Story of the World Volume 2 Middle Ages (Paperback)

The name BiblioPlan is synonymous with classical chronological world history. Through years of tweaking and revision, however, what is available now is a full-bodied, full-color curriculum rather than a mere lesson-plan framework (its original format). Comprehensive and thorough while providing ease of use and minimum teacher prep, BiblioPlan allows students of all ages to work in the same era at the same time at their own level. There is also flexibility. You can still use just the framework (Lesson Plans Plus) or you can add some or all of the components. You can take a general approach and incorporate multiple ages at once or you can use material that targets particular grade levels. Older children can help younger children and children of all ages will be making memories as they work together. BiblioPlan puts you in the driver's seat with full controls.

BiblioPlan Lesson Plans Plus

BiblioPlan Lesson Plans Plus, formerly known as the Family Guide, provides the structural framework for the program – a full year's worth of history and literature readings. The Lesson Plan Plus is necessary. There are four guides, one for each of the four classical (chronological) time periods: Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern. This is the core of the whole program (and once WAS the whole program). Designed by a group of homeschooling moms, these guides provide a 34-week, comprehensive lesson plans with annotated reading lists, audio options, video suggestions, and additional resources for each grade level. With a goal of integrating quality historical literature with biblical and secular history, these moms put together an easy-to-follow plan covering the historical topic (Classtime Reading), intentional scriptural study, References and Resources for textual information about the topic, Literature Selections of the Week (for all grade levels), a Family Read Aloud suggestion, Writing Ideas, weekly Memory Work, Optional Fiction & free online resources, movies, and suggested Activities. Introductory information in each guide includes the usual "how to find books" and "how to use the plan" information as well as the book lists for both the scheduled and the optional literature. Each Unit also includes an annotated book list specifically for that unit’s course of study for 6 weeks.

If it sounds like the Lesson Plans Plus might be all you need you would be correct. They're comprehensive and thorough; well-constructed plans. You could complete four years (plus four more if you wanted) of interesting history, absorbing literature, and engaging activity possibilities using just these guides. If you go this route, you will need to use the frequently referenced "spine resources." These include Story of the World, Mystery of History, The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History, or History of US and several others.

There is, however, an alternative route. If you like to have perfectly coordinated, quality material at your fingertips rather than scrambling for it then you can incorporate one or more of the following BiblioPlan text (Remember the Days or Consider the Years) components to use alongside the Lesson Plans Plus.

BiblioPlan Text Components: Remember the Days, Consider the Years and Companions

• Remember the Days - textbooks written specifically for Grades K-7 in a storybook narrative, and are available for Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern.
• Consider the Years - textbooks written specifically for Grades 7-12 are available for Ancient and Modern. It is a reworking of the older Companions and part of the 2nd edition material now available. Grade levels are determined by the students’ reading level.
• Companions are currently available for Medieval (two-book set) and Early Modern (two-book set). These are 1st edition texts and are being replaced with the Consider the Year text. For Ancients and Modern the Companions are only compatible with the 2012 edition of Cool History.

With options for each time period, these are full-color historical textbooks that provide textual information (world history, U.S. history, church history, biblical history, and geography) in a narrative prose style interspersed with all sorts of intriguing factual and cultural anecdotes. They are color-coordinated so you know instantly if you're reading history text (black & white) or about people, special events, or biblical quotes (various colored backgrounds). These are books which beg to be pored over. As an example, in random pages from the Medieval Companion, there is a section on Muslim food laws and their rituals for newborns, a description of a tughra (Ottoman sultans’ signature) with gorgeous, artistic examples, and a Turkish paper decorating technique ebru. In the Giants of the Faith section, this particular biographical sketch is of Saint George and the Dragon which continues onto the next page and includes a large, glorious artwork reproduction.

There is a pattern to the information provided for each chapter (each volume has 34 chapters – one for each week): Geography Focus, Church History Focus, Fascinating Facts, Mystifying Myths, Interesting Individuals, Scripture Spotlight, Fascinating Foods, Critical Concepts, Giants of the Faith, and so much more. The alliteration abounds when it comes to section headings throughout the readings. Just in case there's any doubt, Remember the Days, Consider the Years, and the Companions as well as all the BiblioPlan materials have a consistent biblical and Christian worldview. These books provide all the necessary textual information for Classtime Reading and greatly reduce, or even eliminate, the need for any outside historical reference books or spines. Families may still choose to use the suggested spine readings to provide even more historical perspective and textual information.

BiblioPlan Cool History

These provide weekly assignment sheets at four different grade level groupings that correspond to appropriate textual readings:

• Littles (K-2) [Remember the Days]
• Middles (3-8) [Remember the Days]
• Upper Middles (8-10) [Consider the Years]
• Advanced (10-12) [Consider the Years]

It is easy to surmise that the goal of Cool History is to allow a family to study the same era and the same topics but at their own distinct level of comprehension. This is where you find your students' work and in upper levels their assessments also. There are subtle grade-appropriate variations in the levels. These pages include reading assignments and questions taken from the Remember the Days and, Consider the Years or Companion readings.

·         The Littles book includes questions referencing the Remember the Days readings; these reading assignments are found in the Lesson Plans Plus. Also included are fun hands-on activities and Globe Fun (introductory map activities). The "Giants of the Faith" section provides biblical figures associated with the times and places of study. Answers are intended to be done orally in these full-colored workbooks.

