It’s important to know your choices for the best classical style history curriculum if you’re following a classical approach. You’ll love the other tips I have on my page Homeschool Learning Styles.
When I first started homeschooling, I followed a classical approach to all the subjects.
As my understanding of homeschool learning style differences grew, I adjusted my homeschool approach.
The one thing I did keep from the classical learning style when I switched to the unit study approach was a classical style history approach.
Out of all the learning styles, the classical style approach to history made the most sense to me.
What is the Classical Style History Approach?
First, it’s important to understand what is the classical style approach. I’ve heard many definitions through my numerous years of homeschooling.
To help you understand it, look at these 5 features of a classical approach.
- Classical education is based on liberal arts curriculum. Among other things it means information is presented in a sequential order.
- One of the most significant features is reading and discussing real books. You’ll hear the term great books at times when you’re looking for history curriculum.
- For years advocates of a classical approach focused on learning Latin and Greek roots.
- And one more feature of this approach is the believe by Dorothy Sayers that children have the ability to memorize at an early age. This skill should be used as early as possible to prepare children for higher learning later.
- Finally, for history you can see it would be important to cover history in a chronological order.
Because history was and still is important to me, I wanted my kids to not only understand history, but be able to recall events in order.
The only way for them to learn that was for me to teach them in chronological order.
I used Story of the World as my first curriculum and it gave my kids a strong foundation in history.
From there I created history unit studies on topics which interested us.
Why Your Child’s Learning Personality is Important
Because teaching styles are only part of choosing curriculum easily, I’ve included a link to my online course Identifying Your Homeschooled Childs Learning Personality.
YOU WILL LEARN:
- How to understand the way your child prefers to learn so that you can teach him in a way that he enjoys learning;
- How to pinpoint your child’s learning personality;
- A starting point in understanding (barring any special learning challenges or disabilities) and accepting your child’s preferred way of taking in information;
- Understanding when the learning personality emerges; and
- Teaching tips for each learning personality to stop the head-butting.
Also, look at these other resources I have for understanding homeschool learning styles.
Other Homeschool Learning Style Resources
- What Are The 5 Learning Styles to Know to Form a Powerful Homeschool Foundation
- How to Easily Match the Homeschool Classical Approach With Learning Style
- How to Fuse Personality and Learning Styles to Choose the BEST Homeschool Curriculum
- Mega List of Workbook Style Homeschool Curriculum For K to 12 Kids
- 3 Veteran’s Superb Tips to Understand Homeschool Learning Style Differences
- 6 Easy Ways to Identify the Charlotte Mason Homeschool Style
- How to Determine the Best Learning Style Approach for Your Child?
- What Are the Homeschool Top Main 5 Learning Styles
- Practical Tips for Learning Styles
- Discovering Learning Styles
- How Understanding Homeschool Teaching Styles Makes You Successful
- 35+ Best Homeschool Curriculum By Learning Style (free printable)
- How Homeschool Learning Styles Helps You to Accept Each Childs Differences
- What Are the Top 5 Homeschool Styles
More Homeschool History Curriculum
- Homeschool Secular History Curriculum Dynamic Reader Asks 3 Best Teaching Tips
- 35 Simple But Powerful US History Homeschool Curriculum Resources K to 12
- 15 Fun Resources For History for Kindergarten Homeschool
- First Grade Homeschool Curriculum for History and Geography
Next, look at these different providers for best classical style history curriculum.
Best Classical Style History Curriculum
The advantage to using classical style history is that not only are you encouraged to use real books, but the history makes sense when it's covered in chronological order.
Available in paperback, this four-volume narrative world history tells the story of the entire globe, from the earliest nomadic humans all the way to the Persian Gulf war at the end of the twentieth century. It now includes the Revised Edition of Volume 4. Told in an entertaining, engaging style, The Story of the World uses the stories of women and men, countries and empires, rebels and rulers, peasants and presidents, to walk young readers through a continuous, chronological account of human events.
About one hundred forty chapters tell the story of rulers, wars, society, faith, and legend in the Middle Ages from 476 A.D. to 1485 A.D. Tremendous detail is provided with many names, places, and battles presented. The book explores the role of the Church and the Christian influence upon the figures throughout history, and it shares legends that relate to history, positive qualities of personalities, and faith
The Take a Stand! series teaches students how to be historians. They learn not what to think or memorize, but how to analyze the events of the past. This unique approach makes the student an active participation in the analysis of the past. This is the best of critical thinking, Socratic discussion, and analytical writing in history
Teaching history to children at all grade levels together.
From first civilizations to the Fall of Rome, Ancients level two is a complete one-year curriculum guide that combines history with literature, world geography, and writing activities.
Follow the Nomadic Professor to history’s actual settings–from the Appalachians to the Andes and from the swamps of Louisiana to the Gobi, Sahara, and Changtang. Engage with the settings and contexts behind today’s headlines. Learn to read and think with the critical judgement of a historian, and prepare to ace your college credit exams.
In the past, correct spelling, the multiplication tables, the names of the state capitals and the American presidents were basics that all children were taught in school. Today, many children graduate without this essential knowledge. Most curricula today follow a haphazard sampling of topics with a focus on political correctness instead of teaching students how to study. Leigh Bortins, a leading figure in the homeschooling community, is having none of it
