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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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...and now Miguel
by Joseph Krumgold
from Thomas Crowell
for 5th-8th grade
1954 Newbery Medal winner
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
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by Alice Schertle, Alma Flor Ada, F. Isabel Campoy
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for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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from Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishing
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in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
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by John A. Garraty
1st edition from Nelson Doubleday, Inc.
for 9th-Adult
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
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by Philip Caputo
1st edition from Atheneum
for 5th-10th grade
in Vietnam War (1957-1975) (Location: HISA-20VIE)
100 Great Wonders of the World
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for 5th-Adult
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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by A. Kenneth Curtis, et al.
from Revell Publishing
Church History Reference for 9th-Adult
in Church History Overviews (Location: XCH-OVE)
$21.99 $11.50 (1 in stock)
100 Scientists Who Shaped World History
from Bluewood Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
101 Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$17.99
101 More Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$18.99
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by David Howarth
from Penguin Putnam
for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$16.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
14 Cows for America
by Carmen Agra Deedy, in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah
Reprint from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
for 3rd-5th grade
in Africa (Location: HISMC-AFR)
1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving
by Catherine O'Neill Grace
from National Geographic
for 4th-6th grade
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
1776
by David McCullough
from Simon and Schuster
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$18.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
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by David McCullough
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
18 Penny Goose
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by Sally M. Walker
from HarperCollins
Realistic fiction for 2nd-4th grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99 $2.50 (1 in stock)
1815 to the Present - Enhanced CD
by Laurie Detweiler
from Veritas Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$17.50 $10.00 (1 in stock)
1815 to the Present - Flashcards
from Veritas Press
Modern History Curriculum for 6th-8th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$29.00
1815 to the Present - Home Teacher Manual
by Marlin & Laurie Detweiler
2nd edition from Veritas Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$39.00 $24.00 (1 in stock)
1815 to the Present - Song CD
from Veritas Press
for 6th-8th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$9.00
1846 - Portrait of the Nation
by Smithsonian Institute
from Smithsonian Books
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
1920s Decade in Photos
Amazing Decades in Photos
by Jim Corrigan
from Enslow
for 3rd-6th grade
in Roaring Twenties (1919-1929) (Location: HISA-20s)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
20 Exciting Plays for Medieval History Classes
by Dean Bowman
from Walch Publishing
for 7th-9th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$25.00
20 Plays for U. S. History Classes
by Dean R. Bowman
Revised from Walch Publishing
for 7th-9th grade
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
200 Questions About American History - Student Guide
by Sean Brooks
from Memoria Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Memoria Press American & Modern Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$10.95 $7.00 (2 in stock)
200 Questions About American History - Teacher Guide
by Sean Brooks
from Memoria Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Memoria Press American & Modern Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$5.50 $3.50 (2 in stock)
2000 Years of Space Travel
by Russell Freedman
from Holiday House
for 7th-10th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
20th Century in America Lap-Pak
from Home School in the Woods
for 3rd-8th grade
in Hands-On History Activity-Paks (Location: HISRF-HOH)
20th Century Wars
by Robert W. Smith
for 5th-12th grade
in 20th Century America (Location: HISA-20)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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by Dean R. Bowman
from Walch Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
26 Letters
by Oscar Ogg
from Thomas Crowell
for 7th-12th grade
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
3,650 of the World's Finest Proverbs
from Triku
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
3-D Engineering
from Nomad Press
for 3rd-6th grade
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
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by Douglas Wilson
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
in Art & Culture (Location: XCU-ART)
$13.50
5,000-Year-Old Puzzle
by Claudia Logan
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$21.99
50 States Flipper
from Christopher Lee Publications
for 5th-Adult
in United States Geography (Location: GEO-REFUS)
$7.96
50 States Map
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 5th-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$14.95
500 Nations
by Alvin M. Josephy, Jr.
