Story of the World is the "spine" in our homeschool. I tend to assign the girls writing and research assignments based on what we are learning in Story of the World. As a librarian, I search for novels and non-fiction books for my girls to read that pertain to what we are learning in Story of the World. I find that my girls (and I) retain things better if we "see" it, so I search for movies or videos on line that we can watch about the topics covered in Story of the World.
Here is a comprehensive list of supplemental resources we used for Story of the World, Volume 4. We are not completely finished yet, my intention is to update this with what we use until we do finish:
Vocabulary: secede, Union, Confederate
Vocabulary: Aristocrats, revolutionary, Constitutional monarchy
Vocabulary: confederation, Confederacy, kaiser, chancellor, dictatorship
Vocabulary: standardized, filament, alternating current, direct current
Vocabulary: ambassador, sultan, Balkans
Vocabulary: blight, Home Rule
Vocabulary: foundry, brawn Boers, concentration camps
Vocabulary: protectorate
Vocabulary: embassy, diplomat, dowager
Vocabulary: diplomacy
Vocabulary: reservoir, petroleum
Vocabulary: peninsula, secular
Vocabulary: opium, abdicate
Vocabulary: draft, the front, cryptographer, Lusitania
Vocabulary: provisional government, communism
Vocabulary: democratic, counter-offensive, armistice, suffrage, suffragist
Vocabulary: Home Rule, Parliament
Vocabulary: Raj, vice-regent, sahib, memsahib, satyagraha
Iran and Iraq (this is when we parents probably start remembering world events from our childhood)
- I always purchase the Story of the World book and Activity Guide for each volume.
- I ask my girls the Comprehension questions & have them write a summary OR, in the case of Volume 4, complete the outline. For some chapters all we did was read and outline (I have noted that under that chapter heading), but for many chapters we both read, outlined and found outside resources (for those chapters I did not mention the outline, but we always do the outline).
- We keep a binder of our summaries and outlines.
- We have our binders tabbed for each volume of Story of the World.
- Within each volume, we have a tab for Vocabulary. I have the girls define the words either using the text or a dictionary.
- My girls each have a Book of Centuries, that they update once a week to add new events and people we learned about.
- My girls are 11 & 13, my main goals for them with regard to history is that they have enough information to form educated opinions and to ensure that they can comfortably discuss topics and express their opinions. Some of the discussion topics that I note may not be suitable for younger children.
Chapter 1 ~ Britain's Empire
Victoria's England
- What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool(we skimmed through this for fun facts)
- The Secret Garden Cookbook by Amy Cotler
Vocabulary: Crystal Palace - a special, all glass gallery created for an an exhibit of art from all around the world
The Sepoy Mutiny
- we just read and outlined this chapter
Chapter 2 ~ West Against East
Japan Re-Opens
- Shipwrecked! The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg
The Crimean War
- We checked out these photos from the Crimean War
- Florence Nightingale - the girls each researched her using books and websites and wrote a report
Chapter 3 ~ British Invasions
The Great Game
- We had listened to The Secret Garden on audiobook a couple of years ago, we talked a little bit about that.
- We watched "A Little Princess" - a DVD based on the story by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Wandering Through Africa
- Great Adventurers
- watched David Livingstone video on youtube--an account of David Livingstone's life
Chapter 4 ~ Resurrection and Rebellion
Italy's "Resurrection"
- we made a Margherita pizza following the recipe in the Activity Book
- We played this game: Battleship based on a quiz about the chapter in Story of the World 4
- We watched some of the videos from this blog: Story of the World Blog
The Taiping Rebellion
- we checked out this video on the Taiping Rebellion
Chapter 5 ~ The American Civil War
South Against North
- We learned about the Civil War last summer. We had watched Gone with the Wind, which I do recommend if your kids have not seen it, it's a classic that everyone should be able to discuss and gives a good picture of what antebellum means.
- We watched Uncle Tom's Cabin on youtube last summer
- We discussed states' rights and various issues. Each girl wrote an essay about their position on states rights versus a unified government and why they felt the way they did.
