Teaching History | Homeschool 101 | Part II

In Homeschool 101 Part II, we'll talk about Teaching History using a gentle classical method. You'll learn about:

• combining subjects for a family together study
• choosing a living book for history
• a simple teaching method that anyone can do
  

Let's get started!

Step 1: Combining Subjects

Why not at breakfast?

You can easily combine Bible, History, and Geography for a daily 30 minute family together study. Since I teach all from a Christian perspective, I like to call it, Christian Studies.

In Homeschool 101 Part I, I shared about Teaching Bible using a gentle classical method. So, the idea is to teach Bible one day, History another, and Geography another.  This Christian Study Course can be taught right at the breakfast table. 
Here's a few sample schedules.

A 3-day week could look like this:

• ​Day 1-Bible
• Day 2-History
• Day 3-Geography

A 4-day week could look like this:

• ​Day 1-Bible
• Day 2-Bible
• Day 3-History
• Day 4-Geography

A 5-day week could look like this:

• ​Day 1-Bible
• Day 2-Bible
• Day 3-History
• Day 4-History
• Day 5-Geography

or like this:

• Day 1-History
• Day 2-Bible
• Day 3-History
• Day 4-Bible
• Day 5-History/Geography

The history book you select will help make your scheduling decision. If you spend one day at co-op (or other outing), then you might choose the 4- day schedule. The idea is to have this course as a family together study, first, in the morning!

Step 2: Choosing the History Spine(s)

Next, you will want to choose a good living book for your history spine. This is an engaging story you can read aloud to the entire family.

While World History is important, equally so, is American History, and is often neglected in curriculum plans.

I recommend teaching American History every year along with memorization of our founding documents. Don't teach all of American History every year, but a portion, and build chronologically as you go along, year-by-year.

​This is easy to do with a simple plan such as . . .

• ​Term 1-World History
• Term 2-World History
• Term 3-American History

Or, if you follow quarters, then study American History the last quarter.

So, now let's talk about choosing a good history spine.  Here are a few suggestions:

   #1 ​The Story of the World Series by M. B. Synge (free online & Christian):

• On The Shores of the Great Sea
• The Discovery of New Worlds
• The Awakening of Europe
• The Struggle for Sea Power
• Growth of the British Empire

Because this is an "old book," the language is of better quality, and therefore, is my first selection. However, the later books will need some supplements as they lose some of their broad scope. This series can be enjoyed by grades 1-12.

  #2 The Story of the World Series by Susan Wise Bauer ($/neutral) - gives the broad scope of world history and can be enjoyed by grades 1-8. Even as an adult, our family has learned from this series because of its clear explanations; the language is, however, simpler. There are a few mythology stories that I would skip since they are not history and are not presented from a Biblical perspective - as the sin of worshiping false gods.

   #3 Landmark Books - these biographies would make great reading fillers as you go along. You might find many of these at your local library or google search for bargains (or try thriftbooks.com). 

   #4 A Child's History of the World by Hillyer ($/secular/neutral) - gives the broad scope of world history, but is more appropriate for grades 1-4. The beginning does not include a Christian perspective, but could be skipped. You could probably find a good used copy by google search since it's hard cover.

  #5 Mystery of History Series ($$$/Christian) - while not a living book, does a great job of piecing together world and Biblical history. If you have extra money to spend, it could be a good resource for teaching.  It is quite expensive, so I would google for a used copy, although most are soft-cover.

   Bonus!  Let's not forget about your American History living book!  May I suggest the American History Stories by Mara Pratt (Free Online).  For an additional teaching resource, I highly recommend Abeka's 4th Grade American History Book which is quite good and thorough and from a Christian perspective!  This book includes American Documents in the back.

Step 3: Teaching Method

On days when you plan to teach history, simply follow this simple pattern: Read, Talk, Write, Recite!  Let's look at that in a little more detail.

• Read - Read aloud one chapter from your living history book.
• Talk - Ask your child for a narration.  (Say, "Tell me the story in your own words.")
• Write - Complete copy work of a short passage from the reading selection.
• Recite - Write down 3-5 key facts for memory work in a Recitation Notebook (a simple composition notebook will do).
• Timeline - Don't forget your timeline work. Is there a person or event you need to add to your timeline from the chapter's reading? Do this now.

That's it!  When you begin your next lesson, always start with a recitation. Get out the Recitation Notebook and review by reciting aloud your key terms and definitions. This will help you build long-term memory of the important details.  For older students (grades 7-12), you will find that discussions of more advanced ideas, found in their assigned reading, will come up naturally.

A Few Additional Notes

• The history spine comes first-make it a good one!
• Biographies are secondary, but work well alongside the spine.
• When to read biographies? Read a chapter from your biography on Day 2 of history or during a later enrichment time or as independent reading.
• Younger Students (grades 1-6) could be assigned biography readings from Landmark Books, Old Fashioned Education, or Ambleside Online.
• Older Students (grades 7-12) should be assigned additional history reading such as Streams of Civilization I and II.
• Save money by borrowing books from your local library.
• Suggest only one biography at a time. Most students enjoy the book so much that they will read it at their own pace, but for the reluctant reader, assign one chapter per day.

Mom Chat!  This week we're talking about teaching history and our favorite history living books.  Do you have any thoughts to share?
Why is American History and the Founding Documents important for our children to learn?