I was wondering if anyone is using this history. I have been using the first volume this year with my dd who's in second grade. So far, we have really enjoyed it. My concern is that when we have to start testing that the history on the standarized tests will be different than what we've studied. I am assuming the tests have some American history on them. Should I be worried about this? Thanks, Lori :wink: [/b]
Hi Lori........ Welcome!...I don't think I know ya :lol:...you must be new! We all tend to get to know each other real quick....so a big welcome.. As far as your question, IT DEPENDS on which state your in...Most states don't require standarized tests in history. Then, again, it depends on the grade. Are you in a state that standarized testing is mandatory by law? If so, then you need to be familar with what is required and take that into consideration when your teaching. For example, here in Texas we have no regulations, nothing! We don't HAVE to test, we don't HAVE to keep attendance, we don't HAVE to do portfolios.. We Texans like being left alone to homeschool in the enviroment and with the materials we choose as parents! So I don't worry about tests, I personally don't like *teaching to tests*, but I realize its a necessary evil in some states. Its was with my first year of homeschooling that I worried about standarized tests. I am doing SOTW in my second year, and I can personally tell you that my children probably know more details about things that happened on the other side of the world then here. But that is fine, because in *due time* they will get all the details on how/when American history entered in. I have do have some friends that are in very regulated states...I know they cover what is needed on the tests like in a unit study......but try to do what they want the rest of the time..... They can do this because they school year around. They keep the public school schedule from August to May for *legality purposes*, but have still have free time the rest of the months.... Does that help? TinaTx
Welcome, Lori! I can't answer your question at all, BUT...There's a bunch of us that are studying Ancients this year. Tina, whose post you just read, uses SOTW. Me and one other gal uses The Mystery of History, and there's some others thrown in for good measure. Please feel free to check out the thread on timelines! We've been kind of sharing ideas, web sites, etc. there that can be used regardless of which curriculum you're using. I've picked up some good ideas from there. Hope you stick around!
Hi Lori ~ I am using SOTW this year with my 3rd grader - we are loving it! Ancient History has been so much fun. My husband has been teasing me about which one of us is getting more out of it...our son or me! We live in CA. We are not required to do testing this year, but our ISP does offer it starting in 3rd grade. So, we will do testing in the spring. I'm not worried about it. I know we don't study history or science (we do unit studies) the way our public school does. You can get workbooks (I think it's McGraw Hill, but I'm not sure) that focus specifically on what the test will consist of. At least here in CA - I'm not sure about other states. Grace to you, Shaina
Hi Lori, A BIG welcome from me also! I am using the Story of the World with my 3rd grader and 6th grader (though he does more detailed stuff with other books and things also). This is our first year to use this (wish I would've known of it sooner!!!), and we're loving it! I'm like Shaina, I'm getting a lot out of it also! :lol: If you look at the History and Timelines (or something like that) message thread, there's a lot of great information on sites and ideas! I live in Washington state, and we aren't REQUIRED to do anything either. They'd like us to test once a year, so I do, just to keep "on the right side of the law" :wink: But we don't have to do portfolios or anything like that, which is great! We have taken the ITBS tests, and they don't have history in them, so that may not be a concern when she does take the test. But, as Tina said, check for your state requirements to be sure. Hope you stick around and join in more conversations!
I'm from a land with virtually no homeschooling laws, so I might be speaking out of turn. I don't think that most states include specific history on the standardized tests, unless it is basic like Columbus in the lower grades. What I remember was more to do with map skills and the like with "social studies" as opposed to history. Your state board of education should post the standards for each grade for you to look at, though, if you are concerned with meeting requirements.
Forgot to introduce myself.....I'm Brooke from IL. We are sorta kinda going through the Mystery of History (MOH) for the first time with my 5 and 8yo. It is much like the Story of the World but from a thoroughly Christian perspective. We have enjoyed what we have done so far, we're just not being sticklers for the timeframe it was designed to be completed in. Nice to have you join us!
thanks for your responses Hello everyone! Thanks so much for your responses to my history question. We are loving our history this year and I was really hoping to not have to supplement with something else if there was history on the standardized tests. From what I've heard lately, there shouldn't be much if any at all history on the 3rd grade tests she'll have to take. So we'll just continue to enjoy our Ancient History with no worries. I am familiar with some of you from abcteach. I used to love that forum and suddenly they stopped having it. I finally emailed them to ask what was going on with the forum and they were nice enough to reply and sent me here. I wish I had emailed them sooner so I would've known about this spot over the summer. A little about myself: I am almost 32 years old with 3 dd's, ages 2, 3, and 7. My oldest is in 2nd grade this year and it's also our second year to hs although I feel like I've always done this as I'm sure many of you feel with your children. I am doing some alphabet things with my 3 year old when she asks. She likes to do school "stuff" too! Thanks for the warm welcome! Blessings to you all. Lori
Glad you finally found us, Lori! We had some "growing pains" when we first came over, but have finally settled into a comfortable routine. Amanda is a wonderful host!
Yes, Lori, Welcome!!! I just recently got back here myself. I lost the address, and didn't know where all these wonderful ladies were, but Becky sent me an e-mail and Voila, here I am. It's been a great few weeks being back, I hope you stick around and settle in with us again!
Hi, everyone! I think both of these history courses sound great. Where did you find them? On the internet or at a local bookstore? I might want to look at them myself. One of the great things I like about homeschooling is learning or re-learning things along with the kids. Have a great day!
Rainbow Resources carries them new, as well as most everyone else. If you want to check out www.homeschoolclassifieds.com you might be able to get it used very reasonably. I got my copy of MOH there for $10.
Trudy..... Peacehill press publishes Story of the World..They have a website . It should be www.peacehillpress.com . Also, I like Tapestry of Grace. It is a 4 year, multiple level/multiple grade christian view history based curriculum that intertwines all the subjects around history. That website should be easy too..It should be www.tapestryofgrace.com It is extremely informative for what books to do which year...... I think history is one of the subjects that we just can't have enough books on..... Hope that helps Blessings TinaTx
Trudy, A couple other ideas: Remember (or did you know?) Barnes & Noble give educators a 20% discount. You tell them you're a homeschool teacher and they'll give you a form to fill out, then give you an educator's card. It comes in VERY handy! They have or can order pretty much anything you want! The other idea is to go to Google (or whatever search engine you have) and type in Story of the World or whichever one you want, and it will take you to different sites. Some like CBD (Christian Book Distributors) have discount prices. Sometimes the different sites vary widely in the cost, so do some research before you click on buying the item(s)! Best wishes, this is a great way to learn history! My 11-yo ds is still loving to write about what we're learning! It's amazing, cuz he has hated to write before this! My 7-yo dd's writing skills are improving already! So not only are they excited about it, but it has improved other skills also. Gotta love it!!!