After the Civil War
- Ken Burns Civil War on Netflix - this is not for everyone, it's fairly graphic but we covered the Civil War last summer and had watched many of the other documentaries on Netflix. Civil War Journal series and History's Mysteries: Lincoln Untold Stories were very good!
- The girls completed the worsheet in the Activity Book on the names of Civil War
- The girls memorized the Confederate and Union states, as well as neutral areas; they also memorized The Gettysburg Address
- We celebrated Juneteenth several weeks after covering this chapter, on June 19 and the girls made all the recipes in the Activity Book - the biscuits are to die for!
Chapter 6 ~ Two Tries for Freedom
Paraguay and the Triple Alliance
- We looked at different political cartoons and the girls each created a political cartoon
The Dominion of Canada
- Allie had already read Anne of Green Gables and Piper was not interested in reading it; we've watched the TV series on DVD and the movie numerous times and if you have not read it or watched the TV series and can get your hands on it, it's good.
- We watched Travelogue: Prince Edward Island
Chapter 7 ~ Two Empires, Three Republics, and One Kingdom
Two Empires and Three Republics
- We just read and outlined this chapter
The Second Reich
- Wrote fairy tales as suggested in Activity Guide
Chapter 8 ~ Becoming Modern
Rails, Zones & Bulbs
- If you have not watched The Men Who Built America yet, I HIGHLY recommend it. This History Channel mini-series is a wonderful representation of what life was like in America in the 1800s and how the rail systems were built, the conflict between Tesla and Edison, who Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie and Ford were.
Vocabulary: standardized, filament, alternating current, direct current
Japan's Meiji Restoration
- We just read and outlined this chapter
Vocabulary: feudal society, conscripts
Chapter 9 ~ Two More Empires, Two More Rebellions
The Dutch East Indies
- We checked out these photos of the Dutch East Indies
Vocabulary: archipelago, guerrilla war
The Sick Man of Europe
- It was interesting to see if the girls could understand this, lots of innuendo.
Vocabulary: ambassador, sultan, Balkans
Chapter 10 ~ A Canal to the East and a Very Dry Desert
The War of the Pacific
- This movie is more fun than historical, but we watched South Pacific.
- We checked out this website The War of the Pacific **it is important that children understand what saltpeter is as it figures into several other events
The Suez Canal
- We checked out this site: World Atlas: Suez Canal
- We also watched this opera, which was performed (not this version) to celebrate the completion of the Suez Canal
Chapter 11 ~ The Far Parts of the World
The Iron Outlaw
- The girls made Wanted Posters for Ned Kelly and his gang, as suggested in the Activity Guide
Carving Up Africa
- We made the Textured Map as suggested in the Activity Guide for this book
Chapter 12 ~ Unhappy Unions
Ireland's Troubles
- Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff (we listened to the audiobook, but it would make a great read aloud or assigned reading)--story of a young Irish girls during the Potato Famine
- Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine by Susan Campbell Bartoletti - Jason read this and told us interesting facts
Vocabulary: blight, Home Rule
The Boers and the British
- We checked out some videos (this was a genocide, parents may want to preview videos)
Chapter 13 ~ The Old Fashioned Emperor and the Red Sultan
Brazil's Republic
- discussed why someone would call slavery a "cancer"
Abdulhamid the Red
Vocabulary: parliament, deport- Allie chose to read The Road Home: The Story of an Armenian Girl by David Kherdian
- We also made a "telephone" with drinking cups and string as described in the Activity Book
Chapter 14 ~ Two Czars and Two Emperors
The Next-to-Last Czar of Russia
- I grew up in the age of Baryshnikov, so when I saw the suggestion in the Activity Guide to watch a Russian ballet, I could not resist the opportunity to expose my girls to Baryshnikov.
