Human history began when people gathered around rivers, began sowing seeds, settled into permanent shelters and chose collaboration over competition to create pockets of stability in an often harsh and threatening world. These tiny gatherings slowly grew and civilizations took root around the Yellow River in China, the Indus Valley, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and the Nile. This open-and-go teacher's guide makes it easy to use the best literature to teach the history of those peoples–the ones who planted crops and built cities, developed technology, the arts, literature, and pushed human achievement to levels never seen before. From Sumer, Mesopotamia, China, and India to Greece, Rome, and the birth of Christianity, this history program delves deep into the beliefs and ideas that motivated our ancestors to create, to worship, to conquer and to love. Comparative studies between creation narratives and religious systems of Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, Israel, and the development of Christianity provide essential perspective in understanding how each culture is directly shaped by what it takes to be true and their understanding of human value. Reading lists full of carefully chosen titles, geography assignments, vocabulary, discussion and narration prompts to encourage critical thinking, research and creative writing projects, supplemental book recommendations, hands-on activities, website links, and much more are included. Character Connections in each lesson helps students connect their history studies with biblical principles. The 108 lessons cover one year of history at a rate of 3 lessons per week. 150 pages, softcover. Grades 9 – 10.
