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We have finally decided which way to go with K’s 5th-grade history. We are just going to keep it simple and do it a la The Well-Trained Mind (TWTM). (You can purchase it here.)

We will be using Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia of World History as our spine for the year. On Mondays, she will be reading the weekly topic page(s) in the spine text. After reading, she will write down several facts that she finds interesting about the topic. Then she will mark all the important dates onto a timeline and find the location discussed on a map. I am also ordering a geography coloring book for her to use for her map work.

On Wednesdays, she will do additional reading/research about something else that she wants to learn regarding the topic. For example, if the main topic was about the earliest farmers, she may decide that she wants to know more about the shaduf. After reading more about the shaduf, she will then use a short section of her additional reading to make an outline. At the 5th-grade level, TWTM suggests that the outline only needs to be a Roman numeral with a main topic sentence about each paragraph.

Fridays will be used to write a short summary about what was learned about the topic of the week.

In order to get our feet wet with the new method, we are going to be starting the new history course during our last 5-week session of the 2012-13 school year, which starts this coming Monday. I’m sure there will be some hand holding that needs to take place for a while until she gets the hang of the new history routine. I’m confident, though, that this will be the perfect fit for her learning style and that she will pick it up quickly.