Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt history lesson plans
Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt (Charlotte Mason History Curriculum)

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$17.95$24.95

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Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt (Charlotte Mason History Curriculum)

(42 customer reviews)

$17.95$24.95

A complete school year of Charlotte Mason history lesson plans covering the historical Bible accounts of Adam to Moses, woven together with a study of Ancient Egypt and other civilizations of the time period. Alongside history lessons, learn about the geography of Africa and enjoy Bible study of Genesis through Deuteronomy.

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Product Description

Study history, geography, and Bible together as a family!

The first in our award-winning Charlotte Mason history curriculum, this year of lesson plans features the Bible accounts of Adam to Moses, pairing it with learning about the oldest civilizations in the world—Sumer, Indus Valley, Britain, Babylon, China, and the Minoans, Hittites, Nubians, Assyrians, and Persians—and featuring a focus on Ancient Egypt, so students get a picture of the world in which the Bible events happened. Older students add more history and geography books, plus a fascinating study of the Law given at Mt. Sinai!

Practical Homeschooling Reader Award 2021 Practical Homeschooling Reader Award 2022 Practical Homeschooling Reader Award 2023 Homeschool.com Award 2023 Teach Them Diligently Homeschool Family Favorites 2023 Award

The Charlotte Mason-style lesson plans

  • Make the ancient world come alive through living books and Bible readings.
  • Help your students listen attentively and recall what was read by narrating.
  • Let you teach the whole family together by sharing some books as family read-alouds, then challenging older students with additional reading and writing assignments from other books on the same topic.
  • Help all your students, grades 1–12, see how Bible events fit into history.
  • Connect geography to the people who lived there—both past and present.
  • Keep things simple by providing helpful reminders of upcoming resources, teaching tips, and Book of Centuries entries.

Book List

Click on the Book List tab to see a full list of the resources needed for these lesson plans.

High School Credit

For the completion of grades 7–9 or 10–12 assignments in this Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt study, we suggest that students should be awarded 1⁄2 credit for History/Geography and 1⁄2 credit for Bible.

Sample Schedule

The lesson plans in Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt are very doable. Your weekly schedule would look something like this, with older students also spending time on additional assignments:

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
Bible
(20–30 min.)
Bible
(20–30 min.)
Bible
(20–30 min.)
Geography
(10–15 min.)History
(20–30 min.)
History
(20–30 min.)

Our History, Geography, and Bible Series

With our six-book series, you will cover the entire Bible, learn history from ancient to modern, and study all the main regions of the world!

Genesis—Deuteronomy
& Ancient Egypt
Creation—332 B.C.
Joshua—Malachi
& Ancient Greece
1856 B.C.—146 B.C.
Matthew—Acts
& Ancient Rome
753 B.C.—A.D. 476
Middle Ages, Renaissance,
Reformation & Epistles
394—1550
Early Modern
& Epistles
1550—1850
Modern Times
& Epistles, Revelation
1850—2012

Complete Your Charlotte Mason Plan

Combine these History Studies with our Individual Studies and family-combined Enrichment Studies for a complete Charlotte Mason curriculum plan!

Book List for History, Geography, Bible

Read the books listed under Family to all the students together. Add the grade-level books as individual reads for any children you have in those grades. For example, if you have students in grades 3 and 7, you will want to get the books under Family, Grades 1–3, and Grades 7–9.

SCM Available from SCM
Book Store Purchase from your favorite book store
Library Check your library
Public Domain Available free in the public domain

Family

plus . . .
Grades 1–3

Grades 4–6

Grades 7–9

Grades 10–12

Bonus Titles

Here are more great titles that you can use for substitutions or leisure reading or to create your own heritage history stream as desired. We will add to this list as we discover and review more new-to-us books.

Family

Grades 1–3

Additional Information

Weight.75 lbs
Dimensions11 × 8.5 × .7 in
Author

Pages

114

Binding

E-book, Spiral

Grade

Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 1, Grade 12, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6

Charter-Friendly

Check out these ideas that correspond to Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt. Use them to supplement your study of that ancient time period.

42 reviews for Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt (Charlotte Mason History Curriculum)

  1. Sheri

    Can you use these books for a high school student so as to complete credits?

    • Sonya

      The family study handbooks do include suggestions for grades 1-12; however, they are simply suggestions. We can’t guarantee that they will comply with any legal or academic requirements you must meet.

  2. kellie

    Does this study include scripture memory suggestions?

