Brad S Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) What have you all found for relatively rigorous world history texts? I like the approach of WTM, with a Great Books literature conducted in parallel, but the same texts as a history course spine would seem to work without the accompanying Great Books literature course. In any case, I think it's important to spend a significant amount of time analyzing primary sources and writing essays on history (i.e., developing and practicing the rhetoric). BTW, we are running this as a 3-year cycle (9th grade; ancient, to ~ A.D. 476; 10th: medieval-early modern, to ~ 1850; and 11th: modern, since ~1850), and with a 3-year literature cycle, ancient literature, then medieval-early modern lit.; and modern literature. I'd love to get other perspectives on what would work for a relatively rigorous world history course. Here's what I've found: GLOBAL FOCUS, ACROSS ALL TIME PERIODS 1. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History With Sources by Robert Strayer (Vol 1: to 1500; Vol 2: Since 1500): I'm surprised that I don't see more about this on these boards, since it seems like it would work well for both a relatively rigorous course as well as something approaching a get er done course since it's brief and fairly easy to read. I have both volumes and we may switch to this as our spine, perhaps starting in 10th grade. Or, I may ask DS to read the two volumes as a review and “fill in the gaps†in 11th grade. WotW is very concise and does include some primary sources in the text. However, by being concise, it allows time for delving into select special topics along the way. 2. The History of the Ancient World (and then Medieval,and the Renaissance) by SWB. I bought the first two books, and DS started the first book, but neither of us were that enthusiastic. While I love SWB's Story of the World series for the “grammar stage,†the high school series doesn't seem to match the WTM as a spine for a rigorous course as well as or as easily as Ways of the World IMO. (IMO Ways of the World links more easily to primary sources, is broader in scope, and is more concise; HotAW focuses more on a Western perspective, and more on kings and wars than is my preference.) If your student likes the SWB style, by all means continue. 3. Although we haven't decided if DS will take the test, FYI there is an AP World History course and test. 4. Georgia Virtual schooling website, FYI, although I have not seriously reviewed it. GLOBAL FOCUS BUT ONLY LIMITED TIME PERIOD History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective, Great Courses videos, by Gregory Aldrete: My son and I like these lectures as they balance interest and rigor, although they are very accessible for a less rigorous course. WESTERN CIVILIZATION, ACROSS ALL TIME PERIODS Western Civilization by Noble, Strauss, Osheim, Neuschel, Cohen, and Roberts: We're using this, along with the Aldrete videos as our history spine this year. It strikes me as concise and scholarly, yet not boring. There is some use of primary sources and weighing the evidence. I feel confident that the text provides a sound treatment for a relatively rigorous course. The only downside IMO is that the focus on Western civilization means I need to complement it with a treatment of the rest of the world. Western Civilization by Jackson Spielvogel: I know that a lot of people use this on the boards. I came across the Noble, et al text first, and I couldn't see any reason to use Spielvogel instead – maybe others will chime in and give a reason! Edited March 23, 2016 by Brad S 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad S Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) RESOURCES FOR SPECIFIC TIME PERIODS OR LOCATIONS: Bedford/St. Martins Series in History and Culture (~100 booklets available). Look for used ones as they're a bit expensive new. Annenberg Learner web site, including videos (link to ancient western civilization here). [Thanks, Lori D. from another thread.] Edited March 23, 2016 by Brad S 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Bedford/St. Martins Series in History and Culture (~100 booklets available) This looks like a great series. I haven't come across it before. Thanks for posting! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Ways of the World is actually frequently recommended. :) We are using it. Several others are as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Not a textbook, but a great read: The History of the World by Roberts. It's now in a 6th edition by Roberts/Westad. Amazon.com: The History of the World (9780199936762): J. M. Roberts, O. A. Westad: Books http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199936765/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687502&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1846144434&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1AHCAGYEG0AAE28H2CVF Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Ways of the World is actually frequently recommended. :) We are using it. Several others are as well. Not a textbook, but a great read: The History of the World by Roberts. It's now in a 6th edition by Roberts/Westad. Amazon.com: The History of the World (9780199936762): J. M. Roberts, O. A. Westad: Books http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199936765/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687502&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1846144434&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1AHCAGYEG0AAE28H2CVF Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Let me rephrase my above post. We were using Ways of the World until this morning. That may change because the book Janice listed looks so tempting! ;) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad S Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 I looked over the Amazon description of History of the World by Roberts and Westad and some other reviews, and here's my 2c on what I read. The book has been widely praised for it's clarity and the writers are characterized as noted historians. The book is regarded as going to the why of history. Some criticisms were that it's Western focused (I'm not convinced it's too much in the latest edition and inevitably some biases may creep in), and doesn't contain any citations. I think it's important to spend a significant amount of time analyzing primary sources and writing essays on history While the Roberts and Westad book seems like a gem, and isn't even that expensive (<$25 new), I'm a bit concerned how I'd use it in a world history course analyzing primary sources at times along the way; perhaps I could use a second text to use as a point of departure for analysis but use Roberts and Westad as a spine simply for DS to read as background? Even with the other texts reviewed above, there is some challenge in going to analysis of primary sources and finding good topics for writing essays on history. Does anyone have suggestions for how to go about analysis of primary sources and finding good topics for writing (and evaluating) essays on history? