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: 4th grade (Ages 9-10), Perfectbound
120 Great History Projects
by Rachel Halstead & Struan Reid, consultants
from Hermes House
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
500 Facts: American History for Kids
from Rockridge Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
ABC Book of Early Americana
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$10.95
Across America
by Jacqueline Morley
from Franklin Watts
for 4th-6th grade
in Lewis & Clark Expedition (1801-1803) (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$5.00 (2 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)
Africa Is My Home
by Monica Edinger, illustrated by Robert Byrd
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider
by Jean Fritz; illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Amelia Earhart
by Francene Sabin and Joanne Mattern, illustrated by Karen Milone
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
America - with CD
from Diana Waring Presents
for 1st-6th grade
in Diana Waring History Revealed (Location: OHIS-DWHR)
America At War: Korean War
by John Perritano
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Korean War (1950-1953) (Location: HISA-20KW)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
America in the Time of Lewis and Clark
by Sally Senzel Isaacs
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
America's Struggle to Become a Nation
by Rick & Marilyn Boyer
from Master Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$24.50 (2 in stock)
American Adventures Part 1
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$3.50 (5 in stock)
American Adventures Part 2
by Morrie Greenberg
from Brooke-Richards Press
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
American History: Globalization 1977-2008
from Saddleback Educational Publishing
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
American History: The Civil Rights Movement & Vietnam 1960-1976
from Saddleback Educational Publishing
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
American Indian Prayer Guide
by Danette Maloof, Dean Cozzens
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 4th-7th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.50 (3 in stock)
Ancient Egyptians and their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
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
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$19.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Anne of Jamestown
by Anne Price-Hardister, illustrated by Ruby Gardner
from Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
for 2nd-6th grade
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
Anno's China
by Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.71
Assassination of John F. Kennedy: November 22, 1963
24 Hour History
by Terry Collins
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: April 4, 1968
24 Hour History
by Terry Collins
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-5th grade
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$3.60 (1 in stock)
Barbarian Book: Warfare by Duct Tape
by Steven Erickson
from Chinquapin Press
for 4th-Adult
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Battle of the Little Bighorn
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Before Columbus
by Charles C. Mann
from Scholastic Inc.
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Ben Franklin Book of Easy Incredible Experiments
by Lisa Jo Rudy (editor), illustrated by Cheryl Kirk Noll
from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book of the Civil War
by Joanne Mattern
from Courage Books
for 4th-7th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Big Picture Bible Time Line
by Carol Eide - compiled
from Gospel Light Publications
for Grades 1st-6th
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Bill of Rights
by R. Conrad Stein
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Bill of Rights
by Lucia Raatma
from Scholastic Inc.
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in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bold Composer
Creative Minds Biographies
by Judith P. Josephson, illustrated by Barbara Kiwak
from Lerner Publishing Group
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Book of the Medieval Knight
by Stephen Turnbull
from Arms and Armour Press
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in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Boy on the Mayflower
by Iris Vinton; lillustrated by Jon Nielsen
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Brooklyn Bridge
by Elizabeth Mann
from Mikaya Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Building the New York Subway
Cornerstones of Freedom Second Series
by Andrew Santella
from Children's Press
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Byzantine Empire
by Jennifer Fretland VanVoorst
from Compass Point Books
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in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Calamity Jane
by Doris Faber
from Houghton Mifflin
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Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz
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Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Tomie dePaola
from Coward McCann
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$2.50 (1 in stock)
Canada from A to Z
from Crabtree Publishing
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Celtic Saints
from Cassell
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in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
Central Pacific Railroad
Cornerstones of Freedom Second Series
by Clark J. Evans
from Children's Press
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in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Champions of Mathematics
by John Hudson Tiner
from Master Books
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in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$4.79 $3.50 (1 in stock)
Cherokee: The Past and Present of a Proud Nation
American Indian Life
by Danielle Smith-Llera
from Capstone Press
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in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Chief Joseph: Leader of Destiny
by Kate Jassem
from Troll Associates
for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Child's History of the World
by Virgil M. Hillyer
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
World History Reference for 2nd-6th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
Children of Native America Today
by Yvonne Wakim Dennis and Arlene Hirschfelder
from Charlesbridge
for 3rd-6th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$3.00 (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)
Civil Rights Movement in America
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Elaine Landau
Reprint from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Civil War: An Interactive History Adventure
You Choose Books
by Matt Doeden
from Capstone Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Series Books (Location: SER-MISC)
$2.80 (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)
Countries Around the World: New Zealand
by Mary Colson
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in Australia & Oceania (Location: HISMC-AU)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Cowboys on the Western Trail
by Eric Oatman
from National Geographic
for 3rd-5th grade
in Cowboys & Cattlemen (Location: HISA-19CO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Creative God Colorful Us
by Trillia Newbell, Paintings by Chase Williamson
from Moody Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$12.99
Daily Life in a Plains Indian Village 1868
by Michael Bad Hand Terry
from Clarion Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Dear Benjamin Banneker
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Houghton Mifflin
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Declaration of Independence
Documenting U.S. History
by Elizabeth Raum
from Heinemann-Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Diego Rivera
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists
by Mike Venezia
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Disability Rights Movement
by Deborah Kent
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
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)
Discovering Mars
by Melvin Berger, revised and updated by Mary Kay Carson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Our Solar System (Location: SCI-AST)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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
DK Smithsonian Space!
