High School Geography

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mendaymom
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:48 pm

High School Geography

Post by mendaymom » Tue Apr 14, 2015 10:35 pm

I am considering the h/s Geography program for my kids next year - girl (14) boy (13 in Aug). My daughter is a much faster reader than my son. We would be new to HOD. We have our own science and math which take about 2.5-3.5 hrs/day. I was hoping to get some questions answered.

How adaptable is the program? If the work load is too much, can parts be trimmed back/dropped? It appears to require a lot more reading than we have done in the past.

I see that it uses 10th grade writing. We have used IEW in the past. My son would be on the young side for this program (he will be in 8th), but I want to be able to teach him along side his sister. Do you think the writing can be adapted? Could we use the 9th grade writing instead?

Does the Literature use just sections of the BJU book or the whole book?

We already own several of the books and Amy Pack's "History Through the Ages" historical timeline CD. What would be the most economical way to purchase the rest of the products needed?

This looks like such an amazing program, but just so much work for the typical student.

I really appreciate an advice you can give me!
Lisa

LynnH
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Location: OH
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Re: High School Geography

Post by LynnH » Wed Apr 15, 2015 6:53 am

You can easily use your own science and math, but your times are longer than the time that the ones scheduled in the guide take,so keep that in mind. As far as the writing program, EIW starts out pretty gentle with several lessons on sentences then moves to paragraphs and then essays so I would think your dc could do it without modification.

The literature uses the whole book along with the lit books.

The living library is optional so if you drop that then the reading is more manageable. We have done the living library with me reading it aloud (which adds time to the day), as well as our own math which takes 1 1/2-2 hours and he still does only around 6 1/2 hours of work. I did drop 3 of the lit books because he is a slow reader and has dysgraphia, but I am going to have him read at least one of them this summer.

I do think it will be a very challenging program for an 8th grader. Not just because of the reading amount, but because of the reading level and the amount of writing and deeper thinking.
Mom to:
dd 22 college graduate and employed as an Intervention Specialist
ds 18 US2, Loved Preparing, CTC , RTR , Rev to Rev, MTMM ,WG, WH and US1
http://www.graceandfur.blogspot.com/

Mumkins
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Location: Ontario
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Re: High School Geography

Post by Mumkins » Wed Apr 15, 2015 6:58 am

Would you consider doing a lower guide, beefed up for your daughter? Where do they place on the placement charts?

I just got WG in the mail and wow, actually seeing all these books. It's amazing! But, it's going to be a lot of work. My DD is a strong reader who reads almost non stop. I still think it's going to be a lot for her.
7 awesome kids!

2 graduated
2 at highschool
3 coming home to homeschool in the fall💕
DD5 LHFHG
DS9 Preparing
DS12 RTR

We’ve enjoyed LHTH, LHFHG, Beyond, Preparing, CTC, WG

Motherjoy
Posts: 376
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:52 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by Motherjoy » Wed Apr 15, 2015 8:37 am

I'm a big fan of tweaking and combining. I have my three middle sons in Preparing and we love it. We started HOD with my oldest, and we've already been through all the guides, so tweaking is easier for me *I think* than for someone just coming into HOD. Tweaking and combining CAN work, but I'm not sure if it will work for you in this case. The WG is an excellent, excellent guide, but it takes a lot of time and work. Your math and science take so long that the times for the other boxes are really going to make a long day for you, even if you don't do the Living Library. You might get frustrated and burnt out. This is such a good guide, with some amazing opportuninties for discussions with your kids. It would be a shame to miss this guide, and if combining works for you, then it might be better to do MTMM this year and WG next year.

The literature uses the entire BJU book plus a few other books.

As for already owning several of the books, HOD offers a substitution policy. You can find it on the WG page, I think.
MJ, mom to 8
2015-2016 plan
*17yo is dual-enrolled after using HOD for 7 years
*11yo, 10yo, 9yo, and 7yo - CTC with modifications
*5yo, 4yo - LHTH
*3yo - playschool

Accomplished: LHTH, LHFHG, BHFHG, Beyond, PHFHG, RTR, Rev to Rev, MTMM, WG, WH

Jennymommy
Posts: 298
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2014 2:19 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by Jennymommy » Wed Apr 15, 2015 9:07 am

You mention wanting to teach them together, but the WG curriculum is largely independent. Certainly you could make it more "dependant", however, this may do a disservice to your older dd as she should be doing more independently in highschool. In order to earn the highschool credits, she will need to do the boxes thoroughly, and that will take time. We are currently enjoying WG with our 9th grade ds, and it has been very challenging, and very good. We also really enjoyed MTMM, and as pp mentioned, it may well be a better option. Your dd would then start highschool with modern US history, followed by WG, WH, then early US history. You would add economics or government(I don't remember which) for her alongside MTMM for highschool credit. Ds could start highschool next year with WG and just work through the highschool guides as is.

mendaymom
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:48 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by mendaymom » Wed Apr 15, 2015 11:22 am

