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History

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's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and 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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Active Filters: 8th grade (Ages 13-14), Perfectbound
13 Colonies: Georgia
by Roberta Wiener and James R. Arnold
from Raintree
for 6th-8th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Marco Polo
by Russell Freedman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-9th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
All About Maps
from Gingko Press
for 6th-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Alphabet Makers
by Hyatt Moore
from Wycliffe Bible Translators
for 8th-Adult
in History of Books & Language (Location: HISV-BOOK)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient History 5-8 Teacher Guide
by Rebecca Manor
2nd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$39.99
Ancient India
People of the Ancient World
by Virginia Schomp
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
$19.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Aztec and Maya Myths
by Karl Taube
from British Museum Press
for 6th-12th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Barbarian Book: Warfare by Duct Tape
by Steven Erickson
from Chinquapin Press
for 4th-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
Before Columbus
by Charles C. Mann
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
Blackbeard
by Dan Parry
from Thunder's Mouth Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Pirates (Location: HISV-PIRATE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Castles of the Western World
by Armin Tuulse
from Dover Publications
for 8th-Adult
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Celtic Saints
from Cassell
for 3rd-Adult
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
Champions of Mathematics
by John Hudson Tiner
from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$4.79 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Classical Kids
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
Codes of Hammurabi and Moses
by W. W. Davies
from Book Jungle
Primary Source Document for 7th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$20.00
Codes of Hammurabi and Moses
by W. W. Davies
from Book Jungle
Primary Source Document for 7th-Adult
in Clearance: Literature (Location: ZCLE-LIT)
Colter's Run
by Judith Edwards, illustrated by John Potter
from Falcon Press Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Western Expansion (1800-1898) (Location: HISA-19WES)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Constitutional Puzzlers
by Jeanne & Arnold Cheyney
from Mark Twain Media
for 4th-8th grade
in Miscellaneous History Curriculum (Location: HISCUR-MISC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Curious Historian 3B - Student Edition
by Elisabeth G. Wolfe & Ashlee Cowles, with volume editor Aaron Larsen
from Classical Academic Press
for 7th-8th grade
in CAP Curious Historian (Location: HISCUR-CAP)
$33.95 $23.00 (1 in stock)
Cut & Assemble the Mayflower
by A. G. Smith
2020 Reprint from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Day Pearl Harbor was Bombed
by George Sullivan
from Scholastic Inc.
for 6th-Adult
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
Declaration of Independence
History Speaks
by Douglas M. Rife
from Teaching & Learning Company
for 4th - 8th Grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Disaster of the Hindenburg
by Shelley Tanaka
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-8th grade
in Titanic & 20th Century Disasters (Location: HISW-20DIS)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Discovery of the Titanic
by Robert Ballard
from Warner/Madison Press
for 6th-12th grade
in Titanic & 20th Century Disasters (Location: HISW-20DIS)
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Greece
DK Eyewitness Series
by Anne Pearson
from DK Publishing
Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$9.99
Draw the Titanic
by Andrew Staiano, illustrated by Jason Pederson
from Scholastic Inc.
for All ages
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Epic
by Tim Challies
from Zondervan
for 7th-Adult
in Church History Overviews (Location: XCH-OVE)
$19.99
Famous Pioneers & Frontiersmen
What a Character! Notable Lives from History
by Marilyn Boyer
from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Flying Beats Work
by Stan Cohen
from Pictorial Histories Publishing Company
for 8th-Adult
in Aviation History (Location: HISV-AVIA)
For You They Signed
by Marilyn Boyer
All-in-One Edition from Master Books
for 7th-9th grade
in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$39.19
Full-Color Knights & Armour - Book and CD-Rom
Dover Electronic Clip Art
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-Adult
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
General Washington's Army
by Marko Zlatich, Illustrated by Peter F. Copeland
2003 Printing from Osprey Publishing
for 6th-Adult
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Geography of Oregon
by John B. Woods and Nelson S. Rogers
from Allyn and Bacon
for 5th-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
George Washington Carver: Botanist
Black Americans of Achievement
by Gene Adair, introduction by Coretta Scott King
from Chelsea House Publishing
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
from kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co
for 1st-Adult
in Japan (Location: HISMC-JAP)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Greek Armies
by Peter Connolly
from Silver Burdett Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
History of Pirates
by Angus Konstam
from Lyons Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Pirates (Location: HISV-PIRATE)
Icons of Invention: American Patent Models
by Barbara Janssen
from Smithsonian Books
for 7th-Adult
in Inventions & Discoveries (Location: SCI-INV)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Imitation in Writing: Greek Heroes
Imitation in Writing Series
by Matt Whitling
2nd edition from Logos School
Writing Curriculum for 4th-9th grade
in Imitation in Writing (Location: WRI-LSIW)
$15.00
In Defense of Liberty
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 8th-Adult
2004 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Indian Winter
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
J.R.R. Tolkien for Kids OSI
by Simonetta Carr
from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Kinderlager
by Milton J. Nieuwsma
from Scholastic Inc.
