Homeschooling History: A quick review of several of the mainstream history curricula

One frequently asked question regarding our Timeline Songs that I get is “Which curriculum does this go with?”

The short answer? All of them! The songs are not going to perfectly align with any one curriculum because they were not written with any one curriculum in mind.

The little bit longer answer? You’ll find that the songs pair nicely with the Story of the World series by Susan Wise Bauer and Mystery of History series by Linda Lacour Hobar. When we decided to write 4 separate songs, it was because both of these series include 4 volumes and both seem to be pretty popular in Classical schools/homeschools. If a teacher were to be focusing in on one of those volumes in a year, she could choose to just use the Timeline Song that best paired with that volume. (Personally, I like to go through all the songs each year since it helps to know where to place things chronologically on the larger scale Timeline.)

I have a page on the website that outlines how our Timeline Songs align with several of the more popular homeschool/hybrid school history curricula. Since I’ve got a little bit of experience with all of these curricula, I thought I’d at least give you my personal pros and cons of each one.

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Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer

Target Ages: Grammar School (ages 7-13) Number of Volumes: 4 Worldview: Secular Story of the World has been around for quite a while and has stood the test of time, in my opinion. It works GREAT as a family read-aloud, or if mom needs a break/time to work individually with another child, there are audio CDs available! Huge win for this momma with dyslexic students! My children listened to the CDs for pleasure and enjoyed listening to them in the car. I had a friend who constantly had these on rotation in the car, and when they finished Volume 4, they’d start over again with Volume 1. (Side note: the story of history is inherently violent and filled with tragedy. When you are reading aloud, you have the ability to edit or soften a story depending on the age and sensibilities of the listener. You give up this power when you hand over a CD.)

From the publisher, “The reading level of each volume increases slightly in difficulty, growing along with the developing ability of the children following the narrative thread. Volume 1 is a read-aloud for grades 1-2, an independent read for stronger readers in grades 2-5; Volume 2 is pitched towards grades 2-6; Volume 3 (revised in 2020), towards grades 3-6; and Volume 4 (revised in 2021), tackling the difficult topics of modern wars, has a reading level of grades 4-8.” I agree. The writing style and depth of material increases with each book. Our school uses this series starting in 2nd grade, covering one book per year through 5th grade. The material seems to be just right for those ages. Again, the material can be a bit dark for very young students. You can purchase a separate activity book, which will have more than cover any extras you want to do. It includes useful map activities, review questions, and coloring pages. The whole series lends itself well to customization. If you want to build a replica of a ziggurat, go for it! If you are like me and just want to read and retell stories, great! What I love about these stories is that they lend themselves nicely to narration (oral at younger ages, written at older ages). Even though my own children have aged out of these books, I will always keep them on the bookshelf in my personal library. Maybe one day I’ll get to read them with grandkids.

Life Hack: Our library actually carries these books and the audio CDs. If your local library doesn’t have them on the shelf, talk to your librarian about how to request them for your local homeschool community to use. Strengths: - These lend themselves really well to reading aloud or independently. - Audio CDs are available. - They encompass a broad scope of human history, thoughtfully written as if being told to children. - Activity Guides (with review questions) are available for purchase separately. - The author doesn’t take a side between Catholic/Protestant impacted events, but states that both sides had representatives that behaved admirably and atrociously throughout history. She emphasizes that she wants to be intentional about leaving room for parents to have those discussions with their students. - Works well in either a homeschool, hybrid school, or full time Classical school environment. - Cost is quite affordable, and the books can be used year after year. - It’s pretty widely used, so it’s easy to find resources and tips/tricks to augment the stories.