    Thanks!

    • Sonya

      No, the book doesn’t include Scripture memory suggestions. You can find many suggestions in the Scripture memory section of the curriculum guide here on the site.

  3. Julie McIntyre

    I just wondered what version of the bible is used in SCM literature for home school?

    • Sonya

      The family study handbooks for history/Bible/geography simply give the Scripture references for you to read from your own Bible. You may use whatever version you prefer.

  4. Kysha

    I was curious about the hands on activities because although they are listed in the description, I didn’t find any listed in the sample. Could you elaborate or give an example of the hands on activities and how they are utilized in the book? Are they scattered throughout? Is there an activity with each lesson? etc.

    Thank you

    • Sonya

      The optional hands-on activities are scattered throughout the year, at the end of each Term. They include things like making a salt dough map of Egypt, making a shaduf model, making a pharaoh mask. You can find information about those types of activities on the Links, Updates, and Tips page for this book.

  5. Deanna

    Is there a preference by others who have purchased this to buy the e-book vs. printed book? Also, should I be using all the books for each module that are specified for each particular grade or are these choices to read from?

    Thanks, Deanna

    • Sonya

      The suggested books listed in the modules are designed to all be read. Some may be marked with specific chapters; others may be marked “optional.” So keep an eye out for those.

      As far as e-book v. printed book: here is a discussion on the SCM forum about Ebooks or not that might give you some ideas. Feel free to post your question on the forum too.

  6. Bridget

    We are transitioning to a Charlotte Mason-style education this fall, and I am curious to know if children must or should study history chronologically from the beginning. I will be combining lessons for a seven- and a ten-year-old (and possibly, a fourteen-year-old), with three- and one-and-one-half-year-olds listening in. My ten-year-old has a passion for Medieval and Renaissance history, and I know her strong preference would be to start there. All of the children have had some exposure to early history already. Any thoughts?

    • Sonya

      Chronologically is best, yes, but where to start in the cycle depends on what the children have already studied. If they have already studied the Ancient Times then feel free to jump in at the Middle Ages.

      That might work well for your 10yo, actually. She would be able to do Middle Ages/Renaissance this year, Early Modern next year, and Modern the year after that; leaving her six years to start over from the beginning and finish the whole cycle again by 12th grade if you want to.

    • rebecca

      We’re transitioning to full CM this fall too.

      I am wondering if/whether Story of the World could be used in addition or in place of some of the resources….(we already have it 🙂 )

      • Sonya

        I would think you could add Story of the World quite easily, Rebecca. In fact, I seem to recall someone on our SCM Forum saying that she planned to do that very thing.

  7. Bridget

    Thank you for your answer to my previous question. I am still pondering where to start, but have, meanwhile, purchased the Genesis through Deuteronomy family study handbook (which looks excellent!). I am wondering if you have an idea, or have heard ideas from others about how much high school credit and in which disciplines might be awarded for completion of this study.

    • Sonya

      I would think it would contribute toward World History, Geography (or is it called Social Studies now?), and Bible.

      How much credit is awarded depends on how much time is spent and how well the material is grasped, plus what the requirements are for you locally. So I’m afraid I can’t give you a good idea in that respect.

  8. mcm

    do you recommend this for a 1st grader? Also, is there a book of hands-on activities and such to go with this study?

    • Sonya

      Yes, this study gives suggested lesson plans for all the grades, 1-12. The optional hands-on activities are given in the lessons. They include things like making a salt dough map of Egypt, making a shaduf model, making a pharaoh mask. You can find information about those types of activities on the Links, Updates, and Tips page for this book.

  9. Adriana Watt

    I purchased this product and Boy of the Pyramids for my Year 1 student. Are all the supplementary books mandatory? All the other books are at my library except the True story of Noah’s Ark. I assume this book is worth purchasing or it would not be included but you suggested in a previous response that you can use alternates. Help please.

    Thanks

    Adriana

    • Sonya

      Please feel free to substitute books that are available to you, yes. The resources listed are our suggestions, but we encourage you to customize for your situation and family. Thanks for asking, Adriana.

  10. Karleen Mauldin

    Thank you Sonya! I know it’s going to be tough to get all that in one year, no matter how we try it!! I had forgotten about Beautiful Feet’s Ancient History.

  11. Mandi

    By looking at the sample, term 1 and term 3 are basically a guide for the parent on what to do each day, with no activity or assignment ideas. Am I correct?

