 credit course. Maybe we’ll culminate it with a vacation that includes a swing by Cleveland, OH for the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame & Museum.
What are some not-quite-as-typical ideas that you have for social sciences (or another area, for that matter)? Resources you’ve spotted that look like a great deal of fun? Bonus points if you can steer me towards some resources for sustainable agriculture, whether from an economic or scientific perspective.
8.11.10
Historically Speaking
What’s the point?
I know exactly my aims in terms of grammar stage history. I want to introduce my grammar stage child (currently, FB) to famous people and personalities, and to the stories, myths, and legends of various cultures and time periods. Keeping this purpose firmly in mind helps me when choosing our overall curriculum (Story of the World), as well as when choosing supplemental titles, whether fictional or otherwise. The purpose – the point – is clear.
Similarly, I have a purpose in mind when I contemplate rhetoric stage (high school) history. I want to see evaluation and synthesis. More prosaically, there’s preparation for college level history and historical analysis. Here, again, then, the purpose of history study in these years is made somewhat clear. Using college-level texts and complex writing assignments are two ways to meet those goals, and choosing other materials and resources is made somewhat easier when looking through the prism of the goals of evaluation and synthesis.
Honestly, however, I have trouble finding the same clarity with regards to logic stage (or middle school) history. The Well-Trained Mind talks about exploring cause and effect during the logic stage, and on the surface, this does indeed sound like a fine purpose. In practice, however, this gives little direction for choosing methods or materials. In fact, I think that Susan Wise Bauer realizes this, as the chapter of The Well-Trained Mind that tackles logic stage history provides some of the most elaborate description of the book. In the end, however, when I read that chapter, I too often feel like some of the work prescribed falls under the aegis of busy work; work for work’s sake.
Here, for an example, is a week of history for EG, using The Well-Trained Mind as a guide.
01. Read a double-page spread in History: The Definitive Visual Guide.
02. Re-read the same double-page spread, this time listing important facts found.
03. Mark all dates on time line.
04. Find the region under study on the globe, on the wall map, and in the atlas. Read any relevant commentary in the atlas. [Currently, we don’t have an atlas, but as soon as we do, this will be part of her assignment.]
05. Read any assigned reading and/or biographies.
06. Write a summary for the week on one topic from the double-page spread; use assigned reading or any additional resources for further information.
07. Evaluate a primary source from the time period and culture under study.
08. Create a one point outline.
Something I do not require, which is listed in The Well-Trained Mind, is to make a one to two paragraph biographical summary for any important people encountered in the reading.
That is quite a bit of work, especially if any additional reading is required. I can see where reading about geography may assist in terms of cause and effect, as well as perhaps evaluating a primary source. The summary could be a way to expound upon cause and effect. None of the components, however, seems to be an overall guide to how this should work. None of it seems to be the magic pill that helps explicate cause and effect, or teaches about it, or puts things in context. All of content is still jumbled together. I can perhaps see where each of these individually might lead to an understanding of cause and effect if they were done with me by her side, explaining every step. I feel that she needs independent work, however, and I’m not confident that I would always see the connection. And, well – frankly, I don’t really enjoy ancient history.
Where does that leave me? It leaves me pondering the entire scope of what I have planned for logic stage, actually. Further, I’m swinging again on the pendulum between ‘a Great Books-style integrated study of literature and history’ and ‘gearing our social sciences curricula to both play to EG’s strengths and to be imitative of the best prep schools.’ Generally, when I have a “crisis of faith,” I merely re-read The Well-Trained Mind and have my faith restored, but I’m not so confident that that method will work in this case. For starters, I just re-read the portion of WTM concerned with logic-stage history. I remain convinced that history provides excellent content for practicing the skills of writing and outlining; I similarly view the practice evaluating primary sources as valuable. I just can’t seem to muster up enthusiasm for the remainder of it.
On the other hand, all of this could be explained by the fact that we’ll hit the halfway point (in terms of required number of days) for our school year somewhere around Thanksgiving, and will have somewhere between 105 and 110 days logged when we break for Christmas & New Year’s. Maybe it’s the January Itch come early.