- Vocabulary: autocracy
Ethiopia and Italy
- Discussed symbolism and meaning behind being called "The Lion of Africa"
- We made an Ethiopian meal as outlined in the Activity Guide
Chapter 15 ~ Small Countries with Large Invaders
The Korean Battleground
- We used these online flashcards for this chapter
The Spanish-American War
- We discussed "Yellow Journalism"
- Have each child write a report on Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst or Theodore Roosevelt
Chapter 16 ~ The Expanding United States
(a chapter we spent a lot of time on)
Moving West
- The Oregon Trail (a TRUE Book) by Mel Friedman
- How Many People Traveled the Oregon Trail? by Miriam Aronin
- Oregon Trail: A Road to Destiny (graphic novel) by Frank Young & David Lasky
- Rachel's Journal by Marissa Moss (good for girls ages 8-11)
- In Search of the Oregon Trail (documentary) - HIGHLY RECOMMEND if you can find
- Oregon Trail (documentary) - also very good
- Have children write an essay on Geronimo and/or Crazy Horse
- We memorized all the Native American names for the different monthly moons
Stocks, Philanthropists, and Outlaws
- The Men Who Built America (History Channel mini-series)
- Pit card game--fun way to learn a little about "cornering the market"
- I showed the girls the spreadsheet I use to follow stocks we own on the stock market and encouraged them to each pick a public company to follow--Allie picked Petsmart and Piper is still thinking
- Have children write a report on Andrew Carnegie
- Google "List of Carnegie Libraries in (your state)" and visit one if it is nearby
Chapter 17 ~ China's Troubles
The Boxer Rebellion
- Built a water balloon torpedo as suggested in the Activity Guide
The Czar and the Admiral
- We checked out this cool newspaper from the time period: The Age, 1904
Chapter 18 ~ Europe and the Countries Just East
Persia, Its Enemies, and Its "Friends"
- Completed the How Much Fuel Would It Take? worksheet in the Activity Guide; learned about Btu
The Balkan Mess
- We read and outlined this chapter
Chapter 19 ~ China, Vietnam - and France
The Last Emperor
- We watched the {amazing and not at all dated} 1987 movie The Last Emperor (at the time of this writing it is on Netflix Instant Queue)
Vocabulary: opium, abdicate
The Vietnamese Restoration Society
- we just read and outlined this chapter
Chapter 20 ~ Revolution in the Americas...War In the World
The Mexican Revolution
- The girls researched and wrote essays on Pancho Villa
World War I
- completed the Cryptography worksheet from the Activity Guide
- watched parts of different videos on youtube about WWI - they were all good, but they were all long and we found new ones as our interest waned; parents are cautioned to preview videos.
**We made a list of the Central Powers and the Allied Forces in bold marker to keep them straight
Chapter 21 ~ A Revolution Begins, and the Great War Ends
The Russian Revolution
- Allie read Anastasia's Secret (which, if you have kids old enough to read YA, this was a great book and really informed Allie well)
- Piper read The Royal Diaries: Anastasia, The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914
- We watched a documentary on Rasputin, I DO NOT RECOMMEND doing this without pre-screening as Rasputin was a sex addict and the documentary we watched went into this a little too much even for my (liberal) taste.
Vocabulary: provisional government, communism
The End of World War I
- Have children write papers on Woodrow Wilson and/or The Women's Suffrage Movement
- Discuss the privilege of voting and what responsibilities that entails, my girls are 11 & 13 and it was interesting to get their perspective
Chapter 22 ~ National Uprisings
The Easter Uprising
- We looked at this from the BBC: Easter Uprising
- Watched real footage of the Aftermath of the Easter Uprising
Indian Nationalism
- Great read-aloud for ALL ages: Gandhi: A March to the Sea
- We watched Gandhi
- I asked my girls to each write about Gandhi; Allie chose to write a fictional narrative as though she were a young girl in India who followed Gandhi to the sea and whose parents participated in peaceful protests
Chapter 23 ~ "Peace" and a Man of War
The Peace of Versailles
- Watched Paris Peace Conference
- Another documentary on The Treaty of Versailles (this is a longer version of the documentary above)
Vocabulary: communism
The Rise of Joseph Stalin
- Watched documentary on Joseph Stalin: Red Terror
Vocabulary: totalitarian state, dissident, authoritarian, nationalistic
**We discussed the differences between Communism, Socialism and Fascism and made a chart to help the girls understand the differences.
