| Author | |
anniemm
Forum Pro
Joined: Sept 19 2006
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 348
|
| Posted: June 28 2013 at 11:57pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
It's been such a long, long time since I've been back here! But, as I am encountering more challenges as my children get older, I knew I could turn to you all for wisdom.
Ok I am piecing all of our curriculum together for next year and I haven't been able to find a history program that I have been happy with. However, this evening I have been looking at the plans for Mater Amabilis 4th & 5th grade and I LOVE the idea of studying both ancient and American history. That said, my oldest is going to be 4th grade (she's 9) and the recommended texts for year 1, level 2 (grades 4 & 5) are Sea to Shining Sea and Famous Men of Greece from Memoria Press. It appears to me that these are middle school-level texts. Is anyone using these texts with this age level with success? I don't think I'll have an opportunity to put my hands on them before making a decision, so I'd love to hear thoughts.
Thanks so much ladies!
Andrea
__________________
Andrea
__________
Wife to Charlie (03)
Mama to four little girls (04), (05), (07), (09),& my 1st little guy 11/11
www.hiswillmypeace.com
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: June 29 2013 at 8:31am | IP Logged
|
|
|
We are using MA, with a few small tweaks, for both years of Level 2 this year, for my rising 4th and 5th graders. I'm opting to do British history, however, using Our Island Story, instead of U.S. history. Over the last year we have been reading George Washington's World by Genevieve Foster aloud, and will continue with Abraham Lincoln's World as a read-aloud once we finish George Washington, but that's all we'll do for U.S.
We have used FSSS in the past, but neither of the children who used it liked it *at all*, finding it way too textbooky and detailed, and I wound up selling it. You might preview the various U.S. history texts at The Baldwin Project, many of which make good alternatives. Something by Edward Eggleston (he wrote several narrative American histories) might be good for this level.
The Famous Men book would be more do-able for this stage, I think, because the readings aren't that long, and it's not textbooky -- not a deluge of details for the child to process. I don't actually own Famous Men of Greece, but again, I think it's on Baldwin Project, so that you could pre-read it and decide (what I have is Famous Men of the Middle Ages, but the format is pretty much the same through all those books, as I recall). I do own F.J. Gould's Children's Plutarch/Tales of the Greeks, and I may opt to use that rather than Famous Men for my Level 2/Year 1 child. She'll read either one of those, and then Our Island Story on alternating days.
I should say that this is the first year I'm expecting a lot of independent reading from this particular child, who is 9-turning-10-in-December. This time last year she was still a stumbling and reluctant reader. Even now she doesn't *love* reading the way her three siblings do, but she *can* read well, and I think she can handle a Famous Men (or similar) chapter. I also tend to go by time rather than length of chapter -- the child reads for 20-30 minutes in a given book, rather than being assigned a chapter. That often seems more do-able and less overwhelming than the thought of having to wade through *all* of a sea of text, even if what really happens is that the whole sea gets crossed in 20 minutes.
My Level 2/Year 2 child (rising 5th grader) will read Famous Men of Rome and Our Island Story. We're cycling back into MA, and did Rome last year, but didn't read Famous Men, so I'm hoping he won't think it's total overkill!
I don't know whether you do Facebook at all (and no reason why you should!), but MA now has a very active and helpful "closed" group on FB, where there has been a good bit of discussion about choices of history text.
Hope this helps you. And welcome back!
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Pilgrim
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 28 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1286
|
| Posted: June 29 2013 at 1:25pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Our dd did not like From Sea to Shining Sea either. It had LOTS of info, but it ended up truly being *too* much. We have liked the Seton History books very much. There is also the Land of Our Lady Series(Founders of Freedom, Bearers of Freedom, etc.) , which dd has very much liked, coming from a girl who has never been very fond of studies. The Land of Our Lady Series so far has had a Ancient History through to U.S. History focus each year.
HTH! 
__________________
Wife 2 my bf, g14,b8,g&b6,g4,g3,g1 1/2,4 ^i^
St. Clare Heirloom Seeds coupon 4Real 20% off
St. Clare Audio
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
AmandaV
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 27 2009
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 707
|
| Posted: July 01 2013 at 9:26am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Andrea, are you in Britain? We are going into 4th grade, MA 2 (first year) and since we are in US the recommendations are to start British History along with the ancient history of Greece, then Rome next year. We have been studying US history as recommended the last 3 years. I just wanted to clarify in case you saw the recommendations for British users and got mixed up.
However, if you are needing to study US History and aren't sure you want to use FSTSS, you could use This country of Ours. MA uses it in grades 1-3 (1B-1A) as does Lindafay at CM help, but Ambleside starts it in 3rd and continues in 4th and I'm not sure how long, since they start with British History like CM did since she was teaching in Britain. I think someone on here has said that they prefer TCOO for slightly older students, anyway. Was it Jen? Otherwise, Eggleston has several texts that you might like, like Sally mentioned, and there is also a Guerber text that Memoria has reprinted. Thirteen Colonies and The New Republic, I think?
__________________
Amanda
wife since 6/03, Mom to son 7/04, daughter 2/06, twin sons 6/08 and son 7/11, son 1/2014
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
|
| Posted: July 01 2013 at 12:07pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
We have followed MA pretty closely through our years. We used This Country of Ours and now will be doing British history and ancient history this year. I love being able to study two different periods at the same time. There is no mix-up for my son.
I think TCOO has been used by many different ages. It was a little more difficult for 1st and 2nd grade, but older it's an easier fit.
__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
knowloveserve
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 31 2007
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 759
|
| Posted: July 09 2013 at 2:21pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
A dissenting voice here: we follow MA pretty close too. TCOO was yawn inducing for my 10 year old last year. Our spine for world history has been A Little History Of The World which we all really, really loved... so that will be continued as we dive into the Middle Ages this year with my 11, 9 and 7 year old.
Still deliberating on what to spine for US History. We just finished up the Civil War... and I hope to cover all the way up through the 20th century...
__________________
Ellie
The Bleeding Pelican
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: July 09 2013 at 3:54pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Have you seen this new American history text republished by Beautiful Feet? It was originally called The Rainbow Book of American History. I know that some people prefer not to buy from them because they are anti-Catholic, but they do publish a lot of the great out of print classics. This book got my interest because it was originally published in 1955 and goes through the end of WWII.
I've also considered substituting Guerber's American History Texts for From Sea to Shining Sea in early middle school, which I would imagine to be at about the same reading level as his Famous Men series.
I do like the Pratt American History Stories for independent reading and narration in the early grades, but there is an excellent Librivox Recording of TCOO that my boys enjoy listening to in the van, and I think I will buy parts 6 & 7 from Audible now since they aren't included in the librivox collection. Not sure why. It is definitely meatier than the Pratt, but we don't find it boring in this context even though it was a little too much for us when we first tried to use it more formally when my son was younger. I have definitely learned a lot from the Marshall book myself. She goes into a lot more detail of the earlier history of colonization and events prior to the Revolution that many histories gloss over a bit. Even though MA uses it in elementary, I would agree that it is plenty meaty enough to use for a 4th and 5th grader.
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
SallyT
Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 08 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2489
|
| Posted: July 09 2013 at 4:16pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
That Guerber volume from Memoria does look really nice.
Sally
__________________
Castle in the Sea
Abandon Hopefully
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
knowloveserve
Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 31 2007
Location: Washington
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 759
|
| Posted: July 09 2013 at 5:01pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
It does except it only goes up to the 20th century I think.
__________________
Ellie
The Bleeding Pelican
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
|
|
4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Mater Amabilis History Recomendations?
