In case you haven't already figured it out, we use Sonlight for history in our home. Missa and Liddy are paired up in a study group, and are doing core B (also known as Introduction to World History, Part 1). We are studying ancient world history, and we've added a lot of materials to it for hands-on elements. Missa is eating it up; she adores history and does very well with it. She can't get enough of history lessons and would love it if I would pick up the pace so she gets more material. Liddy, on the other hand, doesn't care for history so much. She'd much rather do math and skip history lessons completely. So, my moving slower is paced for her while the added material is to keep up with Missa. However, Missa is starting to get restless with so much added to cover the same stuff for soooo much longer.
So I'm considering a couple different things:
1) just pick up the pace in our core and if Liddy doesn't do it, fine.
2) split them up so Missa is going her pace in the core and Liddy is going HER pace in it too (so I'll end up doing 2 cores with a one grade gap, which is the ideal for combining kids)
3) add in Sonlight's core W to give a lot more depth to slow Missa down and keep her satisfied (core W is the one year World History in Depth program, geared to grade 8 for the most part)
Now there are problems with all 3. Option 1, then Liddy doesn't "do" history lessons really. She may here and there but yeah, that just irritates my teaching securities. But then, she's REALLY into math and reading, so if she's not getting it now she'll likely pick up the books from this core at a later date to read on her own so she'll get the material then. This option has possibilities.
With option 2, well that just creates so much more work for me to do the two girls separately. I'd burn out FAST from reading the material twice so each kid gets it at her pace, and then add in that it would essentially mean that I'm doing 3 full cores since my younger two are doing the Sonlight preschool cores now (I'm doing a combination of P3/4, P4/5, and core A at their interest and pace). I have 4 kids, and at this point my limit is two full cores.
Then there's option 3. It has the same disadvantages as option 2 does, with it adding a third core to my heavy workload of stuff I do already. But also, there's the added need for me to pre-read all the books first because Missa is only going into 3rd grade this fall. She may or may not be ready for the workload of core W, even stretched out to last the entire time we're doing core B and then core C. But at the same time, it would be an advantage because I'm taking that time to read it all first, then she and I read aloud together and it could lead to some great discussions.
Of course, there's other options that I could pick too, but these are the ones I'm stuck on right now. What do you think? I can't decide.........
3 comments:
Hmm, I'm not sure. We're having similar situations a bit. We're working together for history with Makayla (5th), Joseph (1st), and Emma (K). The family read aloud right now isn't catching Emma and Joseph can only stay focused on it for a bit (Famous Men of the Middle Ages), but then we have a read aloud for them while Makayla reads another book on her level each day separately. For example yesterday we read the chapter about Rollo the Viking in Famous Men of the Middle Ages together, then I read part of Leif the Lucky by dAulaire to Joseph and Emma and the littles, while Makayla read part of a chapter in The Vikings by Janeway. On days when Emma doesn't stay interested I just keep moving along, it's no big deal. So if I were you I would go at Melissa's pace and try to have one book going that is on Lydia's interest level when you can. If she is only able to pay attention 2 days a week that is still plenty of history for her age (says me, who is teaching history 5 days a week...LOL).
I do history every day we do lessons too Tristan. We've been horribly irregular this school year, but I'm hoping that will stop this summer so we can get on a daily pattern again. I'm sure that my irregularity isn't helping Liddy's attention and dislike for history any.......
I think I'd stick with option #1. Not every kid will be interested in every subject. You might try to see if there's something about Lissa's learning style that leaves her underwhelmed by history... is she a visual learner, maybe, and doesn't like listening to history/doing the activities, but likes math and reading because those are things that engage her visually? Etc. Maybe if you can figure out what she likes about math and reading and incorporate elements of that into the study of history, it will help.
But keep in mind that with Sonlight, you will be revisiting the same period of history again. So you could continue on your way for now, figuring that anything she misses now she'll pick up later. When the girls get to older elementary school or middle school and are able to do more reading on their own, you could always split them up for history if Missa is ready to be independent with it, freeing you to work with Lissa (or perhaps Lissa will like it better when she can read it for herself). So at that time you could slow Lissa down, have her review some of the earlier years, etc.
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