Help me find/make this 5th grade history

[Servant4Christ]

For upcoming 5th grade, Oldest wants to learn more about wars and battles. Mostly about the strategies, weapons, tools, boats, submarines, planes, ect used. Is there a good curriculum out there for this?

If this helps, we've already done world geography/cultures (Trailguide to World Geography) in 3rd and are in the middle of American history (Notgrass AtB 2011) for 4th. My plan is tentatively world history (Notgrass From Adam to Us) in 6th/7th and government/civics (Uncle Sam and You) in 8th.

Edited March 17, 2021 by Servant4Christ
world history, not world geography

[Masers]

You could probably make your own pretty easily. Just choose the wars you are interested in covering and make mini unit studies for each one. My boys love war stuff, and they are fascinated by all these books from Timberdoodle:

https://timberdoodle.com/products/24-hour-history-set-of-5

https://timberdoodle.com/collections/history/products/amazing-world-war-2-stories

https://timberdoodle.com/collections/history/products/true-stories-of-the-civil-war
https://timberdoodle.com/collections/history/products/true-stories-of-world-war-i
https://timberdoodle.com/collections/history/products/graphic-u-s-history

https://timberdoodle.com/collections/history/products/true-stories-of-the-revolutionary-war
 

They’re graphic novels, but man, do they retain a ton of info from them! And they devour them and re-read. I’ve been amazed at how much they learned. 

Same for these books:

https://www.chestercomix.com

it would be fun to go through and do different books, movies/documentaries, and activities for each war, going in chronological order. 
 

[mathmarm]

I don't know of a single resource but the following DK Eyewitness books may be helpful:

DK Eyewitness Arms and Armor
DK Eyewitness Civil War
DK Eyewitness World War I
DK Eyewitness World War II

 

I have not read these books but they have a good rating on Amazon

Simple History WWI

Simple History WWII

Simple History Vietnam War

 

Hopefully some of these will be helpful to you.

[Servant4Christ]

Thanks. I'll check these out. Has anyone used/read the Great Battles for Boys books?

[mathmarm]

4 minutes ago, Servant4Christ said:

Thanks. I'll check these out. Has anyone used/read the Great Battles for Boys books?

I have not. I was looking at them but I didn't want to recommend them since I wasn't sure if your 5th grader was a boy or a girl.

[Servant4Christ]

3 minutes ago, mathmarm said:

I have not. I was looking at them but I didn't want to recommend them since I wasn't sure if your 5th grader was a boy or a girl.

Boy! Oops 😂

[Servant4Christ]

Does anyone know the difference or have a preference between the DK Eyewitness series vs DK Smithsonian series?

Edited March 17, 2021 by Servant4Christ

[caffeineandbooks]

Are you picture study folks?  I love the TwoCan "Picture That!" series and there's one called Battles & Weapons.  Oversized hardcover book by Caroline Chapman (different authors for others in the series), there's a good sized picture and some background information on the first double page spread, and then some "zoomed in" cut outs from the master work on the next page, with specific info about those.  The details help my boys look longer than they would at just a picture, and the background info is fascinating in its own right.  This book covers works from ancient times through to modern:

• Tutankhamen tomb painting
• Terracotta army statues
• Alexander the Great mosaic
• Ludovisi Battle sarcophagus (Roman)
• Bayeux tapestry (Norman conquest of England)
• Songbook illumination (Crusades)
• Battle of Crecy
• American Revolution (the Trumbull picture)
• French Revolution (Claude Cholat)
• British sea battles
• Reno's Retreat (Battle of Little Bighorn)
• Prisoners from the Front (Civil War)
• Over the Top (WWI, John Nash)
• Beach Landing (D-Day, WWII, Richard Eurich)

The series is out of print but easily available from Thrift books - all of mine have arrived in excellent condition.

[goldenecho]

I don't have a curriculum, but I have two youtube channels to suggest:   Invictus and Extra Credits History.   For both it's usually pretty easy to tell which were about war and battles.   On Extra Credits ones that might not be as obvious because they don't have battle or war in the title would be Saragarhi,  Sendoku Jedai, and Thermopylae.  

Both video series I think would be fine for a child that age...Extra Credits is a little more fun, but Invictus has some videos about battle gear and stuff he would like. 

My suggestion is to break it up by era, just read books and and watch videos, and then have him do some sort of notebooking about it.  

[LauraClark]

On 3/16/2021 at 2:34 PM, Servant4Christ said:

Thanks. I'll check these out. Has anyone used/read the Great Battles for Boys books?

Oo-I forgot ds9 was given the "Bunker Hill to WWI" for his last birthday. We haven't read it yet, but I think we will read it after our current book. Anything particular that would be helpful for you to know about it?

[Servant4Christ]

2 hours ago, LauraClark said:

Oo-I forgot ds9 was given the "Bunker Hill to WWI" for his last birthday. We haven't read it yet, but I think we will read it after our current book. Anything particular that would be helpful for you to know about it?