Chapter 24 ~ The King and II Duce
The First King of Egypt
- We read and outlined this chapter.
- We used the worksheet in the Activity Guide to write out names in Arabic.
Vocabulary: khedive, boycott, forfeit, sultan, protectorate
Fascism in Italy
- I had the girls research and make illustrated posters with facts on Mussolini
**We added more facts to our chart on Socialism, Communism and Fascism
Chapter 25 ~ Armies in China
Japan, China and a Pretend Emperor
- If you have not watched The Last Emperor, we recommend it
- The girls created a Bulletpoint Timeline for this section of this chapter in addition to doing the outline
The Long March
- We began using Susan Wise Bauer's suggestion of not completing the outline, but using it as a guide to rewrite a summary of the chapter
Chapter 26 ~ The Great Crash and What Came of It
(a chapter we spent a lot of time on)
Black Tuesday and a New Deal
- Black Tuesday (Spotlight on American History) - library binding
- Watched the pandemonium on youtube from real footage
- The Great Depression in 10 Minutes
- New Deal in 10 Minutes
- New Deal BBC History File
- Read biographies on FDR and wrote a report using this Biography Book Report rubric
- Make a list of the main provisions of the New Deal and how they worked
- Discussed why people like or dislike the New Deal in terms of both history and today
**My girls have both read the Kit books from American Girl and seen the movie, which may be appropriate for younger kids.
**We have watched all of the seasons of The Waltons, a 1970s television series of a family in rural Virginia struggling during the Great Depression. This series could give children a good idea of what life was like at this time.
**We have watched all of the seasons of The Waltons, a 1970s television series of a family in rural Virginia struggling during the Great Depression. This series could give children a good idea of what life was like at this time.
**WE learned that the stock market had been doing SO WELL before the crash that people were taking out second mortgages on their homes and investing the money in the stock market--we discussed smart investing and the girls were able to list reasons why this would be a bad idea.
Vocabulary: bull market, bear market
Vocabulary: bull market, bear market
**We did our own research and created a chart to understand the differences between a Depression and a Recession.
Hitler's Rise to Power
(my older daughter is fascinated by WWII and Hitler and has read and watched anything and everything I will allow her to read over the last few years, since she is so interested and knows so much about this dark period, I may be more liberal in what I allow my kids to see/watch than another parent would)
- We watched The Double Headed Eagle: Hitler's Rise to Power on Netflix Instant Streaming
- Time Magazine Photo Essay
- The girls completed the Research Project on resistance movements and gave an oral report, which we recorded and posted to our private youtube channel and shared with their grandparents.
Vocabulary: fuhrer, anti-Semitism,
Chapter 27 ~ Civil War and Invasion
Red Spain, Black Spain, a King and a General
- We read and completed the outline/summary of the chapter.
Vocabulary: coronation
Rebuilding the "Fatherland"
- We looked at the National Socialist Principles of Education and compared that with our experiences in public school (VERY different!) and discussed how much control government should have over people.
Chapter 28 ~ The Second World War
Vocabulary: Axis powers, Allied Forces, Holocaust
The Three-War War
- Color footage of Pearl Harbor Attack (youtube)
- We watched Pearl Harbor: The Real Story; there are numerous documentaries on Pearl Harbor, this was the one I picked but I am sure whatever your library has will be fine.
The Holocaust
- My girls have both read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and watched several different versions of the movie - if you have middle school age children, now may be the time for that if they have not read it yet.
- Children in 4-6th grade may read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
- We watched Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State on Netflix Instant Queu (I found too upsetting and turned it off)
- We checked out this website about Auschwitz
- Allie read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
- We watched the movie Boy in the Striped Pajamas
**As much as Allie knows about the Holocaust, there are many books and movies that I will not allow her to see yet because they are very graphic; parents are strongly cautioned to preview and read reviews of any books or movies.
