I thought you may be wanting another sneak peek into the new guide Missions to Modern Marvels.
Since this sneak peek is such a long one, it will probably be one of the last ones (prior to the BIG sneak peek coming in early April for all who are signed up to receive emails from Heart of Dakota). If you are not signed up to receive our emails, you will want to be (as we only contact you twice a year or so with special news). Those on our email list will get a special earlybird preview of the new guide prior to it being launched on our website! Here's a link to the spot to sign up for our emails, if you haven't already! Link: http://www.heartofdakota.com/email.phpIn this sneak peek, I'll give you a glimpse into some of the skills we'll be focusing on in coordination with the history study within this particular guide.
Of course, there can always be changes, so none of this is set completely in stone. 
However, at this point, we are pretty sure of the following areas of emphasis: Each week the students will rotate through the following skill areas, many of which are matched directly to the history reading for the day on which the skill is scheduled:
1. Oral narration - Students will narrate weekly. We are considering including a list of up to 5 vocabulary type words, names, or places from the reading for the student to work into his/her narration. This is definitely a higher-level skill, as we don't want the list of words to drive the narration, but rather just become a part of the narration the student would give on his/her own anyway. On alternating weeks, we will likely have the parent type or write the student's oral narration as he/she gives it, so the student can file the oral narration in his/her student notebook as a record of this skill.
2. Writen narration - Students will write a written narration weekly. Narrations will have a target of 12-15 sentences and should include paragraphing.
3. Memorabilia Connections - Each week an image of period memorabilia will be included in the Student Notebook to correspond with the history reading. Students will use the notes in the guide to make connections between the memorabilia and the historical event to which it is connected.
4. "Snapshot in Time" - Weekly, in the Student Notebook, students will be provided with one or more historical snapshots (i.e. photographs or sketches) to connect with the day's history reading. Throughout the year, students will be asked to display a variety of skills as they connect the "snapshot" to their reading. Possible skills may include writing their own caption, listing bulleted factual notes, writing a journal entry reflective of a person in the snapshot, including a quote from the text or from the person in the snapshot and possibly sharing an interpretation of the quote, brief outlining of part of the text that corresponds to the snapshot, choosing a portion of text to copy from the day's reading that illuminates the snapshot, making connections between two different snapshots, noting the significance of an event in the snapshot based on the day's reading and then giving their own personal opinion too, etc.
5. Timeline Entries - Students will draw three pictures weekly to add to the timeline in their Student Notebook. Entries will be reflective of the week's readings, will be mainly chronological, and will include events and people from around the world. These entries will be the final entries in the history cycle begun in Creation to Christ. So, for those families who have done the guides from Creation to Christ through Missions to Modern Marvels, their students will have a beautiful notebook of time that can be compiled in 4 parts to make a complete timeline from creation to the present!
6. Geography - At least once each week, students will complete a historical map that helps clarify the geography of the world at the time of the history reading. Since maps are keyed to directly match the day's history reading, they greatly enhance the study of history and make the study of geography a necessity in understanding the world in which we live!
A special Map Trek CD, graciously made by the publisher for Heart of Dakota, will contain only maps needed for Missions to Modern Marvels. Students will also refer to the maps in the United States' History Atlas as they read about the history of the United States.7. Economic Principles - Once weekly students will read a chapter from either Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? or Common Sense Business for Kids. After the reading, students will be asked to record in their Student Notebook one main economic principle that they have gleaned from their reading for that day. By the end of the year, students will have a list of economic principles that summarize what they have learned about economics.
8. Socratic Discussion - Once each week, students will have a meeting time with the parent during which they will participate in a socratic discussion about a speech from Great American Speeches. Prior to the meeting time, students will have read the speech and ponder questions that will be provided in the guide as a framework for the discussion.
When the child meets with the parent, the parent will read the speech aloud as the student listens, and then discuss the provided questions. Since the speeches contained in Great American Speeches show a variety of viewpoints and reactions to historical events, they provide a wonderful springboard for socratic discussion. 9. Speeches (Primary Source Documents) - In addition to the speech focused on through socratic discussion for the week, the students will also be reading other speeches that correspond with the history reading for the week. For these speeches, the students will need to choose an important part of the speech to copy in their Student Notebooks that they feel reflects the tone and the theme of the speech.
10. Hands-on History Projects - Three days each week, the students will work on a hands-on history project that helps bring the historical time period to life. Projects use common materials you have in your home already and are usually able to be completed independently by the student (with some oversight needed once in awhile). Projects range from baking to constructing, to sketching to painting, to mapping to game-making, and everything in between!
I've already discussed in a previous post the use of What in the World... Vol. III and Draw and Write Through History, so I'll link the thread that discusses these aspects of the "Learning Through History" side of the guide too. Link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10905&p=79517
Plus, you won't want to forget about the President Study, which will have its own special notebook along with two resources to use for the research that go along with the President Study. This will be scheduled 3 times weekly.
And... families also have the option of doing a study of their own individual state during this guide, which is highly recommended (if you live in the U.S.) as time is allotted for it once each week.
We will recommend the Christian State Study linked below (as we'ved done it with our own son and really enjoyed it)! Link: http://www.statehistory.net/grades3-12/informationLast, don't forget that we have also selected terrific living books that will help bring the modern times to life! There is a Basic Package of books for 7th-8th graders and an Extension Package for 9th-10th graders.
I cannot tell you how many titles I previewed and read (and so many titles that I lost count of how many were discarded) in the quest to find just the right mix in this area! We pray you will be blessed by the selections, each of which is intended to coordinate with the rest of the readings in Missions to Modern Marvels and the rest of our plans to create a fuller picture of history. Whew!
Your child will certainly be learning a lot of skills through the "Learning Through History" part of this guide, however I want to encourage you that since each of the skills occur only once or twice a week it will not feel overwhelming. 
Yet, it also will not feel sporadic, as we will work to systematically develop these skills each week all year long! Just in case you've missed any of the first 8 sneek peeks, here is a link to a place where you can view them all!
Link: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11148 We are so excited about this particular guide, and we pray that it will be used to glorify our Lord and Savior!
Blessings,
Carrie