    • Sonya

      The handbook is a guide for the parent, yes. It gives daily lesson plans. Term 1 includes some additional book assignments for the older students, as well as an ongoing character study of the four key people in Genesis: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. Terms 2 and 3 cover Exodus through Deuteronomy and give suggestions for completing a chart on the Ten Plagues, incorporating an optional model of the Tabernacle, as well as older students’ completing an additional Bible study on God’s Law. The Ancient Egypt study and geography studies are scattered throughout all three Terms.

  12. Teresa Robertson

    I am looking to try this History for the first time. Are there any other book list to go with this for 5th grade?

  13. jamithy

    Hi, Sonya! I am so very excited about the new edition:)
    I was wondering if you would recommend me continuing my Tapestry of Grace while incorporating your program! I love Tapestry(even though it always takes tons of time to use) because of its Bible content running along with World history. It seems your study has an even bigger biblical focus! Are you familiar with TOG? I would love to use both but I don’t want to get over loaded. I thought of using your program first and than going back to my TOG but it sees that your program is meant to run 6 years, right? Does the family actually read through the whole Bible together during that time? Thanks for all your help and ministry!!!

    • Sonya

      Great question, but I’m afraid I can’t answer it. I haven’t used TOG or even looked at it closely. I would recommend you post your question to our SCM Discussion Forum. There are lots of helpful CM moms there, some of whom have used or are using TOG.

      I can answer the question about the 6-year cycle. Yes, our history/Bible/geography rotation is set up to run 6 years. During those 6 years the family will read through the Bible, with the exception of not all of the Old Testament prophets and not all of the poetry books. Those can easily be added, but during the Old Testament studies we focus mainly on Biblical history and just give students a taste of each prophet’s message and ministry.

  14. Friederike

    I have another question. The 3 modules you offer taech the history of Egypt, Greece and Rom. How about Babylon, Persia and Assyria? Is that part of it and where? Thanks

    • Sonya

      We don’t study their history in depth, but the students learn about those regions as they interact with Old Testament history, mainly in the Joshua through Malachi study.

  15. Friederike

    When the family reads the commentary to Exodus and Numbers do they only read the text or also do the activities? What did you do or what is doable? I purchased the Exodus book, but it seems it would be to hard to do all of the activities suggested in the back of the book. Do you have an alternative suggestion for the number commentary copy? Is that similar to the Exodus book?

    • Sonya

      We just read the commentary text itself without the activities. I don’t think the activities are necessary.

      The Numbers commentary is similar to the Exodus one, yes. I don’t know of any other commentaries for children on the book of Numbers, so I’m afraid I don’t have an alternate suggestion for that one.

      If the commentary readings along with the Scripture passages get to be too much, feel free to leave off the commentary and read only the Scripture passages themselves.

  16. Susan

    Hello…I have looked over your product and read through some of the comments but didn’t see my question addressed. The product looks great and it seems it would be an ideal time for me to start this with my soon to be 6th grader with plans to carry it through her high school. I recently purchased the Mystery of History curriculum and love the concept of learning history in conjunction w/the Bible events (even for myself:). I was wondering how your product compares to that one? I am not a trained teacher so I like systems that aren’t made for those types of individuals. Any comments would be appreciated.
    Blessings!

    • Sonya

      Hi, Susan. Good question, but I’m afraid I can’t answer it. I haven’t used or even looked through Mystery of History, so I’m not sure how it compares.

      I would recommend you post your question on the SCM Discussion Forum. There are a lot of great CM moms there who may be able to give some insight.

  17. Ellen Blust

    Hi, Sonya —

    This year with my dd, (who turned 6 in Nov.) we’ve done a combo of kindergarten and year 1, and it’s been going very well. We’ve read from Genesis through 1 Samuel so far using Penny Gardner’s reading list, and she’s been narrating pretty well. Next year I want to start with your history modules, but I can’t decide whether to go back to Genesis and start over, adding much more depth through your guide, or whether to start history in whatever period we end up in with the Bible readings. In your experience with 6 and 7-year olds, would the repetition be stifling and frustrating or helpful?

    Thanks!

    • Sonya

      Ellen, in your situation I think starting back with Genesis would be fine. As you said, she would be going more in-depth and adding other ideas into the mix. So the initial readings you have done would serve as a nice foundation and confidence-builder. And to help change things up a bit, you could ask her to narrate in different ways if you want to. The Narration Ideas on our site might give you some ideas for how that could look.

