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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'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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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)
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)
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)
501 Must-Visit Cities
from Bounty Books
for 9th-Adult
in International Landmarks & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANINT)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
660 Curries
by Raghavan Iyer
from Workman Publishing
for Adult
in International & Ethnic Cooking (Location: COOK-ETH)
$15.00 (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
Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books
by Kay Winters, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
from Simon and Schuster
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.64
Abe's Honest Words
by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
from Disney-Hyperion
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Abraham Lincoln
A Rookie Biography
by Carol Greene
from Children's Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
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)
Adventurous Life of Myles Standish OSI
by Cheryl Harness
from National Geographic
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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)
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)
Alvin Ailey
by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated by Brian Pinkney
from Hyperion Books for Children
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.60 (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 National Battlefield Parks
by Joseph E. Stevens
from University of Oklahoma Press
for 9th-Adult
in U.S. Monuments & Symbols (Location: HISV-LANUS)
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 - Student Edition
by James P. Stobaugh
Revised from Master Books
for 10th-12th grade
$40.79 $35.00 (1 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
History Opens Windows
by Jane Shuter
Revised and Updated from Heinemann-Raintree
for 1st-3rd grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$4.00 (2 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 Hawai'i
from Kawainui Press
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
$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)
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
Anno's U.S.A.
by Mitsumasa Anno
from Philomel Books
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Are We to Be a Nation?
by Richard B. Bernstein, with Kym S. Rice
from Harvard University Press
for 10th-Adult
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
$3.60 (1 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)
Back Roads of Oregon
by Earl Thollander
from Clarkson Potter Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in Pacific States (Location: HISV-PNW)
Barbarian Book: Warfare by Duct Tape
by Steven Erickson
from Chinquapin Press
for 4th-Adult
in Dangerous Books for Kids (Location: SS-DAN)
Battle of the Little Bighorn
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Before Columbus
by Charles C. Mann
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
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)
Berta and Elmer Hader: A Lifetime of Art
by Joy Hoerner Rich, Karen Tolley, John and Judy Waller
from Joyful Productions
for Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Beyond the Ridge
by Paul Goble
from Aladdin Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Bible and the Constitution
by Verna M. Hall and Rosalie J. Slater
1st edition from Foundation for American Christian Education
for Adult
in Principle Approach (Location: HSR-METPA)
Bible Lands Series - 2 volumes
by Martha Fisher, illustrated by Josephine Beachy, Rhoda Shenk, Christy Collins, Arlene Martin
from Rod & Staff Publishers, Inc.
for 1st-3rd grade
in Bible Study & Reference for Kids (Location: BIBR-STU)
$10.50 (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)
Big Quiet House
by Heather Forest, illustrated by Susan Greenstein
from August House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.61
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.
for 3rd-6th grade
in New Nation (1783-1801) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Birrarung Wilam
by Aunty Joy Murphy & Andrew Kelly, illustrated by Lisa Kennedy
from Candlewick Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.79
Blackbeard
by Dan Parry
from Thunder's Mouth Press
for 8th-12th grade
in Pirates (Location: HISV-PIRATE)
$7.00 (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
for 3rd-6th grade
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)
Boy Who Loved Bugs
by Molly Sanchez, illustrated by Larissa Sharina
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Preschool-2nd grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
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)
Brother Eagle, Sister Sky
by Chief Seattle, illustrated by Susan Jeffers
from Puffin Books
for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$8.99
Buffalo Bird Girl
by S. D. Nelson
from Abrams Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.46 $4.80 (4 in stock)
Building the New York Subway
Cornerstones of Freedom Second Series
by Andrew Santella
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
Byzantine Empire
by Jennifer Fretland VanVoorst
from Compass Point Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Calamity Jane
by Doris Faber
from Houghton Mifflin
for 1st-4th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz
from PaperStar Books
for 4th-6th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$6.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
by Jean Fritz, illustrated by Tomie dePaola
from Coward McCann
for 2nd-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Canada from A to Z
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Canada (Location: HISMC-CAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Carousel Animal
by Tobin Fraley, photography by Gary Sinick
from Chronicle Books
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
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)
Central Pacific Railroad
Cornerstones of Freedom Second Series
by Clark J. Evans
from Children's Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
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)
Changing Weather
by Ashlee Klemm, illustrated by Vanessa Toye
from The Good and the Beautiful
for 1st-3rd grade
in GATB Science & Health (Location: CUR-GABSc)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Charlotte Mason
by Lanaya Gore, illustrated by Twila Farmer
from Blue Sky Daisies
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Charlotte Mason Education (Location: HSR-METCM)
$16.11
Cherokee: The Past and Present of a Proud Nation
American Indian Life
by Danielle Smith-Llera
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-4th grade
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)
Church of the East
by John Holzmann
3rd edition from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Classical Kids
by Laurie Carlson
from Chicago Review Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
Claude Monet: Sunshine and Waterlilies by Steven Packard
Smart About Art
by True Kelley
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 1st-3rd grade
in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Colors of the Wind
by J L Powers, illustrated by George Mendoza & Hayley Morgan-Sanders
from Purple House Press
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.74
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)
Complete Maus
by Art Spiegelman
from Pantheon Books
for 10th-Adult
in Comic Books & Graphic Novels (Location: FIC-COMIC)
Confederate War
by Gary W. Gallagher
from Harvard University Press
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$4.00 (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)
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
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)
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