The World's Story 1

From its opening proclamation; “What we need to realize is that we are not islands unto ourselves; we are the present generation of God’s family, the legacy of many previous generations The Bible is Holy Spirit-breathed and is completely true and the ultimate guide to “Ancient History.” This is why I have chosen to use the Bible as my absolute baseline of truth, not just for this book but for all my writing and, indeed, my life. In this world of relativism, I know that I desperately need something that I can trust at all times. That is why I stand on the promises of God, written to me in the Holy Word of God. Whenever I have a question about something, I go to the Bible. The answer is always there. Always. No exception. It is living and breathing and completely pertinent to every issue with which mankind has ever dealt” To its closing chapter this History book points continually back to the author of human history and the part that we each play in the greater story. The Lessons open with a reference to Scripture – continually drawing the student’s focus back to God and then proceeds to teach a lesson about a particular culture or period through a Biblical World View. After teaching home school for almost 13 years now and viewing and using many different Christian curriculums this is the first that is both engaging and exciting while teaching the fundamentals of history and incorporating strong Biblical world views. I was so impressed with the author’s heart as they expressed: “I want you to feel His heart break as He watches the people, whom He created, turn their backs on Him and choose sin. I want you to marvel as His plan for a Redeemer begins to be revealed in history. I want you to be amazed at the very real, very flawed people He decides to use to do amazing things in the story of the world . . . just because He can!I want you to hear His heartbeat as He chooses a young woman to be the earthly mother of His own Son. I want you to feel the pain as the crown of thorns rips into the skin of God in human flesh: Jesus. I want you to look into the eyes of my Savior and my Friend as He breathes His last, and like me, I want you to KNOW that He did it for you, too. I want all of us to hear His voice rending the heavens with His cry, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” What more could a Christian home school parent wish for than a curriculum that continually draws the child’s eye and heart to the one who is writing their story? What more could we want for our children then to hope they see history as a testimony of God’s enduring grace, a legacy of lessons to learn from and the hope that God has given the Nations through His Son? I could not put down my copy. I could not put down my copy of the book – I read the lessons through, I pondered the questions, I let the truth of history and God’s hand sink in. I was excited to open the book each day to read more of it. Then – I did the ultimate test that any mom reading home school material does – I sat down with my children (those age appropriate for this text, the two in high school and the two below the age of this text) and I read it to them. I saw a light of adventure come into my boy’s eyes – score one for MasterBooks and this author! I witnessed my 4 and 6 year old become captivated by the text and entranced by the photos – score two for Masterbooks and the author! I listened as the grade 9 boy punched the grade 10 girl in the arm and said – “I wish we had this ancient history when we took it in elementary!!” – Score again! Yep, an all around great curriculum when children get excited about it; when its not like pulling teeth to get them to sit down for a lesson. So we’ve established that my family loves this curriculum. But now I want to let you know what makes it so special, what makes it unique, why it would be a good fit for your family. First – It is a very strict Biblical world-view. This means this text seeks to show the reader that God is in control and very much concerned with His creation and His people across the span of time. He is active in all ages, all cultures, in every instance. The focus continually draws the reader back to the author and finisher of the human story. Second – Each section or chapter begins with a section called “Start Here” – this marks a new section or chapter and opens with a brief description of what will be discussed and scripture. This is an excellent opportunity to have discussion with the student about what they expect to learn from the section and what they think they already know about the subject. I have found that this is the time when I have my kiddos write down questions they have about the subject and thoughts they have. Then at the end we review their lists and see what new things they discovered, if any of their thoughts changed and if their questions were answered adequately. If they need more we begin researching or discuss further. There are other excellent resources from New Leaf Publishing and Masterbooks to answer almost any question posed – and “The Great Big Book” of History is always a go-to for our family for interesting facts and a visual time line of events and civilizations. Third – The book has what are called “Narration Breaks” – This is a time to discuss what was previously talked about in the text. It is an excellent time to have open conversations with your children. I think it could also be an excellent writing prompt if your are seeking to enhance a child’s ability to write responses to questions and to analyze what they read. It is also an opportunity to for children to connect to the text, connect the text to scripture and view the events within the lens of Christian faith; an opportunity to begin to own their faith and work though how faith and Biblical truths relate to this very big world we live in. Fourth– The book has what are called “Connect” sections – This is unique to this curriculum. I have not really seen it before in any other curriculum I have used or viewed (and that has been a ton over the years as I have tried to find curriculum that my children both enjoy and that has a Biblical World view). This section connects history across the ages. For instance it shows how past events shape and influence future events (our more current past and present). This section shows how people base their opinions and understanding on past events. FIFTH – This book has the most awesome pictures I have seen with the best descriptions. This is one thing that makes this book stand out for me. My kids love all pictures and neat descriptions. I have a digital copy of this book on my lap top and the other day my 6 year old was on it just to scroll through each page and look at the photographs. Visual learning is great. Overall this text is engaging and enjoyable. Yes – I am a fan of Masterbooks. But even so I am more interested in solid Biblical World View teaching for my children that they will enjoy. Too often history is wooden, boring, and dry. This text is visually engaging as well as written and laid out in such a way as to keep a child’s interest and offers solid historical teaching that the child will remember long past the end of the course. This books lays an excellent foundation for later High School and Collegiate level history courses. Masterbooks.com