Product Description
Study the Bible, geography, and history together as a family!
The sixth in our popular six-book history series, this study walks your family through people and events from Modern Times (about 1850–2012), covering both American History and World History. The geography of Asia is incorporated, and Family Bible lessons focus on truths from New Testament epistles (1 & 2 Peter; 1, 2, & 3 John; Jude) as well as the book of Revelation. Additional assignments are provided for older students to dig deeper into those same Bible passages.
The Charlotte Mason-style 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
Resources needed for these lessons
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 9 and 11, you will want to get the books under Family, Grades 7–9, and Grades 10–12.
(AH) = American History book, so if you are in a different country you can easily identify and substitute books as desired.
Family
- Bible
- (AH) Billy Graham: God’s Ambassador by Russ Busby OR Billy Graham: Just Get Up Out of Your Seat by Catherine Mackenzie
- (AH) The Brooklyn Bridge by Elizabeth Mann
- (AH) Empire State Building by Elizabeth Mann
- Gandhi: The Young Protester Who Founded a Nation by Philip Wilkinson
- George Mueller by Faith Coxe Bailey
- (AH) The Hoover Dam by Elizabeth Mann
- Mandela: The Rebel Who Led His Nation to Freedom by Ann Kramer
- Material World and Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel
- (AH) Our Country’s Presidents by Ann Bausum (reference book)
- (AH) Stories of America, Volume 2, by Charles Morris, et al.
- Stories of the Nations, Volume 2, by Lorene Lambert and Charles Morris
- (AH) The Story of Thomas A. Edison by Frances M. Perry
- The Stuff They Left Behind: From the Days of Modern Times portfolio
- Visits to Asia notebook by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
Plus . . .
Grades 1–3
- (AH) A Boy Named FDR by Kathleen Krull
- (AH) I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson
- The Journey That Saved Curious George by Louise Borden
- (AH) Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
- Only a Dog: A Story of the Great War by Bertha Whitridge Smith
- (AH) The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter
Grades 4–6
- (AH) Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House by Sterling North
- (AH) Always Inventing: A Photobiography of Alexander Graham Bell by Tom L. Matthew
- (AH) I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson
- A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Parker
- The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy
- Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
- (AH) Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
Grades 7–9
- Across America on an Emigrant Train by Jim Murphy
- (AH) Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
- Animal Farm by George Orwell
- Book of Centuries (one for each student)
- (AH) Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt by Jean Fritz
- Discovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
- The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
- (AH) Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
- A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Parker
- Louis Pasteur: Founder of Modern Medicine by John Hudson Tiner
- Rescue and Redeem: Volume 5, Chronicles of the Modern Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
- (AH) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
- Strong in the Word by Sonya Shafer
- (AH) Victory in the Pacific by Albert Marrin
- (AH) The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman
- (AH) The Yanks Are Coming by Albert Marrin
Grades 10–12
- (AH) America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 1: From the Age of Discovery to a World at War by William Bennett
- (AH) America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 2: From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom by William Bennett
- (AH; optional) America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 3: From the Collapse of Communism to the Rise of Radical Islam by William Bennett
- (AH) American Voices: A Collection of Documents, Speeches, Essays, Hymns, Poems, and Short Stories from American History edited by Ray Notgrass
- Book of Centuries (one for each student)
- Discovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
- Hitler by Albert Marrin
- How Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer OR 7 Men Who Rule the World from the Grave by Dave Breese
- Rescue and Redeem: Volume 5, Chronicles of the Modern Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
- Stalin by Albert Marrin
- Strong in the Word by Sonya Shafer
- The War to End All Wars: World War 1 by Russell Freedman
- (AH) The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman
Note: We recommend that grades 10–12 students add an American Government course either during this Modern Times study or spread over two years, during Early Modern and Modern Times studies. One possibility might be Exploring Government from Notgrass Publishing, taken at a slower pace.
Where to Find the Books
Simply Charlotte Mason
- Book of Centuries (one for each student in grades 7–12; download a free basic one or purchase an expanded edition)
- Discovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student in grades 7–12)
- Hitler by Albert Marrin (grades 10–12)
- Material World and Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel (Family)
- Only a Dog: A Story of the Great War by Bertha Whitridge Smith is also available in its original edition as a free download (grades 1–3)
- Stalin: Russia’s Man of Steel by Albert Marrin (grades 10–12)
- (AH) Stories of America, Volume 2, by Charles Morris, et al. (Family)
- Stories of the Nations, Volume 2, by Lorene Lambert (Family)
- (AH) The Story of Thomas A. Edison by Frances M. Perry is also available as part of a free download (Family)
- Strong in the Word by Sonya Shafer (one for each student in grades 7–12)
- The Stuff They Left Behind: From the Days of Modern Times portfolio (Family)
- (AH) Victory in the Pacific by Albert Marrin (grades 7–12)
- Visits to Asia notebook by Sonya Shafer (one for each student) (Family)
- (AH) The Yanks Are Coming by Albert Marrin (grades 7–12)
Your Local Library
(These are the titles that a library is most likely to have. The links will take you to the CM Bookfinder, where you can find out if a library near you has a copy. If your library does not have access to a book listed here, add it to your Book Store list.)
