Early Modern & Epistles (Charlotte Mason History Curriculum)

(21 customer reviews)

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The 3rd edition of Early Modern & Epistles which uses Stories of the Nations, Volume 1 has been discontinued. Coming in late Spring 2024: Our Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1, a new living world history book by Lorene Lambert! More details →

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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Product Description

The 3rd edition of Early Modern & Epistles which uses Stories of the Nations, Volume 1 has been discontinued. We are excited to bring you a new world history living book from Lorene Lambert, Our Neighbors: Their Stories, Volume 1. This wonderful new book will be released in late Spring 2024, alongside a new 4th edition of Early Modern & Epistles history lesson plans that will schedule the new book for world history lessons. While supplies last, previous editions are available on our scratch and dent page.

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.

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 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:

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
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.)

3rd Edition

This 3rd edition of Early Modern & Epistles, published in 2023, schedules America: Our Stories, Volume 1, a wonderful living history book for all ages. It also schedules Founding Mothers as an interesting book for grades 1–6 or optionally for the whole family.

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 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

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)

Plus . . .
Grades 1–3

Grades 4–6

Grades 7–9

Grades 10–12

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

Grades 1–6

Grades 3–5

Grades 3–12

Grades 4–6

Grades 4–8

Grades 5–9

Grades 7–9

Grades 7–12

Grades 9–12

Grades 10–12

Additional Information

Weight.75 lbs
Dimensions11 × 8.5 × 0.7 in
Author

Binding

E-book, Spiral

Grade

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

Pages

140

Charter-Friendly

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)

  1. Michelle Anglin

    I see the book Jesus Is Better, on this list, but where is it?

    • Doug Smith

      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

        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

          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

          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!

  2. Michelle Anglin

    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!

  3. sweetmamajoy5

    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

      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.

  4. Momof2girls

    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

      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

        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

          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.

  5. MonikaNC

    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!!!

  6. Teresa

    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!!!

  7. AL

    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

      Yes, the sixth handbook is scheduled to be released later this spring.

      • Sendy

        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

          Yes, the handbook for Module 6 will be available very soon. Edit: Modern Times, Epistles, and Revelation is now available.

        • Sendy

          Yahoo! This is very good news! Thank you for the quick response!

  8. Tanya

    why three Bible studies listed as ‘Additional Resources’ for this History module?
    Thank you.

    • Sonya Shafer

      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.

  9. HiddenJewel

    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

      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

        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.

  10. Shelly

    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.

  11. swelb21

    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!!

  12. Holly

    I am so excited to try this! Is there any suggestion for a substitute for The Story of Modern France?

    • Sonya Shafer

      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.

  13. wilfam10

    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

      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.

  14. Kayla

    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.

  15. Michelle

    Which one of the “Visits” geography guides would you recommend using with the Early Modern & Epistles?

    • Jordan Smith

      We’d recommend using Visits to North America with Early Modern.

  16. Amy Bearer

    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

      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!

  17. Megan

    Can you tell me which year this new addition came out?

    • Doug Smith

      This is the 2017 edition.

  18. Linsey Jones

    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.

  19. Heather Lewis

    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!

  20. Linsey

    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!

  21. Laura

    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!

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