Special thanks to Master Books for providing a review copy of this book.
Curriculum Description:
Through this course students will see history come to life no matter what their pace or ability. Developed by Dr. James Stobaugh, this three-volume course grows in difficulty with each year, preparing students for their high school work. This is a comprehensive examination of history, geography, religion, economics, and government systems. This educational set equips students to learn from a starting point of God’s creation of the world and move forward with a solid biblically-based worldview.
About the Author:
Dr. James Stobaugh and his wife Karen have been involved with the homeschooling movement since 1985 when they began homeschooling their four children. As a Merrill Fellow at Harvard University with degrees from Vanderbilt and Rutgers universities, as well as additional theology degrees from Princeton and Gordon-Conwell, Dr. Stobaugh incorporates his hands-on teaching experience with his extensive educational experience to bring history to life with his rich perspective.
- Imprint: Master Books
- Title: Studies in World History Vol. 1
- Subtitle: Creation Through the Age of Discovery (6000 BC to AD 1500)
- Volume in Series: 1
- Series: Studies in World History
- Author: James P. Stobaugh
- Publisher: New Leaf Publishing Group, Inc.
- Student Text with Teacher Guide Price: $43.98
My Thoughts:
The Studies in World History Vol. 1 set includes both the student text and the teacher’s guide. Volume 1 starts at Creation and goes through the Age of Discovery (4004 BC to AD 1500). It covers the Fertile Crescent, Egypt, India, China, Japan, Greece, and Christian history. The Studies in World History 3-volume set is designed to be used in grades 7-9. Volume 1 is a year long study where students will earn 1 credit in Social Studies.
The teacher’s guide has a suggested weekly schedule broken down into 2 semesters that include readings, worksheets with answer keys, and exams with answer keys. Each of the 34 chapters is scheduled as 1 week of study. The worksheets in the teacher’s guide are the student text discussion questions placed into a worksheet format. The exams include a fill-in-the-blank section as well as a short essay section.
The advantage of having the teacher’s guide is the addition of the worksheets and exams including the answer keys. The weekly schedule, while a nice thing to have laid out on paper, isn’t crucial as the student is just completing one lesson per day. The plus is that you are free to copy the worksheets and exams for use in your home or small group of less than 10 students. The one thing that I would have made the teacher’s guide better would have been the inclusion of ideas for essays and activities to allow the student to dig deeper into the topics being covered.
In the student book, the chapters begin with a background information on the historical period, overview of key concepts, and a list of learning objectives. Most chapters have lessons covering history, geography, government, economy, and religion followed by discussion questions. The lessons are rich with black and white graphics, timelines, and/or maps. I like the layout and flow of the lessons. They are divided into easy to digest blocks of information. The daily lessons will take between 20 and 30 minutes to complete depending on the speed at which the student reads and does their worksheets.
Based upon what I’ve gone over so far with this curriculum, I’m impressed with how the information is being presented, and I like that the text doesn’t feel dry or stuffy. The print is easy to read, and there is plenty of white space on the page. The information is presented from a Biblical Worldview which is something we strive for in our homeschool.