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 The Mammoth Book of How it Happened: Eyewitness accounts of history in the making from 2000 BC to the present is a good resource for primary sources. What draws me to Roberts is that I can see my daughter reading it for pleasure. She has never done that with Ways of the World. For her, sometimes just spreading a feast (a la Charlotte Mason) is enough to prompt spontaneous writings and interest in delving into primary resources. Obviously every situation is different. Thanks for starting the thread. I hadn't really thought of changing what we're doing until now. Hope you find something that works for you. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) In regards to analyzing primary sources, sometimes just buying the primary source in its entirety works best. Much depends on if you want a broad, more shallow survey or a deeper analysis of fewer texts. Edited March 23, 2016 by Woodland Mist Academy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Great thread, we're getting ready to launch our Ancient History/Great Books study in a couple of weeks, and I'm planning on using many of the resources on your list. I picked Ways of the World as our spine because dd doesn't love history, it's much more of a get 'er done topic for her, and I like the concise-ness (is concision a word?) and I like the focus on primary sources. One other primary source-based resource to take a look at is the Stanford History Education Group curriculum. I really like the looks of it, but I realized that adding it on top of WotW and the Aldrete lectures would be too much. But for a history loving kid it looks like a great resource. We're also potentially planning to use The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World by Robert Garland (Great Course). Dd doesn't want her history to be all about kings and battles, or to jump around from event to event (hence SWB's books weren't even considered here, though I read them all for my own edification). She's much more interested in the story-ness of history, and how people lived their lives and the stories they told about their world, and thought she might like this set of lectures. We're also focusing more on the literature side than the history side of the Great Books study for the same reason. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice in NJ Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) The History of the World: p. 6: "The prosimians were little creatures. Tree-shrews still exist which give us some idea of what there were like; they were far from being monkeys, let alone men. Yet for millions of years, they carried the traits which made humanity possible." p. 201: "The history of Greece took many curious turns after the fifth century, but the most sensational of them is how Greek civilization infused and gave direction to the imperial dreams of a kingdom which some said was not Greek at all: Macedon." p. 384: "Byzantium was not the only temptation to the predators prowling about the Middle East; indeed, it survived their attentions longer than its old enemy the Abbasid caliphate. The Arab empire slipped into decline and disintegration and from the tenth century we enter an age of confusion, which makes any brief summary of what happened a despairing exercise." p. 633: "There was a striking change in world history after 1500 and it was quite without precedent. Never before had one culture spread over the whole globe. Even in prehistory, the cultural tide had seemed set towards differentiation. Now it began to turn. Even by the end of the eighteenth century, the essentials of what was going on were evident." =========== I understand your desire to use a lot of primary source documents when studying history, but as you can see from the above, this text (and many others written by single authors as opposed to committees) provide plenty to discuss. The man has studied the subject, and now he has something to say. A historian can never just "stick to the facts." They influence. Helping our students to learn to identify when/why/how they are being influenced is very important. I spent no time trying to find books I agreed with to use with my kids. I look for evidence of scholarship, great prose, and the ability to influence/anger/appease the reader. Then we read and discussed. 1. What do you think about the word "carried" in the first quote? Tree-shrews, monkeys, and carrying. Tree-shrews/monkeys immediately conjures up the image of animals jumping from limb to limb with offspring clinging to their back. Then, bam, "carrying" traits? Nice word choice. Whether or not you believe what he's saying (and that's a discussion to have with your kids - even if you don't think the lines are problematic. Some people do; kids deserve to know that there are people in the world who don't believe the things they believe) - anyway, it's some nice writing either way. 2. Imperial dreams. Stop. What do you know about Macedon? Who are we talking about? What do you know about him? Didn't he carry the Greek culture to the known world? But isn't Roberts saying they aren't Greek at all? Did you ever think about that? What were they if not Greek? Does it matter? What about you? What culture are you? What does that mean? Is it significant? 3. Prowling predators. Not very flattering. Who is he talking about - because he just reduced them to wild animals. 4. Changes without precedent? Oh my. Much to discuss with teens here. I looked for texts that gave us something to talk about. Teaching my teens to learn to read/write (And remember, we are talking about kids who think they already know how to do this!) was very important to me. I hope this helps. Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey P.S. I found Roberts because of TWEM. SWB recommended the book years ago. :001_smile: Edited March 23, 2016 by Janice in NJ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Not a textbook, but a great read: The History of the World by Roberts. It's now in a 6th edition by Roberts/Westad. Amazon.com: The History of the World (9780199936762): J. M. Roberts, O. A. Westad: Books http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199936765/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687502&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1846144434&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1AHCAGYEG0AAE28H2CVF Peace, Janice Enjoy your little people Enjoy your journey Hmm, yes, this does look appealing. I have Roberts's History of Europe which was more Euro-centric than I was looking for (duh). But this does look very readable. And discussable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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