Organizing Medieval studies for middle schoolers

[swimmermom3]

It is time for my annual angst-ridden contemplation of organizing our history studies. This year the challenge is the medieval/Renaissance/Reformation time period.

 

If one is following a strict chronological order and chooses a source like SOTW or the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia to organize your topics, then your schedule looks something like this:

 

Week 1: Rome's Fall, Celts, Barbarians, and Beowulf

Week 2: Christianity in Britain, The Byzantine Empire

Week 3: The Medieval Indian Empire

Week 4: The Rise of Islam, Islam Becomes an Empire

Week 5: Great Dynasties of China, East of China

Week 6: First People of Australia/New Zealand

 

What I don't like about this arrangement is you sometimes need to cover dissimilar topics in one week in order to fit it all in. Changing topics weekly makes it difficult to cover people and places in depth, read a hefty literary work, or tackle a bigger hands-on project.

 

History Odyssey tends to follow a chronological/geographical arrangement. For example, with SOTW you cover the Byzantine Empire early on while with HO, it comes almost halfway through the year because you are covering all of Europe in the Middle Ages before moving on to Asia. This arrangement allows for more depth but occasionally we'll be talking about an invading force that has not yet been covered since we haven't done that area geographically. Does that make sense?

 

So what do you do or have done and why? Does your spine dictate the order or do you tweak? Pitfalls I should avoid?

[Corraleno]

I don't like jumping around geographically. I'd rather focus on one area/culture for a certain time period, then move to a different area for the same time period. I just use a timeline to link what different cultures were doing at the same time.

 

One reason I really like the OUP series for ancient and medieval history is that the books are divided geographically. All of the Ancient Times books are that way, and half of the Medieval ones. So my tentative sequence for Middle Ages next year is:

 

Sept: Vikings w/ Norse mythology & Beowulf

 

Oct to Jan: the rest of Medieval Europe, with Arthur, a bit of Chaucer & Spencer, and misc others

 

Feb-Mar: Medieval Asia/Africa/Middle East, and we'll do Shakespeare rather than tying lit to history. (Note: I'm planning to incorporate the relevant parts of the Empires & Revolutions volumes when we cover each geographic area)

 

April: Exploration & colonization, using the Voyages OUP volume and other references, leading into...

 

May-June: Mesoamerica, using the OUP volume, plus the Teaching Co course Conquest of the Americas, plus assorted other resources (this used to be my specialty, in my past life as an anthropologist)

 

Jackie

[swimmermom3]

I don't like jumping around geographically. I'd rather focus on one area/culture for a certain time period, then move to a different area for the same time period. I just use a timeline to link what different cultures were doing at the same time.

 

One reason I really like the OUP series for ancient and medieval history is that the books are divided geographically. All of the Ancient Times books are that way, and half of the Medieval ones. So my tentative sequence for Middle Ages next year is:

 

Sept: Vikings w/ Norse mythology & Beowulf

 

Oct to Jan: the rest of Medieval Europe, with Arthur, a bit of Chaucer & Spencer, and misc others

 

Feb-Mar: Medieval Asia/Africa/Middle East, and we'll do Shakespeare rather than tying lit to history. (Note: I'm planning to incorporate the relevant parts of the Empires & Revolutions volumes when we cover each geographic area)

 

April: Exploration & colonization, using the Voyages OUP volume and other references, leading into...

 

May-June: Mesoamerica, using the OUP volume, plus the Teaching Co course Conquest of the Americas, plus assorted other resources (this used to be my specialty, in my past life as an anthropologist)

 

Jackie

 

This schedule appeals to me and makes sense. Do the TC videos roughly follow this order? I do have the first 3 volumes of OUP Medieval in spite of Swimmer Dude's protest against the series this year. I hope he won't notice if I supplement with them, because I personally appreciate the primary source materials. Are you folding American history into world history?

