Early Modern and Epistles

Hi, Thank you for reaching out with your questions! The fourth edition of “Early Modern & Epistles” has just been released to reflect the most recent changes to the resources that are recommended. Here is a link to that guide, there is special introductory pricing through May 3, 2024 if you are interested in updating your guide. The new world history spine “Our Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1” is also on sale through May 3, 2024 if you are interested in this resource, I will provide a link below.

https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/early-modern/

The changes between the third edition of “Early Modern & Epistles” and the current version (the fourth edition) are:

• “Stories of the Nations, Volume 1” has been replaced with “Our Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1.”  Here is a link to this new resource where you will be able to download a free sample https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/our-neighbors-their-stories-volume-1-world-history-living-book/
• The church history book “Hearts and Hands” went out-of-print and has been replaced with “Renewal: The Church That Expands Outward.”

If you have the second edition of “Early Modern & Epistles,” the major change between that edition and the third was switching from “Stories of America, Volume 1” to “America: Our Stories, Volume 1.” The 3rd edition also schedules the book “Founding Mothers” for younger grades. All of the other scheduled books are the same between the 2nd and 3rd editions.

The current version of this guide also uses the “Visits To…” series for geography, which depending on which version of “Early Modern & Epistles” you have might not yet have been available. Here is a link for “Visits to North America” which is the geography study that is recommended to go along with this guide.

https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/visits-north-america/

These new books “America: Our Stories, Volume 1” and “Our Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1” are by SCM favorite author Lorene Lambert, who brings her detailed research and masterful storytelling that we’ve enjoyed in “Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors” and “A Castle with Many Rooms” to the Early Modern era of American history.

Alongside the new living history books, we have Narration Notecards with ready-to-go narration prompts for each chapter at three skill levels, plus a “word bank” of vocabulary terms and key dates, places, and people.

Narration Notecards for America: Our Stories, Volume 1https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/narration-notecards-for-america-our-stories-volume-1/

Narration Notecards for Our Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1

https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/narration-notecards-for-our-neighbors-their-stories-volume-1/

To explain some of the differences between “Stories of America, Volume 1” and “America, Our Stories, Volume 1” here are some recent FAQs we’ve answered regarding this resource:

• America: Our Stories focuses on the same time period of American history as the out-of-print Stories of America, Volume 1 book. Like Stories of America, it provides a big-picture overview of the time period to provide a structure for additional studies with other books that go in-depth on specific people and events. In general, America: Our Stories covers similar material as Stories of America, with some differences such as a chapter telling the stories of the Native Americans who lived on the North American continent before the explorers and colonists arrived, and chapters about other explorers besides Columbus who contributed to the discovery of the American continents.
• Can I use America: Our Stories, Volume 1 instead of Stories of America, Volume 1 in the 2nd edition Early Modern & Epistles lessons? Maybe! Both books have the same number of chapters, so you might be able to substitute. However, the books cover different material at different times, so the others books scheduled in the 2nd edition to flesh out the readings in Stories of America, Volume 1 will not line up exactly. For example, Stories of America, Volume 1 begins with a chapter about Columbus. America: Our Stories, Volume 1 doesn’t cover Columbus until chapter 4.
• I have the 3rd edition of Early Modern. Can I substitute Our Neighbors: Their Stories? — Maybe! Our Neighbors: Their Stories replaces the out of print title Stories of the Nations, Volume 1. Both books have the same number of chapters, so you could substitute. Note that the chapters will not line up exactly with the material covered in the lessons of the 3rd edition of Early Modern, but it will be close. (For example, Stories of the Nations’ third chapter is on the Ottoman Empire; Our Neighbors: Their Stories’ covers that topic in its fourth chapter.)

I know that is a lot of information, please reach out if you have any additional questions on these resources!