Story of the Middle Ages

Full-year course. Story of the Middle Ages examines history from the fall of the Roman empire through the beginnings of the Renaissance. Live sessions consist primarily of an interactive review and discussion of the weekly readings in an effort to solidify learning and further explore the historical events encountered in the class text. Over the course of the year, students participate in group activities based on the readings, such as making crossword puzzles, creating posters, or writing quiz questions, headlines, or scenes derived from a particular historical event. These assignments give students the opportunity to collaborate and engage more actively with the material.

The multiple written summaries throughout the year prepare students for higher-level research and writing. They focus on developing writing skills and using historical evidence and argumentation to defend a clear thesis. Students work on critical thinking skills by analyzing primary sources and using evidence to answer questions and draw logical conclusions. They also learn to organize their readings into a 3-level outline. To prepare students for test-taking, students take weekly open-book quizzes to familiarize them with the questions they will have on a closed-book test.

Story of Ancient Times and Story of the Middles Ages may be taken out of sequence. Both courses provide a challenging learning opportunity for early-stage logic-age students. If taking the courses out of sequence, we recommend reading or listening to Story of the World, Vol. 1 Ancient Times before class starts.