High School Modern History Course

There is so much goodness to learn about during a modern history study. We loved our living literature-based approach.

This post contains affiliate links.

Modern History

For us, modern history goes from 1860 to the present.  That’s a lot of territory with a lot of happenings to cover in one school year!  Here’s our plan that counts for one credit of high school history.

Civil War and Reconstruction

I found a fabulous FREE resource for studying the Civil War on a high school level.  The Civil War Trust has put together a top-notch curriculum which includes full lesson plans, Power Point driven instruction, really good activity ideas and assignments, and even tests.  We will use this guide for approximately eight weeks.

The Rest of History

From about 1877 through the present, Mahayla will use volumes 8-11 of the Joy Hakim series, A History of US, as well as the Assesment Guide as the spine of her studies.  (Warning: These books can be a bit liberal, especially later in the series.  We do a lot of family discussion around the supper table to solidify our family’s conservative views.)

Historical Fiction

I’ve also added in a bit of living historical literature because this kid loves to read.  Some of these are a tad “lighter” reading because American Lit is on her schedule, too.

Movie Time

We just got Netflix this summer.  I was surprised at how many historical films are available to us.  Here is a list of just a few we will view. I WILL PREVIEW FIRST because I’ve never seen them, but at least several of them will be educational additions to our weekly family movie night.

These are in no particular order.

• The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

  

• The Diary of Anne Frank

  

• I Am Slave

  

• Beyond the Gates of Splendor

  

• The Dust Bowl

  

Following Passions

Well, just about ALL of history is a passion for Mahayla.  My 13yo son called her a history nerd when she checked out history book after history book just for the fun of it this summer!

I love how homeschooling offers us the chance to take time to dive deeper into certain passionate subjects.  While I have certain expectations for the year, the schedule will be very flexible for lingering and learning more when the interest strikes.

Do you have a history buff in your house?

Other posts you might enjoy:

 Teaching a Student-Led Course How To Teach High School Dissection Using Picture Books To Teach Narrative Writing