World Geography or American History

[stacey05]

My daughter has two years (after this current year) of high school left. She is doing the World History Guide right now and loving it. Sadly, she still needs American History, Economics, Govt, and Geography. I was going to fast track 1 semester of one of those. An example is have her do both of HOD's American History guides which include economics and govt, then just have her do another geography course (1/2 credit) over a summer with a different curriculum. (or just use Mapping The World with Art alone). But, I hate for her to miss the World Geography guide and all the amazing books that are scheduled in it. She really cannot tell you where anything in the world is located. So, I was playing with the idea of doing World Geography (in its entirety) and one of the American History guides and then have her read out of a few books for the other part of Am History to get the full story. Her 8th grade brother is going to be doing MTMM this next year and I could put her in that with him (with extensions and beefing for HS) and then have her do World Geography the next year, also with him. She could then just read some books like George Washington's World and Abraham Lincoln's World with SOTW 3 or something like that to get the first part of Am. History. Does this sound do able? Anybody have any opinions on how to fit this in and what guide to have to skip. She will already be graduating a year late...she will be 19 1/2. So, we really do only have 2 more years of school to fit it all in. Thanks so much!!

[StephanieU]

I don't know exactly how the histories will line up in the American History guides, but it might be possible for her to do the WG guide next year, maybe going 5 days a week near the end to gain a few weeks. Then do the 1st Am. History guide, again finishing a little early. FInally, for the last semester-ish, do the regular books from MtMM history to finish out the US history credit as well as do economics (using what Carrie suggests for beefing up MtMM or what she picks for the last high school guide).

[Tidbits of Learning]

I would probably aim to do MTMM and World Geography with the brother. That would be the easiest thing at this level of learning with what you need to cover before graduation. I would fast track 1st half of American History with the What in the World 3 CD's that you would use with Rev2Rev alongside The Federalist Papers and have her write narrations daily on both for knowledge for Government and the other 1/2 of American History. I would look at it like credit recovery since your student is going to be a late graduate. In credit recovery, they normally just work on a computer program (SOS style) for 90 min. blocks until they complete the course and then they get the credit for it. I would do it this summer before MTMM. Summer school is never what you would have gotten in the class during the year but more just enough to earn the credit. I would do those 1/2 credits of Am. History 1 and Government that way. Then you could combine your children for the last 2 years making it easier on you and giving them more time together as well.

[annaz]

I'm not sure if you need 1 or a half geo credit, but you could make sure you map everything utilizing a half credit every year or 1/4 credit both years for that 1/2 credit. Then simply do Us history and the Econ/gov normally (as written). Another idea is to read something like Abeka geo along with US History and Econ/gov as a reader. Abeka geo is a semester that could easily be inserted.

[Carrie]

stacy05,

Thanks so much for sharing about your daughter! Since she is doing the World History Guide now, and I am assuming it is going well, it would be quite a bit of backward motion to go back to MTMM. It would be better for her to stay within the realm of the high school guides instead, just to keep forward motion and to keep her well-placed skill-wise.

With this in mind, I see a couple of options as possibilities. One option would be to do the World Geography next year for her junior year and then to do the first American History Guide with government for her final year. This would mean she would need to add Economics one year to her studies. It might be possible to do this etiher with World Geography or with American History depending on whether she does all of the credits offered within each guide. It is typically acceptable to study a portion of American History as long as a full credit is earned in that study. So, if she did not get to the final American History guide that would be alright. She would still earn a full credit of American history for completion of the first American history guide and earn another 1/2 credit for government.

Another option would be to do the last two American History guides (including government and Ecnomics) and omit the World Geography Guide. In this scenario, you would have to earn the geography 1/2 credit that you mentioned is required. There is quite a bit of mapping within the new American History Guide taking you approximately 1/4 of the way to the 1/2 credit needed for geography. I have not yet determined mapping-wise what we'll do within the final American history guide, but I am assuming mapping will be included in some capacity in that guide as well. I'm not sure if your daughter had any mapping or geography her freshman year but there is some in the World History Guide as well, and there are definitely geography concepts regularly discussed, so I am thinking that among the 3 HOD high school guides she would earn her 1/2 credit of geography.

So, then it is just a matter of deciding which two HOD guides you desire for her to have before she graduates. Do you desire for her to have the World Geography and the first American history guide? Or do you desire for her to follow the last two American history guides? Either plan will work. If she does do the geography guide, I would have her do it next year, followed by the American History guide her senior year.

You could also look to determine which extra credits in the guides are most helpful (i.e. logic, foreign language, Bible, world religion and cultures, etc.). It may also help to look at the sciences in the guides and see if she is in need of those as well. This may provide more clarity.

If she does not do the final HOD guide, she will miss British Literature, but with the titles read for lit. within the World Geography and the World History Guides a 1/2 credit in British Literature could be awarded (alleviating that problem). The first American History guide will contain American Literature, also solving that problem. So, it truly is a matter of deciding which two guides fit her needs best!

Blessings,
Carrie

[stacey05]

Thank you, Carrie!! That helps so much! I think I will have her do the next two AH guides because she hasn't studied much of the history that will be covered in the 2nd AH guide. Do you have any recommendations for getting that Economics credit? Thanks so much for all your help!!

[Carrie]

If you choose to have your daughter do the last 2 American History Guides, then she will cover Economics (earning 1/2 credit) within the final American History Guide. So, you won't have to add that yourself!

It sounds like you have a good plan!

Blessings,
Carrie