[Corraleno]

I'm using separate TC courses for each "unit," and there's not a lot of overlap between them, other than between Armstrong's Medieval World and Daileader's High Middle Ages, which do cover some of the same topics. The Early Middle Ages has one lecture on Norsemen, and the last couple of lectures in The Late Middle Ages are on exploration/conquest and Columbus, so that does segue into the Mesoamerican unit. I only have the audio downloads for The Early/High/Late Middle Ages courses (got them during a one-day sale for ~$30 each I think), and they're much more detailed than we need at this age, and more focused on dates/places/kings&queens (snooze), so I will just use selected lectures.

 

So the TC correlations would be:

 

Vikings: Vikings (36 lectures — we'll need to double-up on these and/or skip some lectures since I only want to spend a month on Vikings, but it looks like such fun we may go longer. Sort of like we did with Egypt, where my planned 2-month unit turned into 6 months, with 60+ TC lectures, about 2 dozen documentaries, and innumerable books :tongue_smilie: )

 

Europe: The Medieval World (36 lectures, which I'll alternate with relevant lectures from Daileader's three courses)

 

Asia/Africa/MiddleEast and Exploration: Misc. lectures from various other courses (Foundations of Western Civ I, Brief History of the World, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam)

 

Mesoamerica: Conquest of the Americas, plus relevant lectures from other courses (Origin of Civilization, Brief History of the World)

 

Jackie

[Melissa B]

(sorry to hijack)

 

Jackie,

 

I'm going to be using Conquest of the Americas as well - but at the beginning of the year. I am combining it with the first half of the TC DVDs History of England. Would you mind sharing the 'assorted other resources' that you are using? I purchased one of the TC recommended books - Genesis. It just arrived today so I haven't had a chance to preview it yet. Nearly everything else I have is focused on England/Europe. I would really appreciate some suggestions.

 

Thanks!

[Shawna in Texas]

It is time for my annual angst-ridden contemplation of organizing our history studies. This year the challenge is the medieval/Renaissance/Reformation time period.

 

If one is following a strict chronological order and chooses a source like SOTW or the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia to organize your topics, then your schedule looks something like this:

 

Week 1: Rome's Fall, Celts, Barbarians, and Beowulf

Week 2: Christianity in Britain, The Byzantine Empire

Week 3: The Medieval Indian Empire

Week 4: The Rise of Islam, Islam Becomes an Empire

Week 5: Great Dynasties of China, East of China

Week 6: First People of Australia/New Zealand

 

What I don't like about this arrangement is you sometimes need to cover dissimilar topics in one week in order to fit it all in. Changing topics weekly makes it difficult to cover people and places in depth, read a hefty literary work, or tackle a bigger hands-on project.

 

History Odyssey tends to follow a chronological/geographical arrangement. For example, with SOTW you cover the Byzantine Empire early on while with HO, it comes almost halfway through the year because you are covering all of Europe in the Middle Ages before moving on to Asia. This arrangement allows for more depth but occasionally we'll be talking about an invading force that has not yet been covered since we haven't done that area geographically. Does that make sense?

 

So what do you do or have done and why? Does your spine dictate the order or do you tweak? Pitfalls I should avoid?

 

I know exactly what you're saying and I struggled for years about it. This year we changed it up (from extreme globe-hopping to more geography based, but still progressive). We're using Glencoe World History (Spielvogel) as our starting off point. I've actually been organizing my 7th grade Amazon list in the order of the text. We will be plugging in other books I'm ending ancients with the decline and fall of Rome, then as follows:

 

Islam (600-1500AD)

Early African Civilizations (2,000BC-1500AD)

The Asian World (400-1500AD)

Emerging Europe and Byzantine Empire (400-1300)

Europe in the Middle Ages (1000-1500)

The Americas (400-1500)

Renn. and Reformation (1350-1600)

Age of Exploration (1500-1800)

 

There's a few more chapters after this that still may be used for 7th, but I'm not exactly sure where I'm going to end the year. There's still (after Age of Exploration) 19 more chapters in the book (and I only needed to use 5 chapters for ancients!). I'm using Drama of American History for 8th, so I will be using that as a spine and adding in the text where necessary.

