Heroes, Heroines, and Tales of Ancient History Curriculum

Description

 

Grades 1st-6th
Format Options: Printed Book (black and white version) or Ebook (color version)
Read a Sample
By Amy Puetz Fox

To really understand what life was like years ago, history must go beyond words on a page. Recipes must be cooked, games must be played, historical art must be examined, and crafts must be done. Each day there is an activity that brings history to life.

This is a thirty-week history curriculum. Along with the historical information, there are exciting stories about historical people. There is a beginner section for first and second grades and a more advanced section for third through sixth grades. Included in the text are activities that go along with each lesson–examine historical art, sing some historical songs, cook up some historical recipes, or play historical games. There are also numerous crafts and other hands-on projects.

There are also questions to ensure the student is retaining the information presented. Some days there will be writing topics, but they may be skipped if necessary or feel free to use your own writing ideas. Scattered throughout the book are maps and geography questions to help familiarize students with the places mentioned in the text. An answer key is provided in the back of the book.

On the Additional Materials CD, there are printable timelines that may be put in a three-ring binder or folder with prongs. Also included are audio pronunciations. Each activity has a list of supplies needed. At the beginning of each week, it is recommended that you preview the upcoming activities to see what supplies are needed that week.

How to Use This Curriculum

Activities in the Books
Each day there is an activity that brings history to life. Please do not feel that each activity must be completed, there will be days when something must be skipped. Maybe have one evening a week when the recipes are cooked or use one of the games on a rainy day. Please do not feel overwhelmed to fit every activity into every day. The activities should only be done under the supervision of an adult. The cooking and crafts have the potential of being dangerous and every precaution should be followed. Please note: Golden Prairie Press is not responsible for the safety of your students.

The activities in this book include:

• Examining Historical Art
• Games of the Past
• Cook Up Some History
• Sing Some Ancient History
• Listen to Some Ancient History
• Crafts
• Experiments

Questions, Writing Topics, and Geography
There are also questions to ensure the student is retaining the information presented. Some days there will be writing topics, but they may be skipped if necessary or feel free to use your own writing ideas. Scattered throughout the book are maps and geography questions to help familiarize students with the places mentioned in the text.

Answer Key
The answers to the questions are in the back of each book. The answers to the questions in Weeks 1–15 are in the back of Part 1 and Weeks 16–30 are in the back of Part 2.

Recommended Resources
There are some recommended resources that may be useful to expand the learning experience even more. Teachers are encouraged to preview the resources before giving them to students.

Supplies 
You will need pencils, paper, crayons, and standard school supplies to use this book. On the Additional Materials CD there are printable timelines that may be glued or taped together. Each activity has a list of supplies needed. At the beginning of each week, it is recommended that you preview the upcoming activities to see what supplies are needed that week.

How Long Does it Take to Complete a Lesson? 
Each lesson will take about 30-60 minutes to complete.

Bible References
Since the Bible is full of history, many passages from it are quoted directly in the text of this book. The King James Version of the Bible is used, but please feel free to use a different version if you wish. The Bible verses are easy to find in the text because they are in italics.

Alternate Reading Suggestions for Younger Students
Some stories from ancient history are rather graphic and although every effort has been made to sanitize them for children, there are still some stories that might frighten sensitive children. The story might include a cruel death or other harsh events. For these stories an alternate reading is suggested. Teachers are encouraged to preview these stories before reading them to younger students. There are nine lessons with alternate reading suggestions. They are on pages: 45, 67, 70, 109, 114, 117, 178, 181, and 310.

What comes in the Curriculum Package?
Heroes, Heroines, and Tales of Ancient History Part 1 – 75 Lessons for the first half of the year.
Heroes, Heroines, and Tales of Ancient History Part 2 – 75 Lessons for the second half of the year.
Additional Materials CD – This CD has supplemental materials. There are printable timelines, a video, color artwork, audio pronunciations, and much more.
Historical Skits – Performing historical skits is a great way to bring history to life. View a sample.
Sing Some Ancient History CD – This CD contains the songs mentioned in the books. Listen to a sample.
Listen to Some Ancient History MP3 CD – An audio collection of original speeches, letters, and documents that are mentioned in the books. Listen to a sample.

What is the difference between the print and digital versions?
The print version is in black and white. The digital version is in color.