Early Modern and Epistles Charlotte Mason history curriculum

Early Modern & Epistles (Charlotte Mason History Curriculum)

Rated 4.88 out of 5 based on 8 customer ratings

$19.95 – $24.95

A complete school year of Charlotte Mason history lesson plans covering the people and events of Early Modern times, including both American History and World History. Alongside history lessons, learn about the geography of North America and enjoy Bible study of several Epistles.

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

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SKU: VAR-earlymodern Categories: Award Winners, Geography, History, Lesson Plans Tags: Early Modern study, History Lesson Plans series, lesson plans Brand: Simply Charlotte Mason

Product Description

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

The fifth in our popular Charlotte Mason history curriculum, these lesson plans guide your family through a study of the exciting Early Modern times (about 1550–1850) of American History and World History. The geography of North America is incorporated, and Family Bible lessons continue to share timeless principles from the New Testament epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Hebrews, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus). Additional assignments are provided for older students to dig deeper into those same Bible passages.

The Charlotte Mason homeschool lesson plans

Engage your students’ hearts and minds through wonderful living books.
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.
Connect geography to the people who lived there—both past and present.
Help all your students, grades 1–12, feel at home in Scripture and challenged to keep growing spiritually through short, practical Bible lessons for the whole family and additional corresponding Bible studies for the older students.
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 you will need for these lesson plans.

High School Credit

For the completion of grades 7–9 or 10–12 assignments in this Early Modern & Epistles study, we suggest that students should be awarded 1/2 credit for World History/Geography, 1/2 credit for American History/Geography, and 1⁄3 credit for Bible. (The other half of the American History credit can be found in the Modern Times study.)

Sample Schedule

The lesson plans in Early Modern & Epistles are very doable. Your weekly schedule would look something like this, with older students also spending time on additional assignments:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
American History (20–30 min.)	American History (20–30 min.)	Geography (10–15 min.) Bible (15–20 min.)	World History (20–30 min.)	World History (20–30 min.)

4th Edition

This 4th edition of Early Modern & Epistles, published in 2024, schedules Our Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1, a wonderful living world history book for all ages. It also includes updated church history plans which use Renewal: The Church that Expands Outward to replace an out-of-print title used in the previous edition.

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 EgyptCreation—332 B.C.	Joshua—Malachi & Ancient Greece1856 B.C.—146 B.C.	Matthew—Acts & Ancient Rome753 B.C.—A.D. 476
Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation & Epistles394—1550	Early Modern & Epistles1550—1850	Modern Times & Epistles, Revelation1850—2012

Complete Your School Year

Combine Early Modern & Epistles with our Individual Studies and Enrichment Studies lesson plans for a complete, ready-to-go Charlotte Mason curriculum!

Book List for Early Modern & Epistles History, Geography, Bible

Note: This book list is for the 4th edition plans.

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 6 and 10, you will want to get the books under Family, Grades 4–6, and Grades 10–12.

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

(AH) = American History book, so if you are in a different country you can easily identify and substitute books as desired.

Family (all students)

Bible
Public DomainMaster Skylark by John Bennett (optional)
(AH) SCMAmerica: Our Stories, Volume 1 by Lorene Lambert
(AH) SCMNarration Notecards for America: Our Stories, Volume 1 (optional)
SCMOur Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1 by Lorene Lambert
SCMNarration Notecards for Our Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1 (optional)
SCMThe Stuff They Left Behind: From the Days of Early Modern portfolio
(AH) LibraryFounding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies by Cokie Roberts and Diane Goode (grades 1–6 or Family)
SCMVisits to North America notebook by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
SCMHungry Planet by Peter Menzel (used with Visits to North America)
SCMMaterial World by Peter Menzel (used with Visits to North America)

Plus . . .
Grades 1–3

(AH) SCMBenjamin Franklin by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire
LibraryCan’t You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz
(AH) LibraryThe Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
Book StoreDangerous Journey by Oliver Hunkin
Book StoreA Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla
Book StoreOut of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille by Russell Freedman
(AH) LibraryThe Pilgrims of Plimoth by Marcia Sewall
(AH) LibrarySamuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters
(AH) LibrarySarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl by Kate Waters
(AH) LibraryTapenum’s Day: A Wampanoag Indian Boy in Pilgrim Times by Kate Waters
(AH) LibraryToliver’s Secret by Esther Wood Brady
Book StoreAppalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds by Cynthia Rylant (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreFamily Pictures by Carmen Lomas Garza (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreThe Great Serum Race by Debbie S. Miller (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreHey Canada by Vivien Bowers (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreIf You’re Not from the Prairie by David Bouchard (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreSong of the Swallows by Leo Politi (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreSurrounded by Sea: Life on a New England Fishing Island by Gail Gibbons (optional, used with Visits to North America)

