Ladies, I’m looking for feedback on the above book. I’ve read only good things about it but am wondering specifically if anyone has used it for 1st grade. Also wondering if it can be used alone? Thanks!
I tried to pm you but think your box is full? Anyway, I didn’t really use this because we used other curriculums that had other books, but I’ve got it on my for sale list pretty cheap since my kids are now older, if you end up wanting it. Absolutely no pressure or need to respond unless interested:) Blessings, Gina
We are talking about the Hillyer book, right? I have been using it with a 1st and 3rd grader very successfully. I read them one chapter per week. The 3rd grader does her own written narration. The 1st grader does an oral narration and I write it down. That is all we do. On Friday evening, they read these narrations to the family and we discuss further if it happens naturally.
I love the book. It is interesting enough for an adult to enjoy, yet it is also written at a child’s level of understanding. I have to do very little clarifying for the kids. The girls seem to be interested and always learn something. I did not read the first few chapters of evolutionary teaching to them.
Personally, I did not care for this book because it has several inaccuracies including ones regarding Bible history. This is not a huge issue for some but was for us.
There are better options for that age range, IMHO.
I will use it with my coming first grader this year as I did with her older siblings. I do as missceegee suggests. She will do oral narrations of one chapter a week. Right now I do not keep a written copy of it.
Once they are in second grade they begin a history notebook. I will continue CHOW and oral narration in second grade once per week, but once a week they also look through a 2 page spread of the Usbourne World History book. They then do a notebook page with a map and a drawing. I help them with a short summary and in 3rd grade they continue without much help from me. It takes them two or three years to complete and while not exactly pure CM, my older children really liked that activity and learned a lot. They pull their old history notebooks out once in a while to reflect on their younger work. It has been a good thing at our house.
We also start around 2nd or 3rd grade, depending on the child, working our way through Our Island Story and This Country of Ours. Once per week, oral narrations until fourth grade where they begin simple short written narration. This doesn’t take as long as you think and the scope of history they get from these living books is great.
However, I do think one could only do CHOW and would be fine.