4- or 6-year chronological history?

Tagged: , , ,

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • January 24, 2011 at 5:05 am
    jettlich
    Participant

    What are the benefits or disadvantages to following a 4-year or a 6-year chronological history cycle? Just wondering about all your experiences. I know the Classical method typically follows the 4-year, whereas CM’ers follw the 6-year. Thoughts on why to follow one or the other? We have a bit of time left in our first round of the 4-year cycle, but am contemplating whether next time around we will do a 4-year or a 6-year. Thanks for input.

    January 24, 2011 at 7:38 pm
    Rachel White
    Participant

    The only reason I can think of off-the-top-of-my-head is that with a 6-year, you and your children can immerse in the historical times longer.

    Rachel

    January 24, 2011 at 10:23 pm
    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    The main reason I do a 6-year rotation is so we can spend more time on Bible history as it fits into World history. Most 4-year rotations cover all the Ancients in one year, but I didn’t want to try to cram the Old Testament and Matthew through Acts into one year in order to keep it with the Ancients studies, so I spread it out.

    January 25, 2011 at 5:08 am
    jettlich
    Participant

    I agree. We did a classical unit study program last year and covered ALL the ancients, including the entire Bible periods AND Greece & Rome in ONE year! It was great and hard and overwhelming all at the same time!

    Sonya, what about the issue, though, that the kids will only get the material twice, instead of three times, over the course of their education? I can’t imagine my kids getting the ancients in say only 1st grade & 7th grade, and then never dealing w/ that stuff again when they’re middle to older teenagers and have the mental and academic capacity to comprehend and analyze it more . . . 

    I guess, though, that we can’t cover everything! Thoughts on this? Thanks!

    January 26, 2011 at 1:48 am
    Sonya Shafer
    Moderator

    Good question. I think it depends on what our goal is: to “cover” everything (which, you’re right, we can’t do but we certainly try to sometimes) or to light a fire of enthusiasm for learning that will last the children their whole lives. If we let them spend long enough in a time period that they form some personal relations with it, they will want to keep learning about it even after they graduate from formal classes. 

    Regardless of whether that is accomplished with a 4-year rotation, a 6-year rotation, a 5.5-year rotation, or a 12-year sequence, the key is to focus on forming those relations.

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • The topic ‘4- or 6-year chronological history?’ is closed to new replies.