  18. Chantelle

    We are planning to begin homeshooling this upcoming year, July or Aug 2010. I have 2 sons in school now at 4th and 1st grades and one who is 3. So I will be teaching basically 5th and 2nd plus a 4 yr old. I really like the 106 Days of Creation for Bible and Science (adding the CGC) and love the idea of this book, too, for history but I’m concerned it’s going to be “too much” for all of us. How do you feel about using these 2 books at the same time for these ages?

    • Sonya

      Several moms I know are using both books in one year and are enjoying it. I don’t think it will be too much.

  19. Desi

    This will be my first full year of HS and my first year choosing our curriculum.
    I have a 10yr old daughter who has been in public school since K and a 5yr old daughter who is reading and writing fluently enough to be considered year 1 (I think). I plan on starting them both on Module 1 giving my older daughter the opportunity to go through each module once, but bringing my younger daughter “up” in order to teach them both at the same time since the ten year old hasn’t retained much of what she learned from Public School in any subject.
    Do you think this is advisable? Do you think it will work with that much “space” between the two of them (we will also have a 3yr and a 1yr hanging around the house).
    thank you

    • Sonya

      It should work quite nicely, Desi. You will read aloud a set of Family books to both daughters, and they will be able to hear each other narrate. Then your 10-year-old will have some additional books assigned to her for independent reading. Any books assigned to your younger daughter will be for you to read aloud. (And, of course, your preschoolers will probably listen in, as well.) Enjoy your year!

  20. Desi

    Thank you for your encouragement. Of all that I have looked at, Simply Charlotte Mason seems to be the closests to what I desire for my family in every aspect – Praise the Lord for your site and your ministry!

  21. Angie

    Is it appropriate to bring a child into the program midcycle? ie. If I have a 3rd grader who is starting module 3 and a 1st grader just beginning, can I put both children on module 3?

    • Sonya

      Yes, absolutely.

  22. Cindy

    I am homeschooling for the first time this fall (yikes!) and have chosen CM as our curriculum. I have two 9 yr olds; a daughter who will be in 4th grade and my son who will be in 3rd (we held him back one year). I’m a little confused where to start (and I’m reading everything on your site!). Should I start their history/geography/bible with this book and then do Middle Ages next or the other way around? Also, should I start my son with the 4th grade books with my daughter (which would be easier for me obviously!) or get the books you recommend for levels 1-3. I know that depends on his reading level, which is slightly lower than my daughters. What do you think? Thanks so much and will you ever do a seminar in Colorado?

    • Sonya

      Regardless of the grades of your children, you can start with whichever history time period that you want to. If they have already studied Genesis through Deuteronomy, you might want to start with the Joshua through Malachi time period; if they have already studied Ancient Rome, you might want to start with the Middle Ages time period. You will find grade-appropriate books for everyone listed in all the time-period modules. Whichever module you decide to start with, I would recommend that you then go in order to keep your study chronological. This little explanation of how to use our history modules might be helpful.

      As far as which set of books to use for your situation, you’re right, it would be easier to have them both in the same level. Technically, the books listed for grades 1-3 are designed for the parent to read aloud to the student; the books listed for grades 4-6 are designed for independent reading by the student. But I would think in this case you could easily read aloud the grades 4-6 books and/or do a mixture of some books you read aloud and some you have him read independently as he is able.

      I would love to come to Colorado. We don’t have any seminars currently scheduled out there, but I’m certainly open to the idea! And, of course, we have the seminars available on DVD especially for those areas where we haven’t been able to present them live yet.

  23. Muna

    The lessons in this book go from Bible, geography & ancient Egypt. Am I correct in assuming that it will all come together for my child as we read? Seems like alot of skipping around so I am just wondering.
    Also, I know that all the recommended resources will be used but are they thoroughly read or is it just a chapter or section here & there?
    If I could only get some of these which would you say were the most important/beneficial/interesting for the child?
    Thanks

    • Sonya Shafer

      Yes, your child will make his own connections and learn better as he discovers on his own how things come together. We do different subjects (i.e., history, geography, Bible) to keep the schedule fresh and interesting. However, all three subjects are connected since Ancient Egypt intersects with Bible history during Exodus, and the geography of Egypt is an important part of those events.
      As far as the recommended books go, all of the History and Bible books listed are read thoroughly. For Geography, Letters from Egypt is optional.
      Hope this helps!

