Literature and Study Guides.

SoTW3 covers history from the 1600's to about 1849--or you could say, from the time of the birth of the novel to its maturation of what could be considered its finest period. From Cervantes to Twain--it's overwhelming to capture for children.

However, we must do what we must and the SoTW Activity guide is amazing in its recommendation of chapter books and abridged classics for elementary students.

So, I went through and selected those books

1) I will make the oldest read and write a book summary.
2) we will listen to or read together for enjoyment.
3) we will peruse together with a study guide.

1) I will make the oldest read on his own.
(3) Pocohontas and the Strangers by Robert Clyde Bulla
(23) Ben and me : a new and astonishing life of Benjamin Franklin as written by his good mouse Amos by Robert Lawson

2) Books we will listen to or read together for enjoyment.
(2) Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (on audio available from our local library. Narrated by the incomparable John McDonough ).
(21) The Last of the Mohicans by James Fennimore Cooper, an abridged version read by William Hope (Naxos)
(22) Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
(24) Stowaway by Karen Hesse
(25) The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. [The 1982 movie directed by Clive Donner and starring Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellan now on dvd]
(41) The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. The library has the book, the book on audio and the movie by Niki Caro. So we'll see when we get here.


3) Books we will peruse together with a study guide.
(15) The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
*Grammar stage study guide and vocabulary list.
*Glencoe Study Guide available here.
* Progeny Press also has a study guide available for Grades 5-7.

(19) The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
* ebook Study guide for Grades 5-12 by Saddleback Classics.

(36) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
* This, I would like to listen to and follow along in our own copies. There is a plethora of study guides for almost every grade range listed at this site.
*I like the look of this one: Portals to Literature: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Teacher's Guide (by Mark Twain) Gr.6-12 Perfection Learning Corp. There are sample pages to view.

Hmm. The pacing could be better in terms ofwhen to read them (the numbers in brackets correlate with SoTW chapter numbers) and something is telling me this is too ambitious. But it can stand as a preliminary plan.

Jackdaws.

In The Well-Trained Mind, Jesse Wise and Susan Wise Bauer advise that starting in fifth grade, a student should begin to study history using primary source documents. They helpfully include a list of questions the student should run through whenever evaluating a primary source document and then they recommend a few providers of such documents.

There is one on-line called the Internet Modern History Sourcebook (which I will check out another time) and Jackdaws.

Each portfolio/area of interest is to take one to two weeks. The authors don't recommend a set number of these to do, but for fifth grade they recommend six different ones, and for sixth grade they recommend four. These, however, are based on the available materials from Jackdaw for the time period being covered and so are not "grade specific." Hard to say, then, how many one shoould do in any given school year.

The suggestions in WTM for which Jackdaws to study during the same time period as SoTW3 follow a course of American history. Of course, my interests are not the same, so I've had to come up with my own list. (All prices in US dollars from the Jackdaw site)


SoTW2:
Columbus and Explorers Come to the New World $51.95


SoTW3: Possible Jackdaws for study.

SoTW 3:4 The Northwest Passage $27.95

SoTW 3:12 Cromwell's Protectorate $27.95

SoTW 3:12 The Plague and Fire of London$51.95

SoTW 3:16 Newton and Gravitation $51.95

SoTW 3:21? Wolfe at Quebec (1759) $51.95

SoTW 3:25 The French Revolution $51.95

SoTW 3:33 The War of 1812 However, it seems to be a bit one-sided--and on the wrong side for us! $51.95

Famous Men and SoTW

Well, I've got Famous Men of Modern Times by John Haaren correlated with the Chapters in SoTW3, at least. (I did SoTW2 a few weeks ago)

Here it is in case it is useful to anyone else:
(SoTW Volume#:Chapter #)

Famous Men of Modern Times
by
John H. Haaren


Lorenzo the Magnificent
Christopher Columbus (2:31)
Ferdinand of Aragon (2:28)
Vasco da Gama (2:31)
Chevalier Bayard
Cardinal Wolsey (2:34)
Charles V of Germany (3:1)
Solyman the Sublime (2:24)
Sir Francis Drake (2:42)
Sir Walter Raleigh (2:40)
Henry of Navarre
Wallenstein (3:9)
Gustavus Adolphus (3:9)
Cardinal Richelieu (3:9)
Galileo (2:37)
Oliver Cromwell (3:12)
Louis XIV (3:13)
Sir Isaac Newton (3:16)
William III, King of England (3:15)
Sobieski (possibly 3:18)
Peter the Great (3:17)
Charles XII of Sweden (3:17)
Frederick the Great (3:14)
William Pitt (3:21)
George Washington (3:22 or 23)
Robespierre (3:25)
Napoleon Bonaparte (3:29)
Horatio Nelson (3:29)
Thaddeus Kosciusko (American Revolution 3:22 or, possibly, attack on Imperial Russia, 3:26)
Abraham Lincoln (4:5)
Garibaldi
William Ewart Gladstone
Count Von Bismarck

Whew.
(updated December 29, 2008)

SoTW 3--Correlating.

We aren't starting until after Christmas, but there are a number of things I want to go with our study of history, since I've decided to become serious about this chronological thing.

This post will serve as my list of things to correlate and the resources I've found to help me do that.

SoTW3 starts in the latter half of the 16th Century and ends in 1849 with the Gold Rush.

To correlate:
Timeline Figures by Amy Pak. Already done here.
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia
Child's History of the World by Hillyer.
Both of these are done here (along with tons of other things).
John Haaren, Famous Men of the Modern Times
James Baldwin, Famous Stories (if any).
Jackdaw portfolios.
Books to read.
Science Figures
Art History
Music

And, of course, I want to slip in some concurrent Canadian History. That may be a major challenge! (The chapters with US content are listed here).

If you know of any other resources, I'd love to know, too!

Weekend Prep.

I'd forgotten what work it is to prepare for the week!

I actually have a sheet in Word which lists what I need to do. Here it is:

To Do List
Weekend Prep.


--Select Bible Verse(s)
--type and enter into Memorization sheets
--type into Start write for copy work

--prepare Poem
--prepare poem for Copywork

--prepare other Copywork and Dictation selections (History, Spelling, Aesop &/or Reading selection)

Writing:
--plan The Older and The Younger’s Aesop work

Reading:
--Look up and request SoTW books
--write up the Older and the Younger’s assigned reading chart
(goal: "one biography, one science book, one history book, one practical or art-and-crafts book, and three books of their own choosing - stories, poetry, or nonfiction." WTM)
--run off selections as needed from FMMA and Baldwin.
--update Reading Logs

Latin:
--run off worksheets for the week
--(as needed) Cut up cards for Latin vocabulary

Art:
--run off Meet the Masters Sheets
--find MtM prints on-line

Science:
--run off notebooking pages

Housekeeping:
--Type up schedule for the week.
--Cut and punch index spelling cards (5 cards of 2 colours)
--run off lined paper (10 sides)

It's astonishing to me how this just eats up the whole weekend. I'd like to put together a lap-book on insects for science but that idea is overwhelming at the moment.

Does anyone feel like there's just waaaay too much to do? Or am I just feeling that because we're not into the swing of things yet?

(And when am I supposed to clean the house?)