It seems as though the responses are unanimous - this program will probably be too challenging for my 8th grader.
I'm so disappointed! After reading about the beautiful program, I guess I set my heart on it. We are just finishing modern American History this year so Modern Marvels would be redundant. Furthermore, my high school plan usually follows: World Geography, World Hist, U.S. History and Govt/Econ. I was hoping to keep my daughter on this path. Although most of their work is independent, I enjoy being able to talk about a similar subject, watch videos together, plan related field trips and let them take advantage of each other sharing.
Thank you all so much for your advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out!
Lisa

8arrows
Posts: 965
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 4:49 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by 8arrows » Wed Apr 15, 2015 12:10 pm

I am combining my 8th grader, 9th grader, and 12th grader in the geography program next year. The 12th grader will have her own English, math, and science. I am a HUGE fan of combining as I just do not enjoy school otherwise. As I have several children, I have always combined sets. Anytime I tried to separate groups, it was a disaster. My 8th grader has done Beyond, Preparing, and the guides from RTR on up, plus he is quick, so I don't see a problem. I realize your child has not come up through the guides, so it might be a different matter. I think you are the mother, and you will know best. You know your kids. If you have to adjust a lot, it probably is not a good fit. However, the 8th grader is NOT in high school. If you want to skip the Spanish and Logic for this year, what would that hurt? He does not need to read the living library. He could just do the Bob Jones literature and read the books in the summer. Is literature included in your English program? If so, you can skip this too. If you keep them combined throughout, he will have time his senior year for anything you skipped that you think is important. If you do all the geography and worldview work minus the optional living library, you can still count those credits for high school if your state allows that. That would be a benefit of combining them in that you would not have to teach geography and worldview again (except of course in everyday life and studies). If you see ways to adjust that you are comfortable with, then it might be a fit. (I do think the MTMM was a great suggestion, but it does not seem to fit since you just completed that study.)
Melissa, wife to Jim for 28 years
3 graduated, 2 using US 2, 8th grade dd using Missions to Marvels
Isaiah 40:11 ...He gently leads those that have young.

Motherjoy
Posts: 376
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:52 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by Motherjoy » Wed Apr 15, 2015 1:41 pm

I agree that you are the mother. :) If tweaking doesn't bother you, then you can do as 8arrows suggested. Also, with logic, you could do the first book but not the second. Have him finish the second book next year, and give him credit then. :) If he does do the level of work required in WG, then make sure you give him HS credit for it.
MJ, mom to 8
2015-2016 plan
*17yo is dual-enrolled after using HOD for 7 years
*11yo, 10yo, 9yo, and 7yo - CTC with modifications
*5yo, 4yo - LHTH
*3yo - playschool

Accomplished: LHTH, LHFHG, BHFHG, Beyond, PHFHG, RTR, Rev to Rev, MTMM, WG, WH

mendaymom
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:48 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by mendaymom » Thu Apr 16, 2015 12:08 pm

I'm still trying to process whether or not this program would be a good fit for my daughter (14 in March - starting 9th Fall 2015). She is a fast reader with great comprehension. We have done the IEW writing program the past couple of years. We have not; however, done written narration or dictation as part of our schooling thus far. I'm not sure if the WG program is meant only for people who have come up thru the HOD series. Would someone jumping in at a h/s level be totally lost with this method of teaching? In other words, is there enough guidance for us to learn this style as we go along? Would having to learn this style in addition to the heavy work load just be too much?
Thank you again for your help.
Lisa

StephanieU
Posts: 1652
Joined: Tue May 21, 2013 7:10 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by StephanieU » Thu Apr 16, 2015 12:13 pm

Dictation is a way of working on spelling and grammar. IF you have used something else for those topics, you can skip the dictation. Dictation is not an integral part of the curriculum.
Narrationso nt he other hand are an important part of HOD. It is something that some kids can pick up easily, but it just depends on the child. When your daughter is done reading something, can she tell you about it? Can she borrow some of the tone of the reading and give her favorite parts? Narration isn't necessarily a summary (you don't have to include everything), but it is similar. Here is a good post on narration: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8118
Mom to
DD15 US1 (completed LHFHG-WH)
DS13 MtMM (completed LHFHG-Rev2Rev plus some of LHTH)
DD12 Rev2Rev (completed LHTH-RtR)
DS7 Beyond (completed LHTH-LHFHG)

Nealewill
Posts: 1611
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2013 5:08 pm
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Re: High School Geography

Post by Nealewill » Thu Apr 16, 2015 1:10 pm

If it were me and I were you, I would probably just call HOD and ask. Because your child is great at reading and IEW is a very vigorous writing program, I do think your child would be fine. I know that when I cam to HOD, I had a lot of people try and talk me down in level with my oldest. I placed her where I thought she placed and it was completely the right fit. If you check the placement chart and your child placed solidly in WG, then they will be fine.

