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: 7th grade (Ages 12-13), New Books & Materials
101 Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
40th Anniversary from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$18.99
101 More Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
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$19.99
1493 for Young People
by Charles C. Mann, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff
from Triangle Square
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in Modern History (Location: HISW-MOD)
$22.95
1815 to the Present - Flashcards
from Veritas Press
Modern History Curriculum for 6th-8th grade
in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$29.00 $15.00 (2 in stock)
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
1815 to the Present - Song CD
from Veritas Press
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in Veritas Press History (Location: HISCUR-VP)
$9.00
20 Exciting Plays for Medieval History Classes
by Dean Bowman
from Walch Publishing
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in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$25.00
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)
$11.85
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)
$6.20
50 States Flipper
from Christopher Lee Publications
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$7.96
Abe Lincoln Grows Up
by Carl Sandburg
from Graphia
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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$13.59
Abigail Adams
by Natalie S. Bober
from Simon Pulse
Biography for 4th-7th grade
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$11.86
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
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$19.95
Accidental Voyage
Mr. Pipes Series #4
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
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in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$15.99
Across America on an Emigrant Train
by Jim Murphy and Robert Louis Stevenson
from Sandpiper Books
for 5th-8th grade
1994 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
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)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Across Five Aprils
by Irene Hunt
from Berkley Books
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
1965 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.49
Adam of the Road
Puffin Newbery Library
by Elizabeth Gray
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1943 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.49
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)
$8.49
Adoniram Judson
Christian Heroes: Then & Now
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-7th grade
in Christian Heroes: Then and Now (Location: BIO-BENGE)
$10.19
Adopted by Indians
by Thomas Jefferson Mayfield
from Heyday Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Native American History (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$18.00
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
from Puffin Books
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$9.34
Adventures of Lewis and Clark
by John Bakeless
from Dover Publications
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$10.95 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Robin Hood
Everyman's Library Children's Classics
by Roger Green, illustrated by Walter Crane
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 5th-9th grade
$17.00
Adventures of Robin Hood
Puffin Classics
by Roger Green, illustrated by Arthur Hall
from Puffin Books
Legends and Folklore for 5th-9th grade
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$9.34
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Dover Thrift Editions
by Mark Twain
from Dover Publications
for 6th-10th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$4.25
Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Puffin Classics
by Mark Twain
from Penguin Classics
Realistic Fiction for 6th-10th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$8.50
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$10.16
Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$5.94
After the Dancing Days
by Margaret I. Rostkowski
from HarperTrophy
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After the War
by Carol Matas
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Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$6.79
Against All Odds
by Jim Stier
from YWAM Publishing
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$12.74
Against the World
by Henry Coray
from Inheritance Publications
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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$8.46 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Ain't Burned All the Bright
by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jason Griffin
from Atheneum
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2023 Caldecott Honor Book
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$16.99
Air Raid - Pearl Harbor!
by Theodore Taylor
from Harcourt
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$8.99
Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 7th-10th grade
2005 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Alamo All Stars
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
by Nathan Hale
from Amulet Books
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$13.59 $8.95 (1 in stock)
Alan Shepard
Christian Heroes: Then and Now
by Geoff Benge, Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
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$10.19
Albert Schweitzer
by Geoff & Janet Benge
from YWAM Publishing
Biography for 4th-8th grade
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$10.19
Alexander Hamilton - Coloring Book
by Steven James Petruccio
Clr Csm from Dover Publications
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$5.09
Alexander the Great
by Jacob Abbott
from Canon Press
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$10.20 $6.00 (1 in stock)
All American History Volume I - Companion Guide Digital Download
by Celeste W. Rakes
from Bright Ideas Press
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in All American History (Location: HISCUR-AAUS)
$29.95
All American History Volume I - Student Reader
by Celeste W. Rakes
from Bright Ideas Press
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$64.95
All American History Volume I - Teacher's Guide/Answer Key
by Celeste W. Rakes
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All American History Volume II - Companion Guide Digital Download
by Celeste W. Rakes
from Bright Ideas Press
for 6th-9th grade
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$29.95
All American History Volume II - Student Reader
by Celeste W. Rakes
from Bright Ideas Press
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in All American History (Location: HISCUR-AAUS)
$64.95
All He Knew
by Helen Frost
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$15.29
All Thirteen
by Christina Soontornvat
from Candlewick Press
Daring Rescues for 4th-7th grade
2021 Newbery Honor Book, 2021 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
in 21st Century (Location: HISW-21)
$24.99
Along Came Galileo
by Jeanne Bendick
from Beautiful Feet Books
Biography for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.86
America and Vietnam
by Albert Marrin
from Beautiful Feet Books
Historical Non-Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Vietnam War (1957-1975) (Location: HISA-20VIE)
$11.95
America the Beautiful - Answer Key and Literature Guide
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Notgrass America the Beautiful (Location: HISCUR-NG)