• The Middles book includes questions referencing the Remember the Days readings; these reading assignments are found in the Lesson Plans Plus. Also included are “Giants of the Faith” suggestions, Challenge Questions for older students, plus an Optional Bonus Question/Activity. These are consumable, full-colored workbooks.
• Upper Middles book includes questions referencing the Consider the Years or Companion readings; these reading assignments are found in the Lesson Plans Plus. Also included are Challenge Questions, Optional Bonus Question, and pdfs of periodic (about every six weeks) exams. These are consumable, full-colored workbooks.
• Advanced assignment sheets have assorted questions (fill in the blank, short answers, short essays) all taken from Consider the Years or Companions. Reading assignments are found in the Lesson Plans Plus. Also included are research essays (outside of the text readings), and pdfs of periodic (about every six weeks) exams. These are consumable, black-and-white workbooks.

BiblioPlan Hands-On Maps

These provide one or two full-color maps each week that correspond to the week's lesson content. Instructions for the maps are printed directly on the map. These are intended to be consumable workbooks for each student. While students may need to gather a little helpful information from a world map and/or their textbooks, they will be able to complete the maps at their level more-or-less on their own. The same set of maps are included in both books with more identification and instruction provided for the younger students.  

• The Middles maps set has suggestions for 2^nd - 8^th grade students or those students using the Remember the Days text. These maps include some prompts and partial information that makes them easier to complete. Each map also includes a Challenge question to promote further learning. Each map is labeled to correlate with the Lesson Plans Plus and student’s readings.
  
  
• The Advanced maps (8-12) set includes a geography scope and sequence as well as a Challenge activity for each of the maps. Six exams for this level are included in the Answer Key pdf. These maps and activities correlate only with the Consider the Years text for Ancients and Modern, and the Companions for Medieval and Early Modern.

PDF Exams and Answer Keys

If you're concerned about answers to all the Cool History questions or the exams, they do exist, but they aren't in the Cool History books. An Answer Key pdf is sent from our office via email after your order has been processed. The Hands-On Maps Answer Key pdf is sent from our office via email as well after your order has been processed. If you do not receive your answer key email, or the answer key does not line up with the workbooks you have received, please reach out to our office for assistance.  

BiblioPlan Timelines & Figures

Is a well-crafted supplement with one distinct advantage over many other timelines – they're in color! The spiral-bound books can be used "as is" or the pages removed, and the timeline mounted on a wall. If planning to mount your timeline on the wall, you will need approximately 20 linear feet of wall space. The timeline consists of one or more colored strips (color varies with the time period) plus dated notes on particular events. The student cuts out the graphics and pictures (located in the back of the book) and inserts them in the appropriate place in time.

• The Ancient Timeline includes two timelines: one for Biblical history and one for world history. The timeline is set-up as facing page timelines. Biblical history on one side and World History on the facing page.
• The Medieval, Renaissance and Reformation Timeline includes two timelines, one for church history and one for world history. The timeline is set-up as facing page timelines. Medieval on one side and Church History on the facing page.
• The Early America and the World Timeline and the Modern America and the World Timeline each feature facing pages; one for the Americas and one for the World.

As mentioned earlier, the Timeline Figures are mostly in color (some 19th and 20th century figures are prints of original black and white photos) and are eye-catching. Figures include portraits, artifacts, geographical features, monuments and buildings, photos or drawings of events, and much more.

BiblioPlan Craft Books

These provide over two hundred (200+) activities that correlate with the Lesson Plans Plus. These are cultural crafts, food, and fun referenced in the Lesson Plans Plus and Cool History Littles (three to five per week). The books are impressive – a well-illustrated, well-explained variety of crafts and projects. A few require materials from other sources, but most include directions and full-color pictures. Here's a random selection from one book: Porcelain Painting (buy a kit), Hold a Japanese Tea Ceremony (get details from internet), Make a Kharbuja Sharbat Drink (directions), Make a Flying Dragon Head (directions), Make a Chinese Dragon (directions), Make a Yurt (directions), Make a Chinese Cricket Cage (directions). Patterns, where needed, are provided in the back of the book. This book is fully integrated with the BiblioPlan program but could also be used as a supplement to another world history study.

The BiblioPlan Coloring Books

These provide coloring sheets to accompany the lessons. Pages are referenced in the Lesson Plans Plus guide. Utilizing the talents of present and former homeschooled students, multiple artists have produced a variety of styles and details in the drawings making them suitable for younger and older students. There is at least two and often three pages per week. Reproducible for families.

The BiblioPlan Family Discussion Guide

This is for families who want some help in broadening their history studies into thoughtful family discussions. These Guides provide discussion starters that will help you guide your students into a better understanding of the connections between secular history and their Christian faith. One of the advantages of the Guide is that they allow you to lead discussions without having to study everything in the textbooks yourself.

The new edition (available for Ancients) has received a major facelift and shift in scope and sequence. Detailed out with Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric questions for each appropriate age level, there are also geography and general review questions for each week of study. Consider the Years specific questions are clearly identified. Other volumes will follow suit in this format.

BiblioPlan Cool History Classic

This is a republished version of an older edition of the Cool History books. In this version (no grade level grouping designations), questions are based on the textual content of Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World rather than on the BiblioPlan Texts. This provides student work (no test or assessments), for all grade levels, if you choose the BiblioPlan path of using just the Lesson Plans Plus and Story of The World approach.

BiblioPlan Hands-On Notebooking

These are only found as digital eBook purchases from the publisher. Biblioplan.net offers digital notebooking options to add to your studies and are geared to grade levels. Giants of the Faith adds Bible characters' study and composition writing to their work. There is a Giants of the Faith notebook for each volume. Countries of the World have a different country focus for each volume of study. The U.S. States and Presidents is for volume three, and four studies and breaks the presidents into their appropriate era of service. These eBooks are templated and include intentional spaces for students to document their findings. 

In conclusion, if your whole family is ready to dig into world history and you want a Christian perspective that provides flexibility, an excellent road map, comprehensive textual information, and colorful, engaging reinforcement with enrichment possibilities, then look no further than the new, reconstructed BiblioPlan. ~Rebecca