1st edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
$28.00 (1 in stock)
55 Men: The Story of the Constitution
from Noontide Press
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
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by Raghavan Iyer
from Workman Publishing
for Adult
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$15.00 (1 in stock)
7 Continents: Africa
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from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Geography (Location: GEO-CUREM)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
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by Jo Ellen Moore
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Geography (Location: GEO-CUREM)
$21.99 $12.00 (1 in stock)
7 Continents: Australia & Oceania
by Jo Ellen Moore
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Geography (Location: GEO-CUREM)
7 Continents: Europe
by Jo Ellen Moore
from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Evan-Moor Geography (Location: GEO-CUREM)
7 Continents: South America
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from Evan-Moor Educational Publishers
for 3rd-6th grade
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from Reader's Digest
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
97 Orchard Street, New York
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by Linda Granfield, photographs by Arlene Alda
from Tundra Books (NY)
for 3rd-6th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
A Christmas Carol Audio Drama - 2 CD set
from Focus on the Family
for 1st-Adult
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
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by Lynne Cheney
1st edition from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$19.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
A is for Adam
by Ken Ham, Mally Ham
from Master Books
for 1st-2nd grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$13.59
A is for Africa
by Ifeoma Onyefulu
Reprint from Puffin Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
A is for Aloha
by U'ilani Goldsberry, illustrated by Tammy Yee
from Sleeping Bear Press
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Alphabet & Counting Books (Location: PIC-ALPH)
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by Greg Paprocki
Brdbk from Gibbs M. Smith
for Nursery-Kindergarten
in Board Books (Location: PIC-BOARD)
A Weed Is a Flower
by Aliki
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (3 in stock)
A.D. - CD
by Various
from Vision Forum
for 8th-Adult
in History Conferences & Lectures (Location: HISRF-CONF)
$45.00
Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys
by Patricia Lee Gauch, illustrated by Margot Tomes
from Betterway Books
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
ABC Book of Early Americana - Coloring Book
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Dover Coloring Books (Location: COL-DOV)
$10.95
ABC of Canada
by Kim Bellefontaine
Reprint from Kids Can Press
for Preschool-1st grade
in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN)
Abe Lincoln
Landmark Series
by Sterling North
from Random House
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Abe Lincoln Gets His Chance
by Frances Cavanah
from Rand McNally
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington
by Cheryl Harness
from National Geographic
Picture Book Biography for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Abe Lincoln Grows Up
by Carl Sandburg
from Graphia
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99
Abe Lincoln Grows Up
by Carl Sandburg, illustrated by James Daugherty
from Harcourt, Brace & Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House
Landmark #61
by Sterling North
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Abide With Me
by John H. Parker, Paul Seawright
from New Leaf Press
for 7th-Adult
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
Abigail Adams
by Natalie S. Bober
from Simon Pulse
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$13.95
Abigail Adams
A Discovery Book
by Helen Stone Peterson, illustrated by Betty Fraser
from Garrard Publishing Company
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Abraham Lincoln
Heroes of History
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from Emerald Books
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Heroes of History (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$9.99
Abraham Lincoln
by Clara Ingram Judson
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 3rd-7th grade
1951 Newbery Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Abraham Lincoln
Weekly Reader Heroes of the Civil War
by Susan Dye Lee, illustrated by Ralph Canaday
from Children's Press
for 3rd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Abraham Lincoln
A Discovery Book
by Anne Colver
from Garrard Publishing Company
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Abraham Lincoln
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
75th Anniversary Edition from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.95
Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
by Carol Greene
from Children's Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln
Initial Biography
by Genevieve Foster
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Historical Non-fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Abraham Lincoln
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
for 7th-12th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
Abraham Lincoln & His Family - Paper Dolls
by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Dover Paper Dolls (Location: COL-DOLL)
$9.99
Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire; edited by Rea Berg
75th Anniversary from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$21.95
Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln (hardcover)
by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
75th Anniversary from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 1st-6th grade
1940 Caldecott Medal winner
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Abraham Lincoln - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Dover Coloring Books (Location: COL-DOV)
$4.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln in Peace and War
by Earl Schenck Miers
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in American Heritage Junior Library (Location: VIN-HIS)
Abraham Lincoln's World
by Genevieve Foster, expanded by Joanna Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$21.95
Abraham Lincoln's World (pictorial hardcover)
by Genevieve Foster
from Charles Scribner's Sons
Historical Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
1945 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Abraham Lincoln: A Man of Faith and Courage
by Joe Wheeler
1st edition from Howard Books
for Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln: Great Speeches
Dover Thrift Editions
by Abraham Lincoln & John Grafton, editor
from Dover Publications
Political Philosophy for 10th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$2.00
Abraham Lincoln: The Man & His Faith
by G. Frederick Owen
from Tyndale House
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Abuela
by Arthur Dorros
from Puffin Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Abuela's Weave
by Omar S. Castaneda
Revised ed. from Lee & Low Books
for 1st-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Accidental Voyage
Mr. Pipes Series #4
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$14.99
Across America on an Emigrant Train
by Jim Murphy
from Sandpiper Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$10.95
Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$8.99
Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Across the Wide & Lonesome Prairie
Dear America
by Kristiana Gregory
from Scholastic Inc.
Fictional historical journal for 3rd-6th grade
in Dear America Books (Location: SER-DEAR)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Adam and His Kin
by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.99
Adam of the Road
Puffin Modern Classics
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 3rd-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Adam of the Road
by Elizabeth Gray
from Viking Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Adara
by Beatrice Gormley
from Eerdmans
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.00
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