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U.S History alongside SCM Module 2
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I know this subject has been discussed before, but I need some advice specific to my situation please!
We are South Africans moving to New York in November. In order to comply with State regulations, I will have to teach U.S History to my 2nd grade son. We are currently on Module 2 of SCM family guides and I really don’t want to drop it because it is going so well and I really like the chronological approach. I plan to continue to work through the modules until Gr 12
In order to comply with the NY laws (I know I am going to a highly regulated state
) any suggestions on how I bring U.S History alongside Ancient Greece? I know we could cover world history 1 day a week and U.S history 1 day a week or do World for a couple of weeks and then alternate. However, i’m more concerned about what to use?I’ve been looking at some of Sonlight’s Core D books, but I certainly don’t want to buy the whole core. I’ve looked at TruthQuest’s American History 1. And of course, SCM Module 5. I do love Stories of America Vol 1 from what I’ve seen on the sample and I don’t want to stray from great living books. One option is to go ahead and use Stories of America 1 and also add the listed books for Gr1-3. However, we’ll repeat this ‘spine’ in just 3 more years. Do you think this could be a problem? Anyone been in this situation before?
Looking forward to your responses!
Noelene xxx
Noelene – I just found http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/ (CM based) last night and their site has world history listed alongside American history. I really like the idea of my dc reading the American History books on their own as we are doing SCM mods 1-4.
Look under the “by Grade” tab, choose a grade and click on American history. Lists of books come up for different topics within that period of history. Quite a few of them are the Yesterdays Classics selections (I just bought those for a Kindle for $49 so that will save us lots of money). You can purchase just the individual books you want, not a whole set. Anyway, this is another way to find books to use.
I think that doing this will introduce my kiddos to other living history books and keep the Module books reserved for when we are doing them as a family. =)
I was going to suggest checking out the Yesterday’s Classics Books as well. I used Eggleston’s Famous Americans for Little Americans with my first grader this year, and also read through part of Mara Pratt’s American History Stories and think this would be appropriate for your son’s age as well. The AO curriculum uses This Country of Ours and the D’Aulaire biographies for US History the younger years as well. I would probably just add a reading once or maybe twice a week if you are doing the full Mod 2 as well. If your son is reading independently, you could probably also find and assign some historical fiction type books as part of his personal reading to squeeze a little more US History in there as well.
HTH,
Jen
I would see what the specific standards are. Many times what they are teaching in US History at that grade level is very basic…you can probably cover it with a few well-chosen readers and some memory work of a patriotic nature. Sometimes homeschoolers forget how little emphasis there is on history in American public schools. We all seem to love history and teach it much more extensively than the government would require at the primary level. At least that has been my experience (I come from a family of public school teachers).
I feel very grateful that we have always homeschooled in Texas and Oklahoma (where homeschoolers have the freedom to choose their own curriculum). I greatly admire you for continuing with your vision for your child’s education!
Heritage History has a number of options. I’d say one little book would be fine. Here is a list from there… you would want the books with green…
http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php?Dir=books&MenuItem=Civilization#displayat
I haven’t read this one – but have heard good things about it…
http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage-books.php?author=eggleston&book=great&story=_front
you could probably stretch it over 2 or maybe even 3 years…
Thank-you so much ladies! I love all your suggestions and I think it will be better to save Module 5’s books for when we get there as a family (although my son will be in Gr 5 by then, so we could just read some of the Gr 1-3 books for fun now).
I am actually super-excited now! I also posted on NYHEN (NY Home Educators’s Network) and asked what the standards were (because the regulations just say to teach U.S History), and 2 lovely ladies replied that they are doing exactly what I’m doing (ie. chronological history) and they just add in storybooks and visit historical places/museums and it is fine. I think it’s true what you say, ServingiwthJoy, we do far more than the public schools so I can relax.
Although, looking at all these lovely books has made me realise this is a blessing in disguise….I think we would have ended up reading some American History anyway, since we know so little, and learn about the Holidays etc. I wanted to do it here in Brazil too, but English books on the history of Brazil are hard to find.
ServingwithJoy, I was horrified at these NY regulations, coming from South Africa where there aren’t any, and Brazil, even worse….we even looked at living in a different state and my husband commuting for longer. But then I found a local Christian HS support group, and they have been incredibly supportive. It’s not as bad as we think and they’ve assured me that the HS laws certainly don’t warrant my husband spending longer hours away from home. I already do all of the record keeping and planning thanks to SCM’s Organizer, and I joined the HSLDA today.
It never occured to me to stop homeschooling because of this! Thanks again!
Noelene
I am so glad that you will be able to teach some US History but stay on your present course!
And I still say that I admire homeschoolers like you who have to deal with burdensome state requirements. I think what irritates me is that there is an implication that we wouldn’t do ‘enough’ to educate our own children.
In reality, almost all homeschoolers that I know are striving continually to provide thier kids with the best possible education (with discipleship and character training, as well).
I think you will love living in the US and homeschooling here! Welcome!
We use TQ AHYS guides and LOVE them. I couldn’t find enough words to express how much we adore what they’ve brought to our study of history. You can seamlessly teach Mod2 as your core and pull out TQ in the afternoons a couple days a week … read the commentary, have a few good library book suggestions, discuss informally, and perhaps a nice timeline to keep it all flowing. Enjoy the US!
Thanks erin.kate! I’m glad to hear that you can easily use the TQ guides alongside the modules. I was thinking of getting the guide anyway and supplement it with some of the book suggestions made earlier.
I’m sure we are going to really like living in the U.S
Speaking of the TQ guides, I have a question. Do the newer/updated guides have more commentary than the older ones?? I think I have an older version and am wondering if I need to get the newer/updated ones.
Any thoughts??
BTW, I haven’t really been using the one that I have as I have had enough books/not enough time to read the ones we already have that are extra.
Thanks.
) any suggestions on how I bring U.S History alongside Ancient Greece? I know we could cover world history 1 day a week and U.S history 1 day a week or do World for a couple of weeks and then alternate. However, i’m more concerned about what to use?
It never occured to me to stop homeschooling because of this! 
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