Using Literature to Teach Ancient History in Elementary School

 

Many of us use a curriculum to teach history; but using literature to teach history can be a great teaching tool. I am beginning this history literature series with some of the best books to teach ancient history. Students in ancient times, sitting by candlelight, actually read history through literature. There simply was no other way of studying history and the subject has effectively been taught this way ever since. Using literature to teach history illuminates the time period, helps integrate the history curriculum, and enriches social studies. With my love for literature and history, it only makes sense to combine the two, so I have gathered some of my favorite books that teach ancient history in elementary school.

If You Were Me and Lived in Ancient Greece by Carole P. Roman allows students to travel through time to visit the most interesting civilization throughout history in the first of four books of her series. Students learn what kind of food you might eat in Ancient Greece, the type of clothing you might wear, what your name could be, and what children in the olden days did for fun. This book is a child’s basic introduction to ancient history where they discover the world through the eyes of a young person.

Mummies and Pyramids by Mary Pope Osborne is a nonfiction companion to the Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning. When Jack and Annie got back from their adventure, they had lots of questions. Why did the people make mummies? What was the mysterious writing on mummy cases? How did ancient Egyptians spend their days? How were the pyramids built? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts.

Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki shares how a mummy is a mystery – hidden in layers of ancient bandage, bedecked with priceless jewels. Why did the Egyptians of long ago prepare and wrap their dead to last forever? And how did they do it? Step by step, follow the process that took seventy days, from the embalmer’s slab, where the corpse was made ready, down into the tomb, where the mummy was sealed away and sent to its new life in eternity.

China by Mary Pope Osborne is a nonfiction companion to the Magic Tree House #14: Day of the Dragon King. When Jack and Annie came back from their adventure, they had lots of questions. Who was the Dragon King? How did he build the Great Wall? What is Chinese New Year? What are some other Chinese traditions? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts about Chinese history and culture.

Who Was Julius Caesar? by Nico Medina portraits a man who came, who saw, who conquered. Julius Caesar was a force to be reckoned with as a savvy politician, an impressive orator, and a brave soldier. Born in Rome in 100 BC, he quickly climbed the ladder of Roman politics, making allies – and enemies – along the way. His victories in battle awarded him the support of the people, and he named himself dictator for life. The good times, however, would not last long. On the Ides of March, Caesar was brutally assassinated by a group of senators determined to end his tyranny, bringing his reign to an end.

These are only a few of my favorite books that teach ancient history, there are so many more out there! Feel free to share in the comments what you consider the best book to teach ancient history.

Service Scouts

 

Service Scouts is a program designed to award youth for their community service. The program may be used in individual families or parents may lead project groups for members enrolled in the same project. Youth are encouraged to use their skills for service. The program provides eight skills for service within each project and youth are encouraged to complete one skill each month during the Service Scouts calendar year, September through April. Throughout the year, youth will complete a Service Scouts Record Book to submit in May for awards.

Students K-12 are eligible to participate in Service Scouts. To serve, each member must complete and submit the online membership enrollment form each year, enroll in one Service Scouts project, and pay a $20 enrollment fee. Upon enrollment, members will receive a digital download of the Service Scouts Record Book for their selected Service Scouts project.

Each year a member successfully completes at least six skills and submits one Service Scouts Record Book, he or she will receive a certificate of achievement along with their year(s) of service pin. The annual pin can be attached to the members polo shirts.

My girls have participated in Service Scouts for several years now and they show Christ by serving others within our local community. I encourage you to read the Service Scouts Handbook and join Service Scouts!

The Homeschool Handbook: For Choosing Curriculum the FAMILY Way

 

If you are a new homeschooler, I would like to encourage you to read my recently published e-book The Homeschool Handbook: For Choosing Curriculum the FAMILY Way. As a curriculum consultant with THE Book Nook, I empathize with new homeschoolers who are faced with an overwhelming array of choices and I provide the perspectives and tools you need to choose curriculum the FAMILY way. In this e-book, I encourage you to consider several aspects of homeschooling - Faith, Assessments, Methods, Income, Learning Styles, and Your State Requirements - and I explain each aspect (with recommendations) to help you choose curriculum for your family.

Happy Homeschooling!

Curriculum Choices for the 2020-2021 Homeschool Year

Living in Texas, in order to be a legitimate homeschool, you must have a curriculum which teaches grammar, reading, spelling, mathematics, and a study of good citizenship, and you must pursue that curriculum in a bona fide manner. This curriculum can be obtained from any source and can consist of books, workbooks, other written materials, or materials on an electronic monitor including computer or video screens, or any combination thereof.

However, the college-bound student will add to this list of courses to meet college admission requirements for high school academics.  Today I would like to share with you our curriculum choices for the 2020-2021 homeschool year that will meet these college admission requirements as well as prepare my daughter for college courses.

Grammar – BJU Press Writing & Grammar 9 develops grammar skills in conjunction with writing skills. Grammar sections teach parts of speech, sentence patterns, phrases, and clauses. Writing assignments include a personal experience, a research essay, poetry, a personal response to literature, and devotional writings.

Reading – Progeny Press Literature Study Guides teach literature from a Christian prospective. Each study guide includes a concise synopsis of the book, information about the author, background information pertinent to the story, suggestions for pre-reading activities, vocabulary exercises for each section of reading, literary analysis and terminology questions designed to give students a good understanding of writing technique and how to use it, critical analysis questions designed to help students consider and analyze the intellectual, moral, and spiritual issues in the literature and weigh them with reference to Scripture, and it study guide includes a complete answer key with suggestions for further reading.