 

I remember when dd was 5 and I was stressing so much about history being perfectly in order. It wasn't until I read Foster's Augustus Caesar's World that made me chill out. I really like the way we approached history this year. I haven't been especially happy with the way we've covered it for grades K-5, so this was the change we needed. We got so much accomplished in history this year. It also has given me a better idea of what to do with the baby (yep, already planning).

[mcconnellboys]

Hmmm, now I think I understand better what you're asking. I think it does sound appealing to cover the entire period of one continent before moving on to another. I'm just not sure that this does a strong job of establishing all the links between continents that have occurred over time. I'm also not sure that it really establishes the connection of what was occurring on all the continents (and how these events, inventions, etc. were learned of and used by others) simultaneously as jumping back and forth does, if that makes any sense..... For me, history is all about the connections of peoples worldwide over time. We have all influenced each other through the ages. Looking at continents in isolation seems to me to really play down this inter-connectedness which is so important to understanding the effect we've had on each other over time.....

 

So, as just one for instance, I can cover all of medieval Europe. Where do I draw the line there? Do I include the areas of Eastern Europe? do I include Russia, most of which is in Asia, but the most important areas of which (for this time period) are in Europe? And will I ignore the many invasions by Asians into the eastern parts of Europe? Am I not going to look at all at the vast number of inventions that flowed back into Europe from Asia with the rise of trade during the high middle ages? If I'm not going back and forth with the trade caravans, how do I really emphasis the importance of those connections to bringing Europe back out of darkness? Similarly, do I look at plague in Europe in isolation, rather than where it came from? Do I ignore the exploration that began edging its way down Africa toward India, even though it was Europeans doing that exploration? or would that count as "European" study?

 

Perhaps these other programs mentioned provide a means for making these connections, but on its face I just can't see it.....

[Corraleno]

Jackie,

 

I'm going to be using Conquest of the Americas as well - but at the beginning of the year. I am combining it with the first half of the TC DVDs History of England. Would you mind sharing the 'assorted other resources' that you are using? I purchased one of the TC recommended books - Genesis. It just arrived today so I haven't had a chance to preview it yet. Nearly everything else I have is focused on England/Europe. I would really appreciate some suggestions.

 

The books I have so far:

 

The Ancient American World This is part of the OUP series The World in Ancient Times, but it covers from ~1200 BCE (beginning of Olmec culture) to the conquest of the Inca in the 1500s.

 

The Complete Illustrated History of the Aztec & Maya Wonderfully illustrated, and good coverage of the Mexican & Central American cultures (including Olmec, Toltec, Mixtec)

 

Mysteries of the Maya, a National Geographic Special Edition (2008)

 

New World Mythology: Myths and Legends of Oceania and the Americas

 

And a box full of annotated books on Pre-Columbian art & culture from my grad school days. I have a very well-illustrated scholarly book on Moche culture (which I doubt I'd find a kids' book for anyway), but I need to find a few good kid-level books on the Inca.

 

Jackie

[Corraleno]

If anyone else is interested in using the TC course, The Medieval World, as a spine for medieval Europe next year, you can get it on sale ($99.99) until midnight (EST) on 5/31 with priority code 44133. You can add coupon code WGNC for free shipping. The professor's presentation is a bit stiff (she reads from a teleprompter), but the content of the course is really excellent, and it has quite good reviews on the TC website. It focuses on daily life and culture in the Middle Ages, as opposed to dates and kings and battles. I've watched 7 or 8 of the lectures, to see how they would line up with the Duke course, and I think they'll work extremely well together.

