RTR book ideas

[LSH in MS]

Favorites from Rome to Reformation

I'm looking ahead to next year. I've purchased the RTR basic package along with a few items from the deluxe package. I was looking in the back of the TM at the book basket suggestions and I was wondering if any of you would reccomend buying any of them. I see that Famous Men of Rome is used quite a bit. Are there any other books you bought or wish you had bought? I did buy the Read Aloud Set. Thanks!

I bought the Famous Men of Rome as well as the readers I wanted my children to read during independent reading time. For my age dc these included A Triumph for Flavius, Detectives in Togas, Mystery of the Roman Ransom, Beowulf, Augustine Came to Kent

I also bought some of the Jim Weiss Cds that we really like because our library didn't have them. Jewish Stories, (or is it Holidays) Robin Hood, Arabian Nights, King Arthur and His Knights and Shakespeare for Children. I got everything at Rainbow Resource.

[MJP]

I bought Famous Men of Rome, the G.A. Henty books for that time period, Beowulf, and a couple of other Bethlehem Books from that time period.

[hollyjay]

We also bought Famous Men of Rome and some of the Bethlehem books too.

Another one I've purchased is The World of Christopher Columbus by Genevieve Foster. It is listed for week 24 saying that it compliments the history studies for the rest of the year. I figured it would also compliment the beginning of next year's as well so it would be a worthwhile purchase.

[Julie in MN]

I was wondering if someone could post a sample of the book basket recommendations that would go with the 2 sample pages for RtR on the MFW web site? Thanks!

Hi Jean,
The copyrights don't allow us to do that. You could ask at the office, but the answer might be the same, I'm not sure.

Here are a few things that might help.

- There are some posts about RTR "book basket" in the RTR archives. Maybe those will give you a general overview? http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewforum.php?f=12
I think a few of us shared some of our favorites here, too: http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php?t=2845

- You can find the specific topics likely to be included in sample weeks 17-18 by going to the RTR samples & looking at the topics on the very top line of each grid. Things like Beowolf and Vikings -- those will be topics in book basket.

- Also look at the art & music topics (Mozart, illumination, etc.). There will probably be small groups of book basket recommendations on those topics.

- I should mention that some book basket items would not be found under weeks 17-18, even if we could share that. Several topics may have been introduced during an earlier week (such as Mozart books listed the first week that you study Mozart).

- Along the same lines, RTR in particular had a lot of book basket items that applied to a large portion of the year, so those would be listed at the beginning or the first time the topic came up. I am thinking of several DVD sets that my husband and I watched as we prepared for RTR (Christianity's first 1000 years was one, I think), or overall reference books that I used over many weeks.

Does that help give a picture?
Julie

[dhudson]

Has anyone supplemented RtR with the Story of the World activity book?
What about extra reading such as The Hobbit, Beowolf, Robin Hood?
I'll have a 5th grade dd when we do RtR in the fall. Thanks!!

I did add some books to RTR for my oldest as he loves to read but it seemed to me that RTR was pretty thorough so we didn't add the SOTW activity book although we bought several sets of wooden blocks designed so that you could build Roman arches, medieval castles and so forth. My dh is is a collector of anything Roman so we had A LOT of Rome extras.

The Hobbit was great [recommended in the General Reading List for fifth graders and up in the back of the TM], I think my son read the Chronicles of Narnia that year, a version of Robin Hood, Detective in Togas (there's another book as well that I can't remember the name of by this author), The Shakespeare Stealer and then many of the book basket books. We loved the Medieval Night and the dinner at the Monastery night. We also had a big Roman feast with a group of friends which was so fun. Building the Medieval Castle was fun but really time consuming ( although the kids are still playing with it) and learning how to play chess was great. I think what I am basically saying is that there are tons of great activities in RTR so I wouldn't add much.

[4Truth]

Agreeing with Dawn, I don't recall The Hobbit being part of Book Basket [it's one of the listed "classics"], but Robin Hood and Beowulf were. Don't buy too many extras in advance, because you'll see once you have your manual just how much additional literature is in there. It's also very rich with activities.

I just had my oldest dd read an abridged version of Beowulf, and I'm glad now because I see that Beowulf is included in year 2 of high school.

Postby 4Truth » Sun Mar 29, 2009 11:14 pm
The Narnia series wouldn't be history related during RTR, either. That would be WW 2 era. It's a little deceiving because the "theme" once they're actually IN the land of Narnia seems more Middle Ages/Renaissance. However, the story takes place during WW 2. (Just an FYI for anyone who's reading and wondering. )

[HSmommi2mine]

I occasionally pull some coloring pages from the AG (since I already own it) and I use some of the review questions and that kind of thing. Most of the time the activities scheduled into MFW are just right for us.

[Pylegang]

The Roman Mysteries, by Caroline Lawrence

Anybody know anything about this series? I just came across it looking for books in our library catalog..

