Inexpensive Catholic history I can use for Med./Ren.?

[Jeanne in MN]

We are coming up on the Medieval/Renaissance period of history and I really desire something with a Catholic perspective this time around. My kids are 11 and 13.

 

We've used SOTW 2 in the past and I have MOH 2, but at this point in history I really want a Catholic perspective as well. I wanted to use Connecting With History, but $45 is pushing the budget for us right now.

 

Since I've not used any Catholic curriculum before, can someone point me towards an inexpensive Catholic history book covering this time period?

 

Thank you in advance!

[Michele B]

Dd10 and dd6 are doing Medieval/Ren this year using SOTW2 and the catholic textbook All Ye Lands. AYL is pricey, although I bought it used on Amazon Marketplace.

 

My least expensive, most catholic suggestion for this time period is supplement any history spine with a list of saints. This time period is rich with saints and martyrs. We are adding saints to the SOTW spine. We did the chapter on Clovis last week, and we spent a couple of days on Sts. Denis, Martin, and Genevieve. Add in a lesson/craft/food for a saint related to that time period or country. Using the chapter on Clovis as an example: I could have discussed Clovis' wife Clotilde: she was catholic when Arianism was very strong in Europe. Discuss the differences between catholicism and arianism.

 

Hope this helps some. :)

Edited December 5, 2010 by Michele B
spelling

[MomOfOneFunOne]

not a book but a good resource

 

http://www.readingyourwaythroughhistory.com/

 

or to look at it another way

http://readingyourwaythroughhistory.blogspot.com/

[Avila]

Old World and America is a very inexpensive Catholic text for world history. It starts at the beginning and goes until the discovery of the new world. It is a textbook, so it is mostly snippets of information, but what is there is very good and solid.

 

I like something more narrative so I built my own program, combining HO Middle Ages 2 with Dorothy Mills' The Middle Ages and Renaissance and Reformation Times, Bethlehem books and saint biographies. Mills is not Catholic, but I find her to be very balanced, and she is more in-depth and more enjoyable to read than most texts.

 

You could also take a look at Seton's World History set. The first book is out already, and the second is supposed to be out this fall. Seton is very, very pro-Catholic, but not as over the top as the Anne Carroll books (Christ the King, Lord of History being another option for you).

 

If you are interested in Old World and America, you may want to check out the MODG syllabus for 8th grade, which is the grade they cover Medival times using it. You could adapt that to both of your kids, and it would be scheduled out for you. Emmanuel Books sells the syllabus and all the books to go with it, and they offer free book lists for you to look at, so you can tell what it would entail.

 

You can usually find the MODG syllabus and OWA used for less money too!

 

Best wishes!

Edited December 5, 2010 by Asenik

[love2read]

If you are looking for something quick, I have used http://books.google.com/books?id=Oq9LAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Bible+history:+containing+the+most+remarkable+events+of+the+Old+and+New&hl=en&ei=r9b7TLKZOIP_8Aa9wdCWCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

(start around page 284) in the past. It is a Catholic Bible history for 6th-8th that includes church history. It is direct and to the point and would provide just the right amount of Catholic worldview. I now use excerpts from Old World and America along with parts of Story of the Church for that age, but if I was starting over I would purchase either Seton's new 7th grade history book or their new 8th grade church history book. The hsing outline linked below might also be helpful http://vmalott.typepad.com/blog/2008/05/catholic-resour.html

Edited December 5, 2010 by love2read

[Crimson Wife]

I'm planning on using the Catholic Schools Textbook Project's Light to the Nations but if that's out of my budget Seton's Our Catholic Legacy would be my 2nd choice.

[HRAAB]

Have any of you actually had a chance to look at Seton's new history books? What I really want to know is if they are as 'pro-Catholic' and biased (whitewashing all actions by Catholics) as Anne Carroll's books?

[Avila]

I only have Seton's American history book that replaced HONB for 4th.

