Story of Early Modern Times

Full-year course. Story of the Early Modern World continues your student’s study of history examining world history from the Age of Colonization at the beginning of the 1600s through the Revolutions and changes of the early 1800s. This course is particularly suited to middle-to-late stage logic age (7th and 8th grade) students deepening their formal study of history through investigating the historical and intellectual causes of key world events. Early Modern World meets for an hour, once a week, with a focus on interactive discussions among students and with the instructor. 

Weekly written assignments have a three-fold focus on mastery of historical facts, discussion of key ideas in that week’s subject, and mastery of the tools of study, through outlines, timelines, and primary source reading, on a rotating basis. The weekly discussion board assignment allows the students to creatively engage historical discussion through debate, role-playing, and basic expressive arts to view historical situations from a personal perspective. Students also write seven short papers throughout the semester on a topic of their choice, with an emphasis on a clear and engaging presentation of historical narrative. Students also take an end-of-the-semester exam to introduce them to a structured, semester long-review. A final project caps off the class in the spring semester. The workload blends structure with a students’ growing study skills, preparing the student for rhetoric stage learning in high school by allowing them to practice and grow their study skills.

Please note: Story of Early Modern Times or Story of the Modern Age may be taken out of sequence. Both courses provide a challenging learning opportunity for late-stage logic-age students.