Frequently Asked Questions about Connecting with History (CWH):

 

Do the book packages include the CWH guide?
What is the bare minimum of what I need to get started?
Where can I see the booklists for each volume?
Why are there so many books suggested in the program?
How can I make this program affordable when I have children at several age levels?
Do I need to purchase the Great Adventure Bible Timeline program to use Volume One of CWH?
Are there daily lesson plans?
Where can I see sample pages from the program?
What subjects does Connecting with History cover?
Does Connecting with History cover non-Western history?
Is this a World history program or a Church history program?

 

Q.  Do the book packages include the CWH guide?

A.  No, you will need to purchase the guide separately.

 

Q. What is the bare minimum of what I need to get started?

A.  You will need the Connecting with History syllabus and the Core Texts for each level you will be teaching.  Discounted Packages are available for each level which include all the books that are recommended in the syllabus.  However, to get a quick start you may wish to choose one of the Economy Packages.  These contain books that are used over the course of the year, make good family read-alouds, or cover information that we feel is too important to miss out on.  Choose the package that meets your family's needs or pick and choose individual books. 

 

Q. Where can I see the booklists for each volume?

A.   Volume One Booklist |  Volume Two Booklist | Volume Three Booklist

 

Q.  Why are there so many books suggested in the program?

A.  We want to encourage interest in and a sense of curiosity about the history of mankind.  We use a variety of genres, each of which has a specific role to play.  Textbooks provide a quick overview, a springboard from which to dive into a time period.  Non-fiction books provide more in-depth information on particular people and events from history, promoting deeper understanding.  Using informational books from a variety of authors provides the student with the opportunity to compare viewpoints and hone research skills. Primary sources bring the student into direct contact with real people who lived in distant times and places.  Literature written during the time period allows those who have gone before us to express their thoughts and feelings to us; we discover that people of all eras share the common bonds of humanity - love and hatred, fear and despair, faith and hope.  Historical fiction fires our imaginations and takes us back in time to live in a time and place that is very different from our own. 

 

Q.  How can I make this program affordable when I have children at several age levels?

A.  First of all, Connecting with History was written to be flexible so that you can adapt it to your family's unique needs.  The suggested age ranges for each level are not set it stone.  You can combine children within a level so that materials can be shared. For instance, a child in third grade could be placed in the Beginner Level or, if you have a fourth or fifth grader as well, they can both be placed in the Grammar Level.  Also, many of the resources in the syllabus can be used with more than one level.  Our Economy Booklists include the books that are used many times over the course of the year and can be used by children at multiple levels. 

Remember also that nearly all the materials for Connecting with History are non-consumable.  That means that you can use them again when you cycle back through history.  As an example, if you have a preschooler, a first grader (Beginner Level) and a fourth grader (Grammar Level) the first time you use Volume One, in four years when you repeat the cycle your youngest child will be using the Beginner books you already own, the first grader will now be a fifth grader using the Grammar books you already have so you'll only need to collect the Logic Level books for your oldest child.  Meanwhile you will be investing in a family library of treasured books that your children will return to even outside of "school" hours!

That being said, we provide Economy Booklists to simplify your planning and to fit your family's budget.  You will find them on this site listed under each age group,

 

Q.  Do I need to purchase the Great Adventure Bible Timeline program to use Volume One of CWH?

A.  Although Volume One of CWH is written to coordinate with the Great Adventure Bible Timeline by Jeff Cavins it is not necessary to watch the program to use CWH.  If your budget allows we highly recommend that you consider the Great Adventure in order to gain a deeper understanding of the Biblical story.  There are two versions available for families: A Quick Journey Through the Bible - 8 week course and specifically for teens T3: The Teen Timeline

For young children we suggest the new Great Adventure Kids Pack.

The Bible Timeline Chart is an invaluable teaching tool to use in conjunction with Volume One.  This is also included in the Volume One Starter Pack.

An excellent alternative to The Bible Timeline is the book, Walking with God, A Journey Through the Bible by Jeff Cavins and Tim Gray. 

Similarly,  Epic: A Journey Through Church History is referred to throughout Volumes Two and Three but is not required in order to use the CWH program.  We do highly recommend the Epic Study Set which contains valuable articles and book recommendations for further study, as well as a Church history timeline chart.  This is appropriate for high school students and adults.

 

Q.  Are there daily lesson plans?

A.  One of the goals of the program is to make it flexible enough so that each family can fit it into their own schedule and teaching style.  CWH is broken down into units rather then daily or weekly lesson plans.  It's up to you how much time to spend on each unit, but the average is 3-4 weeks.  Volume One contains a teacher's section for assisting you in planning out each unit.  If you start with Volume 2 or 3 we will happily send you a free teacher's guide as a PDF download.

Download a Sample Schedule

Q. Where can I see sample pages from the program?

A. The Overview page on this site provides information on how the Connecting with History program works, including sample pages.  Click here.

 

Q.  What subjects does Connecting with History cover?

A.  You can think of Connecting with History as a Humanities course.  This includes Bible study (Volume One), Church History (Volume Two), World History, Literature, and Geography.  Composition and Creative Writing opportunities are also incorporated in the program as well as arts and crafts.  Some suggested resources also include science activities, however these would be supplemental to a more complete science course.  The skill subjects such as math, spelling, grammar, phonics and the mechanics of writing are not included in the program. 

 

Q.  Does Connecting with History cover non-Western history?

A.  The focus of CWH is on Western Civilization which is the basis of Christian culture.  We try to keep the program as chronological as possible without being a slave to chronology and hopping all over the globe. Yet we don't want to give the impression that the rest of the world isn't important.  In Volume One the central focus is on the Israelites and the ancient Middle Eastern and North African cultures which were in direct contact with them.  Volume Two shows the transformation from the Old Covenant to the New with the development of the Church.  As Christianity spreads from Rome into other areas we look at the other cultures through the eyes of the missionaries as they begin interacting with the world beyond Europe. So as they set out to interact with these cultures, for example China, there will be a quick history of China as the missionaries would have had to learn about it in order to be able to understand the people they came to live with and teach. In this way we make brief, but important forays into the pre-Christian history of non-Western cultures.

 

Q.  Is this a World history program or a Church history program?

A.  It's both.  Thanks to modern schooling we've become accustomed to thinking in compartments. History is divided up into compartments, even in good schools, Catholic schools, colleges.... You find classes on Bible History, Church History, Geo-political History, American History, Art History, History of the Saints, History of Science...

Connecting with History means de-compartmentalizing all of these areas and putting them back together; integrating them so that everything connects and makes sense. Nothing in history happens in a vacuum. The church doesn't exist in its own little universe separate from governments and politics. Artists and scientists don't live in their own realm apart from popes and saints. St. Paul visited the same Greece that Aristotle lived in; Moses' Egypt is the same Egypt as King Tut's. Actually, the most integrated books on history tend to be the ones on Church history because you can't talk about the Church apart from secular events - it's all interconnected.  Most of our core texts are Catholic, but we include plenty of secular history books as well so that your students are learning from a variety of sources and viewpoints.   

 

 

 

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