 

In my opinion, if Anne Carroll is a 10 on the bias scale, Seton comes in at a 6 or 7 usually. Obviously, American history isn't going to be as explosive as World history in that respect, though. I cannot stand the Anne Carroll, but I can use the Seton, as long as it is not my only resource. I think Seton goes overboard in emphasizing the Catholic contributions and sometimes glosses over or leaves out other important events and information. So it is valuable, in that it brings up things other books leave out, but I find it problematic to use just the Seton. I find Anne Carroll to be just plain bigoted and untruthful in places. FWIW, I would say that Old World and America, Our Pioneers and Patriots, How Our Nation Began, etc., are less biased than the new ones Seton replaced them with. I would put them at a 4 maybe, comparatively.

 

I actually prefer the Dorothy Mills books, but it is nice to get a Catholic perspective to compare it with.

Edited December 6, 2010 by Asenik

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

I will revisit this thread next year when we get to SOTW 2. I'm combining SOTW and CWH vol 1 this year. I might do that again. I'm honestly not using the CWH manual all that much, since it follows the Bible stories. Next year might be different... You could also to go the St. George site and look at the booklists and see which ones your library has.

 

I also have the book, "How the Irish Saved Civilization" to read for myself when we get to that time period.

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

not a book but a good resource

 

http://www.readingyourwaythroughhistory.com/

 

or to look at it another way

http://readingyourwaythroughhistory.blogspot.com/

 

Thanks for this.!!!!!!!

[love2read]

The Anne Carrol books do need to be balanced with something else. We've used excerpts from secular books and Teaching Company DVDs for a contrast. Makes for interesting discussions.

[HRAAB]

I only have Seton's American history book that replaced HONB for 4th.

 

In my opinion, if Anne Carroll is a 10 on the bias scale, Seton comes in at a 6 or 7 usually. Obviously, American history isn't going to be as explosive as World history in that respect, though. I cannot stand the Anne Carroll, but I can use the Seton, as long as it is not my only resource. I think Seton goes overboard in emphasizing the Catholic contributions and sometimes glosses over or leaves out other important events and information. So it is valuable, in that it brings up things other books leave out, but I find it problematic to use just the Seton. I find Anne Carroll to be just plain bigoted and untruthful in places. FWIW, I would say that Old World and America, Our Pioneers and Patriots, How Our Nation Began, etc., are less biased than the new ones Seton replaced them with. I would put them at a 4 maybe, comparatively.

 

I actually prefer the Dorothy Mills books, but it is nice to get a Catholic perspective to compare it with.

 

I agree with you about Anne Carroll's books. I do pull them out occasionally to fill in blanks left by SOTW and other books, but I could not use them exclusively. I have OW&A, OPP, and HONB books, but they are soooo dry. All this leads me back to From Sea to Shinging Sea and Light of Nations, except they are sooo expensive. :tongue_smilie:

 

Who is Dorothy Mills? I googled but didn't come up with much.

[Avila]

Dorothy Mills was head of a private all girls' school and wrote in the 30s. She isn't Catholic, but she is pretty balanced and it is a good, narrative spine. You can get her books used pretty cheaply, or they are being reprinted by Dawn Chorus and sold on Amazon.com and reprinted by Memoria Press in the beta stages right now. She has books on the ancient world, the Hebrews, Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. I would say they are logic stage and up.

 

I personally like them because they are detailed enough to be interesting without being overwhelming. and my 6th grader will be finishing the series this year and has really enjoyed them.

[HRAAB]

Dorothy Mills was head of a private all girls' school and wrote in the 30s. She isn't Catholic, but she is pretty balanced and it is a good, narrative spine. You can get her books used pretty cheaply, or they are being reprinted by Dawn Chorus and sold on Amazon.com and reprinted by Memoria Press in the beta stages right now. She has books on the ancient world, the Hebrews, Greece, Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. I would say they are logic stage and up.

 

I personally like them because they are detailed enough to be interesting without being overwhelming. and my 6th grader will be finishing the series this year and has really enjoyed them.

 

Thank you. I will have to check that out. I had asked one time about Helene Guerber's books, particularly her two books on US history. Memoria Press sells them, also. With those I was worried about excessive racial slurs; This Country of Ours has not gone over well.

 

Thank you.