Best World History Curriculum
A comprehensive world history curriculum can help students understand the relationships between different cultures, ages and continents. This knowledge allows them to appreciate the uniqueness of other nations’ viewpoints, which can help to ease tensions between countries and regions today. It also gives them a context to develop empathy for others’ struggles while strengthening their own critical thinking skills, which can aid in the development of their worldview.
As students advance into homeschool world history, they need a course that will keep their interest and encourage them to think more deeply about world events. They should be able to identify key dates, analyze recurring themes and write argumentative essays about historical topics. They should also be able to make connections between past conflicts and current issues.
To prepare students for higher-level study, a world history curriculum that provides engaging readings, captivating books and memorable activities is essential. Several homeschool curriculum providers offer this type of program, including Notgrass, Sonlight, Mystery of History and The Story of the World. Each of these programs is designed to take a student through a full history cycle three times before graduation.
The Best World History Curriculum For High School
Some programs provide additional learning opportunities for students by incorporating video lectures from top historians, online practice quizzes and web-based resources that further expand on the material covered in the textbook. Alternatively, some courses encourage deeper exploration by asking students to create their own timelines or research the effects of major events on the world.
One example of this is the Glencoe World History textbook, which includes a website that offers interactive tutoring to assist struggling students, online practice quizzes and links to additional reading materials that provide more detailed information on specific time periods and topics. This type of curriculum is great for live online classes, co-ops or self-paced learning.
Other homeschool curriculum options include The Story of the World, which uses a Charlotte Mason approach to teach junior-high students about the world’s rich history. This multi-volume series uses a Christian worldview and a narrative style to engage students as they uncover the wonders of ancient Mesopotamia, rejoice in Jesus’ Resurrection with his followers, travel through Europe on the Pilgrims’ journey and experience the Renaissance and Reformation, sail into the New World with Columbus and learn of the Industrial Revolution with explorers like Lewis and Clark.
If you’re looking for a more traditional, text-based study of world history, consider Memoria Press’ A History of the Modern World. This two-volume course offers the closest thing to a standard world history survey while maintaining a strong European focus. It is designed to be completed in one or two years, and it will allow your child to view the evolution of Western civilizations through a Euro-American lens. Moreover, it will give them an opportunity to understand how past patterns of conflict and cooperation can influence global affairs in the present. This can be a valuable addition to your child’s understanding of the world, especially as they prepare for a career in business or government.