Debbie

We're currently reading it as a read aloud. My kids and I are thoroughly enjoying it. The books in this series take place in 79 A.D. during the times of Ancient Rome. The stories are interesting, fast paced, and absorbing. They also bring out historical events and details nicely. FYI--Veritas Press sells and recommends these books.

[Lainie]

This is just an FYI post...

Because some of the books are used for more than one or two weeks and because we will cycle back through RtR (should the Lord tarry) in five years, we decided to go ahead and order the asterisked books we are "missing."

This is just an FYI for those doing RtR that I put the books into a "widget" in my blog sidebars so they are fast and easy to find should you want to own these books too.

We haven't been disappointed by one of Marie's recommendations yet and boy do we love book basket!

[MelissaM]

I've just place my order for MFW RtR. I am so excited! (I just cannot tell you how excited I am to be returning to MFW and wish I hadn't left!!)

I was reading through older threads where several of you suggested additional books too have on hand for RtR. (My boys are 5th/6th grade levels.) I saw suggestions for Famous Men of Rome and several others. I wonder though if you would add your suggestions here so that it'll be in one place so that I can determine if my library has some of these or if I can make the purchase to have the books you recommend most.

I have one son who loves to read and one who likes to read when it interest him. So, please advise! My younger has read Robin Hood and the like already this year.....

And, of course, it would be nice not to have to read each book before I hand them to my children. Please make me aware of any inappropriate content.

re: Famous Men of Rome, I'm almost positive you can get that for free on mainlesson dot com. You may even be able to get a free audio version on librivox dot org. I love it when someone else does the reading once in a while!


Melissa

[Julie in MN]

You've probably read these, but it was fresher in my mind when I posted:
http://board.mfwbooks.com/viewtopic.php ... 973#p15973

More recently, my son has read A Single Shard and really enjoyed it (early Korea), so I'd add that one for a boy who likes to read.

I also would get Kingdom Tales for RTR, if you haven't read it already. The MFW version is far cheaper than the hardcovers, and MFW adds nice discussion questions at the end of each chapter.

I agree with looking over the Famous Men online for free. I found my kids didn't like those stories if they were too young or too old, although there was a window of time around 7th grade I think when my son enjoyed several of them. It's nice when a resource can be used throughout the year.

Julie

[s_duguid]

Okay, if you read my last post you knew this was coming;) We finished CTG today and now it's time to make my shopping list for RTR "extras" that I want to look for at convention next Friday. This is actually the first time that I have finished our school year before convention and so I can get totally engrossed in the upcoming year, it's a sickness, I know;)

I'm going thru the archives and taking notes but thought I'd ask for suggestions from those who did RTR this year or in years past and just never posted anything. Thanks for any and all ideas as I make my list.

You might want to consider and pick a few titles from You Wouldn't Want to Be . . . series with related topics: Cleopatra, Roman Soldier, Forbidden City, Marco Polo, Shakespearean Actor, Joan of Arc, Pompeii, Great Wall of China, Samurai, Roman Gladiator, Viking Explorer, Medieval Knight, etc. Rainbow had some at their booth. Our library had quite a good selection to borrow if you want to check first.

The Diane Stanley books are beautiful although the reading level is advanced for a picture book. Didn't use them as in depth as I wanted, but couldn't pass up at convention the gorgeous artwork. Titles: Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Bard of Avon.

Sir Cumference and the First Round Table

One book that I ordered which my daughter thoroughly enjoyed was solving the mystery in History Detectives: The Romans.

Detectives in Togas

Drive Thru History: Rome dvd

Check out notebooking journal for Apologia Astronomy. Doing the minibooks were fun!

You might consider the Getting to Know the Great Composers by Mike Venezia. Beethoven, and Mozart. OR Lives of the Musicians by Kathleen Krull

I'm thinking there is a pop-up book of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Not sure where I saw one. Debating if I should look for one for week 33.

[Pylegang]

I am getting ready to start planning this year and am looking for readers for my 5th grader to read for individual reading time. I would love some recommendations for books related to the time period RTR covers. I have ideas for other books, but if we could find some age appropriate related books, that would be a bonus!

(the book basket is wonderful and we use it, but that is separate from reading time)

Thanks,
Gwen

We loved:

Detectives in Togas

Roman Mysteries

[DS4home]

I'll share the list of readers my kids used that year. I had a 4th and 7th grader. They are a mix of girl and boy stories

Little Miriam of Galilee
Jason's Miracle: A Hanukkah Story
Cleopatra (Usborne)
Daughter of the Nile (Royal Diary)
A Triumph for Flavious
Vinegar Boy
Sparrow Alone
See You Later, Gladiator (Time Warp Trio)
Adam of the Road
The Sword in the Tree
Castle Diary
Joan of Arc (Landmark)
The Whipping Boy
Mary Queen of Scots (Royal Diary)
Tales from Shakespeare

Hope that helps spark some thoughts on what might work for your kids. There is a range of reading levels in this list.

