I have 4 children and will be switching from Sonlight to TOG next year.

My oldest will be in 10th grade next year. For her 9th grade year she did Sonlight Core 100 (American History).

My plan is to do Redesigned Year 1 next school year.

I'm trying to decide what to do for the rest of her highschool years.
She will do yr.2 in 11th

If we follow that path she does year3 in 12th but never gets to do year 4. I feel that modern time period is very important to get in highschool.

Would it be doable for this child only (not my other children), to work through yr.3 and 4 in her senior year?

SHould I just stop at year 4 and let go of the idea that she 'needs' to do Year 4 in highschool?

Thank You,
Debbie

In your shoes I'd consider starting with year 4 this fall. I think year 4 is not just an important part of high school studies, but an important part of understanding today's world. My kids (10 and 14) are already showing an increased interest and understanding of world issues and domestic politics from our studies in year 4, and we're only up to 1945.

I agree with BLT...

This is how it would play out:

10th - Year 4 (Modern)
11th - Year 1 (Ancients - Fall of Rome)
12th - Year 2 (Fall of Rome - Colonization of America)

Since you've already covered American History (which is mostly what Year 3 is), she's really not missing anything...

I also agree with BLT and Amy. If you start with Year 4, your oldest dd will get "everything" for her high school years. The first year I used TOG, we started with Year 4 and it was a great year (we also came from SL 100-although it was called Core 7 at that time.)

Thank you for your input. I can see the wisdom in starting with year 4, I do have a few concerns though.

1. I was hoping to use Redesigned, afraid I may have a hard time with Classic

2. the books used in year 4 don't look very interesting to me.

Shellie,

You said you came from SL core 100 (old yr.7) to year 4 and had a great year. Looking at the ages of your childre, I assume you also used Rhetoric? Did your children enjoy the history and lit. books used?

Thanks,
Debbie

Hi Debbie,

Yes, that year I had 2 Rhetoric and 2 UG. And we used Classic. Now, I'd be one of the first people to recommend Redesigned, but Classic works well too. My kids really *did* enjoy the history and the lit books. My boys were delighted to go from SL's tons of historical fiction, to TOG's non-fiction history selections. Another thing that I did to augment our studies was to view movies that went along with the time period. There are an overwhelming number of choices possible for Year 4!! My kids were introduced to silent film and fell in love with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. My little girls (who weren't schooling at the time)adored Shirley Temple. We also watched movies like Sargeant York and All Quiet on the Western Front (the 30's version) and my kids really got a lot out of that. One thing about starting with Year 4 Classic, once you finish, you'll be able to move into Year 1 Redesigned! And you'll be able to get a 50% discount on Year 4 if you upgrade when you come around the next time. Have you looked at the Go to Egypt mini-unit? Even if you are using the Classic version, that mini-unit would help you understand better how TOG works and that would be helpful regardless of the version that you choose.

We are doing year 4 right now (I have one LG and two D), and we are really enjoying it. I am fascinated, to tell the truth.

Now, you may need to be careful. It is quite likely that doing Rhetoric will be a bit difficult (or even more than a bit difficult) since it will be your first year with Tapestry. You'll need to play it by ear to see how things go. I am finding that it is taking a couple of years for us to work into Tapestry and deal with it just as it was designed. (This does NOT mean that it is a mistake to start now; it means that Tapestry will stretch your kids more than anything else I've seen; and that, in turn, means that kids who've already been stretched for a couple of years are capable of doing even more than kids who haven't.) If your 10th grader can't handle all the R assignments, I'd be comfortable dropping back to D for some of the assignments and still calling it a high school credit, although I would still try to move them up when I could.

About Classic: Classic is very usable. Yes, it's been improved; but not so much because they've added content; rather, there's a re-organization of data. There's some new content, but the Classic content is great as well. I agree with Shelbelle that if you look over the Go to Egypt unit with their wonderful sticky-note information about how to use the year-plan, and then apply those same concepts to the Classic format, you'll have lost very little. Certainly, this would be much easier than trying to have your daughter do two year-plans at once her senior year, which I don't think you would find satisfactory.