Weaknesses: - Not written from a Christian worldview. (Though it is not anti-Christian either.) The author leaves plenty of room for parents to discuss important events through the lens of their own faith. She just doesn’t include Bible stories into the historical narrative as much as other options do, and she tells the stories of other religions alongside the ones from Christianity. - No built in teacher prompts or scripts in the main book. You’d need to purchase the supplemental materials if you need this. - It’s not a beautiful book with beautiful maps and illustrations. It does have black/white drawings throughout, but they aren’t captivating by any means. - Seems a little obvious, but it’s the story of the WORLD. Your kids are not going to have an innate sense of patriotism or dive deep into American history in this series.

Volume 1, Volume 1 Activity Book, Volume 1 CDs, Volume 1 Bundle

Volume 2, Volume 2 Activity Book, Volume 2 CDs, Volume 2 Bundle

Volume 3, Volume 3 Activity Book, Volume 3 CDs, Volume 3 Bundle

Volume 4, Volume 4 Activity Book, Volume 4 CDs, Volume 4 Bundle

Mystery of History by Linda Lacour Hobar

Target Ages: Upper Grammar to Logic School (ages 10-15)

Number of Volumes: 4

Worldview: Christian

I remember looking at Mystery of History when my children were too young for it and being excited for them to go through it when they were older. In general, the writing of these books is slightly above what is in Story of the World. The author is conversational in her tone, speaking directly to the reader. The written lessons are short and provide a multitude of follow up activities, maps, and ways to extend the lesson. (It’s pretty great because she even separates out activities geared towards younger students, middle students, and older students.) Like Story of the World, MOH is a four volume series, with each book increasing the target age of the audience. This series is definitely aimed for more of a Logic School (Middle School) age student. Many families go through the SOTW cycle (starting in 1st/2nd grade) and switch to MOH in 5th/6th grade, which has a student going through all of world history TWICE by the time they reach highschool (or 10th grade, depending on when you start). Once again, audio CDs are available! (And all the homeschool mamas teaching dyslexic kids gave out a loud “Woohoo!”)

What draws many people to MOH (myself included) is that she writes from a completely Biblical worldview. History is defined as HIS-story, and she is consistently bringing the reader back to the Bible and looking at the history through the lens of sin and man’s need for a Savior. Many of her lessons in Volume 1 are history stories directly taken directly from the Bible. It is worth mentioning that because of her worldview and conversational tone, her own opinions are littered throughout the text. No history textbook is without bias, but usually it’s a little more subversive. Almost every lesson ends with her speaking directly to the reader. For example, I literally just opened up a book and skimmed to the end of a lesson about Cleopatra, and it reads, “Though the story makes a great script, remember that it was a true and tragic event. I wish that Cleopatra could have lived longer so that she might have come to know the King of all kings who was soon to demonstrate eternal power through the resurrection. I’m referring to Jesus Chrsit, of course, who was to be born just 30 years after Cleopatra’s heartrending death.”

It’s worth mentioning that the history-inclined people in my life have said that this text is riddled with historical inaccuracies, and the Catholic people in my life claim that her opinions are anti-Catholic. I don’t claim to be an expert in either department, but I respect their opinions enough to pass them along here. If you are a parent who is going through the curriculum alongside your student, these are awesome opportunities to stop and talk about what you think as a family, and to note that just because something is written in print doesn’t mean that you have take it as absolute truth (unless it’s in the Bible). However, if you are the type of family who just tells a student to go do a lesson and then checks the box off, you not realize that you handed off all authority on the subject to Mrs. Hobar. (You might also be missing one of the main points of homeschooling, but that’s another conversation.)

Strengths:

- The lessons are engaging. They can be read aloud as a family, or assigned individually. It feels like you have a teacher in the room (which can be a pro or a con, depending on how comfortable you feel teaching history!)

- Audio CDs are available!

- The first 2 volumes are basically all-in-one purchases. They have all the activities and maps included in the main text. Volumes 3-4 go to a textbook + workbook format, but the textbook is in full color with beautiful illustrations, pictures, and maps. (Personally, we just go through the lessons. We don’t use all the extra stuff.)

- Distinctively from a Christian/Biblical world view.

