Core D with Readers D Regular - 5-Day

by Heather H on 2013-04-13
Just finished this with my 4th grade/10 year old daughter (younger sibs also listed to the read-alouds). Most of it was great - she absolutely loved the books about girls, like Sarah Whitcher, Sarah Noble, Calico Bush - but some of the other books were incredibly boring. Some of them, even my husband and I could not feign interest in (The Journeyman and Robert Fulton come to mind). We ended up skipping Native American Prayer Guide entirely because it was mainly an evangelical, 'those poor Indians' book, rather than a text about real culture, beliefs, and history. We are Christians, but sometimes Sonlight's books tend toward degradation of non-Christians. Our only real complaint (which we emailed Sonlight about) is some inappropriate content in the book Lawn Mower Boy, about adultery and an off-color remark related to that. It was very surprising. We aren't prudes by any means (nude statues or nude native peoples don't phase us), but it was really unnecessary. Overall it was a good core. A very good coverage. The Lewis & Clark part was amazing, wish there'd been more with that (we did read the book while watching the PBS documentary on Netflix).Can't wait for Lincoln and the Civil War!

by Annie J on 2012-11-23
We are a Canadian family that is coming to the end of our journey with this Core for the 2nd time, and we are LOVING it just as much now as we did the 1st time through. We took 1.5 years to do this Core as we added Canadian History concurrently. LOVE this Core!!!
(Review of Core D with Readers D Advanced - 5-Day)

by Lisa J on 2012-03-09
We love this core! Our 4th grade daughter is going through it this year. After being stationed overseas for 3 years, we are now in the DC area, which has made for some wonderful core-connected field trips (Yorktown, National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, Mount Vernon, etc.). It has been fun relearning about the origins of our country.
(Review of Core D with Readers D Advanced - 5-Day)

by Stevanne P on 2012-02-28
My daughter and son both used this core for 3rd grade. They had no problem with any of it---the reading level for the readers was perfect, and the read-alouds held their interest. I would highly recommend this core to anyone whose children fall within the recommended age level. I think it's really important to follow Sonlight's advice on this. I sometimes read reviews where parents have had a hard time with a core, and then I notice they were using it with children younger than the recommended age for that particular core. We loved all the books. The Witch of Blackbird Pond and Walk the World's Rim were a couple of my daughter's favorites, while my son especially enjoyed Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and Johnny Tremain. They both chose Sign of the Beaver as a third favorite. We enjoyed seeing the DVDs of the books (AFTER we read them, of course), too. We found them at our local library for Johnny Tremain and Sign of the Beaver. When I read Landmark History aloud, they were both attentive and interested. My son especially liked the beautifully detailed illustrations. The workbooks (Story of the USA) were easy for them to complete on their own, with input from me only when they reached the discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Some have said the Incans, Aztecs and Mayans book was graphic and violent, but I didn't find it to be inappropriate for this age group at all. I would give this core the highest rating!
(Review of Core D with Readers D Regular - 4-Day)

by Amber K on 2011-05-01
I began using this core with my 9 yr old daughter and my 6 yr old son. I love the readers, as does my daughter. My son is using various level readers. As for the read-alouds we have not read many of them. In order to get in each subject those have been put aside much of the time. I'm sure we will eventually get to enjoy them all, but not just yet. We did read Sign of the Beaver and my kids loved it. We started Walk the World's Rim and my kids were not interested and asked if we could read something else. So we did. The history is ok. The Landmark History of the American People is dull and dry. We did not get too far into it as all my kids heard was "blah, blah, blah". I was disappointed in that particular book. A bit too much and too dry for the younger kids. For older kids I could see using it and it being of good information. But I felt it was too much for this level. The rest of the History books were good. When reading the Incans Aztecs and Myans, we had to edit quite a bit of what was read. It was great information but at times a little to graphic for younger children. We did enjoy the Story of the USA books. They are consumable but we saved them by just having the writing done on paper instead of in the book. We occasionally found a book from the library to add into what we were reading from these books. Overall I feel this is a good year for American history. My daughter has requested that I include a list of her favorite books for the year. The Sign of the Beaver- both of my kids enjoyed this story, as did I. A fun story! A Lion to Gaurd Us- My daughter still raves about this one and keeps reminding me I need to read it over and over. Pocahontas and the Strangers- She truly enjoyed this one and has retained everything from the book. Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims- Again, she remembers everything from this book and truly enjoyed reading it. I hope this helps anyone looking to purchase this core. I have found the reviews from many site very helpful on choosing curriculum for my children.
(Review of Core D with Readers D Regular - 4-Day)

by Julie N on 2011-03-27
We loved this! Since this was our first year of Sonlight we were overwhelmed with the 5 day schedule and as a result, skipped maybe 3 of the read alouds. Overall, though, this was FANTASTIC! I felt like I was re-learning everything over again! Sign of the Beaver was probably our family's favorite read aloud of the year.
(Review of Core D with Readers D Advanced - 4-Day)

by N B on 2011-03-17
I can not say enough good things about this core. I am using it with 4 of my children ages 6, 8, 9 and 11. The advanced readers package is perfect for my group since the regular readers are all included so every ones reading level is covered. The reading selections have been engaging, exciting and touching. Whenever the read a loud books come out, I notice my high school junior seems to turn up as well. I have home schooled for 12 years and this has been, by far, the best year. I love that I can open the Instructors Guide in the morning and just get started. The reading lists, book notes, maps, and writing suggestions are ready and waiting for us. I invested in a few nice book lights and the kids read their books at bedtime making both more time in the afternoon for outdoor activity and happier bedtimes. The best part is spending time reading and being with my kids instead of spending time planning and organizing lessons. I can't imagine not using Sonlight in the future, either can my kids!
(Review of Core D with Readers D Advanced - 4-Day)

by ELAINE B on 2010-06-28
I agree that this core is ideal for 4th grade. We started it with my youngest for 3rd grade and it was just a tad too challenging. So we slowed things down and took two years to cover the material. That worked perfectly and she had a wonderful two years with core 3!
(Review of Core D with Readers D Advanced - 5-Day)

by LISA R on 2010-04-06
We have enjoyed this curriculum this year for our 3rd and 1st graders! Our least favorite book was the Landmark History book which was difficult for my kids to follow. Otherwise we liked the other books.
(Review of Core D with Readers D Advanced - 4-Day)

by ANGIE L on 2010-01-26
Absolutely perfect! We are using Core 3 for my 5th grader and my two 3rd graders. It keeps them interested in school! Intro to American History....I feel like I am learning some of this stuff for the first time as well! Our 4 year old enjoys the stories also!
(Review of Core D with Readers D Advanced - 4-Day)