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Story of the World for History?
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Has anyone used The Story of the World for HIstory. History is the only subject I have not decided on for this fall. My friend has one of these books and may allow me to use it. I looked at samples online and actually like what I see. I know it says classical, but I think it looks interesting. Any thoughts. Would that fit into CM?
What I find so compellingly interesting to me as I read all these spines for myself is all the different stories authors have chosen to share about different civilizations and their cultures. Some things that are considered so important in one spine is not even mentioned in another…it’s like a puzzle and it is fun to figure it out. Anyway…
Several people use it as their spine. Lots more just use it as an additional read along in the car. There is an activity guide to go with it and Jim Wiess has recorded it as an audiobook.
I have it – mostly because I felt like we were missing out on some of the other early civilizations when doing SCM Module 1 – (that has now been taken care of with their new Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors book). I have used it to fill in the gaps between cultures (so select chapters) and use the activities to round out subjects we are interested in. So maps, coloring pages, occasional hands-on activities, that sort of thing. The chapters are short and can easily be narrated. You do not have to do any or all of the accompanying activities. it does come with book lists for additional reading.
The Bible stories are re-told as stories in here. What I like about SCM is that while you are doing the Bible and ancient history together, the Bible stories are read directly from the Bible, which can lead to wonderful conversations.
My biggest thing is that it doesn’t really seem to allow a child lots of time to do indepth to really make connections with any one civilization, which as we go through ancient history, seem to allow my kids to start connecting people together as contemporaries. However, since I haven’t used it exclusively, maybe I am missing something.
Those are some random thoughts, hope they don’t confuse you! =) If you feel comfortable with it, use it and see what you think. There is no reason why you can’t experiment with things until you find your groove.
ETA – I have not seen the volume that Potpourri has referenced. I only have Volume 1 so can’t comment on the bias slant.
We have used Story of the World 1,2 and this year we are finishing 3. It wasn’t the only spine that we used, though. In year 1 and we were also using Tapestry of Grace books and Mystery of History.
I was initially concerned about using it because I didn’t like the way she approached some of the Bible stories. She told the accounts as stories (which is fine) but added extra Biblical information. Off the top of my head (I don’t have volume 1 anymore) she said that Abraham’s father prayed to the moon god and gave a reason as to why they moved. It was information that Bible doesn’t have. I prefer to strictly use the Biblical account and if I add more information to clafiy that this is from extra Biblical (for example, from Josephus). I chose to skip her Bible stories and read from the Bible.
As far as there being errors…an error would be calling something blue when it is in fact red. I haven’t found any of those. I would think if they were errors they would have been fixed in the newer volumes. But, maybe I’m wrong. What I have found is her worldview coming through which, frankly, happens in all books whether we are aware of it or not. I did reseach on Bauer so I understood her theolgy and how it differed from what we believe.
I agree with Sheraz regarding making connections with any one civilization. The chapters jump around – your in China, then France, then the US – it is a little confusing to get the big picture.
We are not using volume 4 because I’ve read that it can be a little intense and my girls will be 2nd, 6th and 8th. I think I am going with Stories of America. I am very happy with Sonja’s response (scroll to bottom) to my question of how they deal with the difficult subjects of the 20th century.
I will look into this further. I just can’t decide what history to use. The CM style guide we are coming from has taken us from creation up to the revolution in 2.5 years and basically has every subject planned w/ what books to read in that one guide. I am switching to SCM because I need to follow a plan for my dd9 who has a lot of math and reading issues. While I very much appreciate what we have been using, I don’t want to feel tied to a guide or spend money on something that I have been adjusting or even eliminating because it just won’t work for her visual processing difficulties. I like being able to make our own plans, but I don’t know where to go in the history. Although the history we have done is probably not all that is covered in SCM, I was thinking of just continuing where we are somehow and at some point go into SCM module 1. We still have time to cover some things for the remainder of this year, but dd would like to learn about Abraham Lincoln and I wanted to continue in westward expansion. But, when I looked at The Story of the World, I thought it might be neat to learn about other countries. If I would do some American and some world history, would it be okay to start with a later SCM guide. I’m a little overwhelmed in this area when I look at all the different guides/books involved. Any suggestions?
You can start in any module any time you want… If you want the SCM module for American and World History, you will need Mod 5 or 6, depending on your era. If you keep a Book of Centuries or a timeline, the kiddos always make connections and put people in the right place.
For the SCM guides, buy the guide and get the recommended books. Then follow the lesson plans in the guide…Sonya will have the books already scheduled in order and listed as to what to read when. Takes a lot of stress off when first starting out…also the lessons are short. That is why we thrive with them…
Even when I did decide to use my own resources for Greek History, I very much followed Sonya’s basic outlines. 😉
Maybe I am misunderstanding your question, but are you aware that the SCM guides do cover world history simultaneously with American history? So you would be studying world events alongside what was happening in the U.S. if you follow the SCM family guide and recommended readings.
We use the Story of the World audios to ‘fill in’ our history studies. The kids love them, and I notice that they incorporate the additional info into their narrations after our SCM history readings. I try to stay on the discs that coordinate with what they are studying in history at that time, and there are enough stories on each disc that they want to hear it 3-4 times before it gets boring to them.
Hope that helps some, and don’t worry too much! It will work out fine, even if history has to take a ‘back seat’ for a time.
Sheila,
I was hoping that starting in a late modules was not a problem. I was considering it, but just couldn’t decide. I have a couple of things to look at now. You’ve been a big help with many of my concerns. I think the changes will be so good for my dd. Our days seem less stressful already since I have begun implementing my own plans.
Pam
I’m so glad that things are starting to make more sense, you are filtering it well! Hooray that your stress levels are dropping! That’s a great feeling! =)
Sheila
ServingwithJoy,
Sorry, I didn’t see your response before my last reply. I did notice that American and world history were run together. I just wasn’t sure if I should start in a later SCM module, or fill in with something else to cover some of the American topics I mentioned, and then begin with Module 1. I have a decision to make, but I appreciate the help. If I had to figure this out on my own, I WOULD be stressed:)
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