Grades 4–6

SCMAlong Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick
LibraryBard of Avon by Diane Stanley
LibraryGood Queen Bess by Diane Stanley
(AH) Book StoreThe Landing of the Pilgrims by James Daugherty
Book StoreThe Ocean of Truth: The Story of Sir Isaac Newton by Joyce McPherson
(AH) LibraryThe Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Public DomainThe Story of Napoleon by H. E. Marshall
(AH) LibraryA Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy by Jim Murphy
Book StorePaddle-to-the-Sea by H. C. Holling (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreMinn of the Mississippi by H. C. Holling (optional, used with Visits to North America)

Grades 7–9

LibraryAmos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
SCMBook of Centuries (one for each student)
(AH) LibraryCarry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
(AH) Book StoreDiary of an Early American Boy by Eric Sloan
SCMDiscovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
(AH) LibraryEarly Thunder by Jean Fritz OR LibraryJohnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
SCMGrowth in the Word by Sonya Shafer
(AH) SCMPoor Richard by James Daugherty
Book StoreRenewal: The Church That Expands Outward by Luke H. Davis
Public DomainThe Story of Modern France, chapters 1–23, by H. A. Guerber
SCMThe World of William Penn by Genevieve Foster
SCMThe Year of the Horseless Carriage by Genevieve Foster
Book StorePaddle-to-the-Sea by H. C. Holling (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreMinn of the Mississippi by H. C. Holling (optional, used with Visits to North America)

Grades 10–12

(AH) Book StoreAmerica: The Last Best Hope, Volume 1: From the Age of Discovery to a World at War by William Bennett
(AH) Book StoreAmerican Voices: A Collection of Documents, Speeches, Essays, Hymns, Poems, and Short Stories from American History edited by Ray Notgrass
(AH) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
SCMBook of Centuries (one for each student)
SCMDiscovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
Book StoreFamous Men of the 16th and 17th Century by Robert G. Shearer
SCMGrowth in the Word by Sonya Shafer
(AH)Book StoreLafayette and the American Revolution by Russell Freedman
(AH) Book StoreLewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns
Book StoreRenewal: The Church That Expands Outward by Luke H. Davis
Public DomainA Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
SCMThe World of William Penn by Genevieve Foster
SCMThe Year of the Horseless Carriage by Genevieve Foster
Book StorePaddle-to-the-Sea by H. C. Holling (optional, used with Visits to North America)
Book StoreMinn of the Mississippi by H. C. Holling (optional, used with Visits to North America)

Note: We recommend that grades 10–12 students add an American Government course either during the Modern Times study next year or complete part of it this year and part of it next year. One possibility might be Exploring Government from Notgrass Publishing, taken at a slower pace.

We also recommend that grades 9–12 students read about and discuss current events. Selected articles from World magazine or website work well.

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.

Grades 1–3

The Biggest (and Best) Flag That Ever Flew by Rebecca C. Jones
Galileo’s Leaning Tower Experiment by Wendy Macdonald
The Firekeeper’s Son by Linda Sue Park
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder
Starry Messenger by Peter Sis Note: Preview the pictures; some are intense.
Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla

Grades 1–6

Grades 4–8

SeeSaw Girl by Linda Sue Park

Grades 5–9

Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba by Patricia M. McKissack

Grades 7–9

Anacaona (The Royal Diary series) by Edwidge Danticat
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

Grades 7–12

I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
Talking Leaves by Joseph Bruchac

Grades 9–12

Lasting Echoes: An Oral History of Native American People

Grades 10–12

Give Me Liberty: The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Russell Freedman
Washington at Valley Forge by Russell Freedman

Additional Information

Author	Sonya Shafer
Binding	E-book, Spiral
Grade	Grade 10, Grade 11, Grade 1, Grade 12, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9
Pages	146
Charter-Friendly	No

Dimensions

Weight	.75 lbs
Dimensions	11 × 8.5 × 0.7 in

Check out these ideas that correspond to Early Modern & Epistles. Use them to supplement your study of 1550 through 1850.