Mostly reading level and content. DS is a bookworm. I don't want something he'll read in an hour, kwim? But also not something too mature for his age. I've returned 2 books this year that said they were appropriate for ages 8-12 but definitely were not, IMO.

Edited March 17, 2021 by Servant4Christ

[LauraClark]

1 hour ago, Servant4Christ said:

Mostly reading level and content. DS is a bookworm. I don't want something he'll read in an hour, kwim? But also not something too mature for his age. I've returned 2 books this year that said they were appropriate for ages 8-12 but definitely were not, IMO.

I just skimmed through a couple chapters: I think it will take longer than an hour, but it's not a thick book-maybe a week... 100ish pages, 11 chapters. Reading level is moderate. My DS9 is a pretty big bookworm too and I think he could definitely handle it by himself. I may pick up the ancients book as supplemental reading for our history next year (thanks for the reminder!), but I think maybe this as one of many other options since they're thin/moderate reads.  I didn't see anything at all questionable as far as appropriateness goes.  Hope that helps!

[Servant4Christ]

After some research, I think I'm just going to have him do US Geography in the order of statehood and memorize the states and capitals. I'll check out nonfiction books from the library as his interests lead and find historical/military/engineering type documentaries on YouTube.

[Xahm]

I see you have a curriculum plan, but if he's really interested, some actual military field manuals might be interesting for a keen fifth grader, or maybe older if he continues to be interested. I'm assuming you could buy them online or at a military surplus store. My husband says they are fairly accessable. 

[PeterPan]

On 3/16/2021 at 5:35 PM, caffeineandbooks said:

I love the TwoCan "Picture That!" series

I'm having a little trouble turning up a list of titles in this series. Do you have a link or list somewhere? Please please?   My ds does GREAT with picture study. I've got a book I'm using with him right now that is a survey of american history using art, but I would happily continue. 

Adding: I found several titles through my library by searching "Exploring History Through Art". 

Edited March 19, 2021 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

On 3/16/2021 at 1:23 PM, Servant4Christ said:

For upcoming 5th grade, Oldest wants to learn more about wars and battles.

You might find it works better to teach him to feed himself. Take him to the library and show him how to find resources (videos on amazon, books at the library, great stuff on youtube, etc.), then set him up some parameters (two notebook pages and one outline or map of some kind each week) and let him loose. This is the age when you begin to *transfer* some of his learning to him doing it to himself. You do not need to become a military historian or find it all to make it happen, and it doesn't really matter what he studies so long as he's within your parameters each week.

[caffeineandbooks]

9 hours ago, PeterPan said:

I'm having a little trouble turning up a list of titles in this series. Do you have a link or list somewhere? Please please?   

It's a small series.  I know of three others:

One on transportation by Ellen Galford https://www.amazon.com/Transportation-Land-Sea-Air-Exploring/dp/B00FGVQ4FS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=picture+that+transportation+twocan&qid=1616186870&sr=8-

One on exploration into the American West by Ellen Galford https://www.amazon.com/Trail-West-Exploring-History-Through/dp/1587284421/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=the+trail+west+picture+that&qid=1616186942&s=books&sr=1-4

One on knights and castles by Alex Martin https://www.amazon.com/Picture-That-Knights-Alex-Martin/dp/1587284413/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=picture+that+knights+and+castles&qid=1616187006&s=books&sr=1-1

[ScoutTN]

Do you have American history battle sites near you? We have tons of civil war ones and they have reenactments, history camps for kids, jr docent programs etc that make for amazing learning when paired up with a few books. 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, caffeineandbooks said:

It's a small series.  I know of three others:

And in return, maybe you'll like this. https://www.amazon.com/History-United-States-Through-Art/dp/1568474431/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=history+of+the+united+states+through+art+zandt&qid=1616196107&sr=8-6

[Servant4Christ]

13 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

Do you have American history battle sites near you? We have tons of civil war ones and they have reenactments, history camps for kids, jr docent programs etc that make for amazing learning when paired up with a few books. 

Yes, we have a local museum that has an amazing civil war reenactment every year but I'm not sure if they'll have it this year due to Covid. Same with the airshow I had hoped to go to.

On 3/19/2021 at 7:43 AM, PeterPan said:

You might find it works better to teach him to feed himself. Take him to the library and show him how to find resources (videos on amazon, books at the library, great stuff on youtube, etc.), then set him up some parameters (two notebook pages and one outline or map of some kind each week) and let him loose. This is the age when you begin to *transfer* some of his learning to him doing it to himself. You do not need to become a military historian or find it all to make it happen, and it doesn't really matter what he studies so long as he's within your parameters each week.

Our library, unfortunately, is small and very limited on good resources. They pretty much teach the children to play kid friendly computer games and Google everything so the books barely get a glance. I usually research and if they have decent books that we want to read, I place a hold on them and pick them up instead of going in. Our library only recently reopened and only for checking stuff out in this manner. No browsing and/or reading on site (or unnecessary computer use 😁).