I know exactly my aims in terms of grammar stage history. I want to introduce my grammar stage child (currently, FB) to famous people and personalities, and to the stories, myths, and legends of various cultures and time periods. Keeping this purpose firmly in mind helps me when choosing our overall curriculum (Story of the World), as well as when choosing supplemental titles, whether fictional or otherwise. The purpose – the point – is clear.
Similarly, I have a purpose in mind when I contemplate rhetoric stage (high school) history. I want to see evaluation and synthesis. More prosaically, there’s preparation for college level history and historical analysis. Here, again, then, the purpose of history study in these years is made somewhat clear. Using college-level texts and complex writing assignments are two ways to meet those goals, and choosing other materials and resources is made somewhat easier when looking through the prism of the goals of evaluation and synthesis.
Honestly, however, I have trouble finding the same clarity with regards to logic stage (or middle school) history. The Well-Trained Mind talks about exploring cause and effect during the logic stage, and on the surface, this does indeed sound like a fine purpose. In practice, however, this gives little direction for choosing methods or materials. In fact, I think that Susan Wise Bauer realizes this, as the chapter of The Well-Trained Mind that tackles logic stage history provides some of the most elaborate description of the book. In the end, however, when I read that chapter, I too often feel like some of the work prescribed falls under the aegis of busy work; work for work’s sake.
Here, for an example, is a week of history for EG, using The Well-Trained Mind as a guide.
01. Read a double-page spread in History: The Definitive Visual Guide.
02. Re-read the same double-page spread, this time listing important facts found.
03. Mark all dates on time line.
04. Find the region under study on the globe, on the wall map, and in the atlas. Read any relevant commentary in the atlas. [Currently, we don’t have an atlas, but as soon as we do, this will be part of her assignment.]
05. Read any assigned reading and/or biographies.
06. Write a summary for the week on one topic from the double-page spread; use assigned reading or any additional resources for further information.
07. Evaluate a primary source from the time period and culture under study.
08. Create a one point outline.
Something I do not require, which is listed in The Well-Trained Mind, is to make a one to two paragraph biographical summary for any important people encountered in the reading.
That is quite a bit of work, especially if any additional reading is required. I can see where reading about geography may assist in terms of cause and effect, as well as perhaps evaluating a primary source. The summary could be a way to expound upon cause and effect. None of the components, however, seems to be an overall guide to how this should work. None of it seems to be the magic pill that helps explicate cause and effect, or teaches about it, or puts things in context. All of content is still jumbled together. I can perhaps see where each of these individually might lead to an understanding of cause and effect if they were done with me by her side, explaining every step. I feel that she needs independent work, however, and I’m not confident that I would always see the connection. And, well – frankly, I don’t really enjoy ancient history.
Where does that leave me? It leaves me pondering the entire scope of what I have planned for logic stage, actually. Further, I’m swinging again on the pendulum between ‘a Great Books-style integrated study of literature and history’ and ‘gearing our social sciences curricula to both play to EG’s strengths and to be imitative of the best prep schools.’ Generally, when I have a “crisis of faith,” I merely re-read The Well-Trained Mind and have my faith restored, but I’m not so confident that that method will work in this case. For starters, I just re-read the portion of WTM concerned with logic-stage history. I remain convinced that history provides excellent content for practicing the skills of writing and outlining; I similarly view the practice evaluating primary sources as valuable. I just can’t seem to muster up enthusiasm for the remainder of it.
On the other hand, all of this could be explained by the fact that we’ll hit the halfway point (in terms of required number of days) for our school year somewhere around Thanksgiving, and will have somewhere between 105 and 110 days logged when we break for Christmas & New Year’s. Maybe it’s the January Itch come early.
