TOG or SCM?

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  • January 23, 2010 at 6:10 pm
    meesh
    Participant

    My kids (grades 2&4) have been using MFW since we started homeschooling and we are now looking for something different.

    I absolutely love this website!  I already use lots of CM teaching methods in our homeschool like copywork and dictation, nature study, living books, timeline, and short lessons. I have been looking at the Gen-Deut. guide to start using next year.

    My problem is that I also really like what I have seen about TOG.  I downloaded the sample units and these are the things I love about it:

    1. weekly projects: This is my favorite part!  It gives you more than enough projects to choose from and the kids can actually choose what they want to do.  I want to start doing more student led projects so the kids can show off what they are learning, and it helps for them to have to do a little research to complete each project.

    2. Discussion Questions: The discussion questions for each book looks great!  Once the kids are in high school I can see that this would be so beneficial, as I cannot read each book that my highschooler reads.

    3. Teachers Notes: This is absolutely wonderful!

    The things I wouldn’t be using is the writing since we already use IEW and are more than happy with it; also grammar since we already use shirley english and like it.

    BUT, on the other hand I like the simplicity of SCM and I think the map skills activities look better than TOG.  I like the CM approach to map and want to implement it.  

    So, this is really my question…

    Would it be completely crazy to think of buy both TOG year 1 AND Gen-Deut?  If I did it, this is how I think I would implement it…

    I would use Gen-Deut as my main study guide.  I would roughly follow their weekly schedule, but  I would also take a look at my TOG for that week.  I could use the TOG teachers notes to give my kids(and myself) more background info and I could use some of their weekly projects.  I could pick and choose the books for literature from TOG and use their discussion questions. In a sense, I would be using TOG as more of a resource rather than my weekly schedule. 

    Does any of this make sense?

    Obviously, I’m not sure if this will work since I haven’t actually used TOG or SCM, LOL! Do you think my idea is doable?

    I really need a little advice and direction. 

    Is there anyone who has either switched from TOG to SCM, or switched from SCM to TOG?  Can someone give me their opinion on which one they like better and why?

    My other option I was thinking about, since my kids are still pretty young, is that I could just do SCM until high school, and then switch to TOG.  TOG just seems to have a really good plan for the high schooler and the teachers notes and book questions seem like a God send.

    Any advice would be great.

    ~Michelle

    January 23, 2010 at 6:35 pm
    missceegee
    Participant

    Yes, you sound a bit crazy, but we all do as we consider what options work best for our families!Wink

    Personally, I think TOG is too much. I’ve bought the complete program not once, but twice, but have never successfully implemented it. It is just too much info, esp. for younger grades only. Even the TOG site says that it’s just gravy for the younger elem. kids.

    What drew me to TOG – all kids working on the same topics, but at their own level – is the same with SCM. However, SCM is so much more mom & kid friendly. The book choices are excellent, yet it is simple to add in any extras. There are a couple of “what do you remember from last time?” type questions, but narration takes care of the discussion question problem. I can see where having the teacher’s notes at the high school level might be beneficial, but there are other cheaper ways to do that (ie. Cliff’s notes, etc).

    There are projects with the SCM modules listed on the web and if you are a very “projects” type of person, you could easily find a book with other ideas that would be less expensive than TOG. I also think the book choices w/ TOG are more dry factual type books and less living, but that is my opinion. Also, TOG is a unit study type of program where every subject is inter-related and I prefer the more CM way of letting the kids form their own associations.

    We love the SCM guides and add in more literature where we choose w/o any difficulty. With all of that said, you know your kids best! Best wishes.

    HTH,

    Christie

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