These principles pertain to attitudes, goals, methods,
and expectations, rather than curriculum, but they assume as a starting
point that students of history have access to a collection of story-based
history books, such as can be found on the Heritage History website, or
in our Compact Libraries. Some
of these recommendations make no sense if students only have access
to dull and cumbersome texts.
Although we are critical of many modern history books, there
are some excellent recent-vintage books to be found, and the ability to distinguish
worthwhile books from tedious ones, is one of the skills
that we seek to encourage.
1. History should be an enjoyable subject.
Resist the modern temptation to turn history into a drudge. Keep
interest alive by focusing on stories; and not over-emphasizing analysis,
written work, and memorization.
2. History books should be engaging enough to hold your student's interest.
If they are not, then you need new books. Reading history should be
a treat, not a chore.
3. History is a reading-based subject.
Students should spend most of their time reading; not memorizing dates,
writing reports, cramming for tests, or working on projects. The more they read,
the better. Some of the time spent answering written questions in order to "review"
selected points, might be better spent just reading more history.
4. Stories are often remembered even when names and dates are forgotten.
Bright students with excellent memories can remember names and
details that other students will forget. But almost all students
can remember the basic outline of a story and sometimes that's
enough for a first introduction. Do not panic if your child cannot
remember specific details well after an initial reading. They probably
still "got something". Students who do not have the ability to regurgitate
and analyze exactly what they learned, are probably still learning
to the best of their ability.
5. Read it again.
A particularly good history book may be worth reading more than once,
especially after some time has elapsed.
Likewise, reading several books that cover the same material can also
be helpful. Enjoyable history stories are just as enjoyable the second
(or third) time through, and retention is far better after more than one
reading.
6. Learn history along with your students.
If you grew up during the era of social studies, you probably don't
know many history stories yourself. Take advantage of this opportunity
to learn it yourself—It is one of the most enjoyable aspects of
homeschooling!
7. Read classical rather than modern history.
Much modern juvenile history is so dumbed down it conveys very
little real information. Some books are reliant
entirely on pictures and captions, and others are terribly dull and didactic.
Classical stories from history, on the other hand, are often very
enjoyable, and a better bet for holding a student's interest.
8. Be suspicious of anything written after 1970.
Approximately forty years ago, the quality of juvenile history books began to take
a sharp, downward turn. There are of course, some very good books written in
recent times, but they require serious "vetting". In order to evaluate modern
books by any meaningful standard, one has to have some idea of what a high-quality
juvenile history book from yesteryear might look like. Therefore, take the time
to familiarize yourself with some of the older classics before attempting to
evaluate modern books, so you will not be satisfied by merely the best of a bad
lot.
9. Quality books are attractive to young and old.
The best way to tell if a book will be interesting to your students, is
to determine if it is interesting to you. If a book holds your attention after the
first few chapters it will likely appeal also to young people. There are some
exceptions to this of course, especially taking into account
boy-girl differences,
but quality writing and good story-telling is attractive to people of all ages.
10. Comprehensive history books are not the only option.
Comprehensive History
usually covers the history of a country or civilization,
beginning to end, in a single volume. Well-written, story-based comprehensive history books
are useful as core reading material, but they
are rarely as interesting as more detailed,
Episodic Histories, which can take more
time to develop characters and interesting subplots.
Biographies,
Legends,
Classical literature,
Historical Fiction,
Military History,
Travel Stories,
Fables, and
Hero Stories
can all be considered "history" books.
Think of history as encompassing many aspects of culture and civilization, and
focus on those topics for which interesting books and stories are available.
11. Don't assign "challenging" history books.
Provide history books at or below a student's reading level, particularly
for reluctant readers. Do not mistake modern dumbed-down children's
books, which rely almost entirely on pictures and captions, with high quality history
books written at a grammar school level. Excellent books exist, even at relatively easy
reading levels, which are perfectly adequate for a basic introduction.
Motivated, fluent readers, on the other hand, might seek out challenging works themselves.
You don't need to do it for then.
12. Use Historical Maps.
The study of almost any country or period in history can benefit greatly
from the use of
Historical Maps.
High resolution pictures of hundreds of
historical maps have been provided by Heritage History. Consider printing
and possibly laminating several maps that your students can use for reference
that corresponds to books they are reading.
13. Don't overdo American History.
Studying the same fascinating characters year after year, renders them dull,
and the stories from American history are only a fraction of the available
material. We confine the study of American History to grammar school and high school,
and leave the middle years for other topics. High-schoolers who have invested
many years studying world history in depth, will approach American history
with better insights, and more interest, than if they are already over-exposed.
14. If you find a good author, stick with them.
If your student particularly likes a book, make a note of the author and look for
other similar books. Many young people are happy to read an entire series
from an author that they enjoy.
15. Allow students to choose their reading from a selection of (pre-screened) worthwhile books.
It is very helpful to have a selection of pre-vetted, worthwhile history-related
books on hand, and encourage "free" reading in addition to assigned reading. Start building up a home-library
of classical older history books.
Used book stores, yard sales, and used curriculum
fairs are a good bet for low prices. The Heritage History
Compact Libraries
are also an option worth considering.
16. Don't confine history to "Unit Studies".
Homeschoolers often try to combine subjects, and history is sometimes
taught as part of a "unit study" approach, complete with
writing, vocabulary, art, geography, and culture-studies. This is,
in fact, the social studies approach, and it can be done well. It does,
however, risk having the same diminishing effect on history that social
studies does, by weighing it down it with too many complicated learning
goals. History thrives best as an independent, reading-based subject;
not as a vehicle for language arts and social science. Some "interdisciplinary"
studies are helpful, but don't overdo.
17. Public libraries sometimes have a poor selection of juvenile history books.
Well-intentioned homeschoolers often take their students to libraries, allow
them free reign to select history books of their choice, and still come home with
a piles of mediocre books. Worthwhile books may exist, but the vast majority of
history books in most libraries are of recent vintage, and many are poor quality, or
focus primarily on recent history. Finding worthwhile books in modern libraries is
possible, but it often takes considerable effort and can't necessarily be left to
children.
18. Consider books in electronic or audio form.
The lack of wide-spread high quality juvenile history books is a serious problem.
More publishers are starting to reprint some of these classics, but they are
often unavailable in schools and libraries.
The Heritage History online library
was created as a resource to homeschoolers and self-learners. It contains over
400 classic traditional histories at a variety of reading levels, all in electronic
form. In 2009 we added the option of purchasing
Compact Libraries on CD's, each
of which contains 60-90 books preselected by topic of interest and reading level,
so that our collection of classical juvenile histories could be read off-line.
Each book in our compact libraries is formatted in such a way that it is easy to
print and bind in a home-office setup.
Until print versions of these books are widely available, this format
at least provides easy access, and is worth considering.
These guidelines are set-forth as general principles, and we hope they are applied
in a balanced and common-sense way. They are not intended to be taken to extremes.
For example, we believe in emphasizing reading, but do not
categorically oppose review questions. We don't like to see history confined to
unit studies, but don't object to unit studies themselves, etc.
These principles were intended to help people see history less as an itemized
checklist of facts that must be learned, and more as an enjoyable life-time hobby.
We hope they help homeschoolers enjoy history more, and that they make teaching and
learning history easier, not more difficult.