10.4.10
The "Ideal Curriculum" - History
I've been putting off the ideal mathematics & ideal science plans, mainly because there is such wonderful variation in those two areas. So, instead, I'll turn towards history, which isn't so much a plan as an outline. After all, I subscribe to the idea of using a spine and then using lots of real books and primary sources to flesh out the spine text; I'm not about to start enumerating all the possible supplemental sources. Here, then, is the basic plan I intend to follow with both FB & PC. EG's will look the same from fifth grade onward.
Birth Through Age Four
• Important parts of the American mythology introduced via picture books and as seasonally appropriate (e.g., Thanksgiving, George Washington, Paul Bunyan, The Star-Spangled Banner, The Ride of Paul Revere).
Kindergarten
• Ancient history through 400 C.E., utilizing The Story of the World Volume One: Ancient Times, the corresponding activity book, and supplemental history books and biographies.
First Grade
• Medieval history, the Renaissance, and the Reformation (400-1600 C.E.), utilizing The Story of the World Volume Two: The Middle Ages, the corresponding activity book, and supplemental history books and biographies.
Second Grade
• Early modern history (1600-1850 C.E.), utilizing The Story of the World Volume Three: Early Modern Times, the corresponding activity book, and supplemental history books and biographies.
Third Grade
• A one year concentration on United States History, using DK's Children's Encyclopedia of American History as a spine text.
Fourth Grade
• Modern history (1850 C.E. through the present), utilizing The Story of the World Volume Four: The Modern Age, the corresponding activity book, and supplemental history books and biographies.
Fifth Grade
• Year one of a three-year cycle, covering ancient times through approximately 1000 C.E., using History: The Definitive Visual Guide as a spine text.
Sixth Grade
• Year two of a three-year cycle, covering the remainder of the middle ages through approximately 1700 C.E., using History: The Definitive Visual Guide as a spine text.
Seventh Grade
• Year three of a three-year cycle, covering from approximately 1700 C.E. through to the present, using History: The Definitive Visual Guide as a spine text.
Eighth Grade
• One year of United States history, using Joy Hakim's Story of US series, Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Out of the Past, and other primary sources.
Ninth Grade
• Back to the four-year cycle, beginning again with ancients via History of the Ancient World.
Tenth Grade
• Medieval times are next, using History of the Medieval World.
Eleventh Grade
• Early modern era, using whatever SWB titles the third book. :)
Twelfth Grade
• Back around towards the present, again using SWB, this time the as yet unwritten and untitled fourth book.
That's the gist of it. As I said above, all of this would be supplemented with history books, biographies, primary sources, and so forth.
Birth Through Age Four
• Important parts of the American mythology introduced via picture books and as seasonally appropriate (e.g., Thanksgiving, George Washington, Paul Bunyan, The Star-Spangled Banner, The Ride of Paul Revere).
Kindergarten
• Ancient history through 400 C.E., utilizing The Story of the World Volume One: Ancient Times, the corresponding activity book, and supplemental history books and biographies.
First Grade
• Medieval history, the Renaissance, and the Reformation (400-1600 C.E.), utilizing The Story of the World Volume Two: The Middle Ages, the corresponding activity book, and supplemental history books and biographies.
Second Grade
• Early modern history (1600-1850 C.E.), utilizing The Story of the World Volume Three: Early Modern Times, the corresponding activity book, and supplemental history books and biographies.
Third Grade
• A one year concentration on United States History, using DK's Children's Encyclopedia of American History as a spine text.
Fourth Grade
• Modern history (1850 C.E. through the present), utilizing The Story of the World Volume Four: The Modern Age, the corresponding activity book, and supplemental history books and biographies.
Fifth Grade
• Year one of a three-year cycle, covering ancient times through approximately 1000 C.E., using History: The Definitive Visual Guide as a spine text.
Sixth Grade
• Year two of a three-year cycle, covering the remainder of the middle ages through approximately 1700 C.E., using History: The Definitive Visual Guide as a spine text.
Seventh Grade
• Year three of a three-year cycle, covering from approximately 1700 C.E. through to the present, using History: The Definitive Visual Guide as a spine text.
Eighth Grade
• One year of United States history, using Joy Hakim's Story of US series, Zinn's A People's History of the United States, Out of the Past, and other primary sources.
