In 42 chapters, the third volume of Story of the World takes another good-sized bite out of world history. Topics covered in Volume 3 include Japanese warlords, colonies in the "New World", the spread of slavery, the "Sun King" of France, English control in India, imperialist China, The Revolutionary War, Captain Cook's explorations, Age of Industrialism in Europe, Napoleon, French Revolution, Lewis & Clark, Mexican independence, Africa and colonialism, the Opium Wars, the Gold Rush, and much, much more. The text and activity book are both available only in paperback, and student activity pages are reproducible for families only - not co-ops or schools. - Jess

Customer Reviews

 
Kelly L. from NY wrote the following on 10/05/2006:
The SOTW history program delivers! My dd LOVES history and, because of Story Of The World, wants to be an archaeologist when she grows up. SOTW is a wonderful history program to use and would be SO EASY to use with multiple students at once. Because it reads like a story, it keeps kids interested every step of the way. Even my 2 yo will climb up on the couch and listen to the story. The activity book is wonderful for my 1st grader. She enjoys the coloring and other activities. This is also a curriculum guide which is a must as it has lists of additional books to pick up from the library. The library books are a huge help in cementing what you've learned. The additional activities listed in the guide are a lot of fun, too. No prep time is required by you unless you want to get the supplemental books from the library. This curriculum would be SO EASY to use with multiple students at once. No one can believe how much my dd knows about Ancient Egypt ... she stumped adults with her trivia questions! The SOTW text and curriculum/activity book are my favorite purchases of the year! I feel this is the best history program out there.

 
Chalee G. from Jerome, ID wrote the following on 05/21/2007:
This history program is great. I used this with my 1st and 3rd grader. They both loved it. It reads just like a story which keeps their interest. The activity book is a great teacher help. Loads of hands on activities and map work, plus additional reading you can choose from, (which is completely optional). Plus there are coloring sheets which my girls love to do while I am reading. We will definitely use Volume 2 for next year.

 
Cathy W. from Camas, WA wrote the following on 08/29/2007:
This is the most incredible history program I have seen. It makes me wish I was in 1st grade again. I have 3 boys ages 2, 4, and 6 - one is auditory, one is visual and one is a hands-on learner. I use the book and activity notebook for all three of them at once. Today we did the archaeological dig. Donned with shovels, screens, and buckets, they all fell in love with history and school (they were in awe of the fact that mom actually told them to dig in the dirt and it was school work). They all learned more than I hoped for - not that many 2 year olds can successfully pronounce the word archaeologist and know what it means. I love that you can do as little or as much as you want with these books without feeling like you are going to miss something you will need to know for later on. I decided to choose one project per week and decided those ahead of time. I pulled all the supplies needed for the entire year and boxed it up. It is so clear what we will need that this completely stream-lined my year, making it a joy. Every week I cannot wait until Activity Day and that excitement gets my boys excited about school. I am getting more than my money's worth on this one!

 
Teresa D. from Round Rock, Texas wrote the following on 10/25/2007:
The story format of this history text is interesting and short enough for my first grader, but I could see that an older child would get a lot deeper with the same material. I would strongly suggest the activity book to go with the history text if only for the matching maps and coloring sheets. I think that as my daughter colors a picture of what I am reading about-- while I read it-- that she is paying attention on multiple levels instead of her mind wandering. The texts are short enough for a single session, with each chapter broken into manageable chunks. As an adult I really appreciate the worldwide take on history-- not just Europe in here!

 
Teresa D. from Round Rock, Texas wrote the following on 10/25/2007:
I absolutely love this activity book! I think it is brilliant for my daughter to color a picture of exactly what I am reading about, keeping her hands busy and her mind from wandering while I read each day's text. The grandparents are in awe of her simple mapwork, and I am pleased that it reinforces the reading. We haven't done a single activity yet-- but I don't feel like we're missing anything either. The activities offered range from very detailed with lots of materials, to more basic arts and crafts and also cooking. The teacher/parents guide is scripted and very encouraging, with various "right" answers. I really appreciate that it shows the topic-matching page numbers for Kingfisher and Usborne suggested resources. Also this is reproducible within families.