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Don't Know Much About American History
by Kenneth C. Davis
from HarperCollins
for 4th-6th grade
in American History Reference (Location: HISA-REF)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
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)
Drummer Boy's Battle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Bethany House
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
Drummer Boy's Battle
TrailBlazer Books
by Dave & Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$9.99
Early American History for Intermediate Grades - Guide
by Rea Berg & Rebecca Manor
3rd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$25.95
Early Family Home
Early Settler Life Series
by Bobbie Kalman
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Early Settler Storybook
from Crabtree Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Egyptian Echo
by Paul Dowswell
from Usborne
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Electrical Wizard
by Elizabeth Rusch, illustrated by Oliver Dominguez
from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Elizabeth I, the People's Queen
by Kerrie Logan Hollihan
from Chicago Review Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.60 (1 in stock)
Ellis Island
Cornerstones of Freedom
by Melissa McDaniel
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Everything You Need To Know About World History Homework
by Anne Zeman & Kate Kelly
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Exploration of Space
Great Explorers Series
by Felicity Trotman
from Barron's
for 3rd-6th grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Explore Greek Myths!
by Anita Yasuda, illustrated by Mike Crosier
from Nomad Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy)
by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Eyes on Adventure: Exploring Space
Eyes on Adventure
by Leigh Hope Wood
from KidsBooks, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Space Race & Exploration (Location: HISA-20SPR)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Famous Figures of the Renaissance
from Figures in Motion
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Famous Presidents
Eyes on America
by Philip Koslow
from KidsBooks, Inc.
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Presidency (Location: HISV-PRE)
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Farmland Innovator
Creative Minds Biographies
by Catherine A. Welch, illustrated by Jan Naimo Jones
from Lerner Publishing Group
for 2nd-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Fight for Freedom
by Rick & Marilyn Boyer
from Master Books
for 3rd-5th grade
in Master Books History (Location: HISCUR-MB)
$24.50 (2 in stock)
Flags to Color from the American Revolution
by Whitney Smith
from Bellerophon Books
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids
by Kathleen Thorne-Thomsen
2nd edition from Chicago Review Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
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)
Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein
by Marfe Ferguson Delano
from National Geographic
for 3rd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
George Washington Carver
by Tonya Bolden
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.80 (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)
George Washington You Never Knew
by James Lincoln Collier
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.20 (1 in stock)
Great Chicago Fire
by R. Conrad Stein
Reprint from Scholastic Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
from kahoku Shimpo Publishing Co
for 1st-Adult
in Japan (Location: HISMC-JAP)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Great Fire
by Jim Murphy
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
1996 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$8.99
Greece: The Land
The Lands, Peoples, and Cultures Series
by Bobbie Kalman, Sierra Adare
from Crabtree Publishing
for 2nd-5th grade
in Europe (Location: HISMC-EUR)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Greenleaf Ancient Egypt Study Package
by Cynthia Shearer
from Greenleaf Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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