There is nothing in Story of the World Volume 4 about the Dust Bowl, but I decided to talk to the girls about it as it had a huge impact on life in the US in the 1930s. We read Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weed Patch Camp by Jerry Stanley and watched Ken Burns documentary on the Dust Bowl (on Netflix as of 8/1/2013). Our library had several books of photographs of the Dust Bowl, which we perused as well. My girls had seen the very famous photo, but didn't know why it was taken or where or the story behind it.
There is nothing in Story of the World Volume 4 about the Dust Bowl, but I decided to talk to the girls about it as it had a huge impact on life in the US in the 1930s. We read Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weed Patch Camp by Jerry Stanley and watched Ken Burns documentary on the Dust Bowl (on Netflix as of 8/1/2013). Our library had several books of photographs of the Dust Bowl, which we perused as well. My girls had seen the very famous photo, but didn't know why it was taken or where or the story behind it.
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| Photo Credit |
Chapter 29 ~ The End of World War II
Vocabulary: Blitzkrieg, partisans, disarm
The War That Stretched Across The World
- We read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- We checked out the War Plane diagram in the Activity Guide and looked at the differences between the planes. The girls each wrote a short story about a child growing up during this time and using this diagram with their father.
The Atom Bomb
- Atom Bomb Re-enactment (youtube) **as always, PLEASE PREVIEW
- Actual footage of Atom Bomb (youtube)
- Hiroshima: Dropping the bomb actual accounts (youtube)
Chapter 30 ~ Partitioned Countries
Vocabulary: karma, yoga, selfless, partitioned, Hindu, Muslim, Zion, Allah, diaspora
Muslims and Hindus in India
- As a practicing yogi, I had fun going over the poses in the Activity Guide with my girls.
- Yoga for kids (youtube)
- Indian Massacre (youtube)
- Cause of Hindu-Muslim Conflict in India (youtube)
The Partitioning of Palestine
- Partition Plan for Palestine (youtube)
Chapter 31 ~ Western Bullies and American Money
Vocabulary: ration book
The Suez Crisis
- Events Leading up to Suez Crisis in 3 Minutes (youtube)
- Suez 1956 (youtube)
- we did the rationing exercises in the Activity Guide
The Marshall Plan
- Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan (youtube)
- Europe in Ruins and the Marshall Plan (youtube)
- the Marshall Plan (youtube)
I had one of my girls write a few paragraphs on the Suez Crisis and one write a few paragraphs on the Marshall Plan. We went over MLA Style Bibliography--I realize there are MLA Generators now, but I want my girls to know how to do it themselves.
Chapter 32 ~ Africa and China After World War II
Vocabulary: apartheid, Westernized
One Country, Two Different Worlds
- Decolonization (youtube- Crash Course in History)
- Color video of German trucks in North Africa (youtube)
Artists Against Apartheid (website)
Sun City (music video from 1985 featuring many popular artists from the day - I love how so many artists joined together and used their popularity and voice to have a positive influence, this was a great point to discuss with my girls especially in light of the controversy surrounding artists like Miley Cyrus and Britney.)
We completed the Apartheid and supporting laws exercise in the Activity Guide.
I had my girls write a paragraph answering the question: What is Apartheid?
Two Republics of China
- We are huge Beatles and John Lennon fans around here. My girls have heard the name Chairman Mao in Revolution, but had no idea who he was or why he was so terrible.
- Chairman Mao (youtube)
Allie read The Red Scarf Girl a while ago and was able to offer insights from that book and add to the discussion.
I assigned my girls to write a couple of paragraphs on why John Lennon wrote the line: "If you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone, anyhow".
Chapter 33 ~ Communism in Asia
Vocabulary: Communist party, Democratic Republic
Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh
- The Ballad of Ho Chi Minh (youtube)
We played The Twelve Recommendations game in the Activity Guide.
The Korean War
- MacArthur's Address to Congress (youtube)
I had my girls look over some non-fiction books on the Korean War and write a list of facts that they learned about the Korean War.
Chapter 34 ~ Dictators in South America and Africa
Vocabulary: inhabitants, territories, descamisados, junta
Argentina's President and His Wife
- Evita (movie)
Freedom in the Belgian Congo
- Belgian Congo Genocide (youtube - as always parents should preview!!)