Dawn

[rxmom]

Any suggestions for a great read aloud for the first few weeks of RTR? The Bronze Bow doesn't start until week 4 and the read alouds are one of my guys favorite things. A Triumph for Flavius is suggested for the first week or so but my library doesn't carry it and it's running about $11 for a book with only 84 pages, I can't justify it. Oh, the boys just turned 10 and are going into 4th grade, if that helps. Thanks so much!~

Hi Kelly,
We just finished RTR--loved it! My boys enjoyed Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfeld. It is a mystery /whodunit type of book involving a group of Roman school boys...witty, fun, with a view into ancient Roman culture/school life, etc...a good read to kick off study of Rome. Have a fun year in RTR!

Delcey

[s_duguid]

My daughter loved Detectives in Togas! I concur; this would be a great "kick-off" to the new school year. The author has another book Mystery of the Roman Ransom, if your boys are interested after reading Detectives.

Some other good read-aloud suggestions would be The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Stucliff or Duncan's War, by Douglas Bond. Not sure of the timeline of these, though. Duncan's War might be better towards the end of the year when there isn't a read-aloud scheduled.

[IdahoGrown]

I am looking ahead to next year when we do RtR. Are there book basket books that you think are a good idea to purchase because they're just that good? I will be going through RtR twice more (I think) with the other kids, so they'd get used more than once.

Thanks!
Chanda

Here is my schedule for the year. R means 'reader' for the student. RA means read-aloud.
I assume you have the TM so you can look these up in their respective weeks to find the authors... : )
I spent TONS on books for this year because where we had a poor library. There really is no need to purchase all the books I did if you have access to a library system that is good or has interlibrary loan. All these extra books costs me at least $300 but I don't remember exactly how much...which is probably a good thing.

The weeks where no readers are scheduled, my dd was reading her own interest books or she was taking turns reading the history with me.

Week One: R: Triumph for Flavius; RA: City (a Macauley book)
two: RA: City, Famous Men of Rome-Caesar; Famous Men-Cicero
three: R: History Detectives RA: City
four: R: History Detectives and Pompeii-Buried Alive; Drive Thru History Rome dvd
five: R: Mystery of the Roman Ransom; RA Famous Men of Rome XXIII and Invitation to the Classics Aeneid
six: R: Mystery of the Roman Ransom; RA Roman Coliseum
seven: R finish Mystery Roman Ransom; RA finish Roman Coliseum and The Librarian Who Measured the Earth
eight: RA Masada (we ended up skipping this book for some reason...but it looks excellent)
nine: RA Masada
10: RA Twice Freed; watch one hour of A.D.
11: CATCH UP on any reading; RA Twice Freed; watch one hour of A.D
12: RA: Famous Men of Rome-Nero and Twice Freed; watch one hour of A.D.
13: R: Anna Byzantium; RA Famous Men-Constantine and End of Western Empire
14: R Anna of Byzantium
15: R: the Silk Route; RA I Dared to Call Him Father
16: RA I Dared...
17: R: The Sword in the Tree (this is a super easy to read book..) RA I Dared...
18: R: Viking Adventure (another super easy to read). Finished I Dared but late. tough book to get thru. Started Augustine Came to Kent. Invitation to the Classics Beowulf
19: R: The Door in the Wall; RA: Augustine Came To Kent, Adam of the Road, and let dd puruse In The Time of Knights
20: Same as last week
21: R: The Apple and the Arrow; RA Dangerous Journey
22: RA: Science in Ancient China and Dangerous Journey
23: RA: finish Dangerous Journey and start Samurai's Tale as a read-aloud cuz it sounds interesting and I don't want to miss the story! lol. I may have dd read this aloud to me.
24: R: The Shakespeare Stealer and Samurai's Tale.
25: R Shakespeare Stealer and Samurai's Tale aloud
26: Finish Shakespear STealer and Samurai's Tale. RA: Prince Henry the Navigator...pages 24-40 of World of Columbus and Sons 3 pages per day until done
27: RA: Daily Life in Timbuktu--this book was hard to find for some reason. I scored an old library copy off of Ebay
28: catch up week on anything
29: RA Discovery of the Americas. We skip the first part of the book because it is evolutionary.
30: R: Luther the Leader; RA Michaelangelo (Usborne Art) as well as Divinci
31: R: A Murder for Her Majesty
32: R: A Murder...; RA The Best of Shakespeare
33: same as last week
34: same as last week

That does it! We are only on week 18. lol. But we have moved long distance this year...again. I hope this helps you plan your year.

[mamamouse]

Thanks Jean for typing all that out!!

Thanks Julie for the links!!