Starting SCM history mid-year/mid-cycle in high school – some ideas needed

Hi :). I am homeschooling DS 15/9th grade. I’ve dabbled in CM methods and various curricula over the years (including SCM). For the remainder of high school we’d like to move to a CM style of learning for history as “other methods” have been disappointing or overwhelming. I do have experience with SCM history and have enjoyed watching/listening to Sonya via the podcast/You Tube lately. Currently, we are right at the American Revolution using a textbook (Biblioplan). It’s been such a drag for us as it’s VERY overwhelming …. too much info. I also want to use methods that allow for narration (textbooks don’t work well) as I now understand the power of it for thinking and composition (just read Know and Tell by Karen Glass and listened to podcasts with her sharing her wisdom).

I don’t think my son or I want to return to the beginning of the Early Modern era but I am pondering the right next step here. We are at the spot in the SCM Early Modern guide that is nearing the end of Term 2 (right about the Boston Tea Party). We have read Amos Fortune, Free Man and Johnny Tremain together as read alouds recently. He is about to read the Daugherty biography of Ben Franklin. It may be a little messy to make this transition but in the end it will meet our needs MUCH better. I have the remainder of 9th, all of 10th and 11th to complete the Modern Times so I don’t feel rushed at all. We could backtrack if needed in the SCM Early Modern Guide.  Questions that I have:

1. If we start “mid-term” would you: do the Visits To book that is scheduled but start in the middle?

2. Since he is in 9th he is “straddling” the “history spine” for the 7-9th and 10-12th age. As he moves up to 10th it would be recommended that he read The Last Best Hope in either Early Modern OR Modern. Would you just “start in the middle” with Last Best Hope or would it be better for him to read from the beginning up to the point we’d like to begin our “formal studies” using the SCM Guide? I don’t have that book on my shelf so I need to grab a library copy to check out the reading level and flow.

3. With a high school student in 10th and 11th would we use both the Lorene Lambert “spines” AND The Last Best Hope? He is my only student and I would LIKE to do some reading aloud together. I DO want to “catch up” in narrating and wonder if the Lambert books are easier to learn to narrate from.

4. Alternatively, is it okay to SKIP The Last Best Hope and focus on the Lambert books and “other living books” (plus some documentaries/movies that we will watch) in 10th-12th grades?

I would like to work hard on narration in the remainder of our high school history studies. We are late to using narration in lieu of other things (i.e. comprehension questions). Now that I understand its power and effectiveness, I want the books we read/he reads to tell stories and communicate ideas he can narrate well. I don’t want to feel inundated by information.

I do intend to incorporate the “feast”. We’ve used many of SCM’s tools in the past and LOVED them (Shakespeare, picture study, etc.). That will continue.

Thanks. 🙂