21 reviews for Early Modern & Epistles (Charlotte Mason History Curriculum)

Michelle Anglin – April 7, 2011
I see the book Jesus Is Better, on this list, but where is it?
- Doug Smith – April 8, 2011
  We’re still working on Jesus Is Better: Lessons from Hebrews and hope to have it ready to announce in a couple weeks. Edit: Jesus Is Better is now available.
  - Michelle Anglin – April 8, 2011
    I’m so excited!!!! I LOVE you guys!
    Question-do you think you will write another science book? I am going through 106 days with my kidos right now, and we were all just talking about what we were going to do when we finished it, and of course my kids said, “the next one scm has!” When I told them that there wasn’t another one at this time, their faces dropped to the floor!!
    - Sonya Shafer – April 8, 2011
      I’m so glad you’re enjoying the 106 Days of Creation Studies. Have you looked at the Outdoor Secrets Companion? It adds nature study ideas and other living books to correspond with the Outdoor Secrets living science book.
    - Michelle Anglin – April 14, 2011
      We are doing Outdoor Secrets and the Companion too. We LOVE it! There hasn’t been anything that we have bought that we haven’t loved! So, again, back to my question, will you, or are you thinking about writing any other science books? :0)
      We love, love, love you! THank you for EVERYTHING!
      - Sonya Shafer – April 15, 2011
        Yes, we are planning to do more; however, we don’t have a release date yet. Thanks for the encouragement! Edit: We now have Jack’s Insects Narration & Nature Study Notebook available.
Michelle Anglin – April 7, 2011
BTW-We just started Mod 5, and I am going to buy this mod because we will definatly be doing it, and to take advantage of the price. But Miss Sonya you have done a beautiful job!! Everything that I have bought from here is absolutely wonderful!!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!
sweetmamajoy5 – May 31, 2011
We recently started using this module (and of course we love it) but i had a question. It says to study South America first for geography. If we have not studied North America yet, would it be appropriate to do that instead, while we are studying it (or even Europe)? Or would it be confusing since “all” of the US etc., had not been discovered/studied yet? Just curious ; )
Thanks so much for making such affordable, easy to use manuals for us busy mamas! You make using the CM method doable and enjoyable. blessings~
- Sonya Shafer – June 1, 2011
  Good question. The modules are set up to cover the six main continents throughout the six years. Since the next module will cover Modern Times and more current American history, we thought it would work best to couple North America with that module. Also, the geography book that goes with this Early Modern module, Sailing Alone Around the World, is set in that time period and focuses a lot on Australia and South America, so it seemed a good fit.
Momof2girls – July 24, 2011
Sonya,
Does your history curriculum include the study of the ancient americans? For example, when they came from Asia and, first inhabited South America; the Incas, Myans, etc. Also does it cover back to Leif Erikson and, how the vikings first discovered america?
Thanks so much!
- Sonya Shafer – July 25, 2011
  It does not cover the Inca and Mayan civilizations in detail. It does give the story of Leif Erickson and the vikings’ explorations in our Middle Ages study.
  - Stacy – August 25, 2011
    Thanks so much for getting back to me 🙂 Do I need to find something else to cover the Inca and Mayans in detail or, there again (as I just posted on the Mod 2 book) do we really need to cover those at great length in our history studies?
    Thanks again!
    Stacy
    - Sonya Shafer – August 26, 2011
      It’s up to you, Stacy. Every person has to make choices about which events and people groups will be covered and in how much detail. There are not enough years to cover every one in all its detail. We have tried to make our guides simple enough that you will be able to add in more studies as you desire.
MonikaNC – September 9, 2011
We started our 2nd year of homeschooling this year, and it’s the first using CM methods. I have relied heavily on SCM’s curric. picks for this year, but strayed for our history choice. Boy was that a mistake!! I should have continued what I started when choosing our curric., and that was stay with SCM for history!! WE LOVE THIS BOOK!! Or, books, really. 🙂 I cannot believe the enthusiasm that my DD’s have developed with this subject. It was the subject of whining and tears of frustration , and now it’s excitement! Our girls are 7 and 4, we’re teaching 2nd and preK….the amazing way these books “talk” to the readers/listeners has absolutely captured my daughters’ minds. My husband has listened to countless re-tellings at the end of many of his work days, as well. He has listened in on other day’s lessons and commented just the other night that he is loving our history choice, we both wish we had this ourselves when growing up. Histoy makes for a fantastic story, if told the right way…..and SCM really put together a wonderful way to share it! Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Teresa – December 18, 2011
