I was wondering if anyone could share what they use for your student's history response. I have used:

1.TOG history response pages
2.highland hitcho forms
3.drawing a picture with 4-5 sentences saying what we have learned
4.cluster diagrams

I am getting a little bored with these, and so are the kids! Any other ideas, preferably ones that don't take tons of mom-time?

Also, how do you determine what is the most important information for your children to master or focus on each week? There is so much history, which we love, but sometimes I realize at the end of the week that my grammar aged kids don't know the basic story, but can tell you all kinds of details that don't really matter unless you know the whole story first!

Here are some ideas I've used over the years:

Narration Ideas

I also use the Writing assignments and Fine Arts activities for their history responses.

I honestly didn't worry too much about mastery with my grammar aged children. I knew that by the time we'd studied that particular time period once or twice more, they'd have mastered the information. Experience has born this out. Perhaps you could just summarize the main people and events for them at the end of the week to leave them with the "big picture."

Blessings,

Last year my second-grader used a Primary (K-2nd) Journal which we bought from Wal-Mart. It is a book of pages where the upper half is blank for a picture, and the bottom half is lined. For each week of history, she would copy a paragraph in which I had written a summary of that week. Then she drew a picture to go with it. Not only was she practicing writing skills (and your child could compose the pararagraph himself), but it was a great review of what we had learned throughout the year, and a nice thing to show to grandparents. We even used it at the beginning of this year to review as we started in again.

Amy in WI
Mom to 4, one in each level!

Thank you both!