jillian
- Reviewed on Tuesday, October 06, 2009
- Grades Used: 7th-8th
- Dates used: 2008-09
There are things that I like and dislike about this book.
Likes:
She brings church history into secular history.
She writes in a friendly, coversational tone that is readable and holds the children's interest.
Dislikes:
The tests/pretests/cards dry it out a lot.
The resource section in the back with suggested further reading is very weak.
The mapwork is weak.
I would suggest "Story of the World, Pt 1" and the activity guide that goes with it over this. The only reason we changed to this was because we have finished SOTW. I guess it was just too hard of an act to follow.
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goldenapples
- Reviewed on Friday, August 21, 2009
- Grades Used: 2nd-4th
- Dates used: 2007
When I first purchased this book I was very disappointed because I was unfamiliar with how to use this book. This book cannot stand on its own unless you are teaching very young students. The lessons are not indepth and too short for older elementary students. However, with supplementation from other resources like living history books, this curriculum is fantastic! The author provides pre-quizzes and quizzes, plus activities fit for your youngest student to your oldest student. Great for a Charlotte Mason or Classical education. Wonderful for teaching multiple age groups.
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chrismaya
- Reviewed on Sunday, June 28, 2009
- Grades Used: 6th
- Dates used: 2008-2009
Love it! Short. To the point. Memorable. You can always supplement a bit, and the author tells you how. Love this history program. And I've done a lot of them!
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theneffzoo
- Reviewed on Saturday, October 18, 2008
- Grades Used: 5th
- Dates used: Currently 2008-09
This is my first year to HS, so take that into consideration when reading this review. I am HS-ing my 10yo daughter/5th grade. We are about 6 weeks into the school year.
I searched through several history curricula before settling on MOH. I loved Tapestry of Grace, but couldn't justify the cost for just one child. (may or may not HS my twin sons at a later date - special ed issues - long story.) So I was glad to find MOH that combined Christian and secular history, and presented it chronologically from creation to present.
The book is well-organized and affordable. (There will be 5 once they are all published.) The lessons are arranged 3 at a time with a 'what did you miss' post-test and a 'see what you know' quiz to generate interest in the next group of lessons. (both done orally/informally)
The author gives several ways of grouping lessons and activities for various HS schedules (i.e. 4-day school weeks and the like). She also offers ideas for activities at the end of each lesson, divided by age level (el., middle, older). I believe there is also a product on her site that offers more ideas for activies and art projects as well.
We are doing a time line with www.holdthatthought.com software. My only complaint about that is that it is so high up on our wall that it is difficult to see, but it goes great with MOH. Climbing up and putting the figures on the time line is my daughter's favorite part of the day.
The author lists a few books and movies on her site as ideas for 'fleshing out the lessons', but I must say that her lists could be more inclusive, since her lessons are so brief and only hit the highlights. I had to search and use some ideas from other reading lists to add to her's. Not to say you will have time to read/see it all - you shouldn't do that anyway, but it would be nice to have more to choose from. Also, her supplements are listed as links to amazon.com. This is nice if you want to buy from them, but imposible to copy and paste if you want to make your own printable list.
I was a little worried that the MOH lessons were too abreviated and that we weren't learning enough or that I wasn't fleshing them out enough, but I have decided to wait and see how it goes and see how the lessons change (if at all) once we get further along in history when more is known about those times and people. With the author's writing style, though, I think she could include more info and not lose the student's attention.
Anyhow... I like her writing style. The lessons are quick, to the point and enjoyable to read. My daughter has even started wanting to read them. I had to hold in a chuckle when she told me one day, "Mom, I don't want you to strain your voice, so I'll read the history today."
Added 11-2-08
I noticed Kellyn's comment on greek mythology etc. I must admit that when we read the Gilgamesh Trilogy and then later read about the Greek gods, I was struggling with how to handle this as a Christian homeschooler.
I want to send a clear message to my kids that such things are not true or real and give them a solid Christian world view. But if they do go on to college, they will need to at least be aquainted with the basics. We shouldn't be OF the world, but we do have to live IN it. My decision was that it is better to address it now and make sure they understand the difference, than to turn them loose in the world not having a clue.
For the Greek gods, I made up my own little printed handout - complete with a few pictures from Google images - listing the major Greek gods' names with a brief (albeit sanitized) description of who they were and what they were known for. I also included a basic story about Pandora's Box (there are several versions). Sprinkled throughout the handout, I included relevant scripture references that tell the truth about ______. (good and evil, life and death, etc...) I then used this to reinforce Christian world view while at the same time introducing my daughter to the basics of Greek mythology.
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