DH is high risk due to pre-existing health conditions, so we isolate as much as possible.

[Publia]

I have some suggestions based on what battleship/plane-loving DS has liked.

First, visual encyclopedias are worth it in this situation. These books have basically lived on our coffee tables, open and often browsed, for well over a year now and are a fruitful source of discussions of various designs and specifications, and why those would be well-suited for particular circumstances.

Ships: Visual Encyclopedia, David Ross
Military Aircraft, Tanks & Warships: Visual Encyclopedia, Jim Winchester

Second, other “picture” books:

The Marine Art of Geoff Hunt

Dover coloring books of various ships and planes — These have short descriptions and good outline drawings, and they’re cheap.

DS has used both of the above, along with the visual encyclopedias to do many drawings. The coloring books are rarely actually colored in, but they get plenty of use, so I'd buy a few interesting titles even if you don't think your child would want to color.

Non-fiction:

William Shirer, The Sinking of the Bismarck: The Deadly Hunt
Jay Williams, The Battle for the Atlantic
Frank R. Donovan, Ironclads of the Civil War

Fiction:

Biggles series - Definitely not amazing literature (!), and not always easy to find, but these have had high appeal in recent years.

C.S. Forester, The Good Shepherd — Not a children’s book, but free of the occasionally problematic bits in Forester for 10 year-olds (I’m thinking primarily of Hornblower). The Tom Hanks movie version, Greyhound, is well done. Caveat: there is death, the imminent threat of death, and some gore, so proceed accordingly.

Fun:

If your child is into Legos, Cobi has many models of historical planes and ships.

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, Servant4Christ said:

Our library, unfortunately, is small and very limited on good resources.

Do they do interlibrary loans? Our state has library consortiums (consortia?), so we can request books that will be brought in from any of the libraries. 

Edited March 20, 2021 by PeterPan

[PeterPan]

26 minutes ago, Publia said:

Cobi has many models of historical planes and ships.

Yes, these are great!!

 

[PeterPan]

44 minutes ago, Publia said:

Biggles series - Definitely not amazing literature (!), and not always easy to find, but these have had high appeal in recent years.

Ok, you are my new best friend. From the covers, these look amazing. 

[Servant4Christ]

53 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Do they do interlibrary loans? Our state has library consortiums (consortia?), so we can request books that will be brought in from any of the libraries. 

No 😞

Edited March 20, 2021 by Servant4Christ

[PeterPan]

5 minutes ago, Servant4Christ said:

No 😞

Oh my. You might see if you can get a card for a different library. At least that way you could get their online/digital offerings. You could get magazines, audiobooks, etc.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

On a related note:  My oldest loves battle machines, mostly planes and tanks.  He builds plastic models and paints them.  He has also done one wooden boat cross section, which is easier than a full wooden boat.    Most kits come with a short historical information sheet, and he then goes on to google that particular machine and learn more about it.  The model building has turned into a nice hobby and he eventually branched out to constructing his own RC model airplane and now also owns several other RC airplanes as well.  

This was never part of any official history studies, it's just his hobby, but it carried right into our modern history studies this year.  

 

[Publia]

26 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

constructing his own RC model airplane

This is so neat!

[Slache]

Check out the You Wouldn't Want To Be series, too.

[Servant4Christ]

20 hours ago, Slache said:

Check out the You Wouldn't Want To Be series, too.

Just the person I was thinking of this morning! I can't get on ITT these days without confusing my phone and having to shut it off and do a reset. 😞

Anyway, I'm thinking of doing US geography with states and capitals next year. Maybe real books of interest such as military vessels, WW2, ect for reading, and looking up more info about state birds, trees, flowers, national parks, and wildlife for science. I want to create a timeline that includes a review of this year's American history along with next year's studies and Bible. I thought I'd use TGUS but then I stumbled onto Homeschool in the Woods Olde World Maps and timeline figures. 😍 DH did give me extra money in our curriculum budget this year thanks to our stimulus check. 😉

[Slache]

27 minutes ago, Servant4Christ said:

Just the person I was thinking of this morning! I can't get on ITT these days without confusing my phone and having to shut it off and do a reset. 😞

I get there with the unread content button.

[PeterPan]

14 hours ago, Slache said:

I get there with the unread content button.

You realize in all my years on this board I never noticed that button and certainly didn't know what it was for? LOL So there you go, you taught me something. 

[Servant4Christ]

18 hours ago, PeterPan said:

You realize in all my years on this board I never noticed that button and certainly didn't know what it was for? LOL So there you go, you taught me something. 

I knew it was there and was somewhat curious about that newspaper icon, but not enough to risk clicking on it. Lol. It's like the red button on my niece's carseat that I pressed once upon a time that made EVERY single piece of the seatbelt buckle to fly apart. Took me 20 minutes to find all the little pieces and reassemble the car seat restraint system!