Bible and History where is US history

Hi, kara –

Different people teach American History in different grades. There is no right or wrong time to teach it. I’ll be happy to share with you how I go about it, and hopefully, that information will help you figure out what you want to do.

I’ve chosen to teach history in chronological order, beginning with creation. That puts a whole lot of history before the U. S. began. But I want to lay the foundation and show all the events leading up to the beginning of America.

I’ve also chosen to put the emphasis on Bible history alongside the ancient world. That means we spend more time covering those years because there is a lot of Bible history to read and ponder (Genesis through Acts). During those three years of study, the emphasis is on the Bible accounts. Mythology is very much downplayed for the younger children so they can get a solid foundation in the one true God. 

In the Joshua through Malachi and Ancient Greece module, the children read and narrate Bible accounts three days a week, do geography of the Middle East one day a week, and read about famous men of Greece one day a week. Your second grader will also listen to and narrate several Aesop’s fables during the second and third terms.

This module is set up quite a bit like the Genesis through Deuteronomy module. Probably the biggest difference is the addition of the Famous Men of Greece book. I don’t recommend reading all the beginning chapters on the myths and false gods. We start at the legend of Hercules, with a discussion of legends thrown in. You might want to look at an online preview of that book to see if it will be a good fit for you.

Hope this helps!

One reason I have chosen SCM over other choices is that I feel the balance of history is more acurate.  Yes, US history is important, but we have only been a country for a few hundred years and world history a few thousand.  What turns me off of some history programs is so much emphasis on the US, frankly there are cultures and people out there who know a lot more than we do and have more experience and lessons to teach.  I want my kids to have an accurate world view in light of history, not just rah rah USA with a sprinkling of other people and places.  I know not everyone agrees, even in the homeschool group I am a part of but I am okay with that-being different, doing things differently.  That is one reason we homeschool, so we can teach our kids what we feel is most important, not what somebody else thinks is most important.  Choose what you believe is the right choice for your family, regardless of what other people are choosing for their families.  

Agreeing with what everyone else has said and piping in to say that often in the schools, around here at least, are so US-centric that the children have no real notion of the world at large.  This is a sad.  There is no reason why your children need to have US history first.  They will be able to understand that there were other civilizations before we came to be a country and will be able to understand better how our country came to be with the background of the earlier world civilizations.  I hope you followed that… God has perfect timing, and it becomes more apparent, in my opinion, when things are studied chronologically.

With that said, you don’t need to teach it that way.  The CM police will not come and get you if you choose to do a study in a different order, nor will your children be harmed in any way if you should choose to do so.  Relax, pray, and do what you think would be best for your children.

All the best,

~jacqleene