- Books can be used for more than one student

- It is a pretty broad scope of history. I definitely learned quite a bit alongside my students.

Weaknesses:

- It is written in more of a lecture format and less of a story format, so it may not be as engaging for some students.

- The conversational tone of the writing may be off putting to some families. “In case you didn’t know…” The author has very much inserted herself into the narrative. It feels like she’s in the room with you. You'll either love her or be annoyed with her.

- Even though the audio CDs are nice to have, I wouldn’t recommend just turning your kids under 12 loose with them without previewing the lessons first. Your own family may have different degrees of agreement with the author’s conclusions, or you may not want to go into some of the more lurid or violent events that are included. (Even though Ms. Hobar identifies such things as sin and continually points to mankind’s need for the saving grace of Jesus, some parents prefer to shield their children from certain things… such as the sexual preferences of people being discussed.

- Not sufficient for an in-depth study of American history

- Protestant leaning in interpretation of historical events. Many Catholics feel like the author does not portray certain events fairly, paints the Catholic church negatively, and shows an ignorance of the “other side of the story.”

Volume 1, Volume 1 CDs

Volume 2, Volume 2 CDs

Volume 3, Volume 3 Companion Guide, Volume 3 CDs

Volume 4, Volume 4 Companion Guide, Volume 4 CDs

The World’s Story by Angela O’Dell

Target Ages: Logic School (ages 12-15)

Number of Volumes: 3

Worldview: Christian

The World’s Story (not to be confused with Story of the World) is a faith based (Christian), Charlotte Mason driven, 3 volume history text intended for 6th-8th grades. It has not been one that I’ve specifically taught with my children, but I looked it over heavily as an option. It has beautiful color illustrations and maps. Inspired by Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of teaching history through living books, the author tries to capture the story-like style of writing. Prompts for narration occur frequently throughout the text. (Narration is another distinctively Charlotte Mason tool.) Like Mystery of History, the author is conversational in tone. The reading level is essentially the same throughout all 3 volumes.

The Ancient World (Vol. 1) covers a LOT of the Old Testament, so it may feel a little redundant if your middle schooler already has a pretty sound Bible foundation. Likewise, the second volume is heavy with church history (and Protestant leaning). It’s hard for me to put my finger on it, but personally, the text just seems to be a bit vanilla. The pictures and illustrations are gorgeous, but it feels like content was sacrificed for the amount of surface area is taken up by pictures. Maybe a picture really is worth a thousand words! There is a “Dig Deeper” section for each chapter, which would be an absolute must for our family. I love the inclusion of art studies into some of the lessons.

Strengths:

- It is Biblically based.

- Beautiful books! (Seriously. They are such a pleasure to thumb through.) The textbooks are printed in full color and include numerous pictures of art and artifacts/ruins related to stories.

- Lots of hands on and extension activities

- Narration breaks (I love this!)

- Broken into 28 lessons, this book is quite manageable to cover in a year.

- Only 3 volumes, so it can easily cover your middle school years.

Weaknesses:

- It is designed for 45-60 minute lessons 5 days a week. Some families may not have that amount of time to give. However, it can be easily scaled back.

-It tends to oversimplify some doctrinal issues which may or may not be a big deal to some families.

- It’s only 3 volumes (instead of 4), so the subject matter is not nearly as broad as Story of the World or Mystery of History.

- No audio CD/mp3 available

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Dorothy Mills History Books

Target Age: Logic School (ages 11-15, but advanced reading level compared to others)

Number of Volumes: 6

- Book of the Ancient World, The Book of the Ancient Greeks, The Book of the Ancient Romans, The People of Ancient Israel, The Book of the Middle Ages, The Book of Renaissance & Reformation Times

Worldview: Christian

Originally written between 1920 and 1940 by Dorothy Mills, Memoria Press and Angelico Press have brought these history books back into publication along with supplemental workbooks and teacher guides! These books remind me very much of Story of the World, but definitely at a higher reading level. These books are firmly intended for middle school students, and because of the primary sources that are quoted, it can be difficult reading for struggling students. However, the primary sources also make it a fantastic choice as a bridge between Story of the World and texts that are typical in grades 9-12 in a Classical education. Because she spends several chapters on a civilization, a student gets a much deeper/broader view of that culture than through Story of the World. Her voice is a blend of storytelling and journalism, which is effective.

