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History CurriculumHistory Resources

As with most things, C.S. Lewis had a unique view of history. For him, the really important bits were the stories—he makes a distinction between actual historical realities and the idealized versions of them handed down which make heroes and villains of mere men and women. It's not that the stories are completely false, but their value is for character-building, not as factual data.

The tales of George Washington's bravery in battle, coolness under pressure, rigorous truthfulness, and unflagging piety may accurately preserve the essence of his temperament and nobility, but not all of them are strictly historical. The point of these stories isn't to impart facts, however, it's to offer an example of goodness for the rest of us to emulate.

Getting the facts right is still important, though. As Christians, we can't afford to have a false understanding of "the old days." Mankind is fallen, and the story of his sojourn on Earth is filled with war, suffering, disease, unfaithfulness, pride and envy; a study of history that omits those elements is both false and useless. False, because it is incomplete, and useless, because it tells us nothing of the human condition or our current situation.

It's a bit of a mystery to us why non-Christians are motivated to study the past. For believers, the end goal isn't just acquisition of facts about events and cultures, it's the instillation of a thoroughly Christian worldview, an understanding of the course of the human endeavour as decreed and guided by God Himself.

The story of Jesus Christ is central. It is the only history story that fulfills the character-building element Lewis looked for, while remaining absolutely true in every detail. Man is fallen and he does struggle against God, but through Christ there is hope of redemption, a chance to connect heaven and earth through the Atonement. Christ is the ultimate example of God's providence.

In the Reformed tradition, God's sovereignty is a very big deal. According to the doctrine of divine decree, God has ordered all things that were, are and will come to be for His own good pleasure and glory. His hand is thus present everywhere, in the privatest private life and the most public and widespread crisis. God is in control, providentially guiding nations, men, and the entire cosmos.

This very doctrine is perhaps what best explains the humanist's interest in history (whether he be atheist, agnostic, pagan). Man's natural bent is to make himself the hero of the story, to show how people can sway the trajectory of all things. God's version is quite different, and the two are naturally in conflict. Resolution may only be found in Christ.

For, while God decrees and guides all things, He has also (paradoxically) decreed man's free will and personal responsibility. Men do change the course of kingdoms, but it is only through God's agency. A proper Christian study of history takes both truths into account, and tells the stories of good guys and bad guys through the light of everything God's Word says about human nature and divine control.

We encourage you to take great comfort and joy in your study of history. Read books, watch movies (carefully noting that a lot of the story is likely to be inaccurate in detail), go on fieldtrips to forts and battlefields and birthplaces. Most of all, talk about these things. The end goal, after all, isn't to know a bunch of trivia, but to understand what God has done and continues to do.

No one knows for sure what the end of history will look like, except that every knee in heaven and on earth will bow to the returned glorious Christ, who comes to judge the living and the dead. What we believe about Him will determine whether that culmination will be filled with joy or loathing (everyone will be terrified). He is the author of history, and its centerpiece; honor Him in your study of it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur.Read more of his reviews here.

 