- (AH) Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House by Sterling North (grades 4–6)
- (AH) Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (grades 7–9)
- (AH) Always Inventing: A Photobiography of Alexander Graham Bell by Tom L. Matthew (grades 4–6)
- Animal Farm by George Orwell (grades 7–9)
- (AH) A Boy Named FDR by Kathleen Krull (grades 1–3)
- (AH) The Brooklyn Bridge by Elizabeth Mann (Family)
- (AH) Bully for You, Teddy Roosevelt by Jean Fritz (grades 7–9)
- (AH) Empire State Building by Elizabeth Mann (Family)
- The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig (grades 7–9)
- Gandhi: The Young Protester Who Founded a Nation by Philip Wilkinson (Famiy)
- (AH) The Hoover Dam by Elizabeth Mann (Family)
- (AH) I Have a Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King by Margaret Davidson (grades 1–6)
- The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden (grades 1–3)
- (AH) Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (grades 7–12)
- A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Parker (grades 4–9)
- Mandela: The Rebel Who Led His Nation to Freedom by Ann Kramer (Family)
- (AH) Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca (grades 1–3)
- (AH) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (grades 7–9)
- The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy (grades 4–6)
- Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (grades 4–6)
- (AH) Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh (grades 4–6)
- (AH) The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hoagland Hunter (grades 1–3)
- The War to End All Wars: World War I by Russell Freedman (grades 10–12)
- (AH) The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane by Russell Freedman (grades 7–12)
Your Favorite Book Store
(The links will take you to Amazon.com or other book sources.)
- Across America on an Emigrant Train by Jim Murphy (grades 7–9)
- 7 Men Who Rule the World from the Grave by Dave Breese (grades 10–12)
- (AH) America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 1: From a the Age of Discovery to a World at War by William Bennett (grades 10–12)
- (AH) America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 2: From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom by William Bennett (grades 10–12)
- (AH) America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 3: From the Collapse of Communism to the Rise of Radical Islam by William Bennett (optional, grades 10–12)
- (AH) American Voices: A Collection of Documents, Speeches, Essays, Hymns, Poems, and Short Stories from American History edited by Ray Notgrass (grades 10–12)
- (AH) Billy Graham: God’s Ambassador by Russ Busby OR Billy Graham: Just Get Up Out of Your Seat by Catherine Mackenzie (Family)
- George Mueller by Faith Coxe Bailey (Family)
- How Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer (grades 10–12)
- Louis Pasteur: Founder of Modern Medicine by John Hudson Tiner (grades 4–9)
- (AH) Our Country’s Presidents by Ann Bausum (reference book for Family)
- Rescue and Redeem: Volume 5, Chronicles of the Modern Church by Mindy and Brandon Withrow (grades 7–12)
High School Credit
For the completion of grades 7–9 or 10–12 assignments in this Modern Times & Epistles, Revelation 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 Early Modern study.)
Sample Schedule
The lesson plans in Modern Times & Epistles, Revelation 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.) |
2nd Edition
This 2nd edition of Modern Times & Epistles, Revelation, published in 2017, has been updated to schedule The Stuff They Left Behind: From the Days of Modern Times portfolio and the Visits to Asia geography notebook. Out-of-print or hard-to-find books have been replaced, and high school credit suggestions have been added. Bible lessons for the whole family are now included in the guide itself, with additional assignments scheduled for older students to dig deeper into the same Bible passages with the Bible study book, Strong in the Word.
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 |
Keep It Simple
Combine these History Studies with our Individual Studies and family-combined Enrichment Studies for a complete Charlotte Mason curriculum plan!
Beth –
Are the printed handbooks bound so that they lay flat when opened? It does not look like they are spiral bound from the picture. Thanks!
Jordan Smith –
The handbooks are not spiral-bound, so they don’t lay flat when opened.
Rebecca K –
Is it really important to follow the plan to do the epistles Bible study first? or would it be ok to do Revelation first? We are studying Revelation in church, so i’d like to do it first if possible. or is it intermingled…
Sonya Shafer –
The Revelation study is a stand-alone study and can be used any time.
Rebecca K –
I know- i just wonder if it would mess with the flow of the program to do the Bible studies in reverse..
Sonya Shafer –
The main reason for the order in which the epistles are studied is chronological; they are studied in the order in which they were written, for the most part. I’m a big believer in uniting church and home study when you have the opportunity, so my leaning would be to do a little rearranging. 🙂
Jenn –
Is the Visits to North America supposed to be used with this handbook? It looks like other resources are recommended for Geography. Is that because this handbook was written before the Visits To series came out?
Jordan Smith –
The Modern Times lesson plans use a different geography study because the Visits to… hadn’t been created when we published the book. You can feel free to substitute Visits to North America by doing one lesson from Visits each week of the Modern Times study, instead of the scheduled geography resources.
Rebekah Howell –
Under the book list for this, the Bible materials used to be listed but now with the undated versions I don’t see them on the book list. I still need to order them separately, correct? Would that include the GOAL journal as well as the Epistles and Revelation book?
Jordan Smith –
The new 2nd edition includes the Family Bible lessons right in the lesson plans, so there’s no additional book needed for the younger grades. Students in grades 7–12 are assigned the new book Strong in the Word for more in-depth Bible study. Strong in the Word incorporates most of the material from the Revelation study used in the 1st edition.