I am already planning for next year and will be using module 5. I was excited to look at your “helps & tips” link and saw alternate books, activities,as well suggested Dover coloring books. I think it will be a great year!!!
AL – March 28, 2012
I noticed that the history outline breaks history up to study in six years, but there seems to only be five different history guides. Am I missing something or is this last book not ready yet? If it is coming, when do you expect to have it ready? I am planning history and would need to fix it in not this coming school year but the next.
Thanks
- Sonya Shafer – March 29, 2012
  Yes, the sixth handbook is scheduled to be released later this spring.
  - Sendy – April 10, 2012
    Would “this Spring” be 2012? My sister is looking for a good way to combine her three children using a curric that has a manual or handbook. I told her about SCM and then we both discovered that there isn’t one for Mod 6, which is the year she would need to begin with. I’m sure looking forward to starting Mod 5 next year!
    - Jordan Smith – April 10, 2012
      Yes, the handbook for Module 6 will be available very soon. Edit: Modern Times, Epistles, and Revelation is now available.
    - Sendy – April 10, 2012
      Yahoo! This is very good news! Thank you for the quick response!
Tanya – April 12, 2012
why three Bible studies listed as ‘Additional Resources’ for this History module?
Thank you.
- Sonya Shafer – April 12, 2012
  Hi, Tanya. Most of the resources we recommend in our modules are books you can get elsewhere. A few are ones that we have written to fill a void. So we list the SCM resources to let you know which ones will be from our website.
  The three Bible studies include the GOAL study, which is spread over three years, and a separate study of the book of Hebrews. Both are intended for the whole family to do together. In addition, we recommend the Discovering Doctrine study for grades 6-12 to be an ongoing project over all six years. Since it is also included/mentioned in these lesson plans, we list it along with the others.
HiddenJewel – May 31, 2012
The description for the guide says “It details living books, Book of Centuries entries, narration ideas, Scripture passages, geography ideas, additional assignments for older students, and optional hands-on activities to help you save time and foster learning for all your students, grades 1–12.”
I have not found yet the narration ideas (except have your child narrate), additional assignments for older students, or optional hands-on activities. Where might I find these?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE how you have the heads up to get the books needed in near future lessons.
- Sonya Shafer – June 1, 2012
  We try to keep it simple by giving narration cues and suggesting where oral or written might fit well. You can find lots of additional narration ideas on our site, along with a narration bookmark that you can print and keep in your book to remind you of various ideas.
  Each lesson plan includes the Family assignment and then any additional reading and narrating assignments for the older students. You’ll see them listed by grade range.
  There is a link to the optional hands-on activities listed during the three exam weeks. However, feel free to incorporate them throughout the Terms as desired.
  - HiddenJewel – June 1, 2012
    Okay. I misunderstood the description of the guide on this page. I thought it had additional assignments for the older students listed in the guide. But it will be fine without them.
Shelly – June 5, 2012
Just ordered this along with the vol 1 books and the Hebrews bible study….so excited. We finished mod 4 about 2 months ago and my kids are BEGGING to get going again with this mod. We just took a little time to unwind. Love your stuff Sonya, thank you.
We use spelling wisdom, organizer, memory box, we have done 106 days twice now, business math, the reading program, etc. we love it all.
Rated 5 out of 5
swelb21 – April 16, 2014
We have loved using this! It is so well laid out and organized, and our kids have really looked forward to history every day. They have learned South America perfectly, which had it not been written in for me to do weekly, I probably would have forgotten to do it more often than not. The reading choices have been so fun and informative, and my library has had every single one of them, making this such an affordable history curriculum. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is wondering if it is a good fit for their family. The ages of my kids are 3, 5, and 7 (and even the three year old enjoys reading most of the books with us). Thank you for yet another great resource!!
Holly – April 12, 2015
I am so excited to try this! Is there any suggestion for a substitute for The Story of Modern France?
- Sonya Shafer – April 13, 2015