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'But Now I See': The Life of John Newton
by Josiah Bull
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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by A. Kenneth Curtis, et al.
from Revell Publishing
Church History Reference for 9th-Adult
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$21.99 $11.50 (1 in stock)
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Biography for 5th-8th grade
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by C. S. Forester
from Little, Brown & Company
Nautical fiction for 8th-Adult
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$16.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures in Ancient Greece
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$1.50 (1 in stock)
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Aeneid
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Ancient Literature/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
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$16.00 $8.50 (1 in stock)
Aeschylus I: The Oresteia (old)
The Complete Greek Tragedies
by Aeschylus (translation by Richmond Lattimore)
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Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
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Penguin Classics
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Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
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2nd edition from W. W. Norton and Co.
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from Penguin Random House
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$10.00 (2 in stock)
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Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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1966 Caldecott Medal winner
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2nd edition from McGraw-Hill
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in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
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from Harper Perennial
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in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
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Historical Non-fiction for 4th-6th grade
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in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
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from Penguin Random House
for Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
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from Anchor Books
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from Scholastic Press
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First Thus from Oxford University
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in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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Ancient Civilizations: China
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Reprint from Creative Paperbooks
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Ancient Egypt
by David P. Silverman
from Oxford University
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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Ancient Egypt Activity Book
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from Edupress
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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Ancient Egyptian Art
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First Printing
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in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
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Ancient Egyptians
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by Lila Perl
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-7th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Ancient Greece Activity File
by DK Publishing
Book and Access from DK Publishing
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in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Greece!
by Avery Hart & Paul Mantell
from Williamson Publishing Company
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Ancient Greek Art
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by Susie Hodge
from Heinemann Educational Books
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in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
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Ancient Greek Art
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in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
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from Heinemann Educational Books
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in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
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2nd edition from Heinemann Educational Books
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
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Ancient Rome Activity Book
by Mary J. Keller
from Edupress
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in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
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in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
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by Joanne Shetler, Patricia Purvis
from Wycliffe Bible Translators
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Andie's Moon
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by Linda Newbery
from Educational Development Corporation
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Angel Child, Dragon Child
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for Preschool- 3rd Grade
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Anna and the King (adapted)
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Historical Fiction for 4th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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Annals
by Tacitus, translated with introduction & notes by A.J. Woodman
from Hackett Publishing Company
for Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
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Anne Bradstreet
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Biography for 10th-Adult
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Anne Frank's Story
by Carol Ann Lee
from Puffin Books
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
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from Puffin Books
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Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary
by Ruud van der Rol & Rian Verhoeven
from Scholastic Inc.
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in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Anne of Avonlea
Anne #2
by L. M. Montgomery
from Aladdin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works
Oxford World's Classics
by Anselm, edited and introduction by Brian Davies and Gillian Evans
from Oxford University
for 10th-Adult
in Medieval Literature (Location: LIT2-MED)
$14.95 $8.00 (1 in stock)
Antarctica: Escape from Disaster
by Peter Lerangis
from Scholastic Reference
for 4th-8th grade
in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Apprentice
by Pilar Molina Llorente
Reprint from Sunburst Book
for 2nd-4th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $5.00 (3 in stock)
Arabs in the Golden Age
by Mokhtar Moktefi & Veronique Ageorges
from Millbrook Press
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in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Archaeologists Dig For Clues
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Kate Duke
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$5.99 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Archaeology for Kids
by Richard Panchyk
illustrated edition from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Archaeology (Location: HISRF-ARCH)
$7.50 (3 in stock)
Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Bethlehem Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.95 $9.50 (1 in stock)
Aristotle Leads the Way - Student's Quest Guide
by Joy Hakim
from Smithsonian Books
for 8th-12th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$8.50 (2 in stock)
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by Joy Hakim
from Smithsonian Books
for 4th-10th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$30.00 (2 in stock)
Arms and Armor Annual
by Robert Held
from Follett
for 6th-Adult
in Military & Weapon History (Location: HISV-MILIT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Around the World in a Hundred Years
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from Penguin Putnam
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Art Coloring Book
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from Usborne
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Usborne Activities (Location: ACT-USB)
$5.40 (1 in stock)
Art of Chinese Cuisine
by Hsiang Ju Lin and Tsuifeng Lin
from Tuttle Publishing
for Adult
in International & Ethnic Cooking (Location: COOK-ETH)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Art of the Catapult
by William Gurstelle
from Chicago Review Press
for 9th-Adult
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
Art of the Renaissance
by Peter and Linda Murray
1999 reprint from Thames and Hudson
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Art of War
by Sun Tzu
Later Printing from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$5.95 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Art Smart: Spot the Details and Find Out the Facts
Act from Dover Publications
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$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Arts of the Sailor
by Hervey Garrett Smith
Reprint from Dover Publications
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Association of Small Bombs
by Karan Mahajan
from Penguin Books
for Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of North American Exploration
by Glyndwr Williams, William H. Goetzmann
Oklahoma Paperbacks Ed from University of Oklahoma Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Atlas of the North American Indian
by Carl Waldman
1st edition from Facts On File
for 9th-Adult
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Augustus Caesar's World
by Genevieve Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$21.95 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Australia - An Interdisciplinary Unit
by Merle Davenport
from Instructional Fair
for 6th-8th grade
in Australia & Oceania (Location: HISMC-AU)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Australia and Oceania
True Books
by Mel Friedman
Reprint from Children's Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Australia & Oceania (Location: HISMC-AU)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Aztecs
Journey Into Civilization
by Robert Nicholson and Claire Watts
from Chelsea House Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Bandon by the Sea
by Dow Beckham
from Arago Books
for Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Bat 6
by Virginia Euwer Wolff
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Battle Heroes: Voices from Afghanistan
by Allan Zullo
from Scholastic Press
for 5th-8th grade
in War on Terror (Location: HISA-21WT)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Battle of the Little Bighorn
by Mark Henckel
1st edition from Falcon Press Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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by Ashley Bryan
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-7th grade
$9.99 $5.50 (5 in stock)
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