 

Here is a list of the lectures:

 

1. The Medieval World

2. The Legacy of the Roman World

3. The Christianization of Europe

4. After the Roman Empire—Hybrid Cultures

5. Early Monasticism

6. From Merovingian Gaul to Carolingian France

7. Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance

8. Byzantium, Islam, and the West

9. The Viking Invasions

10. Alfred the Great

11. The Rearrangement of the Medieval World

12. The Norman Conquest and the Bayeux Tapestry

13. King Arthur—The Power of the Legend

14. The Three Orders of Medieval Society

15. Pilgrimage and Sainthood

16. Knighthood and Heraldry

17. The Gothic Cathedral

18. Piety, Politics, and Persecution

19. The Persistence of an Ideal

20. Late Medieval Religious Institutions

21. The Magna Carta

22. Daily Life in a Noble Household

23. Daily Life in a Medieval Village

24. Medieval City Life

25. Food and Drink

26. Music and Entertainment

27. Dress and Fashion

28. Medieval Medicine

29. The Black Death and its Effects

30. Childhood in the Middle Ages

31. Marriage and the Family

32. Art and Artisans

33. Science and Technology

34. Weapons and Warfare

35. Revolts, Uprisings, and Wars

36. Toward the Early Modern Period

 

Jackie

Edited May 31, 2010 by Corraleno

[swimmermom3]

Nothing like applying a little pressure, eh Jackie? Now if LTOW had the same deal. Thanks for the list. It does look like it would line up well.

[Melissa B]

The books I have so far:

 

The Ancient American World This is part of the OUP series The World in Ancient Times, but it covers from ~1200 BCE (beginning of Olmec culture) to the conquest of the Inca in the 1500s.

 

The Complete Illustrated History of the Aztec & Maya Wonderfully illustrated, and good coverage of the Mexican & Central American cultures (including Olmec, Toltec, Mixtec)

 

Mysteries of the Maya, a National Geographic Special Edition (2008)

 

New World Mythology: Myths and Legends of Oceania and the Americas

 

And a box full of annotated books on Pre-Columbian art & culture from my grad school days. I have a very well-illustrated scholarly book on Moche culture (which I doubt I'd find a kids' book for anyway), but I need to find a few good kid-level books on the Inca.

 

Jackie

 

 

 

Thanks Jackie! I'm going to look through these this afternoon. I skimmed through Genesis by Galeano last night. At first glance, it looks pretty good as well.

[Soph the vet]

DD12 and her best friend will be doing this period of history at our house next year....hence more pressure to put together a good program. I'm using Biblioplan (updated) with maps/timelines and focusing not as much on SOTW anymore (though it is scheduled for my younger two) but more on Kingfisher (outlining), Famous Men, Cultural Atlas, Church in History (Kuiper), Columbus and Sons, Shakespeare etc. and about 45 good literature selections for them to read during the year. Basically it is broken down into three sections: Middle Ages 15 weeks, Renaissance 14 weeks, and Reformation 7 weeks.

We will also incorporate some classic films like Joan of Arc, Henry V, A Man for All Seasons, and others.

We may do some interesting art projects as well to go along with each artist that we study....like painting on the ceiling for Michelangelo:D.

[rwjx2khsmj]

Thanks for sharing that info Jackie! I just placed my order. I'm planning to read History of the Medieval World with my dd13 next year and since she enjoys a lecture approach with her reading I think the TC DVDs will be just what we needed.

[AngelBee]

:lurk5:

[JessaMae]

If anyone else is interested in using the TC course, The Medieval World, as a spine for medieval Europe next year, you can get it on sale ($99.99) until midnight (EST) on 5/31 with priority code 44133. You can add coupon code WGNC for free shipping. The professor's presentation is a bit stiff (she reads from a teleprompter), but the content of the course is really excellent, and it has quite good reviews on the TC website. It focuses on daily life and culture in the Middle Ages, as opposed to dates and kings and battles. I've watched 7 or 8 of the lectures, to see how they would line up with the Duke course, and I think they'll work extremely well together.

 

 

What age group are these lectures best suited for? We will be studying Rome through the Reformation next year. My dds will be 12, 10, and 8 (grades 6, 5, and 3.) I'm wondering if these would be over their heads? I was originally planning to do SOTW along with Kingfisher for the older two.