for 6th-Adult
in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Knights & Castles
by Avery Hart, Paul Mantell
from Williamson Publishing Company
for 2nd-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Leonardo da Vinci
by Emily Hahn
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.40 (1 in stock)
Magellan and the Exploration of South America
by Colin Hynson
from Barron's
Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Man & Yosemite
by Ted Orland
from Image Continuum Press
for 4th-Adult
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
MapTrek - Atlas
by Terri Johnson
from Master Books
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$34.39
MapTrek - Atlas & Outlines
by Terri Johnson
from Master Books
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
MapTrek - Outlines
by Terri Johnson
from Master Books
for 1st-10th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$34.39
Material World
by Peter Menzel
from Sierra Club Books
for 7th-Adult
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$32.00
Mayflower II
from Plimoth Plantation Publication
for 6th-12th grade
in Ships, Boats & Submarines (Location: HISV-SHIP)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Medieval History - Intermediate Guide
by Rebecca Manor & Rebecca Allen
Revised & Expanded from Beautiful Feet Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$34.95
Modern American and World History - 6-8 Guide
by Rea Berg & Jonathan Crabtree
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$33.95
Music Appreciation Family Study Teacher Guide
by Rebecca Manor
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 2nd-12th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
National Parks Coloring Book
by Sophie Tivona
from Harper Design
for 2nd-Adult
in Nature / Geography Coloring Books (Location: COL-NAT)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
New England Indians
by C. Keith Wilbur
2nd edition from The Globe Pequot Press
for 3rd-12th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Nystrom Atlas of United States History
from Nystrom
for 5th-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Oregon History - Student Workbook
by Georgia Sligar
Revised Edition from Oregon History Book
for 4th-8th grade
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
Otters
by Bobby Tulloch
from Colin Baxter Photography Ltd.
for 6th-12th grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Our Northwest Heritage
by Richard M. Hannula
2nd edition from Sound Summit Books
for 7th-12th grades
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$43.95
Our Northwest Heritage - Teacher's Supplement CD-ROM
by Richard M. Hannula
from Sound Summit Books
for 7th-12th grades
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$22.95
People Could Fly
by Virginia Hamilton, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Pirate Ship: 1660-1730
by Angus Konstam, illustrated by Tony Bryan
from Osprey Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in Pirates (Location: HISV-PIRATE)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Rand McNally Historical Atlas of the World
6th edition from Rand McNally
for 3rd-12th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Rare and Endangered Plants of Oregon
by Donald C. Eastman
from Beautiful America Publishing
for 6th-Adult
in Field Guides & Nature Handbooks (Location: NAT-FG07)
Remember the Alamo
from National Geographic
for 4th-8th grade
in Mexican-American War (Location: HISA-19TEX)
Roman News
by Andrew Langley, Philip De Souza
from Candlewick Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$7.99
Roman Provence
by Marc Guitteny, photos by Marc and Denis Guitteny, translated by Lorenzo Prieto
English Edition from Unknown Publisher
for 5th-Adult
in France (Location: HISMC-FRA)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Romans
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Romans
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Scholastic Inc.
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Seaman's Journal
by Patricia Reeder Eubank
from Ideals Children's Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Secrets in Stone
by Laurie Coulter, illustrated by Sarah Jane English
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
September 11, 2001
from Candlewick Press
for 6th-12th grade
in War on Terror (Location: HISA-21WT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Short Lessons in Art History
by Phyllis Clausen Barker
Revised and Updated from Walch Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$22.00 (1 in stock)
Story of California
by May McNeer, illustrated by C. H. DeWitt
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 5th-8th grade
in California (Location: HISA-19CGR)
$15.95
Story of Fort Sumter
by Eugenia Burney
from Children's Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of John F. Kennedy
A Spotlight Wonder Book
by Earl Schenck Miers
from Wonder Books
for 5th-Adult
in How and Why Wonder Books (Location: VIN-H&W)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Story of the Great Republic
by Helene Guerber
from Nothing New Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in U.S. History Curriculum (Location: HISCUR-US)
Story of the Greeks
by Helene Guerber
4th edition from Nothing New Press
Ancient Greece Reference for 3rd-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
Story of the Middle Ages
by Christine Miller & Helene Guerber
from Nothing New Press
for 3rd-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
Story of the Renaissance and Reformation
by Christine Miller & Helene Guerber
2nd edition from Nothing New Press
History Reference for 3rd-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
Story of the Romans
by Helene Guerber
3rd edition from Nothing New Press
Roman History Reference for 3rd-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
Story of the Romans
by Helene Guerber
2nd edition from Nothing New Press
Roman History Reference for 3rd-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
Story of the Thirteen Colonies
by Helene Guerber
from Nothing New Press
History Reference for 3rd-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
Streets Were Paved With Gold
by Stan Cohen
2012 Printing from Pictorial Histories Publishing Company
for 6th-Adult
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Surviving Hitler
by Andrea Warren
from HarperTrophy
for 4th-8th grade
in Holocaust (Location: HISW-20WW2H)
$9.99
These Were the Greeks
by H.D. Amos, A.G.P. Lang
1989 Reprint from Dufour Editions, Inc.
for 8th-12th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Twentieth Century 1900-2000s
by Kathy Sammis
from Walch Publishing
for 7th-10th grade
in 20th Century (Location: HISW-20)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Understanding Modern Art
by Monica Bohm-Duchen and Janet Cook, illustrated by David Gillingwater
from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Ancient World
Usborne Internet-Linked
by Fiona Chandler & Anne Millard
from Usborne
Ancient History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
World History Reference for 3rd-12th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
World History Reference for 3rd-12th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
Usborne Greeks
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Ancient Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne History of the Twentieth Century
by Christina Hopkinson
from Usborne
Reference for 4th-8th grade
in 20th Century (Location: HISW-20)
$4.00 (5 in stock)
Usborne Introduction to the Second World War
by Paul Dowswell
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Medieval World
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$9.00 (4 in stock)
Usborne Romans
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$9.00 (3 in stock)
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