 
Joanna R. from WV wrote the following on 06/02/2008:
My kids, 1st & 2nd grade LOVED this program! Their favorite thing we did in school this year was study the Ancient Greeks! It was fun to be able to study history/geography together with different age groups- especially with one reading well and one just starting to read. I found the activity book very helpful. The kids loved the craft suggestions and books. They loved to hear the narration. The coloring pages/ fun pages were also a great activity, though I found some things like crossword puzzles didn't really appeal to my 1st grader yet. I found that we did history about 2-3 times a week and that was enough to get our book done. I also supplemented with some videos/documentaries and kid-friendly websites, such a a Jim Henson's Muppet Theater of Greek Myths & Legends from Netflix. How awesome was it the night we started watching a PBS documentary about the demise of the Ancient Minoans and my kids knew all about the geography of Crete and Greece. My husband was stunned that they knew the subject so well. And imagine my delight when my 2nd grader asked if I thought Hammurabi or Alexander the Great were the greater influence on the world. I wish I could find more of the literature recommended in my public library, but it's not a very big library. Also, my 1st grader has a very short attention span with a low level of frustration when it comes to concentration. My 2nd gr. son is a quick, self-guided learner. They both loved this series and comprehended it well. We didn't even use the tests though we may as they get older. We also set up some of their projects for grandparents to see as they were very proud of their work and loved to talk about everything they learned. As a history lover myself, I found that it was very good not just at the boring dates and facts, but it showing how one civilization or event or person influenced or paved the way for others, which is such an important part of understanding history. And it is easy to teach. Read the narration, which is divided into short sections, pick which activities and literature you want to do, color the pages, and supplement with a few good resources, and your kids can really understand history, even if it wasn't your favorite subject. Highly recommended!

 
Darlene H. from New Albany, IN wrote the following on 02/20/2009:
I have used this series with three of my children and am about to start it up all over again with my youngest. You would think I'd be bored having to read it ALL over again with another child. Wrong! I can't wait to share this wonderful series with my daughter. Susan has such a way of making history come alive right before our eyes! My kids and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the books, but my favorite was Book 4. It was not only interesting to read, but I learned many facts I didn't learn in all my years of school! Not even in my high school years! I especially like the activity book that goes along with this volume. It gently taught my kids how to write an outline and then gradually transitioned them into writing from an outline. These are valuable skills for kids to learn before they are expected to write essays in the high school years. I can't say enough about this series and heartily recommend it to anyone who will listen to me!

 
Kathy A. from Southeast Wisconsin wrote the following on 10/23/2009:
Story of the World is authored by homeschooling graduate/homeschooling mother, Susan Wise Bauer. The series consists of a four volume set of "storybooks" which tell the history of the world from the earliest nomads to the events of the late 20th century. The series is written in a narrative tone, reminiscent of the late V.M. Hillyer's style of writing. Volume 1 covers the time period of the earliest nomads to the last Roman emperor. Volume 2 covers the time period fall of Rome to the rise of the Renaissance. Volume 3 covers the time period from Elizabeth I to the Forty Niners. Volume 4 covers the time period from Victoria's empire to the end of the USSR. To round out your history curriculum I would highly recommend purchasing the activity books which accompany each volume. The activity books correspond with the chapters in each of the four volumes. For each chapter there are review questions, narration exercise, additional history reading, writing/craft/art projects, and an activity. In the back of each activity book there is a section titled student pages which consists of maps, coloring pages and review cards to create a world history notebook. Science is not included in this study, but you can use Jim Wiese's book "Ancient Science" as a starting point. Based on our experience with this series and the content of the curriculum I would recommend it for Grades 5-8. Overall I am pleased with Ms. Bauer's approach to world history and look forward to using this as a unit study in our homeschool.