I recently purchased Y3U1 and am looking at resources. I have been looking at This Country of Ours online, trying to decide whether to purchase it or not.

It seems rather opinionated and undocumented for a resource that is used with dialectic students. It this balanced anywhere in the notes or other books. I didn't find anything in the notes about these comments.

Examples from the chapter on Monroe:

Monroe was not so clever as the presidents who had gone before him.
(no details are given to support this)
----
(On the Seminole Wars)
But this was far more than Monroe had meant Jackson to do. And it seemed as if General Jackson was like to be in trouble with the Government, and the Government in trouble with Spain. However things were smoothed over, and the matter with Spain was put right by the United States buying Florida in 1819.
(rather simplified?)
----
You remember that two hundred years before this, slaves were first brought to Virginia. In those days no one thought that slavery was wrong.
(Where does she get the idea that no one thought slavery was wrong?)

I'm wondering if I should use a different spine, but what would it be?

Hi,

We are wrapping up Y3 with our final unit. So, I will just share a bit of our experience with this resource.

1. We did not find the bias in this book to be an obstacle at all. At the Dialectic level, students are encouraged to recognize author bias and discuss it in the co-op setting or with their family. Often the discussion script will address a topic in order to encourage deeper thinking. Your last quote about slavery is a good example of a topic that was covered every which way over the 2nd and 3rd units in year 3. I can assure you that this author's comment would not trip up any student who had studied the program as written.

2. One of my favorite things about Tapestry is that they select a variety of books each week to support a given topic. In Year 3, Abe Lincoln's World, various biographies, and reference books are all used in addition to a resource book like TCOO. This blending of authors has given us such a rich foundation and allows us to see the differing views throughout history. I think the questions and discussion script do a great job of highlighting these learning opportunities for our students. I imagine it's difficult to get a sense of this by scanning the program, while selecting the books for the unit. This is just my opinion, but I don't think you need to be too concerned about some of the examples you quoted above. My experience with the D students in our co-op is that they have learned to be critical thinkers who evaluate what they read and jump all over inconsistencies during our discussion time. I asked my son about your questions above and he said that Marshall was less of a problem than some, because the bias was so obvious and easy to locate.

3. While this author may not be the most knowledgeable or the most interesting to read, I'm sure it is difficult to select books that span the appropriate period of history, are reasonable priced, at the appropriate reading level and not too lengthy. It sounds like you are comfortable using a substitute book, but the challenge is finding one that meets all the requirements and does it better. I don't know how Dana chooses books, but I'm sure these are some of the factors involved. We have really enjoyed most of the books selected in Tapestry's program. Even the ones we didn't enjoy, served us in our learning. One read aloud was especially challenging for us to complete, but we all learned a bit of French along the way

Best wishes in planning your year. We have enjoyed Y3 so much and look forward to year 4!

Blessings,
Eia

quote:

Originally posted by Eia:
My experience with the D students in our co-op is that they have learned to be critical thinkers who evaluate what they read and jump all over inconsistencies during our discussion time. I asked my son about your questions above and he said that Marshall was less of a problem than some, because the bias was so obvious and easy to locate.

Thank you. This was what I was most concerned about, so it helps to hear your experience.

Angela