$6.00 $4.00 (1 in stock)
America the Beautiful - Curriculum Package
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Notgrass America the Beautiful (Location: HISCUR-NG)
$125.00
America the Beautiful - Timeline
by Ray & Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
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$10.00
America the Beautiful Part 1
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
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America the Beautiful Part 2
by Charlene Notgrass
2nd edition from Notgrass Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Notgrass America the Beautiful (Location: HISCUR-NG)
$45.00 $31.00 (1 in stock)
American Art Bingo Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
for 3rd-10th grade
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$19.95
American Art History Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$39.95
American Art History Volume II
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
for 3rd-10th grade
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$39.95 $27.00 (1 in stock)
American Plague
by Jim Murphy
from Clarion Books
for 4th-8th grade
2004 Newbery Honor Book, 2004 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner, NCTE Orbi Pictus Award
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$17.59
American Revolution
Landmark Series
by Bruce Bliven
from Random House
Historical Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade
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$7.99
American Tall Tales
by Mary Pope Osborne, Michael McCurdy
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Fairy Tales & Fables for 4th-8th grade
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$16.99
Amos Fortune, Free Man
by Elizabeth Yates, illustrated by Nora S. Unwin
from Puffin Books
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1951 Newbery Medal winner
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.64
Ancient China: To the Great Wall...and Beyond
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
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$13.95
Ancient Civilization Wall Maps (Small)
from Memoria Press
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in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$21.95
Ancient Egypt - Greenleaf Guide
by Cynthia Shearer
from Greenleaf Press
Ancient Egypt History Curriculum for 2nd-7th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.50
Ancient Greece
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
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$24.95 $17.50 (1 in stock)
Ancient History - Timeline
by Rebecca Manor
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 5th-8th grade
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$15.95
Ancient History 5-8 Teacher Guide
by Rebecca Manor
2nd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
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Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
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Ancient Sicily
Monuments Past & Present
by Gaetano Messineo & Emanuela Borgia
from Vision S.R.L.
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$27.00
Angel on the Square
by Gloria Whelan
from HarperCollins
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$8.49 $4.40 (2 in stock)
Anna of Byzantium
by Tracy Barrett
from Random House
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.79
Anne of Green Gables
Anne #1
by L. M. Montgomery
Reprint from Puffin Books
Orphan Stories for 5th-9th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$8.49
Anno's Journey
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Beautiful Feet Books
for 2nd-Adult
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.71
Annotated Mona Lisa
by Carol Strickland
3rd edition from Andrews McMeel
for 5th-12th grade
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$29.99
Annotated Mona Lisa (old)
by Carol Strickland
2nd edition from Andrews McMeel
for 5th-12th grade
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$16.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Anpao
by Jamake Highwater
from HarperCollins
for 5th-9th grade
1978 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.64
Answering the Cry for Freedom
by Gretchen Woelfle, Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
from Calkins Creek
for 4th-7th grade
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$16.99
Archaeology Book
by David Down
from Master Books
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$15.19 $11.00 (2 in stock)
Archaeology Book - Study Guide & Workbook
from Master Books
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$1.50
Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Bethlehem Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.71
Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Purple House Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.34
Architecture
Perspectives on History Series
by Pat Perrin
from History Compass
for 6th-9th grade
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$7.95
Ark, The
by Margot Benary-Isbert
2021 Revision from Purple House Press
for 3rd-10th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$13.59
Art Masterpieces to Color
by Marty Noble
from Dover Publications
for 5th-9th grade
in Fine Art Coloring Books (Location: COL-ART)
$11.04 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Art Smart: Spot the Details and Find Out the Facts
Act from Dover Publications
for 1st-7th grade
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$9.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Artists Activity-Pak
Hands-On History
by Amy Pak
from Home School in the Woods
for 3rd-8th grade
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$12.00
Atlas of American History
by Rand McNally
from Rand McNally
World History Reference/Atlas for 5th-8th grade
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$12.00
Atlas of World History
2nd edition from Oxford University
for 7th-Adult
in Historical & Cultural Atlases (Location: HISRF-ATLAS)
$49.95
Attack in the Rye Grass
Trailblazer Series
by Dave and Neta Jackson
from Castle Rock Creative
for 3rd-7th grade
in Trailblazer Books (Location: SER-TRAIL)
$9.99
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)
$18.95 $15.00 (2 in stock)
Avion My Uncle Flew
by Cyrus Fisher, illustrated by Richard Floethe
from Purple House Press
for 5th-7th grade
1947 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$11.86
Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$13.95
Awakening of Europe
Story of the World Series #3
by M. B. Synge
from Living Book Press
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in History Spines & Surveys (Location: HISRF-SPINE)
$9.99
Bad News for Outlaws
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
for 5th-7th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$16.99
Balloon Boy of San Francisco
by Dorothy Kupcha Leland
from Tomato Enterprises
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in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$8.46
Bamboo People
by Mitali Perkins
from Charlesbridge
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$8.49
Basher Five-Two
by Scott O'Grady & Michael French
from Yearling
Autobiography for 4th-8th grade
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$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Bears of Blue River
by Charles Major
from Living Book Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.64
Beat the Story-Drum, Pum-Pum
by Ashley Bryan
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 3rd-7th grade
$8.49 $4.40 (5 in stock)
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