Mills does not claim to be a Christian in these books, but she does present Biblical histories accurately. It is not nearly as overtly faith-based as MOH or The World’s Story, but she weaves religion in and out of her lessons seamlessly, acknowledging the influence of religion on history as would have been “normal” during the early 20th century. Mrs. Mills seems to be able to do the impossible by appeasing both Catholics and Protestants in her handling of early church history.

These books have a few obvious weaknesses. One, they end with the Reformation, so you’ll have to find something else to fill in the huge gap that is left in Modern history. Two, they haven’t really been updated in the last 100 years to reflect new archaeological findings. While the books themselves don’t have any follow up activities (without purchasing the supplemental books provided by Memoria Press), they do lend themselves nicely to written narration. I’ve also seen teachers utilize Socratic discussion models after reading quite effectively. If you love Story of the World, I think you’ll find that these dovetail nicely by circling back around to the beginning but with more depth and with a mature writing style.

Strengths:

- These books are more comprehensive in scope than any of the others listed here. You will leave a culture study feeling like you’ve been immersed in it.

- Biblical worldview and acknowledges the influence of religion on history without being overtly evangelistic, Protestant or Catholic leaning.

- Effective style of mixing in stories throughout her narrative.

- Includes primary texts as source material into the reading.

- Teacher books and supplemental student workbooks are available from the publishers.

- It’s a series that has stood the test of time.

Weaknesses:

- Series is not complete past the Reformation.

- You have to keep up a pretty good pace to get through all the books, depending on how you want to scope/sequence them.

- Reading level more advanced than others listed here; primary sources can be dense and difficult to understand for some readers.

-It was written 100 years ago… some information may be outdated, and colloquialisms are outdated.

-Emphasis on western culture. Ancient cultures from China, India, Africa, Japan, etc. are not discussed at all.

Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (3rd edition)

Target age: 10-15

Worldview: Secular

I’m including the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia in my review because it’s a great resource to have on your bookshelf for whenever you want more information on a topic. I like that it has all of history in one volume, arranged chronologically (not topically or alphabetically). As students flip through the book, they are moving forward or backwards in history. Since I would never use it as our only history resource, I actually also like that it is from a secular worldview because it opens up opportunities to talk about discrepancies between our Biblical-worldview text and a secular text. For example, the “prehistory” section presents hypothetical information as fact. Our children are going to be confronted with this later in life, and I relish the opportunity to get to walk alongside them now. It also teaches students how to gather information from an Encyclopedia style resource, which often reads quite differently from the conversational and story-based styles of all the other texts written about here.

Almost every major event is condensed onto a 2-page spread which includes pictures, maps, tables in full color and offers a brief snapshot into any particular event. Because of all the visuals, the text is pretty short. It really just offers a “snapshot” into any given event or culture. It is a great additional resource for any projects or papers because it won’t overwhelm your student with information. Some publishers use the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia as a “spine” text alongside other books (ex. History Odyssey by Pandia Press), and it works well in this capacity. It’s a great way for them to quickly see what events are happening concurrently or consecutively, since it is arranged chronologically.

Strengths:

- Wide array of events covered.

- Written in a completely different style than the story telling or narrative style of the other options here.

- All of history in 1 volume.

- Allows students to have practice using an index, Encyclopedia style information.

Weaknesses:

-Not a stand alone curriculum

-Secular worldview

-The binding is weak! Almost everyone I know has had the front and back cover fall off with consistent use.

Do you have a favorite history curriculum that is not included above? Do you have strong opinions loving or hating one of the ones I included? Drop it in the comments.