Spelling – The Critical Thinking Company Vocabulary Virtuoso PSAT-SAT Book 1 increases vocabulary, stimulates imagination, and boost language arts skills. Each lesson contains definitions, pronunciation guides, parts of speech, and alternate choices for each word made up of synonyms, idioms, and phrases. Students complete a variety of exercises requiring critical reading and writing skills to contextualize the words. The exercises deliberately use other forms of the words so that students learn to recognize these variations of the original words in different parts of speech – further expanding their vocabulary and enabling them to use the words in more contexts.

Math – Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1 is designed specifically for homeschoolers. This math program includes automated grading and audiovisual solutions for every single problem; new lessons on advanced topics as well as hundreds of new problems and solutions; and interactive lectures with lots of real-world applications.

History – BJU Press Cultural Geography takes students on a continent-by-continent tour of the world, studying the cultures, landforms, climates, resources, economics, religions, and governments of each country. The textbook has colorful photographs, charts, and maps that make this virtual world tour an exciting and engaging experience. The critical thinking questions and notes on the status of Christianity in most nations makes this book more relevant than ever.

Science – Apologia Exploring Creation with Biology is a college-prep course that provides a detailed introduction to the methods and concepts of general biology while reinforcing the scientific notation. Topics include a detailed study of the five-kingdom classification scheme, microscopy, biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular and mendelian genetics, evolution, dissections and ecosystems. In this course, students participate in three types of labs: experimental labs, microscopy labs, and dissection labs.

Foreign Language – BJU Press Spanish 1 teaches the basics of reading and speaking Spanish – greetings, verb conjugations, basic vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammatical structures – as used in Latin America. Students also study cultural/historical highlights and get a glimpse of the Spanish-speaking world as a mission field.

Elective – Test Prep – College Prep Genius: Master the SAT Class teaches students how to find the correct answers by learning the patterns, profiles, and hidden strategies that occur over and over on these tests. The author, Jean Burk, will guide you through each section of the SAT and provide step-by-step instructions on how to approach all types of test questions.

Elective – Music – My daughter takes piano lessons through private lessons.

Elective – Physical Education – My daughter takes ballet classes through Brieanna’s Ballet Barre; and she takes tap and jazz classes through Studio D. 

I purchase our BJU Press materials through a representative so I can save 25% and receive free shipping; but all other materials are purchased through the Rainbow Resource Center or THE Book Nook.

Visit the Blog Hop to read more posts about curriculum from the Homeschool Review Crew.

 

 

Christ-Centered Curriculum

 

As a Christian homeschool parent, I was a bit surprised when a fellow Christian homeschool parent asked me to write about and promote a secular curriculum. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us, “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” So, allow me to share with you why our family chooses a Christ-centered curriculum, and I hope you will see why I cannot promote a secular curriculum.

Proverbs 22:6 admonishes us to “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The Scriptures do not leave us in doubt as to what “way” is meant. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 tells us, “And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates.” Christian parents are directly responsible to God for raising children who know Him, love Him, and follow Him in every area of life. This includes homeschooling. 2 Corinthians 10:5 reads, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” We need to remember that math is a thought, science is a thought, grammar is a thought; and every subject should be studied with the purpose of discovering the God-given meaning contained within, bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Our family chooses to a Christ-centered curriculum because it brings every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we should not be ashamed to share these resources within the homeschool community.

I understand that many parents are choosing to homeschool their students due to the coronavirus pandemic and that they are seeking resources; but as Christians, we should not promote a secular curriculum, simply because we are helping a non-believer begin their homeschool journey. We should share in meekness the joys of homeschooling and our reasons for choosing a Christ-centered curriculum because this may be the tool God uses to win a lost soul to Christ!

Timeline Collection - Crew Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

With products like the Timeline Collection: A Collection of Historical Timeline Figures, Home School in the Woods makes it easy to add hands-on learning to our history studies. This product can be used in grades K-12. Please note, the pdf zip file must be extracted before use. Once you have extracted the file, you have the freedom to print the timeline figures in wall size and notebook size, to suit whatever project you’re working on.

There are two parts to the Timeline Collection. Part One contains pdf pages of all the figures in the following timeline set: Creation to Christ, Resurrection to Revolution, Napoleon to Now, America’s History, as well as 80 Bonus Figures.

Part Two contains the same timeline figures that can be individual enlarged or reduced, allowing versatile uses such as coloring book pages, notebook timelines, complements to research papers, games, and more! Since they are individual images, you can pick and choose the exact figures you’d like without having to print off a whole page of extras you may not need at the moment. The figures are organized in over thirty categories: chronological, alphabetical, and several classifications that help make topical studies a breeze!

I used my creativity with this Timeline Collection and created a notecard game. One side has the image and the other side explains the image. I would show my daughter the image and she had to share what took place in that moment of history. If she could not remember, she could use the notecards to refresh her memory.

Home School in the Woods offers many hands-on learning projects, and I would like to encourage you to check out their U.S. Election Lap-Pak which introduces students to the United States presidential elections process through hands-on activities. This Lap-Pak will take your student briefly through the establishment of the country’s government, and through the various aspects of a presidential campaign and how a U.S. president is chosen. In Texas, we are required to teach good citizenship, and this makes learning fun for all ages.

Home School in the Woods also has a giveaway running through the end of August. You can receive a free copy of their Greek-Life File Folder Game with the code TOSGameNight during checkout. No purchase necessary.

Visit the Crew Blog to read more reviews from the Homeschool Review Crew.