Ninth Grade
• Back to the four-year cycle, beginning again with ancients via History of the Ancient World.
Tenth Grade
• Medieval times are next, using History of the Medieval World.
Eleventh Grade
• Early modern era, using whatever SWB titles the third book. :)
Twelfth Grade
• Back around towards the present, again using SWB, this time the as yet unwritten and untitled fourth book.
That's the gist of it. As I said above, all of this would be supplemented with history books, biographies, primary sources, and so forth.
4.3.10
Secular Thursday: Planning and Pre-Planned
I've spent the last three or four days immersed in lists, planning for next year. I have our actual curriculum determined, and will be placing the last necessary orders tomorrow. What I didn't have determined was all of the real books that we use. We use real books for literature, somewhat obviously, and history, too, but also science, art, and music, depending on the topic at hand.
My first item of business was to finalize what books to use for history for both EG and FB. There are a few that will overlap - thank you, David Macaulay! - but overall, EG is ahead of the curve enough that resources that are appropriate for her are just too much for a kindergartener, even a bright and inquisitive one. Which, of course, meant two lists.
As I approached the third or fourth hour of looking up books and eliminating those that were out of print, I reflected upon the fact that while it seemed somewhat like drudgery, I did enjoy it, for the most part. We very briefly tried a pre-planned curriculum when EG preschool-age, and I tweaked it mercilessly. Pre-planned just doesn't work for us.
However, it's a good thing that I enjoy planning, because if I wanted a pre-planned package, I would have considerable difficulty finding one to suit our needs.
If you are more conservative Christian, there are a number of pre-planned package programs using a variety of styles. There's Sonlight, of course, and Winter Promise, My Father's World, and Heart of Dakota. While not quite as packaged, there's also Tapestry of Grace.
If you want something a little more nonsectarian, you have approximately one choice, in terms of pre-scheduled guides: History Odyssey. It, however, is not a package as such, as you need to collect the various resources separately, which makes it perhaps a better analogue for a program such as Biblioplan.
As I said, I like this process - dividing up our spine text, partitioning the assigned reading, developing the written assignments to correspond with it. Even when I'm frustrated, I like lining up our literature to more or less correspond to what we're studying in history. So the lack of an appropriate program doesn't affect me very much. I suspect there are those out there for whom it does, however.
Sometimes I consider making my own schedules pretty, and making them available inexpensively as a pdf. I don't have a good sense of average reading speeds, though, much less average anything else. The plans I make end up being customized not just for our family, but for each particular child. So, in general, I lean towards making them available for free, so that the next homeschooling parent can use and tweak upon my foundation. I don't claim to be anything but organized. That said, some samples can be found at Scribd, and I'm happy to email those files which are not posted in their entirety.
And now I've got to get back to plotting out art & music appreciation. ;)
My first item of business was to finalize what books to use for history for both EG and FB. There are a few that will overlap - thank you, David Macaulay! - but overall, EG is ahead of the curve enough that resources that are appropriate for her are just too much for a kindergartener, even a bright and inquisitive one. Which, of course, meant two lists.
As I approached the third or fourth hour of looking up books and eliminating those that were out of print, I reflected upon the fact that while it seemed somewhat like drudgery, I did enjoy it, for the most part. We very briefly tried a pre-planned curriculum when EG preschool-age, and I tweaked it mercilessly. Pre-planned just doesn't work for us.
However, it's a good thing that I enjoy planning, because if I wanted a pre-planned package, I would have considerable difficulty finding one to suit our needs.
If you are more conservative Christian, there are a number of pre-planned package programs using a variety of styles. There's Sonlight, of course, and Winter Promise, My Father's World, and Heart of Dakota. While not quite as packaged, there's also Tapestry of Grace.
If you want something a little more nonsectarian, you have approximately one choice, in terms of pre-scheduled guides: History Odyssey. It, however, is not a package as such, as you need to collect the various resources separately, which makes it perhaps a better analogue for a program such as Biblioplan.