- Congo: The Brutal History (youtube)
Chapter 35 ~ The Cold War
Vocabulary: Sputnik, orbit, Soviet
The Space Race
- Who Won the Space Race? (youtube)
- CBS News Special Report (youtube)
- Neil Armstrong on the Moon (youtube)
- From the Earth to the Moon (Amazon--check your local library or maybe an inter-library loan, this is a great series!)
- We had fun with the What Would You Weigh on the Moon? worksheets in the Activity Guide.
Thirteen Days in October
- 13 Days (movie)
- Cuban Missile Crisis (15 minute documentary)
- Nikita Khruschev - shoe (youtube)
Chapter 36 ~ Struggles and Assassinations
Vocabulary: segregation, lynch
The Death of John F. Kennedy
- JFK (movie)
- JFK Inaugural Address (youtube)
- JFK Assassination (youtube - use discretion)
I had my girls read a biography of JFK and write a biographical book report
Civil Rights
- We read Rosa Parks: My Story and my girls wrote biography book reports (book & writing project)
Rosa Parks Equality Song (Horrible Histories - youtube) - Martin Luther King "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech (youtube)
- Allie and I have both read and watched the movie of the The Help and loved it, if you have older girls they might like it :)
Chapter 37 ~ Two Short Wars and One Long One
Vocabulary: drafted, conscription
The Vietnam War
- WatchKnowLearn: Vietnam War (website)
- How to Teach The Vietnam War to Kids (website)
- I assigned my girls a research paper on the Vietnam War, the causes, why the US fought and why it is controversial that we fought. The concluding paragraph was their opinion on the war and if the US should have gotten involved.
Trouble in the Middle East
- We talked about our current troubles with Syria.
Chapter 38 ~ Two Ways of Fighting
Vocabulary: terrorists, asylum
Soviet Invasions
Terrorism
- Mark Spitz, 1972 Olympics (youtube)
- Massacre at 1972 Olympics (youtube)
- We discussed terrorism and what it is.
Chapter 39 ~ The 1980s in the East and Mideast
Vocabulary: Sikh
India After Partition
- Indira Gandhi on Problems with Pakistan (youtube)
Iran and Iraq (this is when we parents probably start remembering world events from our childhood)
- We learned a lot from the Muslim Calendar exercise.
- Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree (youtube)
- Barbara Walters interview with the Shah of Iran (youtube)
- Ayatollah Khomeini: The Man Who Changed the World (youtube)
- Argo (movie)
Chapter 40 ~ The 1980s and USSR
Vocabulary: atomic fission, reactors, nuclear, radioactivity
Chernobyl and Nuclear Power
- Chernobyl Disaster (youtube)
- I was able to share with the girls my memories of this time.
The End of the Cold War
- It was called the Cold War because there was no direct conflict between the US and the USSR.
- Reagan Legacy (youtube)
- Moments in History (youtube)
- Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall (youtube)
- Fall of Berlin Wall(youtube)
Chapter 41 ~ Communism Crumbles --- But Survives
Vocabulary: propaganda
Democracy in China?
- Declassified: Chairman Mao (youtube)
Communism Crumbles
- The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the End of Communism (youtube)
- We are fortunate to have a friend who lived in EastBerlin when the wall came down and she can tell us what life was like before, during and after and show us the piece of the wall she has.
Chapter 42 ~ The End of the Twentieth Century
The First Persian Gulf War
- I told the girls where I was when George Bush said we were at war; I told them how you NEVER forget where you are when you hear your country is at war or has been attacked, everything about those moments are etched in your mind forever.
- We learned a lot from the Oil Refining project in the Activity Guide.
- The Persian Gulf War for Dummies (youtube)
- As It Happened (youtube)
Africa, Independent
- Hotel Rwanda (again, please use discretion, just because I choose to show this to my kids, doesn't mean you will feel the same way). With this incident especially, our church has worked with survivors of the Rwandan genocide and my girls have been exposed to stories from a young age.