I don't know if this would help you, but here's our history. I was planning to start Year 2 this spring, which was going to mean that we were going to be forced (but just barely!) to use Classic for quite some time. This was worth it to me, because it helped us meet some specific goals I have for the family. But my kids BEGGED me to let them study the twentieth century in detail. So I went ahead and got year 4, and we're condensing it a bit into 25 weeks rather than 36, before we start Year 2 Redesign. And the kids have thanked me, more than once, for letting them study the twentieth century. So my opinion? Yes, Classic is more than usable; and yes, year 4 is very interesting.

I often find that when something doesn't look interesting, it's because I am ignorant about it. I had a lot of hesitation coming into our study of the twentieth century. The Russian Revolution? That HAD to be boring. (I found it fascinating.) Teddy Roosevelt? Boring. (Fascinating.) World War I? Senseless war; boring. (Fascinating.) Calvin Coolidge? Who cares about Calvin Coolidge? (Well, turns out I do! I find his biography - guess what - fascinating.) So if you're like I am, it could be that you just haven't studied the twentieth century in as much detail as you've studied earlier history, which means that you're in for quite a treat!

BLT, I just found your post quite <fascinating> (sorry, I just couldn't resist that one!!) Actually, I totally agree with you. Before we studied Year 4, I thought I had a fairly good grasp on the time period. Afterall, I am a product of the twentieth century, right? Wow! Did I ever learn a lot. And that was only from the UG level that I did directly with my boys!

TXMomy, I really think that your dd would benefit so much from Year 4, even though you would be using the Classic. I also agree with BLT, that you could absolutely use work from the Dialectic level and count it for high school credit. I'm actually doing that for my oldest ds this year. This year he should technically be a 10th grader. However, last year we held him back because of maturity and character issues. I've seen a lot of growth in him this past year. We told him that if he wants to graduate with his original class of 2010, he can still do so, but he will have to complete 4 high school years in 3. It's doable and he's very willing now to put in the work. However, he still struggles some with his writing skills and tends to be somewhat of a slow reader. Because of that, I'm having him do a majority of D level work and counting that for high school. I'm also having him complete the government credit which is definitely Rhetoric level. I may also throw in an occasional R level lit piece. All that to say that it would not at all be a poor reflection on your dd if she found R level work to be overwhelming at first. If she jumps in and the water's fine, let her swim in the R waters! If she needs to move back a little, you have the flexibility to do that!!

Thanks so much for the thoughtful input Amy, BLT and Shellie!!

I don't know that much about this time period! BTL and Shellie, you have helped to excite me about doing it. I know its best to do year 4 next year. Ancients can wait another year.

I am glad to hear that if we need to do some Dialectic level work, we are still okay.

I can't tell you how much your posts have helped me. You've helped me clear my head and get a vision for next year. I am placing my order tomorrow for YEAR 4!!

Blessings,
Debbie

I justed wanted to say that I placed my order this morning!

I spoke to my husband about year 4 vr. year 1 and he totally agreed with you ladies!! Thanks again for your help.

Blessings,
Debbie

It's good to have a decision made, isn't it? I think it will go well with you.

By the way, where in Texas are you? We're in San Antonio.

Beth

BLT,

Yes, it feel great!! I am in the Houston area.

Blessings,
Debbie

I just came upon this thread and saw Y4 being discussed! This thread has been very helpful! Thanks!! After reading BLT and ShellBelle, I am feeling better about my decision made last week to buy Y4 classic. It should be here tomorrow. I will be using it with my 2 middle children, 9th and 11th grade. We are in the Houston area too, Debbie.

DanainTX

I am considering TOG for my 8th grade daughter this year. Several of my friends are forming a co-op using YR1. I am excited about all I am learning about TOG, and still have a few questions that will come later. My concern at this point is that I also have a 12th grade son. He has always used "traditional" textbooks throughout his school years. There are so many positive things I see in TOG that would more adequately prepare him for college, but some one told me that it was too late to use this for him. Is there any way to include this in his last year, or do I need to just continue on as usual with him? (I hope I am making myself clear). If so, what would be the best plan of action?

I don't see any reason why you couldn't use TOG with your son as well. You may or may not be able to use the Rhetoric level - or you may have to use it for only some areas - if he's not used to thinking in this kind of terms. The Pageant of Philosophy would probably be really good for him, and Year 1 is a natural intro anyway.

I say go for it!