As I said, I like this process - dividing up our spine text, partitioning the assigned reading, developing the written assignments to correspond with it. Even when I'm frustrated, I like lining up our literature to more or less correspond to what we're studying in history. So the lack of an appropriate program doesn't affect me very much. I suspect there are those out there for whom it does, however.
Sometimes I consider making my own schedules pretty, and making them available inexpensively as a pdf. I don't have a good sense of average reading speeds, though, much less average anything else. The plans I make end up being customized not just for our family, but for each particular child. So, in general, I lean towards making them available for free, so that the next homeschooling parent can use and tweak upon my foundation. I don't claim to be anything but organized. That said, some samples can be found at Scribd, and I'm happy to email those files which are not posted in their entirety.
And now I've got to get back to plotting out art & music appreciation. ;)
16.11.09
The History Files
Despite my insistence that we are not a history-centered homeschool, I do find we spend a good portion of money on biographies and supplemental histories. Part of it is the nature of the subject; it's very easy to be, for example, math-centered and diversify without needing to spend a large amount of money. Another part of it is availability; there are far more books written for children and young adults about various parts of history than there are about different parts of math, Latin, writing, or even science.
Preparing to cover history from 1850 to the present was a lot of fun, for me. When I was prepping this week's assignment sheet for EG, I told her, "We've made it to the 20th century in history! Yay!" She wasn't quite sure why I was so excited. It's a time period I've always enjoyed, though, and that made it particularly difficult to pare down the number of extra books planned.
As a result, the following list is pretty long. And, yes, we already owned a lot of these before I started planning this year's history lessons.
Abraham Lincoln's World, Foster
If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad
Ghosts of the Civil War, Harness.
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
Gettysburg
Lee and Grant at Appomattox
Paddle to the Sea, Holling.
Tree in the Trail, Holling.
Minn of the Mississippi, Holling.
Seabird, Holling.
If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
Shutting Out the Sky
Usborne True Stories: The First World War
The World Wars
The Yanks Are Coming
The Woman's Rights Movement
Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel
Six Days in October
Children of the Great Depression
The Sinking of the Bismarck
Air Raid Pearl Harbor!
Battle in the Arctic Seas
The Great Escape: Tunnel to Freedom
Invasion: The Story of D-Day
Victory in the Pacific
The Good Fight
America & Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger
Team Moon
There Comes A Time
If You Lived At the Time of Martin Luther King, Jr.
10,000 Days of Thunder
Ain't Gonna Study War No More
Gay America
33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History
They Led the Way
Madam President
A Nation Challenged
Preparing to cover history from 1850 to the present was a lot of fun, for me. When I was prepping this week's assignment sheet for EG, I told her, "We've made it to the 20th century in history! Yay!" She wasn't quite sure why I was so excited. It's a time period I've always enjoyed, though, and that made it particularly difficult to pare down the number of extra books planned.
As a result, the following list is pretty long. And, yes, we already owned a lot of these before I started planning this year's history lessons.
Abraham Lincoln's World, Foster
If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad
Ghosts of the Civil War, Harness.
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
Gettysburg
Lee and Grant at Appomattox
Paddle to the Sea, Holling.
Tree in the Trail, Holling.
Minn of the Mississippi, Holling.
Seabird, Holling.
If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
Shutting Out the Sky
Usborne True Stories: The First World War
The World Wars
The Yanks Are Coming
The Woman's Rights Movement
Stalin: Russia's Man of Steel
Six Days in October
Children of the Great Depression
The Sinking of the Bismarck
Air Raid Pearl Harbor!
Battle in the Arctic Seas
The Great Escape: Tunnel to Freedom
Invasion: The Story of D-Day
Victory in the Pacific
The Good Fight
America & Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger
Team Moon
There Comes A Time
If You Lived At the Time of Martin Luther King, Jr.
10,000 Days of Thunder
Ain't Gonna Study War No More
Gay America
33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women's History
They Led the Way
Madam President
A Nation Challenged