  24. Laryssa

    I was considering purchasing Genesis Through Deuteronomy and Ancient Egypt, so I checked the sample to see what resources I would need. I noticed that the commentary on Exodus and Leviticus was listed, so I did an internet search to also take a peek at those. I really liked them and was wondering if there was any reason why the commentary on Genesis was not used/included in the resources/study. Thanks. (I will be using this with my 7 & 8 year old.)

    • Sonya Shafer

      Hi, Laryssa. I’m sure the Genesis commentary is just as good as the others; however, it was out of print when I was writing those lesson plans, so I didn’t include it. We added the character studies instead. It’s up to you whether you want to add it. On the one hand, I’m sure it would contribute wonderful ideas to your study; on the other hand, it might be nice to keep things different between the terms and not do a commentary the whole year. So, bottom line, feel free to do whatever will work best for your family.

      • Cassie Tynan

        I just wanted to say that the Genesis commentary is wonderful! I think it would be worth using.

  25. laura

    On the website you have Letters from Egypt as 3rd grade and up, but in the Genesis through Deut family study handbook you reference the Letters book all throughout the first term when we study Egypt. This book is too hard for my 1st grader to follow, do you have any other recommendations of books to read about Egyptian life, garden, clothing etc for a 1st grader (and kindergartener who is along for the ride) ? I have used some Usborne books but I like using the story type books rather than just reference books.

    • Sonya Shafer

      Hi, Laura. The Letters from Egypt book is optional for the younger grades. It is listed as a Family resource for those who want to use it. I think the Boy of the Pyramids book will give your younger ones a great idea of Egyptian life. So feel free to omit Letters from Egypt and enjoy Boy of the Pyramids when you get to that part of the lesson plans.

  26. Ginny

    I am wondering if scripture in the book is from the KJV Bible?
    Thanks!

    • Jordan Smith

      All of our History Module guides just include the Scripture references so that you can use whichever version you prefer.

  27. Lori

    I would be using this for a Year 1 student only next year…would I just be using the Family portions and whenever something comes up for Years 1-3? There seems to be very little for years 1-3; it seems there is more for the upper elementary-high school kids.

    • Sonya Shafer

      That’s correct, Lori. The younger students have mainly the Family readings for their studies. The older students have additional reading, which makes their lesson times longer.

  28. Kari Austin

    I was wondering how many lessons were in each Module?

    • Doug Smith

      The book contains 180 lessons divided into three, twelve-week terms. If you download the free sample you can see the full table of contents.

  29. Sandra

    How would you document this course on a high school transcript? They also ask for text used. Is there enough ‘meat’ to make this equal 1 high school credit for World History? Thanks!

    • Sonya Shafer

      Sandra, in my mind I combine the three Ancients years of study for one credit in World History. I think each one has enough Bible History to count for a full credit of Bible when combined with the addition Bible studies suggested, but the World History is only one day per week in this module and the Ancient Greece one, and two days per week in the Ancient Rome module. So added up, you would get one full credit for those three studies.

      • Jordan Smith

        The third edition of the lesson plans includes a section with suggestions for calculating high school credits.

  30. Marcia

    Sonya,
    We are starting our second cycle of history with our children as the oldest has now finished the first and are planning to use many of your suggestions and resources. Would you share with me how you used the commentaries? They seem very long (my other kiddos are younger so don’t want to overwhelm them). We are planning to study our Bible and history at separate times and do Bible daily. Would that give us enough time to read both scripture and the commentary while still keeping the lesson time reasonable for a multi-age group? The commentaries look amazing, so I’d love to find a way to fit them in. Thank you!

    • Sonya Shafer

      We usually read the Scripture passage first and had the children narrate it. Then we would read the commentary covering that same passage to glean any additional ideas that it presented. The length of the lessons varied, some accounts were longer than others.

      One thing that you could do is look through the commentary and pull out some shorter portions to read aloud if you think that particular lesson would be too long for the ages of your children. You’re right, the commentaries are wonderful and do a great job of pointing the children to the glory of God as they study the Old Testament accounts.

      • Marcia

        Sonya,

        Thank you for replying so quickly! As I was reading your answer with my question, it dawned on me I didn’t ask if, having used the commentaries, you think it is doable to get through Gen. To Deut. with both Scripture and commentary if doing Bible at a separate time and doing it daily? Would you now recommend all of the commentaries for those since they appear to be available?

