World History – Middle Ages to American Revolution
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Teacher Info
Here's a bit of info to get you started with us in this study.
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Middle Ages
- Me on the Map
- Geography from A to Z
- Intro to the Middle Ages
- The Barbarian Kingdoms
- The Byzantine Empire
- The Christian Church
- Medieval Cathedral
- Byzantine Art
- The Rise of Islam
- The Arab World
- Islamic Art
- Charlemagne
- The Feudal System
- Medieval Country Life
- Vikings at Home
- Vikings Abroad
- Alfred the Great
- Norman Conquests
- Rise of the Russians
- Knights
- Medieval Life & Castles
- Kings & Popes
- Crusaders
- Cathedrals
- Kings & Saints
- Mongols
- The Far East
- Trade and Exploration
- Marco Polo
- The Plague
- Kingdoms of the Celts
- The Hundred Years’ War
- Joan of Arc
- Other Medieval Kingdoms
- The Wars of the Roses
- Intro to Renaissance
- The Printing Press
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Renaissance
- Renaissance Life
- Art in the Renaissance
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Explorers and Trade
- Exploration of North America
- Renaissance Art
- Trade and Colonization
- Ferdinand Magellan
- The Visual Arts
- Aztecs
- Mayans and Incas
- Copernicus
- Diego Velazquez
- Education & Life in Renaissance
- Van Eyck
- Bruegel
- Durer
- The Reformation
- Martin Luther
- Henry VIII
- Rembrandt
- Vermeer
- Counter Reformation
- The Netherlands
- Elizabeth I
- Shakespeare
- Sir Francis Drake
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Colonization
We will focus on the colonization of the New World
- Intro to American Colonization
- Jamestown
- Galileo
- Puritans at Plymouth
- Squanto and the First Thanksgiving
- Dutch in North America
- Rhode Island
- Maryland
- New Sweden
- Living in New England Colonies
- Becoming New York
- Carolinas & Colonial Life
- French in North America
- William Penn & Pennsylvania
- Kings and Queens of England
- North American Indians
- Iroquois
- Colonial Living
- King George I & Handel
- Hudson’s Bay Company
- Georgia Becomes a Colony
- Life in the Thirteen Colonies
- Life on a Southern Plantation
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Revolutions
We will focus on the changes happening in the world in the 18th century.
- Story of Longitude
- Benjamin Franklin
- Fireplace Cooking
- Early Life of George Washington
- French and Indian War
- Colonial Food and Games
- Taxes
- Sons and Daughters of Liberty
- Boston Massacre
- Boston Tea Party
- More Colonial Food and Games
- First Continental Congress
- A Shot Heard Round the World
- First Battles of Independence
- Declaration of Independence
- Colonial Life
- The Revolutionary Soldier
- George Washington as Commander in Chief
- The Road to Victory
- Mozart
- Colonial Life
- Articles of Confederation
- Daniel Boone
- Colonial Life
- Francisco de Goya
- Writing the Constitution
- The Nation’s First President
- Life in the New Nation
- Early Life of Napoleon
- French Revolution
- Eli Whitney & the Cotton Gin
- Napoleon in Egypt
Schedule
Scheduling our days has always been the best way for us to get things done. We try to complete history lessons on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This leaves the end of our week free to explore out of the house. I usually schedule field trips on Fridays.
Each lesson is intended for 30-60 minutes during a school day. I only extended our time when my students seem interested in a subject and eager to learn more. Some lessons will be shorter, and I don’t worry about amount of time as much as exposure and fun.
Some of you will find the lessons extremely simple, and I want to remind you that this is for 2nd grade students who don’t need a full discourse on the how’s and why’s of each topic. This is their first official exposure to these topics, and I desire to simply give them a snapshot and a framework of reference for later studies when they are older.
It is fine to simply move through each lesson at your own pace. You do not have to complete all the year’s lessons in one school year. Take your time and make sure you and your students are enjoying the process of learning.
Structure of Lessons
Readings
I will list the books we read that relate to the lesson’s topics. You can gather these books from your local library or use the Amazon affiliate links to purchase (especially if you use Amazon Prime).
We always sit together, and I read aloud from these books to my students. (We are usually snuggled on the couch.)
Internet Exploration
My students love to find an interactive website or watch a short informational or silly video about what we’ve just read. I’ll share what we have found and explored with you.
Activities
I will usually find a worksheet or some sort of activity to reinforce what we have learned. The worksheets are simple and almost always FREE, and the crafts have to be easy to prep. I don’t need complex, and my students usually don’t enjoy something that they can’t quickly manipulate.
Independent Readings
Because my students are nearing the end of their phonics studies in 2nd grade, I use history to incorporate reading and literature. I like to have a few easy readers available that are related to our history topic. I let my students choose which ones to read, or may require one or two from them.
I make reading a big deal in our house. I enroll us in every reading program I can (including library’s summer reading, Pizza Hut’s BOOK IT! program, and Six Flags’ Read to Succeed program). We also use Reading Rewards to keep an online reading log. I have used Sylvan’s Book Adventure as well.
Occasionally, there is a book that I have to sit and read aloud with them. I might have an obsession with picture books though…
Again, each lesson should take no more than an hour. Keep those students engaged and having fun!