H is for History by Catherine Jaime

I was so excited about the history around us when we lived in Germany that I wrote my first book! That’s what our children need – excitement. When we’re excited, it rubs off on our children. One of the greatest novels written about the Civil War is Killer Angels, about the battle of Gettysburg. Author Michael Shaara, did such a great job sharing his excitement for history, that his son, Jeff, has gone on to write at least four other wonderful historical novels.

My 11 and 13-year-old sons recently attended a History Day Camp. On the last day, I was having a conversation with the Camp Instructor. He said almost apologetically to me, “Well, I hope I was able to teach your sons some history this past week. They already knew so much when they started.” I share that with you not to brag, but to show you how our excitement for a subject can rub off on our children. And yes, they did learn at the History Camp. Who can ever run out of things to learn?

But are we teaching history the way we “learned” it? Remember, covering material is not the same as learning it!!! We forget sometimes that we need to do more than just “cover subjects” and check them off the list. We don’t just want to teach a subject, we want our students to learn it as well.

There are two main ways to teach anything:

1. Expose the students to it (That’s what textbooks usually do…again and again and again…This qualifies as “covering” a subject; but not necessarily learning it)

2. Immerse the students in it (real learning can take place this way). Obviously, I prefer immersion. We have to get their attention. We have to make it interesting. We have to repeat the process, we have to reinforce the facts.

History is everywhere. Find it. See it. Touch it. Relate to it.

Start with something they can see/touch:

These will all make history “come alive” for our students!

Compare that to most standard curriculums: Textbooks are typically boring! One reason is that they don’t go deep enough into any particular person or event. Another reason is that they’re two-dimensional (just the pages in a book), not three-dimensional (real people, experiences, etc.), and there is little variety in teaching methods. How are we going to get and hold our students’ attention that way?

One of the big concerns in putting aside the textbooks is that we might “miss something”. There might be gaps in their learning. How will we know what to study when? In the Multi-level Teaching chapter, I have a chart showing the history scope and sequences from three different major Christian publishing companies. They are all different. They vary greatly. And they prove quite well that there is not “one way” to teach history, one “correct order” that must be followed. So why not consider something else?

Connect it to something they like:

Or start with something that is relevant to them now:

A chronological approach works, but it’s not necessary. (See above!)

What’s important in a timeline book?

Historical Games reinforce what they’re learning.

Great history books:

Great Additional History Resources

For ideas on topics to start with if you want to break away from history textbooks, please see the Unit Study chapter.

Final Thoughts on History

We heard recently that college graduates today know less about history than high school graduates did 50 years ago. May home schoolers help to reverse that trend!

GEOGRAPHY

Geography is not really a separate subject to teach, it should be incorporated into History, Bible, Literature…Teach it in context!

What are the primary goals in teaching our students geography?

What are the secondary goals in teaching our students geography? Recognition of:

Most of these come up naturally as you are teaching other areas “in context”. Look for them, and grasp the opportunity. My students have won geography bees, but they’ve never taken a “geography class”.

Good geography resources:

Final Thoughts on Geography

Maps should be a part of any home school “curriculum”. Many used book stores sell old National Geographic maps for a very inexpensive price, and there are many good books and programs that include blank maps you can copy to use with your history and Bible programs. Please be sure to use maps often, in your home “school” and in your home life.