Grades 5th-8th
literature not included
Ancients is a year-long homeschool history curriculum for middle school students ready to learn independently. The course takes a multi-disciplinary approach by incorporating history with language arts and world geography. As students work their way through the course, they complete reading and writing assignments as well as work on maps and a timeline. These components come together to create a comprehensive homeschool history curriculum covering ancient times.
History Odyssey Ancients (“Ancients”) is a secular homeschool curriculum, meaning it does not present religious beliefs or texts as historically factual accounts. Rather, it references them as another source or perspective to be considered.
Ancients is the first of a four-part series of history guides. While each course can be completed without having done the others, it is best to start with this course as it lays the groundwork for skills needed in future courses.
This resource is a student-independent and investigative history guide program. It includes 87 lessons spanning the course of your academic year. Each lesson will typically be 1-2 hours, multiple times a week. This schedule can ebb and flow to the needs and interests of your students. Ancients will cover ~20,000 BCE to 500 CE and address major historical areas in the Egyptian culture, life and culture of Ancient Greece, defining characteristic of ancient societies and their notable achievements, and of course the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Students will source their information initially from the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia. As they develop their researching skills, they will utilize mostly primary sources. There is required literature that can be purchased or sourced from your local library. Skills developed are critical thinking, reading, writing, geography, and timeline work.