Veritas Press Omnibus has turned out to be our daughter’s favorite curriculum. She did Classical Conversations and Sonlight until 7th grade and in 8th grade we made the switch to Omnibus. We took a small detour one year to try Tapestry of Grace with a local co-op, but ultimately she missed VP Omnibus and requested to return to it. She has done Omnibus I and III Primary and Secondary self-paced and Omnibus V Primary and Secondary as live online classes. You can read a bit about her 8th grade year in this post. Of course, we still use Sonlight and she uses their booklist for her “fun” reading. You can read about our love for Sonlight in this post.
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General Info About Omnibus
Veritas Press Omnibus is designed for 7th-12th grade. There are 6 levels and each level includes a Primary course and a Secondary course. Primary is considered the history portion with primary source books and Secondary is the literature portion. If using all six levels your child will cycle through ancient, medieval, and modern history twice.
Taking both courses together would provide your high school student with 3 credits- 1 for history, 1 for theology, and 1 for literature. VP offers an extremely convenient explanation of how to describe these courses on a transcript.
Omnibus Levels 1, 2, and 3 are offered as Self-Paced, Live Online, or You Teach. Levels 4, 5, and 6 are only offered as Live Online or You Teach.
What does this mean? Self-Paced, Live Online or You Teach?
Self-Paced classes are pre-recorded lessons that your student watches, completes some interactive quizzes and tests, and then completes the reading and homework on their own. Live Online classes are just that- live classes that your student attends online twice a week. The You Teach option is when you purchase the curriculum and you are the teacher for the course.
The curriculum consists of the Omnibus Textbook for that level- the text includes both the primary and secondary coursework for that level. Plus, you need all the wonderful books for the level you are doing.
These are robust, great books courses and any level could be used for high school. Our daughter started her journey with Omnibus in 8th grade, but I do not plan on using it for middle school with our son. We will re-assess this decision once he hits 9th grade and, if anything, may start Omnibus 1 in 9th or 10th grade. For now he will use Sonlight for 7th and 8th grade and possibly continue Sonlight through high school. I am a firm believer in customizing our homeschool to fit each child. So while our daughter thrives and truly enjoys Omnibus, it is something that our son would not excel in or even enjoy. You can learn more about Omnibus and watch sample lessons here.
Omnibus Curriculum
The Omnibus textbook for each level contains the lessons for both the Primary and Secondary books. The first half of the book is Primary and the second half is Secondary. It follows the same format with an essay/discussion about the book followed by questions and essay/project assignments.
There is a teacher CD in the back that contains answers to all of the questions in the book. In my opinion the textbook is a must despite what format you choose. I have seen some people go without it for the self-paced courses because the essays are available within the online course but I think having the textbook and the teacher resources is worth it.
Whatever format you choose to do- Self-Paced or Live Online or You Teach- you will need the Omnibus textbook for the level you are completing, plus all the great books they will be reading for the year. Then of course there is a separate fee to purchase either the online classes or access to the self-paced courses.
There is also an option for Dual Enrollment credits through Cairn University for the Omnibus IV, V, and VI Live Online Classes.
Omnibus Live Online Classes
I’m not going to lie, the work involved in the live classes took us some adjustment. The workload is definitely possible, but it is by no means an easy task. However, the hard work provides great reward and accomplishment for kids who thrive with this type of curriculum. These classes are rich in content and academically rigorous.
On top of the heavy reading load each week, your child will also be required to complete the following for one Omnibus class:
Class is 2x per week for 1.5 hours- the class will either be on a Mon/Wed schedule or Tues/Thurs depending on what class time you pick. Class participation is required and graded.
There are questions they must answer for each class session as outlined in the course assignment sheet (the CAS- this is the course syllabus). They will be asked to upload their homework answers 15 times during the year but the students do not know when they will be asked for and they must be uploaded before class begins. My daughters Omnibus Primary class was at 6 am so she had to have her assignments typed up and ready to go the night before.
There are 8 projects required during the year (so 4 first semester and 4 second semester). These have been a mix of essays, presentations, and creative projects. Often the student has a choice on the project but there has been at least 1-2 essays per class per semester.
There is a midterm after Christmas break and at the end of the year in May. These are 3.5 hours long and consist of a multiple choice grammar portion (30 minutes), 2-4 short answer questions, and 2-3 essay questions. These require that your child be able to quickly compose a 5 paragraph essay with a thesis statement.
Now if your student is taking both Primary and Secondary- multiply all of that by 2!
There is also a technology learning curve at the beginning and everything takes longer than you think. Learning how to navigate the Schoology platform, message teachers, use the chat boxes, scan assignments, upload assignments- it all takes some getting used to plus they have to keep up with the work. Expect the first 6-8 weeks to be quite demanding.
For example, our daughter had never had to upload a power point presentation via an online class. The first project she uploaded had videos in it and was too large to upload. We had to try various ways to upload it and eventually had to compress the videos in it- this becomes an extremely stressful situation when you are trying to meet a deadline!
