Notgrass Exploring World History: A Curriculum Review
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When it comes to history study, Notgrass and all of its curriculum packages (which include Exploring World History) rate highly at the top of the list. Exploring World History is one of the five high school level social studies curricula Notgrass offers that is written just for home school students. What that means is Exploring World History not only includes a history component but integrates an English and a Bible component, making it a full learning experience.
Notgrass Exploring World History takes high school students – ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade – from Creation through the Middle Ages, passing through the Renaissance period and finishing in the Present. As with all Notgrass Curricula, it is written from a Biblical perspective. Although that is the case, I encourage anyone to not bypass any of the Notgrass studies due to its Christian focus. Ray and Charlene Notgrass love history and that fact comes through in all of their curriculum studies, and it is an experience not to miss, especially if you enjoy history.
About the Notgrass World History Curriculum
The Exploring World History Curriculum Package includes three hardback textbooks:
- Part 1: Creation Through the Middle Ages
- Part 2: The Renaissance to the Present
- In Their Own Words
The study is a one-year course, and the student will complete Part 1 and Part 2 over one semester each. If you have ever used any of the Notgrass curriculum packages, you will already be familiar with its organized layout and easy flow of the daily lessons.
Part 1 and Part 2 books include 15 units each, a total of 30 units, with five daily lessons each. As previously mentioned, the study also includes English and Bible components. A student who completes all three components will earn one full credit in each study. If you choose to only complete one or two subject components, the World History study will still be thorough in each subject independently.
At the beginning of each unit, there is a brief summary, a title overview of each lesson, memory work, books used, and the unit project. The daily lessons are organized, providing the student with a schedule of what should be completed each day. The components you plan to complete in the year will determine which books your student will read from the list.
The assigned books include The Bible, readings from In Their Own Words, and one of the 12 literature books that are read as part of satisfying the English credit. The book titles for the World History course are:
Each title corresponds with one or more units to enhance what is presented in the study. You have the option of using the assigned book or substituting another one to complete the study. Notgrass provides suggestions for alternate titles to use. When including the literature component, students are challenged to complete a literary analysis after reading the assigned literature.
The Exploring World History Student Review Pack is an optional purchase and includes three softcover books:
The Student Review Book includes lesson and literature review questions, Bible commentary, and literary analysis assignments.
The Quiz and Exam Book includes weekly unit quizzes, and exams for the Bible, English, and History components. Quizzes are done after each unit and the exams are done every five units. There will be an exam for Bible, an exam for English, and an exam for History after every five units.
The Guide for Parents and Answer Key includes the answers for all of the unit and lesson questions, quizzes, and exams for the Bible, English, and History studies.
Your student could complete the History portion of the course without the review pack, but we find all pieces of the pack quite helpful with completing the course. If you plan to do the English and or Bible components, the review pack is a must.
“Who, What, How, Why, and Why Not: A Primer for Analysis of Non-Fiction” and “What Do You Think About What He Thinks? A Primer for Analysis of Fiction” are two sections in the Student Review that walk a student through the steps of analyzing literature and poetry. The information shared is helpful to the student for composition.
After completing the curriculum, a student can earn up to 3.0 credits – one credit in each of the aforementioned subjects.
Review of Notgrass’ Exploring World History
Notgrass curriculum packages always provide the student with more than enough work to complete. That is for the benefit of the student to have multiple options for creating a World History study that caters to their interests. That is well displayed in the project assignments in each lesson. Projects vary and include:
“Some of the features I really like about the Notgrass curriculum are the independence it promotes in the student, the engaging pictures that bring to life the words on the pages, and that it is well laid out.“
By the time your child is in high school, when they will be using Exploring World History, they are moving to a more independent way of study. Notgrass Exploring World History is written to the student. It helps them improve their independent learning skills, makes a normally dry subject a lot more interesting, and takes a step-by-step approach with an organized presentation. It is an easy-to-use and open-and-go curriculum that makes teaching World History just a matter of turning the pages.
Is Notgrass History right for your family?
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Check out Jennifer’s other reviews of the Notgrass Curriculum:
- Notgrass Exploring Government: A Curriculum Review
- Notgrass Exploring Economics: A Curriculum Review