Before you start the year, you may want to google info on written narrations just to understand it a bit more. HOD is very CM and I am thinking you have used more classical in the past maybe? But I do think your child will be fine. I would just check the placement chart. If they are in the age range and you aren't afraid to start off a little slowly if needed, then I would go for it. I started using HOD last year and I absolutely love it for every one of my kids. It has been a wonderful fit here. And I am glad I placed my kids where I placed them. They are all perfectly placed and all of them thoroughly enjoy their guides.
Daneale

DD 13 WG
DS 12 R2R
DD 10 R2R

Enjoyed DITHOR, Little Hearts, Beyond, Bigger, Preparing, CTC, R2R, RevtoRev, MtMM

mendaymom
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:48 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by mendaymom » Sat Apr 18, 2015 4:52 pm

Sorry to ask this question again, but I have left several messages and emails for HOD and have not heard a reply. I think they may be traveling out of town right now. Anyway, my question:

Is this program set up where a child who has not done HOD previously could jump in at the high school level (WG)?

She is well prepared for hs work, I believe, is very desirous to take on the challenge, and wants to work independently. She does not, however, have experience with written narration or dictation. She has a freakishly amazing memory and is able to retell a story fluently.

Thank you for your advice.
Lisa

LynnH
Posts: 1846
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:41 pm
Location: OH
Contact:

Re: High School Geography

Post by LynnH » Sat Apr 18, 2015 5:25 pm

The short answer to your question is yes. If she places on the placement chart well with the exception that she hasn't done written narration or dictation then yes she could start in this program. There is detailed instructions in the appendix on how to do a written narration. As far as the dictation I would probably just not do it unless she struggles with spelling then you could do it and it is also very easy to learn and there are instructions in the appendix.

Carrie, her husband Mike and her sister Julie are traveling to conventions right now. Once they return I imagine they will either return your call or jump on here and answer it. There customer service is fantastic.
Mom to:
dd 22 college graduate and employed as an Intervention Specialist
ds 18 US2, Loved Preparing, CTC , RTR , Rev to Rev, MTMM ,WG, WH and US1
http://www.graceandfur.blogspot.com/

my3sons
Posts: 10698
Joined: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:08 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: High School Geography

Post by my3sons » Sun Apr 26, 2015 7:33 pm

Hi Lisa, and welcome to the HOD board! :D The ladies are doing such a wonderful job of helping and answering questions here! Thank you ladies, you are amazing! :D I did want to mention that we do return all phone calls. When the traveling message is on, we are at a book fair, and we return calls as able to and from the book fair, and then as soon as we are back. We like to give personal customer service, as we care deeply about taking time to truly talk through each family's unique situation, especially in regard to placement. :D If you have not heard back, I am so sorry! :cry: Sometimes messages are garbled, and sometimes messages are left with no return phone number given. We try to go through caller ID and look up the time, etc. of the placed call to try to figure out the phone number, but this is not always accurate either. Also, sometimes we call and call back, but there is no phone message system, or a person's cell phone voicemail is either full or 'not set up yet' according to the message we receive. We WANT to talk to you! We LOVE to help! So, please do call back and leave a message if you haven't heard back from us!!!

If we had been able to speak on the phone, however, you would have probably heard very similar advice to that which you are receiving here. :D It is rare for an 8th grader to do HOD's World Geography High School guide. Carrie makes mention that this would be more suitable if a student had completed some or all of the previous Hearts for Him Through Time sequence of guides. However, it largely depends on what the student has done in the past. Dictation will be easy to do. Narrations? That may be harder, but not insurmountable, especially for an 8th grader that fits in the LA portion of the placement chart well. The best way to see if your 8th grader should do the WG guide is to check out the placement chart and see if he fits well in this guide...
http://www.heartofdakota.com/placing-yo ... school.php

It may also be helpful to check out the suggested time allotments for each part of the plans. Keep in mind this is a 4 day a week guide, so work may be spread across 5 days to shorten the time of school each day. Also, you can see how much time the science/math you are using will add to the day for a better feel for how long the day will go with substitutions...
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=13551

I hope something here helps, but please do call or ask more questions here on the board until you have a peace about your decision! :D All of HOD's guides have been a blessing to teach and do within our home. I will say proper placement is the cherry on top. Could you do WG with your 8th grader and 9th grader? Sure you can. You are the mom! You can do anything you want! But is it the best decision? Only you can know that. We can share our advice, and we can answer your questions, but you will know what will fit you best as you pray about it and come to a peace through His leading. He is always faithful. He will answer!

In Christ,
Julie
Enjoyed LHTH to USII
Currently using USI
Wife to Rich for 28 years
Mother to 3 sons, ages 23, 20, and 16
Sister to Carrie

mendaymom
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2010 12:48 pm

Re: High School Geography

Post by mendaymom » Sun Apr 26, 2015 8:06 pm

Julie,
I believe it was you who I spoke with on the phone. You are AMAZING by the way. It was such a relief to go over the specifics of my children. We just reached a decision tonight on what we are going to order! My daughter (14) will be doing the Geography. She is eager to tackle something difficult and is, I believe, up to the task. My son (13 in Aug) wants to do the Revival to Revolution. We had a long, frank discussion. I was proud of the thoughtful way he approached his choice. He said he wasn't ready for hs work but wanted a year to prepare. I'm not exactly sure what we would do for his 9th grade year yet (WG or MMM) . I believe you said that your boys especially enjoyed the Revival to Revolution program, right?
Thank you for getting back with me. Your advice was invaluable!
Lisa

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