  Hi, Holly. I don’t know of any other author or book that does as good of a job as H. A. Guerber for making the story of the French Revolution come alive and still be suitable for children. We assign only chapters 1–23 of the book, and it’s available as a free download online.
wilfam10 – June 10, 2015
Sonya,
Would it be better to substitute the South America geography guide now that it’s available for Sailing Alone and Uncle Josh’s Outline Maps?
- Sonya Shafer – June 11, 2015
  You’re right that you should be able to easily substitute one of the Visits to . . . geography notebooks for the reading assignments and outline map explanations in the Early Modern lesson plans. Visits to South America is not available yet, but you could do one of the others if you would like to.
Rated 5 out of 5
Kayla – November 12, 2015
We are 1/3 of the way through Early Modern history with a 6 year old and 2 you get siblings coming and going. It is wonderful. We are truly enjoying the books and learning so much. I love that SCM recommends the Book of Centuries entries, and being able to write extra books or notes in the margins. I’m looking forward to our next school year using Modern Times.
Michelle – April 1, 2016
Which one of the “Visits” geography guides would you recommend using with the Early Modern & Epistles?
- Jordan Smith – April 2, 2016
  We’d recommend using Visits to North America with Early Modern.
Rated 5 out of 5
Amy Bearer – March 18, 2017
We are beginning term 2 next week, but my 7th grade daughters have already read “Carry on Mr. Bowditch” in their Language Arts curriculum last year. Do you have another recommendation to replace this book? Or would “Boys of ’76” or “American Voices” be an appropriate replacement for it, as recommended for grades 10-12?
- Sonya Shafer – March 20, 2017
  I would recommend their reading “Amos Fortune, Free Man.” Alternately, they could read “Boys of ’76,” but that combined with their assigned “Johnny Tremain” or “Early Thunder” would give a heavy emphasis on the War of Independence. I would not recommend “American Voices” as a substitute for them; it is an extensive collection of original documents designed to supplement the grades 10-12 reading on American history. Hope this helps!
Rated 5 out of 5
Megan – July 16, 2017
Can you tell me which year this new addition came out?
- Doug Smith – July 16, 2017
  This is the 2017 edition.
Rated 4 out of 5
Linsey Jones – February 3, 2018
We live in Canada, so instead of doing the American History portion I added in Canadian living books/history. It worked well and my children and myself enjoyed learning about what was going on in the world at the same time through the World History. Love the geography, so simple yet my kids really catch on. I have a busy 6 year old son, who is constantly moving while I am reading aloud, yet the things he remembers is really astounding. Thankful for this curriculum.
Rated 5 out of 5
Heather Lewis – February 26, 2019
We have been using this for only a couple weeks but I love the framework and how easy it is to implement for family study; being able to use a spine and adding in more books for the older ages of kids while keeping us all in the same history cycle is exactly what this mother of five has been looking for in a history curriculum. I hope you come up with more multiple-ages friendly science options like 106 Days of Creation because that has been a great addition to our days as well. I love that you support the one-room-schoolhouse idea! Thank you!
Rated 5 out of 5
Linsey – June 15, 2019
We just finished this book for the year, grade 2 and grade 5. My kids favorite thing was learning about the world wars. So thankful for these books, they make our learning simple and my kids are learning so much!
Rated 5 out of 5
Laura – December 20, 2019
I have only been using this for a couple of months, but I am so pleased with it! I had a private consultation with another group in our first year of homeschooling. Then I tried to follow a free online CM curriculum for the first few months of this year. But, being new to homeschooling and CM methods, I was not having much success scheduling the books that had been recommended. I’d get the booklists and be very excited, but we weren’t actually getting the work done. The SCM lesson plans have been such a relief for me. I don’t have to figure out how much or when to schedule things. I just do the next thing. If we have an “off” day it is okay. We just pick up where we left off. The lesson plans are just the right mix of structure and flexibility for our family.
The best review comes from my seventh grader. Today, in conversation she told me that she really likes Stories of the Nations. She almost never tells me she likes any books, let alone a “school” book, even the living books other resources have recommended. Then I found this in her narrations from the week, “Before reading this chapter in The Stories of the Nations, I never really liked William Shakespeare. I had no basis for that but I just never did. After reading this chapter, I’d be somewhat interested in reading one of his plays. Although I could just go see Shakespeare in the park.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this resource!