        Thanks again,
        Marcia

        • Sonya Shafer

          Yes, I think it’s doable. In the handbook for this module, the lesson plans are set up to do Bible three days a week and we cover all the accounts in Genesis through Deuteronomy. We don’t read every verse in each of those books, but if you’re doing five days a week you most likely could.

          I haven’t yet read the Genesis commentary (which was out of print when I wrote the lesson plans), but I’m sure it’s just as good as the others. I probably wouldn’t recommend trying to add it along with the character studies that are written into the lesson plans for Genesis; all three aspects — Scripture reading, character study, and commentary reading — might be a bit much each day. And I like the variety of not doing the same thing all year long. So doing something a little different for the Genesis study might be a good thing. However, I’m sure you would glean much from the Genesis commentary should you decide to use it.

  31. Alisha

    I have children in these grade levels: 8th, 6th, 4th, 2nd, & K…Which module would you suggest we start with? If you have suggestions for other subjects, I would be glad to hear them. We have always used Abeka, which is good but way to spread out to teach this many children. I also have an 8mo old, so the simpler the better, yet I don’t want to skip or dumb down anything. So this would be the first year of CM for us. Thank you.

    • Sonya Shafer

      You can start with any module you like, Alisha. They all have suggestions for all the grade levels. Some of your decision may be based on what the children have already studied. For example, if they have done a lot of American history, you probably wouldn’t want to start with module 5 or 6. If they have already studied the Ancients, you may want to skip over modules 1-3 and start with module 4, Middle Ages.

      Have you seen our free SCM Curriculum Guide? It will give our suggestions for other subjects too.

      • Alisha

        Thank you for answering so soon. I have seen the guide and lots of things on your site. I have read the three free e-books also. All is very good info and inspiration. The more I learn about CM the more I like it. Especially being able to teach the children all at once for the most part. ( there is also a 3yr old) And spending more quality time with them. Just trying to figure out the details to get started. Thanks again.

  32. Emily

    I love all your products and have many of them. I just noticed for Joshua trough Malachi you use Nothing New Press’s Greek book. I’m curious as to why you don’t recommend Their Story of the Ancient World for Genesis through Deuteronomy? Maybe you’ve already answered this question quite a few times, I havent checked……But just wondering…..
    Thanks.

    • Sonya Shafer

      Emily, much of the Story of the Ancient World is a retelling of Bible accounts. We prefer reading those accounts directly from Scripture and then adding the stories of the surrounding civilizations, like those in Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors.

  33. Charis

    My daughter is 6 and will be beginning first grade. I just looked over the sample and noticed that the blocks for grades 1-3 are largely empty. I read through the sample lesson plans and noticed that they involve reading from Bible or suggested text. Are there also activities that go with the readings? If substituting other books for the supplementary resources, what should we be looking for? Fictional accounts, Usborne type encyclopedias, etc? Thank you!

    • Sonya Shafer

      Hi, Charis. You’re right that most of the readings for that age group are the Family readings directly from the Bible or from Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors. There are a few additional books suggested for that age group, but we felt that the core readings are enough for the young ones and didn’t add a lot of extra reading. We wanted to give the children short enough passages to help them practice the habit of full attention, and give them enough time between readings to digest and ponder what they heard. If you’re looking for books to substitute, be sure to look for books that contain good ideas, not just facts. Books that tell a story or a narrative of the people of that time are best. Also, check the Links & Tips section for optional hands-on activities.

  34. Sarah

    This book along with the enrichment studies book have been such a blessing in helping me start homeschooling the charlotte mason way. I would be overwhelmed, frazzled and have no time for anything else if i was to try and do this on my own. Thank you for such a wonder book that i have found to be very flexible/adaptable to be used as i think best for my family. Highly recommend!

  35. Mary

    I have been homeschooling for 14 years now, and this was the first time I have used your lesson plans for history. I had used some of the same books before, but it was so nice to have the lessons split out day by day! I have a few different grades at once (7-12th this year) so I really loved the different book suggestions for different levels. Thank you so much for all the work you put into this resource! Highly recommend.

  36. Jess

    I have been really loving all of Mason’s ideas but was surprised to see that she believed in the old earth theory of creation. I was surprised to see commentaries that where used on other CM sites. Is this the reason why you have picked different ones then what she recommend in her volumes? Why is this not talked about more?