Overall, I am so happy my daughter had this experience before going off to college and having to learn all of this on her own. Just the process of uploading files to different applications, giving powerpoint presentations, taking essay tests, scanning in homework, creating video projects, all of these things are easily learned but they take time and we all know that technology glitches occur. Learning to remain calm and meet deadlines is a skill I’m glad she is developing now.
Our Thoughts on Omnibus Live Online Classes
Our daughter loves these classes. She is genuinely engaged and thrives with the classroom discussions. She has enjoyed the projects and felt that they helped her grow in her understanding of the topics (rather than just being busy-work).
Pros of Omnibus Live Online Class
Discussions with other students guided by skilled teachers
The teachers have been amazing
Deadlines (this could be a con for some people, our daughter works better with deadlines)
Feedback from teachers other than mom
Practice with presentations
Classes are fun because they use different methods- discussions, debates, presentations, small group work, trials, etc.
Provides a strong Biblical worldview
All those great books your child will be reading!
Cons of Omnibus Live Online Class
Tied to the schedule set by Veritas Scholars Academy- you can do class anywhere with internet but your child is still required to meet certain project dates and deadlines.
The online live classes start after Labor Day and end in May. We felt like there were not a lot of breaks, so you are really tied to a school schedule.
Expensive- but worth it in my opinion. If your child does the work he or she will grow.
It is a heavy workload
Omnibus Self-Paced
The self-paced courses are only available for Omnibus Primary and Secondary levels I, II, and III. These are pre-recorded lessons that students can complete at their own pace. The lessons are approximately 45-60 minutes long plus reading homework. Primary is designed to be done 5 days a week with 175 lessons for the year. Secondary is designed as a 3 days per week class with 105 lessons per year. You can schedule them however you want. Our daughter typically did both classes every day and just completed Secondary before completing Primary. When you purchase Self-paced courses you can pick the start date (although some of their sales have rules concerning this so be sure to check the requirements of the sale!!) and you have access to the courses for 1 year from the start date. You can purchase up to 6 more months of access if needed.
Our daughter really enjoyed the self-paced courses. She says they gave her a strong foundation that she has been able to apply to the online classes. They gave her a love for the great books.
Pros of Self-Paced Omnibus
Independent schedule
More flexibility than online classes
Videos were varied and interesting with some filmed in the location they were discussing. There were expert interviews, filmed group discussions among experts, and street interviews.
Brings in experts for different subject areas
Nice way to ease into a great books curriculum and create a strong foundation
Provides a strong Biblical worldview
The books!
Cons of Self-Paced Omnibus
Technology was occasionally glitchy.
Quiz and test questions were sometimes confusing. Due to this and the glitches with the system I did not rely on the online grading and instead gave her a grade based on discussions we had and the projects she did.
Requires self-motivation to complete the work. (this could be a pro for some)
No interactive discussions (unless a parent does this)
Questions to ask yourself if you are trying to decide between Omnibus Live Online vs Self- Paced vs You Teach:
Does your child enjoy reading?
Can they handle a heavy reading load?
Can they handle a heavy reading load of classic literature?
Does your child enjoy reading for analysis and discussion rather than just for fun?
If YES to these questions, your child may enjoy Omnibus.
Does your child do well with self-direction and maintaining their own schedule/deadlines?
Would your child enjoy seeing experts discuss various books?
Does your child have an extremely busy schedule that requires the flexibility of self-paced courses?
Do you want a curriculum that they can do independently?
If YES, then Omnibus self-paced may be right for your family.
Can your child handle a heavy reading load with deadlines set by VSA?
Does your child enjoy discussions?
Will they participate in an online discussion?
Do they need the deadlines for accountability?
Can they manage a heavy workload with deadlines?
Do you want your child to get feedback from another teacher?
Do you want your child to gain experience in essay writing, presentations, and test-taking via an online class?
Can your family commit to the schedule required of online classes for the year?
Do you want the option for dual enrollment credits?– Completing both Primary and Secondary as Live Online Classes for levels IV, V, & VI would be the only option to accomplish this with Omnibus.
If YES, then Omnibus Live Online Classes might be best.
Can a parent oversee the assignments and teaching of Omnibus?
Can mom or dad (or a grandparent) commit to discussions for the You Teach option?
If YES, then the You Teach option may be the way to go.
I hope these questions will help you as you think through the Omnibus options and that each of these points will help you choose the Omnibus format that is right for your child and your family lifestyle.
Another option would be to do Omnibus with a small group of homeschoolers. I think the course lends itself beautifully to a group setting for homeschool parents that want to do the You Teach option with other families for discussion.
Is it worth it?
Yes! For us, Omnibus has had a helping hand in our daughters education and instilling the desire to not just read great books, but to critically analyze them and discuss them with others. She is able to easily discuss her Christian worldview and defend her faith.
**We are not connected to Veritas Press in any way. I paid for all of our curriculum and all opinions are my own.**
If you have questions about Omnibus and the various options let me know in the comments below. I’m happy to help!
~ Melissa
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