    • Sonya Shafer

      Science was making many discoveries and the theory of evolution was on the rise during Charlotte’s lifetime. We can see in her writings how she was grappling with reconciling that theory with the Bible, which she loved. It was a tough position to be in, I’m sure; yet it is one area in which we at SCM must differ with her opinion.

      Having said that, I must hasten to add that there is still so much that we agree with her on! And that’s what we like to focus on. Our goal is not to replicate exactly what she did in her schools, including book selections. Our goal at SCM is to take the many, many ideas and methods that we do agree with and adapt them to modern homeschooling in a way that provides a flexible, thorough, and effective education based on our personal beliefs. And we encourage each family to do the same.

  37. Ashley Vasquenz

    Amazing curriculum! I can’t wait to get started with my 1st grader. “Material World” and “Hungry Planet” are such awesome living books and one of many reasons why I was sold on this curriculum to begin with. Sonya, thank you so much for putting together these plans, and God bless you and your family! Also, I can’t wait to see more Enrichment Studies available in the future.

  38. Geneva Hoff

    Just an FYI to anyone using this along with “The Stuff They Left Behind/Ancient Egypt”: For lesson #55, the curriculum suggests taking a look at the “Code Stele” from The Stuff They Left Behind along with the reading of Chap. 7 from Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors. Unfortunately, it can be a little confusing at first since there is no “Code Stele” listed in TSTLB packet. I just did a quick google search and found that they must be referring to Hammurabi’s Code and the Stele he placed it on. I think in future volumes though, it could be helpful to label it as such in both curriculums. We enjoy these SCM resources so very much!

    • Sonya Shafer

      Thanks for the suggestion to help clarify, Geneva. I’ve made a note so we can change that label in future editions.

  39. Becca

    I have already purchased several SCM materials for next year, and I’m so excited to get started on them with my kids. My question is, do you feel that high schoolers may benefit/need all of world history in one year? I thought that’s what I would like for my boys who will be in 9th and 10th grade next year, but the more I ponder that, the more I really think I just want them to enjoy one time period at a time. My struggle is that our co-op we are a part of plans to do a whole world history sweep next year with high schoolers. I would be very sad to leave the community, but this is definitely causing me some angst over trying to do too much.

    • Tamara Bell

      Hi Becca. We do not prefer world history taught over the course of 1 year. When studying history that way, studies are forced to be more of an overview which tend to lack depth. While we prefer to spread out history studies, we believe you need to do what is best for your family.

  40. Amepayne

    Using this book has been one of our favorite parts of school this year! I’m so happy with this study and the way it immerses us into a particular part of history, and the Bible study is wonderful! My kids are retaining much more and are very interested in what we are learning because of the living books. I am looking forward to going through all of the studies!

  41. Samantha Geving

    Do I need to buy a copy for each kid or is this like the teacher manual and I just by individual studies for each kids?

    • valerierohde

      Great question, Samantha. This resource is meant to be used for the whole family and you will then purchase books for your children according to the book list for this resource depending on your children’s ages. Then for the children’s math, language arts, and reading you will purchase individual studies for those subjects. Here is our link to the Keep It Simple plan to guide you in what you’d need to select for your family’s homeschool: https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/keep-it-simple/#choose-your-history-study

  42. Cynthia

    I love History – but had never really taken a dive into ancient history. At first I wasn’t very excited about it…until we got into it and my children and I realized for the first time what was happening in the world alongside the Biblical accounts! It made the Bible so close and real and ancient history come to life! We felt we were dunked right into ancient Egypt and could feel, smell and see what Abraham would have! We are now hooked and plan on sticking with SCM History. We also just finished Greece in half a year and are now on to Rome! We are still loving this. We had to fit more history into the years we have before my oldest son graduates – but if you have the time I would definitely recommend taking a full year on each History time period. We felt we were dunked right down into Egyptian /Ancient history and all of us think fondly upon our year together learning ancient. Stick with it even on the days you feel it’s more dry…it all fits together and weaves a beautiful understanding of the greatness of God! We appreciated the book recommendations and ordered some of the books – like the Unwrapping the Pharoah’s book for high school level because they totally proved the Bible’s accuracy and tied so much together for my middle school kids & I! SCM History is hands down our favorite family subject together. Thank you SCM for the living book curriculum. What a huge blessing to our family! It has encouraged me to stay in it for the long haul.

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